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Very useful and thorough review. I really appreciate the effort you put into these.

@homekitnews

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great Review, thanks. Can't wait to buy some, hopefully they can get more in stock later.

Great review, as always

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much.

Fantastic review! Thank you. I haven’t been able to find these using your links for a few days now, it says currently unavailable on amazon- do you know where else I can buy these from? And if not when they could be back available? (I’m in the UK by the way)

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Aqara told me a few days ago that more stock is coming in a couple of weeks, so I guess you could see more stock towards the end of the first week of October. Sorry to be vague!

hi! do you know if could be connected to another zigbee hub? such as the built in one of a echo plus or so..? thanks a lot! also for the info in the video!

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Probably not at present, but it may be possible if/when devices like this and Amazon start adopting the new Matter protocol. I’ll check to make sure and get back to you.

Great video ! Couple of questions : Can it be used for 2400mm beaded chord blind. I have one big window in my living ? Second : Can I have some automations pull/down the blind at x time of the day from Apple home ? I am planning to get E1 hub for this

@homekitnews

Жыл бұрын

Hi, to answer your first question, I guess it depends on how deep the blinds are too. I’m using mine on a set of blinds that are half the width of yours, but over 2m (2000mm) deep, and it copes with that fine. There are limits to how much it can pull, however, and even if it has the power, the larger the blinds, the slower it will become and the less time between recharging. As for the second question, yes in Apple Home, you can create automations for the blind motor based on the time of day, sunset/sunrise, and even based on the state of other devices.

Awesome review! Will these work with Roman blinds or just the ones they stated in the app?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Roman blinds aren’t listed in the app, but as long as they use a beaded cord, and the blinds material is not super heavy, I don’t see why it shouldn’t work.

I've got three of these on order and am wondering, some beaded cords have clasps to allow the length of the cord to be modified. Do you know if a clasp will run through the motor cog without jamming or will this work only with a continuous beaded cord?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

In the case of the unit in the video, I used a continuous bead cord, so I didn’t encounter the issue. However, I did recently review the ZemiSmart version of this device (the internals are basically the same), with a cord that did have a plastic clasp, and it would pop open when it passed through the motor. I bound it up in tape and that solved the problem, although there’s a slight “clunk” when it passes through the cog. I’ve ordered some metal clasps to see if that will be better, so I can let you know once they’ve arrived. If you can run the beaded cord long enough that the clasp never gets to the motor, that’s another option, but it depends on the length of the cord and how long the blinds have to travel from open to closed of course.

@atanner4

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews How did you get on with this?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@atanner4 do you mean the Aqara or the ZemiSmart?

@atanner4

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews The metal clasps with either of those.

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@atanner4 Unfortunately, the clasps didn't work with the ZemiSmart, and even though I didn't need to try it with the Aqara one, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have worked with that one either.

Can I use it direct from the phone app ? Without the hub ?

@homekitnews

7 ай бұрын

No, it uses zigbee, so it requires a hub, unless you only use it manually, but even then it might be difficult if not impossible to set the upper and lower limits without the app and a hub.

Great review! Will one of the cogs work with string cords? Also, will this work with roller blinds that are about 3 metres in width (quite heavy)?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Officially, the cogs are only designed to work with beaded cords, but I have a colleague who has them working with a beadless cord. There is inevitably some slippage, so you would need to recalibrate the position of the blinds every so often, but he said it does work. As for the size of your blinds, it may be too large, unless the material is quite light, but Aqara didn’t provide any information on torque, so I don’t know for sure, sorry.

@renfred

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews Thanks for the reply. Does headless cord mean string? The set of roller blinds I was referring to is similar to what you have in the video, I just measured it and it is 2.35m in width and only about 1.2m in length. In your rough opinion, as a guesstimate (and I will not hold you to this) will this work? You also mentioned Venetian blinds are supported. I have a set that is comprises of wooden slates (composite material that looks like wood actually, and not heavy), it runs on just one loop system so tilt control is part of the raising and lowering of the blinds (for example, if one were to start with blinds lowered with slates open, pulling it up will first close the slates and once shut, the blinds will be raised. if one were to start from fully up, then then blinds will be lowered fully closed and to open the slates, one will just have to reverse the direction of pulling the cord a little - so it is like the beginning part of raising it). Does the Venetian blind system in Aqara support this system (including the tilt functions)? The string cord I mentioned earlier is from this set of blinds. My other blinds are roller blinds with beaded cords.

@renfred

2 жыл бұрын

oh and they are all just single loop systems. not the complicated sort.

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@renfred sorry, that was a typo, it should read beadless cord. At a guess l, I would say that given your blinds aren’t as long as mine, but wider, on balance I don’t think you’ll have any issues - unless the material used in the blinds is unusually heavy. As regards Venetian blinds, I don’t have any to test, so I can’t be sure exactly how they would work, but the option for Venetian blinds is there. Whether the motor can operate based on two functions in a single loop cord, I don’t know, sorry.

@renfred

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews thanks for this. appreciate it

Thank you for this review. Do you know if this is available for use in the United States? I have a M2 hub that was purchased in the United States. If I’m not mistaken, there are differences between Chinese, European and American hubs.

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Hi, the version on sale in the U.K. will work in all regions, as it’s the international version. There are only two variants of most Aqara products, excluding devices that use a region-specific plug (like on the M1S) - Chinese and International, so it’ll work fine on a US M2 hub. The only issue is that this device isn’t listed on the US server yet, so you would have to add it manually, which is quite easy.

@gregghayes6710

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews thank you. How do you do that? Manually

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@gregghayes6710 sorry, how do I know what? I’m not sure which part of my reply you’re referring to.

@gregghayes6710

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews I was trying to ask “how would I manually connect this to my American M2 hub since the US server doesn’t list the e1 roller shade device?” Thank you for your patience with me.

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@gregghayes6710 ah ok, I understand now. To manually pair a device to a hub, you simply press on the hub’s button three times. It will then go into pairing mode. You then press and hold the pairing button on the device until the LED flashes blue. It will then be paired. There are a couple of people I’m aware of that have been testing the E1, including a KZread reviewer who’s based in Mexico (but with a US hub set to the US server), so I’m certain it’s not an issue.

One thing not mentioned is how you can use it with a metal bead chain that has a connector in the middle to join the two ends. The blind has a sealed cog wheel which the connector cannot pass through. The smart blind device has a cog that the connector also cannot pass through. The length of the chain between both cogs is not enough to fully open and close the blinds and it's already at the lowest part of the window recess. How do you solve that?

@homekitnews

2 ай бұрын

The solution in a case like this is to replace the bead chain with a looped version that doesn’t have the connector. I believe you can purchase these on Amazon or stores that sell blinds, you just need to get the correct length.

Can you manually use the blind after it’s fitted?

@homekitnews

7 ай бұрын

No you can’t, unless you first remove the beaded cord from the motor.

Awsome review, but unfortunately i can't buy it anywhere. I'm located in the Netherlands, Europe. Someone have a tip?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

The E1 has already sold out in the U.K., but they’ll have more in a couple of weeks. Soon after that they will release the E1 on Amazon France, followed by other European areas, via various independent distributors.

@gielkonink

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews Thanks for the reply, I will just wait a little bit longer then.

Hello, i have a Big blind ( 2.5 per 4 Meter high) would this be able to control it ? Thx

@homekitnews

Жыл бұрын

It would probably work, but it would be slow and struggle a bit, but it also depends on how heavy the blinds are. If they use light, semi-transparent material, it could work fine.

@theattorney6072

Жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews Thank you. I unforthunately don't know the weight of the material, but if feels heavy when I open it manually... They Say 3kg max on the aqara info, which seems not much ...

Great video and review as always Simon! Did you mention how often you need to charge it or did I miss that? Also I’d love if they did a solar panel like the Soma so you’d never need to charge it! Also where about do you enter the promo code in Amazon to get the discount? Can’t remember now it’s been that long 😂

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

You should be able to enter the discount code in the checkout section. As regards charging, I would say approximately every couple of months, but that can vary depending on a variety of factors of course.

@michaelthompson657

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews I thought it was at checkout I just wasn’t sure, thanks! Yeah that’s exactly what I thought, just assumed they’d have something for battery life for typical usage, like once up in the morning and once down on a night

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelthompson657 they do have this on their website: Two months (supposed to control a roller shade of 1.8m*1.8m up and down once a day)

@michaelthompson657

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews excellent thanks! I thought I’d heard something

Finally!

Do these work with mi home using a Xiaomi hub?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

This will work in the Mi Home, and although it’s primarily designed to work with Aqara hubs (M1, M1S, and E1), it might work with the Mijia smart gateway 3, although I’m pretty certain it won’t be exposed to HomeKit unless you use an Aqara hub.

Do you require a hub to use it full stop? Or can it be used without a hub with some limitations in the functionality?

@homekitnews

6 ай бұрын

Without a hub, you won’t be able to control it from any app, including Aqara own app, and you won’t be able to set the upper and lower limits. The only thing you can achieve without a hub is manual control.

@jacobstephens6300

6 ай бұрын

@@homekitnews Wow! I really appreciate the quick reply mate. I just know at times 'hub required' can mean a few things. Thanks again and appreciate your content!

@homekitnews

6 ай бұрын

@@jacobstephens6300 the Aqara hub E1 is pretty cheap, so that would be a cost effective solution, if you didn’t want to spend much.

@jacobstephens6300

6 ай бұрын

@@homekitnews do you mind if I ask what the main difference between the Aqara M1S and the E1? Is it just dedicated power and more range?

@homekitnews

6 ай бұрын

@jacobstephens6300 the M1S has a speaker and an LED ring light, whereas the E1 has neither, hence the lower price. The speaker is used as part of Aqara’s alarm system, which is exposed to HomeKit, and the LED ring is also exposed to HomeKit for use in automations. The E1 does have a WiFi extender feature though. Of the two I’d go for the M1S, or the M2.

Can you still close/open the curtains manually?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Even if your connection to a hub goes down or you lose WiFi, you can still manually control the blinds with the buttons on the motor itself. If the battery completely dies too, you can easily remove the cord from the motor and open/close the blinds by hand.

@davidbenitez4653

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews Thanks!

Great review, thanks for all the info. One question, I saw that you own a MagicPad S1, could the S1 control this roller shade driver? Looking forward for the S1 review ;)

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Hi, glad you like the video. Yes you’re right, I have the new MagicPad S1. I also have the original S1, and I plan to do a video that shows the features of both of these devices. Just planning it now.

@joaqlayvar

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews Excelent!! One thing that happened to me is that I cannot set it up with the Aqara Hub first generation :( so I had to order an M1S.

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@joaqlayvar yes, most of the newer Zigbee 3.0 devices aren’t designed for the original hub unfortunately, even though I’m sure they would work.

@joaqlayvar

2 жыл бұрын

It turns out thar I have the Scene panel switch S1. But still cannot connect to my hub. When trying to set it up in Aqara app if no hub was added the S1 asks to choose for these hubs: M2, G3, P2, MagicPadS1, E1, H1(hub), G2H or M1S. Original hub is not listed ;( But well I hope after watching your vide I'll get a better idea on what to do. Cheers.

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@joaqlayvar are you still waiting for the M1S? It should work with this hub, but it won’t work with the original Aqara hub unfortunately.

Do you need a hub to control it? If I order this product alone, can I control it through an app? How is the torque?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Hi, there are buttons on the motor itself, so you can control it manually without any hub, but if you want to control it from your phone, you do need a hub, as the motor uses Zigbee for communication. As phones don’t have Zigbee, there’s no way to connect the two directly. As for torque, for some reason this detail isn’t shown on the company’s website, but I’ve been using this device to control a set of roller blinds that are about 2.2m long and 1.2m wide and it has no problems with them.

@Lof4Music

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews Absolutely glorious. Thank you for the quick response!!

@Lof4Music

2 жыл бұрын

Apologies for another Question. I saw you active on Reddit as well. The window shutter i'm.planning to use it for is very big and pretty heavy. I'm trying to find a driver that's a bit more powerful just to be sure. Would' you happen to know what the most powerful model is? Thank you.

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@Lof4Music I think motors like these are probably roughly the same in terms of their pulling power, so it might be better to go with a motor that sits inside the roller tube (if you want to keep your original blinds). There are a couple of options, depending on the size of the roller tube you have.

Does it work in Xiaomi app? Also is it compatible with Aqara original hub?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Hi, it will work with Mi Home, but according to the app, it’s not compatible with the original hub, so your only choices would be the E1 USB gateway, or the M1S. It could probably work with the Mi smart gateway too, but even if it does, it’s unlikely to be exposed to HomeKit.

@faisalthe01

2 жыл бұрын

@@homekitnews so I bought it to try with my original Aqara Hub, i was able to add it but with a workaround. The workaround is to put Aqara app in HomeKit mode only then add the device and then sign in to Aqara app, it will appear in Aqara app to set settings and also appear in Home app.

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

@@faisalthe01 ah ok, well that’s good news then! I don’t have any of the OG hubs in the Aqara app so i wasn’t able to check if they would come up as an option, and in Mi Home it said they aren’t compatible. The Mi Home app doesn’t have a HomeKit mode either of course.

@toma58uenaventur

2 жыл бұрын

@@faisalthe01 hi, I defo need to get a new hub to use this?

Give pls link to this product))

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

Link is in the description section.

Aqara says the battery lasts 2 years. The lack of a user replaceable battery has me concerned. Has your battery held up? Does it look like you can crack it open and swap it out?

@homekitnews

6 ай бұрын

I no longer use it, as I replaced it with a SmartThings Matter over Thread motor - kzread.info/dash/bejne/g2ujpNWikdS6ldo.html - but prior to that I had used the motor every day for two years in fact and didn’t notice any issues. I guess after two years, you’ll notice a decline in battery performance, but it should continue to work. Worse case scenario after this time is you’ll be either recharging it more often, or eventually you may have to keep it plugged in. I didn’t open mine up.

Do i need a Aqara hub if i use Homekit?or my homepod mini is good as a hub?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

You would need an Aqara hub to control this device (unless you only wanted to control it manually) and get it into HomeKit. The device itself uses Zigbee and is not by itself compatible with HomeKit, so it needs to go through a HomeKit compatible hub to be exposed to HomeKit. HomePod Mini is what is generally referred to as a Home Hub, which is designed to work within HomeKit as a device to process automations, scenes, remote access, and process camera recordings via HomeKit Secure Video. It can’t act as a hub for Zigbee devices. It will work with devices that use Thread and Bluetooth, but that’s all.

will this work in the US?

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

The E1 isn’t listed in the Aqara app when it’s set to the US server, but you can add it to the US server and a US hub using the manual mode - press the hub button 3 times, then press and hold the button on the motor until the blue LED flashes and it’ll pair just fine, and be exposed to HomeKit and the Aqara app.

It is so much easier to just buy blinds that already made to have a amp tree control

This is 120v or 220v 😂Canadian here

@homekitnews

Жыл бұрын

Hi, it uses batteries, but if you permanently want to keep it powered or just recharge it, it’ll work on both voltage standards.

Too bad that all our blinds, all our shutters and all our drapes do not have beaded chords.

@homekitnews

2 жыл бұрын

I imagine it’s not easy to change the cords over to beaded ones.

it doesn't work in smartthings

@homekitnews

Жыл бұрын

The company don’t claim that it does work with SmartThings, but there will be an update to allow Aqara devices to work with SmartThings next year, I’m told.