Aqara Smart Hub M3 for Home Automation, Matter Controller, Thread Border Router, Features Aqara Zigbee(Not 3rd-Party), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, PoE, IR, Supports Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, IFTTT

I upgraded to the Aqara Smart Hub M3 to replace my old Aqara hub, and I’m so glad I did! The setup was a breeze, and it integrates seamlessly with all my smart devices. The hub supports Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, making it incredibly versatile. It works perfectly with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, and IFTTT, giving me full control over my home automation. It's a fantastic, reliable hub with excellent connectivity. Highly recommended!

Easy to set up and works well.Instructions could of been better so ended up looking online.

I'm gradually building my smart home and wanted a hub that could integrate with Home Assistant, work offline, and still support features like the Aqara G3's facial recognition. After five months, it's working well, with a few important details to keep in mind:Zigbee Support: The hub supports Zigbee but only for Aqara Zigbee devices. If you have other Zigbee brands, they won’t work directly with the M3 hub.Matter Connectivity: Matter devices, such as plugs and lights, do work. But I seem to get the best results if I connect them to the M3 hub first, then add them to other ecosystems like Home Assistant or Apple HomeKit. But this is just personal preference.Infrared (IR) Control: The M3’s infrared sensor works well for controlling devices like TVs and heaters. However, only Aqara devices connected to the M3 will show up in Home Assistant, not the infrared or Matter devices. To work around this, I’ve set up an Aqara button that works in both the Aqara app and Home Assistant. In the Aqara app, for example, a single button press turns on the TV, while in Home Assistant, that same press triggers automations to control non-Matter devices.Offline Functionality: The M3 is connected via Ethernet, and I’ve restricted its internet access, allowing it to function mostly offline. However, for some automation adjustments, internet access may need to be restored briefly.Expectations: When the M3 was first announced, I expected more from its Zigbee capabilities. But since I use Home Assistant for broader automation, this wasn’t a major issue. In practice, it has become a solid addition to my smart home setup.Overall, if you’re considering purchasing the Aqara M3 hub, as long as you're aware of its limitations and capabilities—especially regarding device compatibility—you likely won’t be disappointed. It's a compact size and good value for money considering what it can do. If you can get it reduced, even better.I'm giving the M3 4 stars, as I can't give it 4.5 due to the review system. It doesn't deserve a full 5 because it's not fully Zigbee compliant, but it's close.

Great hub ,looks modern with a square frame with a 360 ir blaster. Which I was was able to set up with a fan and paired with a button . I have paired hue with matter and most devices have been paired easily. It is powered through a usb type c or with POE . The unit is a bit small and has great connectivity. Definitely value for money and performs well . Also works with alexa and Google home well and voice automations work well . Good starter hub to get into smarthome

I bought this item looking to replace my Home Assistant setup hoping to simplify my entire system with a better user interface and not something that preoccupies me with coding. At the time of this review, the Aqara Hub was easy to install but the big problem was that hardly any of my Zigbee and Wi-Fi devices are compatible with it. This hub is quite proprietary and seems the only Zigbee devices that it works with are mainly those made by Aqara. Shame as I liked the hardware compactness and the intuitive user interface all at a reasonable price. Anyone starting to build a smart home system from scratch should not have this issue as long as compatible devices are also purchased. I am staying with HA on an intel NUC for now as I have too much invested in a mixture of smart device manufacturers.

I want to like it but.....I've had it for 6 months now. 1 month earlier I started getting notifications that the devices are offline or not in range. The main unit the M3 Hub went offline a few times last week. As a beginner in Home Automation I don't know what Brands I can buy to work with it, when I ask the Aqara customer service I just get a "No, you can't use it" instead of directing me to something I can buy for my purpose. I mean just a basic UK smart plug is not even available by them, only Euro or US, which means you need to buy 2 adaptors to make them work? No Thanks. I just can't believe in 6 months I only haveb2 types of gadgets connected to it. Humidity and Temperature sensors, and leak detectors. Please don't buy, not worth the headache. I'm passed off cause I waited over 1 year for it to be released and it was my first ever Hub which blew my excitement.

Great device and needed. Worked straight off the bat. Used an old Apple iPhone charging plug which is perfect for it.