Aqara offers smart home control and more sensors at CES
Smart home device maker Aqara unveiled a host of sensors and controls at CES 2025, including a new wall panel for controlling an entire smart home through one interface.
Launched on Monday, Aqara’s new collection of smart home devices is led by a range of new wall panels and smart switches. The main attraction is the Panel Hub S1 Plus, with a 6.9-inch touchscreen for controlling everything from cameras to locks, thermostats to curtains.
The idea is that instead of going to the Home app on iPhone instead, you can always control your smart home devices from this central point in your home.
Connecting via Wi-Fi, it replaces the traditional light switch and can act as a Zigbee hub and Matter Bridge.
The Panel Hub S1 Plus will be released later in January in the EU, with a North American release expected later in 2025.
Touchscreen Dial V1 is a 1.32″ rotary dial touchscreen. It is capable of automating two wired lights, as well as controlling other smart devices and scenes.
The dial has haptic feedback that can help confirm changes in light levels, while the dial allows you to open and close curtains and set the temperature on thermostats. It also has a built-in temperature and humidity sensor and a proximity sensor to activate the screen.
Aqara will ship the Touchscreen Dial V1 in the EU in January along with the Display Switch V1, a dual-channel LCD smart switch. Availability in the US is expected later this year.
Touchscreen Switch S100 US is a dual-channel smart switch with case buttons and a 1.3-inch touchscreen. Again, it can control wired lights as well as smart devices and stages. Connecting using dual-band Wi-Fi and Thread, it supports Matter and can also act as a Thread edge router.
The Light Switch H2 and Dimmer Switch H2 will also be introduced to the North American market following their launch at IFA 2024. Using Thread and Zigbee, they can support Matter platforms and are designed to work with all household electrical installations, even where there is no neutral wire.
The Light Switch H2 will go on sale in the US in the first quarter, while the Dimmer Switch H2 will arrive later this year.
Sensors and edge routers
Although the switch and controller are heavy, Aqara’s new product list includes many other items for setting up a smart home.
The FP300 Multi Presence Sensor combines a PIR sensor and a millimeter wave sensor to detect other people. One of the first battery-powered occupancy sensors, with up to two years of battery life and wireless design.
Equipped with Zigbee and Thread protocols, it is a Matter-enabled sensor that also has light, temperature and humidity sensors.
Climate Sensor W100 is an updated indoor sensor with dual Thread and Zigbee support. It has a built-in display of room temperature and humidity, as well as secondary data from weather reports or other Aqara sensors.
It has three more buttons to control smart devices and scenes. When used with the Aqara Thermostat, the buttons can also be used to control the climate control in your home.
The Doorbell Camera Hub G410 is a 2K video camera with a wide 176 degree viewing angle. Using live and recorded video with end-to-end encryption to ensure privacy, it also has RTSP support for streaming to third-party clients on the network.
Connecting via dual-band Wi-Fi with Thread and Zigbee support, it also acts as a smart home hub for Matter devices. Akara adds that there is seamless integration with Apple Home and other major platforms, and that it is one of the few that has HomeKit Secure video support that also runs on battery power.
There’s also on-device facial recognition, presence detection with mmWave, and cloud and storage options.
Finally, the Hub M100 is an entry-level matter controller. Compact device that uses USB for power and supports Wi-Fi, Thread and Zigbee to control third party Aqara and Matter devices.
It can even serve as a flow boundary router and matter bridge.
Pricing and availability of the sensors and routers have not been disclosed.
2025-01-06 17:15:09