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The Aqara Hub M3 is the latest smart home hub from Aqara, offering a range of features and improvements over its predecessor, the M2. This hub is designed to bridge the gap between Aqara’s Zigbee and Thread devices and the Matter ecosystem, helping users seamlessly control their smart home devices.

Technical data/features

• Connect to Matter and multiple protocols: M3 Hub is an all-in-one solution for connecting Aqara Zigbee and Thread devices to the Matter ecosystem. You don’t have to worry about wireless protocols; just enjoy the benefits and features of your smart devices.
• Edge computing and easy local control: M3 improves stability and device management by moving automation from the cloud to on-premises, unlike legacy Aqara hubs. The ‘hub swap’ feature allows you to easily upgrade from previous models, ensuring seamless automation and control.
• IR Controller Integration with Matter: M3 enables seamless control of IR devices and AC thermostats through Matter, bringing the first infrared support to Apple Home. Place your M3 near your air conditioner and see every remote adjustment, from temperature to settings, instantly shown in the M3 app for a consistent smart home experience.
• Better wired and wireless connectivity: Enjoy faster speeds, longer range, and more reliable internet with dual-band Wi-Fi and RJ45 port, as well as flexible power options via PoE and Type-C.
• Privacy and Encrypted Storage: M3 protects your privacy by securing your data on the device itself, without sending it to the cloud, so your personal data remains private.
• Easy setup wherever you want: M3 is designed with flexibility in mind, offering a variety of power and connectivity options and easy app setup, making it beginner-friendly in a variety of installation scenarios.
• Loud speaker for alerts and announcements: Hub M3 is equipped with a speaker that plays sounds and custom ringtones tailored to your needs. For example, it can automatically trigger an alarm when the P2 motion and light sensor detects a person, which perfectly suits your requirements.

Unpacking

The M3 Hub has a simple, square design, which is a departure from the M2’s round design. The main differences in design are the use of USB-C for power, which is more convenient, and the possibility of powering via POE, offering greater flexibility in placement.

It’s worth noting that the M3 doesn’t have a USB-A port while the M2 does.

Configuration – automatic migration from Hub M2

Setting up the M3 hub is simple, and users can easily migrate from the M2 hub. However, some users have reported issues with devices appearing offline after migration. This can be resolved by repairing several devices, which often leads to all devices automatically reconnecting.

Hub Clusters / Self-healing mode

For users with large homes, multiple Aqara hubs can be configured, with one M3 hub serving as the master controller. If two M3 hubs are paired, the second hub will be able to handle Thread connections if the master hub goes offline, providing a more resilient smart home setup.

M3 will also perform all automation locally, so your smart home can continue working if you lose your internet connection.

Troubleshooting offline devices

After migrating to Hub M3, all my devices except one were offline. I left it for a day to see if they came back online on their own, but they didn’t.

The hub was in the same location as my M2 hub, so range shouldn’t be an issue. But assuming it was a range issue, I reset the M2 hub to be part of the hub cluster by placing it a floor up. This still didn’t solve the problem.

This was a frustrating situation as I have many Aqara products. Fortunately, it was quite easy to fix.

First of all, don’t dispose of your old devices; instead, go through the process of adding an accessory, during which you need to put your device into pairing mode. Once it connects to the device it will show exactly how it worked before, so there is no need to recreate all my automation.

I only paired three wall switches before I got bored and moved on to something else. The next day I woke up and found that all my accessories were connected.

I noticed on Reddit that other users had the same problem and had the same results when repairing only one of the two accessories.

Pairing Aqara Matter with thread sensors – P2 motion and light sensor

Launching this hub is important because Aqara has started releasing accessories that use Thread over Matter, but no other Aqara hub supports Thread, so adding them to the Aqara hub was impossible.

In my previous reviews, I paired the P2 motion and light sensor with HomeAssistant using SkyConnect, and also tested it with Samsung SmartThings and Google Nest WiFi Pro.

With HomeAssistant and SkyConnect, I’ve always had a nightmare getting my Matter over Thread devices connected properly. This usually takes many tries.

With the Aqara hub I still had some issues. I had to place the accessory and phone right next to the hub before they were properly connected, but it worked the first time.

Connecting Philips Hue to Aqara Hub M3

Aqara Hub M3 allows users to connect Philips Hue devices and create home automation scenes that integrate Aqara and Hue products. This allows users to create more comprehensive and customized smart home configurations.

Aqara hasn’t made this process particularly intuitive, but it’s quite simple if you know what to do:

1. Go to Hue App > Settings > Smart Home > Other Apps > Get Matter Code
2. Return to Aqara app > scan new device > add manually > paste the case code

Unfortunately, Aqara lists all Philips Hue devices using a model number rather than an easily identifiable name. I assumed this was an issue with Hue or Matter not reporting the correct information. However, when I followed the same process to add Hue to Home Assistant via Matter, all devices imported with the correct names.

You can identify devices by turning off the lights or using the device search function in settings. While this works great, it is very time-consuming if you have multiple Hue bulbs in your home.

Other Matter devices cannot be imported

Importing the Phillips Hue was easy enough, but I wasn’t able to import the SwitchBot Hub 2, and I assume this will be true for many other Matter devices.

This is a bit disappointing because the Hub M3 would be a fantastic alternative to Home Assistant or other multi-protocol hubs like the Homey Pro.

Creating home automation scenes with Aqara and Hue

If you have the patience to rename all your Hue devices, you can create complex automation scenes by combining Aqara and Hue products, increasing the functionality and interactive capabilities of their smart home setup.

The great thing is that you use inexpensive Aqara motion sensors for automation. At the time of writing, the P1 with 5-year battery life costs just £20 compared to £33 for the Hue sensor.

Integration of matter with the Home Assistant

The M3 Hub can be integrated with Home Assistant, a popular open source home automation platform. This integration allows users to control and automate their Aqara devices along with a wide range of other smart home products supported by Home Assistant.

Like the M2, you can easily integrate all your devices by connecting via Matter. It’s not always perfect; some functions are not available. For example, there are no features in the Hub settings; Can’t turn on the speaker or anything. However, most of the features are there and I’m sure they will improve over time.

Bad reviews on the Internet

Some users have reported issues with the Aqara Hub M3, such as devices appearing offline after migration or difficulty pairing accessories. However, many of these issues can be resolved by following the troubleshooting steps mentioned earlier, such as repairing your devices or making sure the accessory and phone are close to the hub when pairing.

Early reviews also indicated that some matter-based Aqara devices, such as the P2 door and window sensor, could not be added. However, Aqara has been quick to roll out updates and I’m sure they will continue to improve things significantly.

Price and alternative options

The Aqara Hub M3 is available on Amazon for £130

Buy on Amazon

This is a significant increase over the Aqara Hub M2, which has an RRP of £55 and is currently available for just £45.

Aqara then has other smart centers including:

• Aqara Camera Hub G3 for £100
• Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro for £70
• Aqara Smart Hub E1 for £30

For alternative options you have:

Aeotec SmartThings Hub for £100, i.e. Zigbee 3.0, Z-Wave, WiFi hub with Matter but no Thread.

The £400 Homey Pro, which has Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Infrared, Thread, Matter and local WiFi, also works with a wide range of brands using native or social integrations. There is Homey Bridge which can run on its own but requires a subscription.

HomeAssistant + SkyConnect is a popular option for enthusiasts. SkyConnect offers Zigbee and Thread connectivity and costs just £31; you can then install HomeAssistant on a variety of devices, including a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5. I have HomeAssistant installed on a GEEKOM Mini IT11 with Proxmox.

Generally

The Aqara Hub M3 is far from perfect and seems to have had a bit of a rocky start. Apart from the initial issue of devices not connecting and Hue names not importing, I personally haven’t had any issues with it. Everything worked reliably, just like it did with my M2.

The main reason to buy this hub is the Thread Border router, it will future-proof your smart home and it works well in this feature.

It’s great that you can import Philips Hue and Sonos speakers into the Aqara app, but I’d like to see them fully open it up to all Matter-enabled devices so they can act as the main hub of your smart home.