I'm not new to Smart devices. For the past two years, I have been using a Samsung Smartthings hub with their door and motion sensors. The problem? Every 2-3 months I was replacing the batteries in those sensors. I was completely dissatisfied with Samsung devices.
Aqara was not the first remedy I sought. Sure, their accessories are dirt cheap, but wading through the number of reviews, there are just as many bad as good. On top of that, the fact that this is a Chinese company raises security concerns.
I decided to replace all my Samsung sensors with those from Aqara. Additionally, since I wanted to integrate them into Apple Homekit, I wanted to get the latest and greatest hub from Aqara. And, once again, the reviews on this product were all over the map. At worst, I would return the hub if it didn't work.
I am amazed at how quickly I not only set up this hub (pairing it with the Aqara app), but all the sensors and motion detectors I bought in addition to it. I wired the M3 hub directly out of my Eero mesh unit's ethernet output. It quickly connected to the Aqara app and soon afterward, I was connecting my accessories.
No issues. Everything showed up not only in Homekit but in the Alexa app as well. Whenever my doors were opened or closed, an alert was sent to my iPhone (iOS 18) and Mac.
All of this was set up within 35 minutes out of the box.
The only downside to this hub is that it's expensive. It only covers approximately 60-65 feet and I have a very large home. I am either going to have to buy more of these hubs or the cheaper Aqara extender if I want to add more accessories at the further end of my home.
I do completely understand, from the extensive research I have done that this is a half-baked product which has a lot of bugs. The fact I am only using it for basic monitoring functionality is probably the reason why everything has worked as smoothly as it has including quick pairing to devices.
I will say that I went from being skeptical about Aqara to becoming a huge fan of their devices. I am amazed at how well they work, how long their batteries allegedly last, and how cheap they cost. I'm also optimistic that their new M3 hub will only get better through software updates. It's nice to have a device that can help all my different security devices, Alexa and Google hubs, and Apple Homekit work together.
