If there is one name that has been regularly mentioned in conversations in the home automation industry in recent months, it is Xiaomi.
Xiaomi is one of the Chinese brands that has made a breakthrough and is now competing with the major high-tech players. Because yes, Xiaomi competes with both Apple and Samsung as well as the manufacturers of connected objects via home automation devices.
The Chinese style allows the brand to offer products that are quite similar to those of the major brands in terms of finish and functionality, while being highly competitive. With the Aqara range, the Chinese giant is taking a leading position in the range of home automation devices.
Why is the Aqara smart home ecosystem so interesting?
The answer is in three stages:
- Design
- Protocol
- Price
Indeed, Aqara smart home devices are rather pretty, small and ingenious. They work under the Zigbee protocol, you know the famous protocol that Philips also chose for its great range of connected Philips Hue bulbs. A protocol that is currently on the rise and it is certainly thanks to the Zigate that opened this protocol on smart home hub, thus freeing us from the Chinese gateways and cloud, that is what we will see a little further down.
Finally, the price. Due to China's need, peripherals are obtained at a very attractive price, allowing everyone to get into smart home at a lower cost with a few Xiaomi peripherals, a Zigate and a Raspberry Pi under Jeedom, as we saw in a recent guide on the blog.
The cloud and home automation
We are all aware of China's censorship policy on the Internet. If many of us are reluctant to use the Google cloud... What about the Chinese cloud! That's why, although I know the Xiaomi range to have a complete kit in home lab testing, I've never really been thrilled by the concept and have never offered you a guide or article on it. But that was before the Zigate arrived.
The Zigate has changed my view of things with regard to Xiaomi devices, simply because the Zigate frees us from the Xiaomi gateway and therefore does not transit through the famous Chinese cloud. You wanted a smart home system that is not dependent on the cloud but use Xiaomi devices with the Jeedom plugin that require the gateway, did you know that you still had a foot in the clouds? And Chinese too! Fortunately, today this obligation is over, you can happily use your cheap and efficient Chinese Zigbee devices while staying locally on your box. Shall we continue?
Aqara smart home ecosystem is a complete range of peripherals to equip the connected house at a lower cost. From motion detectors to opening detection and temperature sensors... This is a rich and above all economical range!
Conclusion
If usually, I am not at all for Chinese home automation devices which are often synonymous with gadgets and poor quality. It must be said that Xiaomi offers with its Aqara range an exception to the rule. If then the dependence on the cloud has been a hindrance for some people, which I understand completely because I myself did not use these devices for this second reason, now the Zigate fixes it.
In conclusion, with Aqara smart home, we have quality, low-cost devices that are locally compatible with our smart hub! It would therefore be a pity not to take advantage of it.