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Aqara Expands Matter Support with New Device Integration
Aqara is significantly enhancing its smart home offerings by introducing support for over 50 new Matter device types. This positions Aqara alongside leading platforms such as Samsung SmartThings and Home Assistant in terms of comprehensive Matter support.
In addition, Aqara is integrating advanced bridging capabilities across all its Matter controllers. This upgrade enables users to utilize Aqara’s advanced automation functions on a variety of Matter-compatible smart home platforms—such as Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home—through scenes and triggers. Furthermore, it allows for the integration of Matter devices that may not yet be supported by a particular platform into those ecosystems.
The list of newly compatible Matter device types includes:
- Robotic vacuums
- Dimmable plugs
- Smoke and CO alarms
- Air quality sensors
- Leak, freeze, and rain sensors
- Curtains and blinds
- Fans and air purifiers
- Air conditioners and heat pumps
- Water valves and pumps
- Pressure sensors
- Solar panels and battery storage
- Electric vehicle chargers
- Washing machines and dryers
- Fridges and freezers
- Cooktops, hoods, and kitchen surfaces
- Ovens and stoves
- Water heaters
- Video players and speakers
This upgrade adds to the existing support for various sensors, thermostats, switches, and lights, with the rollout scheduled for Aqara Home version 5.1.9 and Matter Controller firmware version 4.3.5 later this month.
Aqara’s approach reflects a strong commitment to an open and interoperable ecosystem within the smart home industry. Eugene You, CEO of Aqara, emphasized the importance of interoperability by stating, “By extending Matter support, we aim to offer users greater flexibility and ensure that Aqara products remain useful across a wide range of platforms.”
For years, Aqara has partnered with major smart home platforms including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and more recently, SmartThings. With the latest enhancements, Aqara seeks to establish itself as a pivotal player within the Matter framework.
Aqara’s hubs are designed to work seamlessly with a range of Zigbee-based smart home devices, with several models also serving as Thread border routers. This means they can integrate with existing Thread networks managed by devices such as Apple HomePods, Amazon Echoes, or Google Nest hubs, although functionality will be contingent on how those platforms implement Thread. This is expected to enhance the connectivity and reliability of smart home devices that utilize the Thread network.
The implementation of advanced bridging, first introduced with the M3 hub earlier this year, is set to be extended to all current and upcoming Aqara Matter controllers, including the entry-level Hub M100. This feature offers two primary advantages: it allows for bridging Matter devices into platforms that may not yet recognize those device types and enables the use of Aqara’s advanced automation capabilities within any Matter-compatible platform.
For example, users can activate the facial recognition feature of Aqara’s G4 Video Doorbell to trigger lighting in an Apple Home automation setup when they arrive home. This facial recognition function is integrated as a virtual “occupancy sensor” within Apple Home, allowing for greater smart home flexibility.
Additional capabilities that can be utilized as “virtual occupancy sensors” or “virtual plugs” include features such as package detection through AI in Aqara cameras, fall detection via the Aqara FP2 mm-wave sensor, and automations based on a device’s energy consumption. Other functions like fingerprint sensing and gesture control can also be adapted for use.
It is noteworthy that while advanced bridging is not part of the standard Matter specifications, it represents an innovation by Aqara aimed at enhancing user experience. Similar capabilities can also be found in Home Assistant, which permits integration of its scenes and scripts into connected platforms, even if those platforms do not natively support specific Matter device types.
Aqara characterizes advanced bridging as a temporary solution that enables users to utilize its full suite of features across various Matter platforms while awaiting potential future support for these more sophisticated functionalities within the Matter framework.
Source
www.theverge.com