I hope it comes soon.
Hey guys just chiming in here as a long time aqara user and very new homey pro user.
I just recently bought the Aqara t1m and havenāt yet been able to set it up yet but the thought occurred to me, oh crap, what if I canāt use all the features, so I started my google searches and it lead me to the homeyās aqara app page like many of you to see that the card doesnāt seem to support both of the lights. Which the lead me here to confirm that thatās the truth.
However I wasnāt worried as I know there is A WORK AROUND. Yes, there is a very very simple work around actually and Iāve already been using with another one of my āsmartā devices which I wouldnāt have been able to get working on homey pro.
As I mentioned, Iām a long term aqara user. And over the years I have managed to collect both the m2 hub and the m3 hub, both which are almost redundant now thanks to the homey pro.
However, one of my rooms we have a heater which is controlled with IR, and the way I made that smart was by pairing it with a inner zigbee smart plug and by learning the remote with the m2 hub (this was before I got the m3) and then making a scene so that when I trigger my aqara automation, my heater always goes to the same setting. I went one step further and combined my aqara temp and humidity sensors to turn on with settings when it falls below a certain temp and off when itās too hot. Worked like a charm with zero hiccups.
All that being said, when I got my homey I quickly realised that I wasnāt going to be able to replicate that as my heater isnāt in the IR list and even if it was, where the homey pro is setup, it would never be able to see it. So I felt annoyed because I didnāt want to have one system running JUST for my heater, I wanted it all integrated that was the whole point in spending Ā£400 for this homey pro!
Well, just like many of you, I got started on my smart home journey through one of the simpler hubs, in my case Alexa (I also have a HomePod mini which currently does nothing that Iām annoyed about and donāt know how to repurpose). And I realised that when I make a scene, my scene shows up in my Alexa app, since I have the aqara skill enabled.
I then noticed that thereās a community homey app that allows me to trigger Alexa routines, rather than the box standard integration of allowing Alexa to trigger flows. Iām on my phone so I canāt get the link right now but if you just search for Alexa in the homey App Store, there will be two apps, itās the one that is version 1.1.1 and updated a month ago (as of writing this), I tried the other app and this one was just better.
So I created a routine, for the trigger I did a voice command which Iād never use but also could use if I want to (turn on the heater), and then put the scene in the actions. Then, I created a flow where if my temp and humidity sensors were below or above my desired input it would; if below, turn on the smart plug and then run the Alexa routine. If above turn off the smart plug.
And it WORKS just as well as it did when it was all on my aqara hub.
So why is this important?
Well itās obvious, if youāre like me and u still have an aqara hub and other gear laying around, then just pair your aqara hub with your light and with Alexa (Iām not sure if near or HomeKit would pick up aqara scenes the same). At that point you can create as many cool scenes with your light on your aqara app, and then create flows to trigger ALL the lights on your T1M.
Theres only 2 downsides I can think of with this:
-
Youāre introducing 2 middle men. This can cause the set up to be a little longer especially if you plan to have lots of scenes since you have to make the scenes on aqara, and then make routines out of them, and then make flows out of them.
-
Youāre introducing a new and separate zigbee network. This could be problematic especially if you start adding more and more devices to the other network. But for my case, it would be just the light, and Iād put my m3 hub in the room where the light is. Leaving my m2 in a completely different part of the house where the heater is.
Both downsides arenāt a problem for me and plus I have to wait a while to be able to fit mine anyways since Iām waiting for my living room to be renovated. So maybe by the time it goes up, homey would have added my functionality, but for those of you that:
- already have it up
- Already have an aqara hub or donāt mind spending Ā£30 on the e1
- Already have an Alexa (or equivalent)
You can do it!
No problem. They can be set to different channels.
Some run Homey zigbee + 3 Hue bridges in their homes.
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I am not going to spend $140 for the T1M and then have to spend another $60 for the M3 hub. If Aqara canāt make their stuff work with other EOC systems without needing to buy another HUB, then they wonāt get my money.
As soon as I hear that people have got the T1M to work with Homey Pro 2023 without needing anything other than the Homey, Iām all in.
Well Tim, as I mentioned in my very long reply, itās a great solution for people who already have the gear. And you can also buy the E1 hub for Ā£20 to make this work.
If you have it laying around but not set it up yet, I suggest you do. I do not have an Aqara Hub, only the Homey Pro, and I added BOTH the lights. They show up as two different lights, can be controlled individually both color, dimming, on/off.
Oh amazing. So cool that you managed that, were you able to trigger the effects?
It looks like Iām having to send mine back as I realised it needs a neutral wire which my home doesnāt have! 
Nimrad - To confirm you have got the T1M light to work with Homey Pro WITHOUT the need for an Aqara Hub? All the literature and online listings still say an Aqara hub is required.
Hello Tim,
The Aqara zigbee appās supported devices are shown at the app page @ homey.app store, and at the first post of the Aqara app topic
Aqara app is for zigbee devices, meaning, directly controlled, without a hub.
Peter- I know that, but Aqara notes in their documentation that an Aqara Hub IS REQUIRED.
I would like to hear from someone who has actually connected the T1M to Homey Pro without any other hubs being required.
Yes, but Aqara disregards Homey, and likes to sell hubs.
I also understand you want a real life proof before purchasing.
Yes, I can confirm it works without an Aqara Hub. I assume thereās some functionality that requires a hub. But I can control both the LED ring and the main light perfectly in Homey.
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