Aqara remains a top choice for smart home enthusiasts who utilize HomeKit. Recently, the company unveiled a significant upgrade to its Matter integration, enhancing the experience for those who primarily use HomeKit.
HomeKit Weekly is a series that highlights smart home devices, automation tips, and everything related to Apple’s smart home ecosystem.
Earlier this week, Aqara announced the rollout of its Advanced Matter Bridging capability to all Matter-compatible hubs. This includes the latest Aqara Hub M3 and extends to older devices like the M2, M1S, E1, and Camera Hub G3. Previously exclusive to the Hub M3, this feature is now accessible to all users via a complimentary firmware update.
How does it function?
Advanced Matter Bridging enables Aqara’s distinct features to operate within third-party Matter platforms. For HomeKit users, this translates to the ability to create scenes and signals in the Aqara app that seamlessly integrate into the Home app as virtual plugs or motion sensors. These can subsequently be utilized in HomeKit automations.
Additionally, you can leverage presence detection from the Aqara FP2 sensor or receive AI alerts from Aqara cameras in innovative ways. These functionalities, previously confined to the Aqara app, can now extend into the HomeKit environment.
Beyond bridging capabilities, the latest update also allows the Aqara Home app to support over 50 types of Matter-enabled devices, such as robot vacuums and more. A firmware update has significantly improved Aqara’s Matter interoperability, which is excellent news for HomeKit aficionados. The company states that this update will be delivered through a new version of its Aqara Home app (version 5.1.9) and updated firmware for its M3 hub and G5 Pro camera hub (version 4.3.5) later this month.
Conclusion
Lastly, Aqara indicated that its Thread Border Routers will soon gain the capability to communicate across your LAN. This feature is still in development and is anticipated to debut in the second quarter of 2025.
For those seeking an affordable way to expand their HomeKit device portfolio, Aqara continues to prove its worth in your smart home setup. In my view, Matter has played a vital role in increasing the availability of HomeKit-compatible devices, and this update seems promising (especially as a free upgrade). You can explore all of Aqara’s HomeKit and Matter products on Amazon.
