Aqara just dropped a mountain of smart home gear that actually makes sense. You’ve got control panels with touchscreens, locks that recognize your fingerprint, sensors that seem to know you’re there before you do—the whole lineup reads like a tech enthusiast’s fever dream. Brilliant stuff. Though admittedly, it’s all slightly unnerving.
Their Panel Hub S1 Plus might be the star here—a 6.9-inch touchscreen that does everything except make your morning coffee. The thing packs dual-band Wi-Fi and Zigbee support, plus it acts as a Matter bridge. What that means? It’ll probably talk to basically any smart device you throw at it. The panel also controls two wired lights directly, eliminating the need for separate switches in some setups.
Then there’s this Touchscreen Dial V1 with its tiny 1.32-inch round screen. Cute, functional, and apparently perfect if you’re the type who misses physical knobs. Meanwhile, the Touchscreen Switch S100 US combines touchscreen tech with actual buttons (revolutionary concept, right?) and supports Thread plus dual-band Wi-Fi. The Zigbee integration allows for mesh networking capability, connecting up to 65,000 devices in a single network.
Europeans get these toys early 2025. North Americans? You’re waiting until later that year. Because shipping across the Atlantic apparently takes six months now.
The sensor game got serious upgrades too. Smart dimmer switches now pack millimeter wave sensors that detect occupancy with what I can only describe as creepy precision. These things integrate with Zigbee, Thread, and Wi-Fi—they’ll automatically adjust your lights and HVAC based on whether you’re actually in the room. Energy efficiency meets Big Brother vibes, basically. The Presence Multi-Sensor FP300 takes this further with temperature and humidity tracking alongside its presence detection capabilities.
Now, Aqara‘s Matter and Thread integration deserves some attention here. Over 50 device types now seem to play nice with Matter. The devices double as Thread Border Routers—sounds fancy, but it essentially means your smart home won’t collapse when one gadget fails.
Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa—they all work together now. Miracles happen, I guess.
The lock collection? It ranges from practical to paranoid. Take the U50—handles NFC and keypad entry with USB-C emergency access. The U100 stores 50 fingerprints and has anti-peep password protection. Weather-resistant too, because burglars don’t take rain days off.
Then you’ve got the U200, which gains entry quietly and locks automatically using a gyroscope, with six-month battery life included. The U300 appears to break new ground as the first Matter-compatible lever lock—supports 50 fingerprints with 10-month battery life.
Cameras and doorbells round out the ecosystem. The G410 doorbell shoots 2K video and integrates with control panels for live viewing. That outdoor-rated G100 camera covers your basic security needs. Everything connects, everything watches, everything knows.
