Aqara shows off its new hub
Aqara launches its new hub M3, a new smart lock, a smart plug that can act as border router as well as an AI chatbot.
Just as we predicted, Aqara launched its new hub M3. The hub is a ZigBee 3.0 hub that will also be able to act as Thread border router. With support for Matter, the hub will have the ability to control Matter-compatible products from other brands. Thus, it moves closer to Homey and thus becomes a bigger contender in the market. According to Aqara, this will be rolled out in installments during 2024. The hub itself is said to be launched in Q2 2024.
In addition to all this, the hub comes with an IR blaster, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth as well as PoE (Power over ethernet). And like Homey Pro The hub will be able to run automations locally and back up to the cloud and be paired with multiple hubs for increased stability.
Thanks to Matter, we are now noticing how competition is increasing and really putting pressure on companies to manufacture high-quality devices. When you are no longer forced into an ecosystem, the choices become greater.
While Aqara went public with the news of their latest hub, we also found out that they will be launching a new smart plug. With Thread being rolled on a device that has been powered by constant current e.g. HomePod Mini and Google Nest Hub gives the device the ability to act as a border router, so this we will see more of. The smart plug can also measure your energy consumption.
Aqara also launched a new smart lock. In terms of functionality, the lock is reminiscent of Nimly Touch Pro with its fingerprint reader, keypad and NFC tags. The lock makes use of Thread and is compatible with Matter. Battery life is said to be up to eight months.
In addition to these products, Aqara will also launch an AI chatbot. AI is the big snack at CES and of course this is something that is also relevant when it comes to smart home products. The AI bot is a so-called generative AI that will be able to create automations for you based on your description of your needs. Aqara also claims that it will be able to give you suggestions for automations that suit your particular behavior. How far this will be something that can actually be used and made easier will have to wait and see but we probably think it will take a couple more years before it actually makes it easier.
