A channel and website dedicated to all things HomeKit, Matter, and related tech. We post unboxing/setup/overview videos to give you the viewer a flavour of the product, with a more in-depth look at the devices in question via our website.
Some of the products we review are paid for with our own money and some are supplied without any preconditions (other than to actually do a review) by the relevant companies/manufacturers. If we have any issues with a product - paid or free - we'll let you know.
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Hello! Thanks for the great review. Should one be able to use home key feature if devices like Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini (which are part of the primary WiFi network) are not situated near the U200 lock does hampering the thread signal?
@@madychan3164 hi, it shouldn’t matter with regards to Apple HomeKey, but if you think your nearest Apple Home Hub might be too far away from the U200, you can always place a Thread Router device in a location between the nearest hub and the lock. Anything that is not battery powered and is using Thread will act as a relay between the lock and hub. This would be a Thread bulb, or smart plug for example.
@@ignaciomunoz8635 yes you can still add the U200 to the Aqara app, you just won’t be able to use it in scenes or automations without the M3. It will only connect via Bluetooth in this situation, so you have to be within Bluetooth range to operate it via Aqara.
Great review! Thank you. If you were buying your first smart lock for a European barrel set up in an Apple HomeKit/Home Assistant/Matter ecosystem - would you buy the U200 or the Switchbot Smart Lock Pro?
@@hopkinsjonathanuk definitely the U200. The SwitchBot lock pro is good, and easy to install, but the fact it relies on a hub via Bluetooth is a big minus point. The even larger minus point is the lack of Apple HomeKey, which maybe be coming later, but it’ll be too little too late I feel.
You didn't talk about QR code placement. Other than the code on the motor, is there an additional sticker provided so you can access it without having to take the motor out?
@yiliu979 hi, there’s a second QR code on the instruction manual. You can see me scan it from the manual at 4’28”, although admittedly it’s very brief. It’s always advisable to back up your QR codes anyway. I use HomePass - apps.apple.com/app/homepass-for-homekit-matter/id1330266650
Great video!! I was about to buy it based on this video, but then I saw another review complaining about adding TVs, it was near impossible and after some work around then was not able to control volume etc etc (the review was with a TLC tv). How is your experience controlling the TV? ( I got Lg tv)
Hi, I’m able to control my Xiaomi TV, but I haven’t tried it with my LG yet. If it doesn’t work with the volume, or I can’t get it to work at all, I’ll let you know in a follow up comment.
Hi, I was able to add my LG TV to the remote, even though I couldn’t find the exact model. I chose the first one with the nearest model number (shown on the remote) and it works. The volume control also works.
It should work with knobs and thumb turns, as long as you can remove the knob, and place one of the provided adaptors on the remaining part of the thumb turn.
@@likhan.ghosh. it should work with most UK lock types, but check out the link to another video in the description which shows the U200 installation for a UK door.
I had the same question about multi-point locks. It also occurred to me that these UK locking systems with Euro barrels would require far greater torque to turn the spindle. Most need a handle that offers sufficient leverage to engage all the locking points. Nice review.
@@mankeyman2455 oh it 100% wouldn’t engage the multipoint. You would need to lift the handle. I’ve ordered a Yale AutoEngage, so I’ll see how that goes.
Yup, I was sure we’d use home key the most but after months with the U100, fingerprint is used by far the most. Also a shame and kinda confusing the NFC key doesn’t also lock, I wonder if that’s true for the U100 as well. Great content as always!
Hello there. Thank you very much for your latest video and the presentation of the new smart lock from Aqara. I really hope your channel continues to grow because I think you do an excellent job and your videos are always a feast for the eyes and very informative, without blah, blah, blah. Really good job 👍🏼 Greetings from Germany
Any idea on the outdoor unit battery functionality in Northern European winter? a bit worried that the battery option will die in a few days in -20 degrees celcius. Of course, that's why the wiring is most likely meant to be used.
It’s true the cold will affect battery life, but I’m not sure what you can do to counter this other than, as you say, wire the keypad to electricity. This issue would affect any device with batteries in an outdoor device.
@@TheBHinett it should be possible, if you’re able to send separate wires to both devices from the power supply, and the power supply has enough power to provide the minimum requirements for both.
Yes you can, if you have an adapter that supplies 18-24v and 1A, you can use 2x 3way Wago connectors. Connect 1 3 way connector to the positive and one to the negative wire of the adapter. Then you can run 2 more positive wires from the 3 way connector and the same with the negative. This way you’ll have effectively wired both devices to the one adapter. You need the adapter to supply 1 Amp as both devices draw up to .5 Amps at peak. Hope this helps.
@@andysreviewsandsmarthometips DC 12-24v for the keypad and 8-24v for the Aqara G4. I am planning to use a little 12v 1A DIN power supply inside the house electrical panel to power both devices.
@@therobnfw no, it’s not designed for outdoor weather. If it’s protected by a porch or some form of overhang, it should be ok, but there is no waterproofing.
I haven’t tried any of the Harmony remotes, so I couldn’t say. The IR database seems fairly comprehensive, but once again, that’s only from my perspective.
I bought Zemismart M1 matter hub. And want to see if it is compatible to any zigbee devices. I have two Zigbee 3.0 devices, Sonoff Human presence sensor SNZB-06P and ZBMINI Smart switch. both of them are not compatible or I can't manage to pair. Does anyone try to connect any zigbee 3.0 devices?
Thank you for your video. FYI, because Airplay 1 is real CD quality streaming is, some people like me prefer 1 then 2. Airplay 2 is sometime not a CD quality.. 🥲 I bought it only becuz of Airplay 1..
I have the U100 and Auto Lock says Beta for the longest time now. It hasn't gotten updates in a LONG time and I wish Aqara releases some improvements via software updates soon.
It’s around 9 months between battery changes as far as I’ve noticed, but one of them has been running on one set for around a year now. It’ll probably need changing soon I guess.
There is an update that adds support for Fire TV integration, but as I don’t have any Fire TV devices I can’t tell you how well it works. One thing to note is that the update that adds this functionality seems to have introduced bugs which make the device worse than it was before. Hopefully they’ll fix these bugs, as I’ve already made them aware of the issues I encountered.
In one respect it depends on how far one room is from the other. If you are controlling either devices via Matter or other SwitchBot devices connected to the hub, the remote has to be within Bluetooth range. Walls and doors will diminish the reach of the Bluetooth signal, but not usually totally stop it. If you are controlling dumb devices via the IR inside the remote, then being disconnected from the hub doesn’t make any difference, as the remote is self sufficient in this respect, as long as you’ve programmed the remote to control the device.
Yeah you need a hub but it lets you control AC etc. not sure about that approach but I can see this going in right direction if it is hub itself that would be freaking awesome
Interesting remote. I think your summary of this device - currently - being akin to a glorified smart button is accurate. The upcoming controls for new devices, such as Apple TV, obliterates that comparison. Indeed, so does the current control of HVAC units and others. I just don’t know how handy this will be given that it seems best if you take it throughout the home. And the only device with which I do this is my phone… which can largely do all of these functions anyhow. Great review as always!
I feel this is going to be just another tool in the smart home, but one that may be more familiar to family members that don’t otherwise participate in the smart home experience. Maybe that’ll change, as you say, if/when Apple TV support arrives.
Smartmi customer support is unresponsive to emails. After relocating and disconnecting devices from power, connecting them simultaneously to both HomeKit and the Smartmi app causes them to become unresponsive. The devices function properly only when used exclusively with Apple HomeKit.
Do you know how large of a blind this will accomodate? I have a large front window(86in x 54 in) I would like to automate and I want to know if this will be effective for that
It would be hard to give you a definitive answer, as there are many other factors to consider; for example the weight of the blinds, depending on what material is used. There’s also the diameter of the roller tube to consider as to whether this would fit. I would err on the side of caution and contact ZemiSmart directly to get a more definitive answer before making any purchasing decisions.
I got three of the first models, even though they are on wifi i have minor issues they have been reliable so far and i use it with homekit right now im waiting on the motors for Honeycomb blinds hope they do that kind one day.
****IMPORTANT NOTE**** The list price mentioned in the video is actually the price in Canada, NOT the US. The actual price for the E1 is US$161.00. I've blurred out any instances of incorrect price where shown to avoid any confusion.
I purchased these for my kitchen. They work great as undercabinet lighting and task lighting. The Ansluta power supply is a bit bulky, but overall I am impressed. I was unable to get the motion sensor to work at all. I just leave them on when I'm working in the kitchen, and they are on a switched outlet to turn them off when I leave. Disappointed by the lack of a good sensor, but it's not the end of the world. I really like the directional aspect of this light. If you point it downward, it shines downward and does not shine in your eyes. Good color temp, 2700K warm white.
The motion sensors were pretty unreliable in my experience too, but the lights themselves are the opposite, and still in use now. Thanks for the comment!
@@homekitnews It's not actually a motion sensor; it's a light sensor. Try toggling the switch to 'auto', then cover the two sensors for a few seconds; the light should turn off. Uncover the sensors, and the light will immediately turn on.
@@markanthonyarnaez2517 thanks for that. Unfortunately, regardless of what type of sensor it is, it’s still very slow compared to the contact sensors I use.
They did release one last year in Europe, but I haven’t seen any movement on the model coming to the US so far. I have one here, but it has an EU plug.
