Aqara Smart Hub M3 for Home Automation, Matter Controller, Thread Border Router, Features Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, PoE, IR, Supports Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, IFTTT

Great hub ,looks modern with a square frame with a 360 ir blaster. Which I was was able to set up with a fan and paired with a button . I have paired hue with matter and most devices have been paired easily. It is powered through a usb type c or with POE . The unit is a bit small and has great connectivity. Definitely value for money and performs well . Also works with alexa and Google home well and voice automations work well . Good starter hub to get into smarthome

Excellent item

I'm gradually building my smart home and wanted a hub that could integrate with Home Assistant, work offline, and still support features like the Aqara G3's facial recognition. After five months, it's working well, with a few important details to keep in mind:Zigbee Support: The hub supports Zigbee but only for Aqara Zigbee devices. If you have other Zigbee brands, they won’t work directly with the M3 hub.Matter Connectivity: Matter devices, such as plugs and lights, do work. But I seem to get the best results if I connect them to the M3 hub first, then add them to other ecosystems like Home Assistant or Apple HomeKit. But this is just personal preference.Infrared (IR) Control: The M3’s infrared sensor works well for controlling devices like TVs and heaters. However, only Aqara devices connected to the M3 will show up in Home Assistant, not the infrared or Matter devices. To work around this, I’ve set up an Aqara button that works in both the Aqara app and Home Assistant. In the Aqara app, for example, a single button press turns on the TV, while in Home Assistant, that same press triggers automations to control non-Matter devices.Offline Functionality: The M3 is connected via Ethernet, and I’ve restricted its internet access, allowing it to function mostly offline. However, for some automation adjustments, internet access may need to be restored briefly.Expectations: When the M3 was first announced, I expected more from its Zigbee capabilities. But since I use Home Assistant for broader automation, this wasn’t a major issue. In practice, it has become a solid addition to my smart home setup.Overall, if you’re considering purchasing the Aqara M3 hub, as long as you're aware of its limitations and capabilities—especially regarding device compatibility—you likely won’t be disappointed. It's a compact size and good value for money considering what it can do. If you can get it reduced, even better.I'm giving the M3 4 stars, as I can't give it 4.5 due to the review system. It doesn't deserve a full 5 because it's not fully Zigbee compliant, but it's close.

I upgraded to the Aqara Smart Hub M3 to replace my old Aqara hub, and I’m so glad I did! The setup was a breeze, and it integrates seamlessly with all my smart devices. The hub supports Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, making it incredibly versatile. It works perfectly with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, and IFTTT, giving me full control over my home automation. It's a fantastic, reliable hub with excellent connectivity. Highly recommended!

Most likely the worst product Aqara has ever made, I love Aqara products my house is littered with it. But this product is just rubbish, all my automations stopped working, can’t load anything Matter related and the IR Blaster can not pick up my LG TV or Shy Box. Adaption into Apple Home worked and transferred most of my kit but left out many items in the transfer.Only thing I feel is worthwhile is the new built in speaker to use as an alarm, speaking of which, this hub has broken that too.My advice is AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. it pains me to say that as a Aqara fan boy, but don’t waste your money!

I'm hopeful that Aqara will improve matter support as time moves on. I bought to use as thread router but not able to connect with my devices. Qood quality unit, just lacking functionality at the moment.

I continue to be impressed by Aqara and this hub is no exception. Easy to set up and you can add sensors and stuff with ease.

Disappointed.I have a few hubs for one reason or another, I decided I wanted Aqara lights in the near future which requires a hub.But, now just checking out the hub it sounds amazing... Bluetooth, WiFi, ZigBee, Matter, Thread + "THIRD PARTY DEVICES", lots of talks of Hue working with it etc, so I'm thinking this can replace all the hubs, nice!... Reality is, "Third Party" list consists of Tesla & Sonos, that's it.And the Hue support amounts to your Hue Hub pairing with the Aqara app, but you still need the hue hub, so that was poor.I also have a number of ZigBee devices I've collected over the years, using 2 other cheapo junk hubs and id hoped the 3M would replace them, unfortunately despite ZigBee written all over it - it only detects Aqara ZigBee devices and not third party brands.So, Very much a product for Aqara users and not third parties looking for an all in one hub to take over there smart home & tidy things up.As for the device, it looks well designed, high quality, nice little wall mount etc but quite disappointing, would return it but I'm still wanting Aqara lights and hopefully further down the line with updates etc maybe Aqara will make the product what it should be, both for the price tag and the technical specs it boasts.