Aqara, a global developer of IoT solutions, has announced that it has added the Matter platform across its product ecosystem.
The Aqara home platform is set to integrate over 50 unique types of Matter-enabled devices, making it easier for dealers to manage and automate their clients’ connected home devices in one centralized platform. Additionally, the Advanced Matter Bridging feature, initially introduced with the Hub M3, is now available on all Aqara Matter Controllers and bridges. This feature enables dealers to seamlessly bridge Aqara devices’ advanced functionalities to third-party Matter platforms.
“Aqara is fully committed to embracing cross-platform interoperability with Matter,” says Eugene You, founder, chairman, and CEO of Aqara. “We believe an open ecosystem is essential for the widespread adoption of smart home technology. By advancing Matter support, we offer users more flexibility, customization, and enhanced experiences across platforms, while providing even more value to our customers regardless of the platform they prefer.”
Interoperability has always been a priority in Aqara’s product design the company states. For years, Aqara has partnered with major platforms like Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Home Assistant, Homey, and SmartThings, to ensure seamless compatibility and an optimized user experience for Aqara devices.
The company asserts that as an early advocate of the standard, Aqara has integrated Matter compatibility across its portfolio, including its classic Zigbee device lineup. To further enhance connectivity among Thread-enabled devices, Aqara has optimized its Thread Border Routers to support Thread network sharing, allowing them to join existing Thread networks from other ecosystems. Additionally, Aqara Thread Border Routers will be enhanced with the capability to communicate across different local area networks (LANs)*. This approach significantly improves the robustness and reliability of the smart home experience.
To provide users with even more flexibility, the Company has introduced Advanced Matter Bridging with its Hub M3. This feature is designed to bridge Aqara’s features and functionalities to third-party Matter platforms. The increased functionality allows users to convert customized Scenes and Signals created within the Aqara Home app into virtual plugs and occupancy sensors, which can then be synchronized to other platforms via Matter. With this feature, users can bridge advanced device functionalities previously exclusive to the Aqara ecosystem such as on-device AI detection in Aqara cameras and fall detection in the FP2. Additionally, users can bridge advanced capabilities of Aqara’s automation engine, like power automation, which can trigger different automations based on a device’s real-time power consumption.
The new bridging feature is available across all existing and upcoming Aqara Matter Controllers, including the Hub M3, Camera Hub G5 Pro, Hub M100 and Doorbell Camera Hub G410, as well as older Matter bridges like the Hub M2, Hub M1S/M1S Gen 2, Hub E1 and Camera Hub G3. This allows more users to maximize the capabilities of their smart homes, regardless of the Matter platform they choose.
The Advanced Matter Bridging feature is available across Aqara’s current lineup of Matter Controllers and bridges through firmware version 4.3.4. To access this feature, Aqara Home version 5.1.4 or newer is required.
“We’ve seen tremendous growth and momentum for Matter, thanks in part to leading brands like Aqara, who are simplifying the consumer experience,” adds Tobin Richardson, president & CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance. “Aqara’s expansion of Matter support across their hub and bridge products, along with the broadening of Matter device compatibility on their platform, is a testament to our shared vision of a simple, interoperable, and powerful smart home future. We applaud the team at Aqara for achieving this impressive milestone.”
