FAQ

[accordion action="new accordions" class="demoaccordion"] [accordion action="new accordion" title="Will my smart home work without Wi-Fi or internet?"] Yes! We’re firm believers in offline controls for contingencies. Your light switches will always work when physically pressed. Curtain motors can be activated by a short tug on the curtains. Door locks never need Wi-Fi or internet anyway. Everything will still work, just that you won’t be able to control them with your phone. [accordion action="end accordion"] [accordion action="new accordion" title="Does each smart home device connect to my Wi-Fi? Will it congest my network?"] No, most of our smart home devices use Zigbee wireless technology to connect to the hubs in a separate network. That said, we do have devices that will connect directly to Wi-Fi, such as hubs and camera hubs, and other devices from other brands, such as the Sensibo Air Aircon control and Meross smart plugs. [accordion action="end accordion"] [accordion action="new accordion" title="What’s a hub and why do I need one?"] A hub can be described as a “router” that broadcasts a wireless network called “Zigbee”, much like a normal router broadcasts your Wi-Fi. They are the networking type of hub – that is, your other smart devices connect to it wirelessly to transmit data and commands. We have an article on how Aqara wireless networks and Zigbee works. An Apple Home Hub is more of a “server” than a “router”. As long as you have one unit of an Apple Home Hub at home, that’s enough for you to gain access to Apple HomeKit’s extra features, such as remote offsite controls, HomeKit Secure Video, and more. The Apple Home Hub is processing data and commands with its own hardware. Sidenote: some Apple Home Hubs also act as Bluetooth and Thread “routers”, so this further complicates matters. But, in the scope of most of our products, they do not work as routers. A Google Home Hub is simply a smart speaker or screen that’s marketed as a center of your smart home – that is – in terms of interaction. It’s a hub you can speak to ask for the weather, turn off a light, or see a video feed from a camera. Google Hubs do not work as routers nor as servers (their processing is done on a cloud server). [accordion action="end accordion"] [accordion action="new accordion" title="Do I need Wi-Fi and internet for smart functions?"] Yes, you will need them for smart functions such as remote controls and creating automations. Some automations such as motion-sensor triggered lights will work without Wi-Fi, once configured. [accordion action="end accordion"] [accordion action="new accordion" title="I turn off my router every night. Will the switches still work?"] Once the router is off, you will lose some smart functionalities. However, pressing the switch physically will always work. Aqara Smart Hubs will connect back to your Wi-Fi automatically when the network is turned back on, and smart functionalities will be automatically restored. [accordion action="end accordion"] [accordion action="new accordion" title="Do I need strong Wi-Fi coverage in my home?"] Generally, yes. It’s good practice and ensures stability of your devices. However, since most of our devices connect to the hub via Zigbee, only the hubs need a strong Wi-Fi connection. Thus, you will only need strong Wi-Fi coverage where your hubs are connected. [accordion action="end accordion"] [accordion action="new accordion" title="Do smart switches work with 2-way switches?"] Yes! We can set them up so they will work exactly as they did before. [accordion action="end accordion"] [accordion action="new accordion" title="Can I set up the smart home myself? Or do I have to pay you to do it?"] It is actually very easy to set up your smart home! All you need is an Android phone or iPhone that can download and run the Aqara app (available on both app stores). To know if your phone is supported, simply search for the Aqara app and see if you can install it on your phone. Once the app is installed, you can follow the step-by-step instructions to register an account, add new smart devices, and configure your accessories. Need help? Just contact us. [accordion action="end accordion"] [accordion action="end accordions"]