Configure the Aqara system
Aqara Home
Add and configure Aqara devices, create scenes and automations, manage rooms, review device status and access product-specific settings.
Apps, ecosystems and Matter
Connect Aqara with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and Matter.
Configure the Aqara system in Aqara Home, then connect it to Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa or another Matter ecosystem.
Platform strategy
Choose the main app first.
Aqara Home is where devices are added, configured and maintained. A second platform then provides shared household control, a voice assistant and routines that reach other brands.
Deciding that platform first determines which hub, controller and products the home needs — a decision that is far cheaper to make before installation than after.
Control platforms
Four common ways to manage an Aqara home.
The platform choice decides which interfaces the household uses, where automations are written, which voice assistant runs them and what other brands can sit alongside Aqara. Which Aqara devices and functions reach each platform varies by product, and the product pages state what each one supports.
Apple devices and Siri
Apple Home
Bring Aqara accessories into the Apple Home app, put them in Apple scenes and automations alongside other brands, and control them by asking Siri.
Google devices and Assistant
Google Home
Control Aqara devices from the Google Home app, add them to household routines, and use Google Assistant on a phone, speaker or display for voice commands.
Echo devices and Alexa
Amazon Alexa
Connect Aqara devices to Alexa, control them from an Echo speaker or display, and include them in Alexa routines.
How Aqara connects
A typical Aqara Zigbee home network.
Many Aqara sensors, switches and controllers communicate with an Aqara hub over Zigbee instead of joining the home Wi-Fi individually. The hub then connects to the home router through Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on the hub model.
Inside the rooms
Aqara Zigbee devices
Sensors, switches, lighting controls, curtain motors and the other Zigbee child devices paired to the hub.
SensorsSwitchesCurtainsLights
Zigbee 3.0
Control centre
Aqara hub
Receives Zigbee signals, coordinates the devices paired to it and runs automations locally. It bridges the Zigbee network to the home network; it is not the Wi-Fi router.
Wi-Fi or Ethernet
Home network
Wi-Fi router
Connects the hub, phones and other network devices inside the home, and provides the route to the internet.
Internet connection
Beyond the home
Internet services
Carries remote access, push notifications, firmware updates and the link to external platforms.
Phone at home
App → home Wi-Fi → router and hub
The phone joins the home network over Wi-Fi and reaches the hub directly, without leaving the house. How much keeps working during an internet outage depends on the hub and the platform.
Phone away from home
App → internet services → home system
Remote access and notifications travel through the platform’s internet service, so they need a working connection at the home as well as on the phone.
This is the common Zigbee path, not every Aqara connection. Some products and hubs use Thread, Matter, Bluetooth, direct Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet instead, and which functions keep running locally varies by model and configuration.
Matter explained
Matter is a connection standard, not an app.
Matter lets devices and ecosystems from different brands talk over a common standard. It makes cross-platform control far easier, but it does not make every feature identical everywhere — a device usually exposes fewer settings in a third-party app than in the manufacturer’s own.
Aqara reaches Matter three ways. Hubs such as the M100, M200 and M3 bridge the Zigbee devices paired to them. Products such as the Light Switch H2 and LED Bulb T2 speak Matter over Thread directly. The same hubs also act as Matter controllers, bringing third-party Matter devices into Aqara Home.
Apple HomeGoogle HomeAmazon AlexaSmartThingsHome AssistantHomey
Matter connection paths
The required hardware depends on the device.
These are the three main paths. Which one applies, and what the chosen ecosystem then exposes, follows from the individual product.
Aqara Zigbee device
Device → Aqara hub → Matter ecosystem
The hub joins the Matter platform and bridges the Zigbee devices paired to it, so a sensor that speaks only Zigbee still appears in Apple Home or Google Home.
Matter over Thread device
Device → Thread border router → Matter ecosystem
A Thread device cannot reach the network alone. It needs a Matter controller that is also a Thread border router — the Aqara Hub M100, M200 and M3 all do both.
Matter over Wi-Fi device
Device → home Wi-Fi → Matter ecosystem
The product joins the home Wi-Fi directly and is commissioned by the ecosystem's own controller. No bridge and no border router are involved.
Before buying
A five-point compatibility check.
Confirm the complete path before choosing products for a multi-platform home.
01
Device
Confirm the exact model and connection mode.
02
Hub
Check whether an Aqara hub or bridge is required.
03
Controller
Confirm the chosen ecosystem has the right Matter or Thread controller.
04
Functions
Verify which controls, sensors and scene actions are exposed.
05
Firmware
Update the app, hub and device before commissioning.
Plan your Aqara smart home
Choose the platform and compatibility path before installation.
Tell us which phones, speakers, hubs and smart home platforms are already in the home. We can help check the Aqara products and connection path required.