Aqara Hub Smart Home

2021: Salute Virtual Assistant Management Capability

Sber opened the possibility of managing smart home devices from third-party manufacturers using virtual assistants of the Salyut family. Now you can control Philips Hue smart light solutions, as well as Aqara, EKF and ELARI light bulbs and sockets by voice from smartphones through the Sber Salyut mobile application. More details here.

2019: Launch of sales in Russia of Aqara Hub smart home devices

The manufacturer of devices for a smart home Aqara announced on November 7, 2019 the start of official sales in. Russia

For launch in Russia, Aqara has prepared several useful updates for the Russian user:

• Smart home learned to work with; voice assistant Yandex
• The Aqara application received a Russian-language interface;
• For the first time, Russian Aqara users will be able to count on warranty service.

These services became available thanks to cooperation with the first official distributor of Aqara in Russia - SoftMaster (part of Intro Group of Companies, founded in 1997).

The Aqara brand is very interesting to consumers in Russia and the CIS, which we see in the large number of cross-border sales of Chinese versions of devices. Thanks to fruitful work with the manufacturer, we managed to qualitatively prepare Aqara products for full-fledged work in Russia. We are very grateful to the Yandex team for the assistance and support provided in implementing Alice's skills for Aqara. We are glad that together retail prices have been made so attractive. Dmitry Kozhevnikov, CEO of SoftMaster

In July 2019, Aqara entered the European market with a special version of the smart home center - Aqara Hub. An important feature of the European version of Aqara Hub was the Eurovision Song Contest. It saved the user from the need to use cheap adapters for European sockets, from which the stability and safety of the smart home suffered.

Now the Aqara Hub with Eurovision is also available in Russia along with the main Aqara smart home devices. The following will go on sale:

• smart lamps (1490 p.),
• motion sensors (1490 p.),
• temperature sensors (990 p.),
• leakage sensors (1490 p.),
• vibration sensors (990 p.),
• door and window opening sensors (990 p.)
• wire switches with one or two keys (2490 p.)
• wireless switches with one or two keys (1490 p.)
• wireless mini-buttons (990 ₽)
• wireless switches in the form of a cube (990 p.).

With these smart devices, anyone can make their home more comfortable and secure.

Smart bulbs can turn on the timer and gradually gain brightness - waking up in the morning will be more pleasant. In the evening, you do not need to get out of bed to extinguish the light - you can leave a wireless switch by the bed or control the light through your smartphone. Thanks to motion sensors, the light will light up when the user enters the room, and in an empty room the light itself will turn off.

It is important that Aqara wall switches will allow you to get intelligent light control without changing all light bulbs to smart ones - they are mounted in place of ordinary switches. At the same time, however, it will be necessary to replace the standard for Russia box under the switch from round to square. Contacts are opened and closed using a relay, so there is no difference between physically pressing the button and controlling the switch from the smartphone. A zero line is not required for the operation of the switch, and the switch itself is protected from voltage surges.

Aqara devices will also serve to create a security system. In alarm mode, the motion sensor will notice penetration into the house, send a message to the smartphone and turn on the sound siren. A cheaper sensor for opening doors and windows is also suitable for this. A vibration sensor will warn if a window is broken in the house or a table box with valuable documents is opened. A leak sensor will help you learn about a broken pipe or a crowded bath in time.

All Aqara smart devices are made of special plastic: they do not burn, wear out and do not yellow over time. Sensors run on conventional batteries for up to 2 years. Another advantage of Aqara products is easy installation - adhesive stickers are bundled and suitable for different surfaces.

In the near future, you can expect the appearance of a smart outlet Aqara with a Eurovision. Then the smart house will be able to control the heaters, air conditioners - depending on the performance of the temperature sensor.

Aqara knew how to work with Apple HomeKit, now it knows how to work with Yandex

Aqara is in demand as an affordable smart home solution for Apple HomeKit. You can use the Siri voice assistant, the Aqara app for the Apple smartphone, and the Home app for macOS and iOS to control.

In Russia, Aqara learned to work with Yandex's smart home and his voice assistant Alice. Alice knows how to control light bulbs, wall switches, a smart outlet and the center of the Aqara Hub smart home. Now voice control will become available not only to users of Apple technology - Alice also works on smartphones with Android, in the Yandex browser for Windows and on smart speakers and can change the brightness of the light of a smart light bulb and control a regular chandelier if it is connected to the network through the Aqara switch.

The simultaneous operation of the Aqara smart home with the ecosystems of Yandex and Apple will allow the user to solve the problem of "vendor lock-in" - dependence on one manufacturer of smart devices.

According to Yandex.Market, only one smart outlet and one light bulb with support for both ecosystems still existed on the Russian market.

It is very important for us that with the help of Alice it is possible to communicate not only with Yandex services. That's why in May we announced support for smart home devices, and now Alice is a full-fledged voice apartment management interface. We are glad to welcome the Aqara brand in the Russian market and we are especially pleased that the Yandex smart house is initially supported in their products. Maxim Astashev, head of marketing of the Yandex Smart House

Annual Warranty

Certified Aqara devices can be purchased on the Svyaznoy network, ordered in Online Trade and on the official Aqara website in Russia - Aqara.ru. Certified devices are subject to an annual warranty.

Also for Aqara users there are more than a hundred service centers in different regions of Russia. There is also online support for users - on the Aqara.ru website you can get free advice on configuring devices, and on the official blog you can read about all the intricacies of installing the Aqara smart home.