Aqara Launches Smart Smoke Detector and Valve Controller

[MacRumors]

Aqara today announced two new smart home safety products – a Smoke Detector for European markets and a Valve Controller T1 for global release. Both devices expand the company's home safety lineup with Matter compatibility and Apple HomeKit integration.

The Valve Controller T1 is designed to prevent water damage by retrofitting onto existing household water valves. It can automatically shut off water flow when linked to leak sensors and supports common pipe sizes from 1/2" to 1". The controller runs on four AA batteries with an estimated two-year battery life.

The new Smoke Detector, available exclusively in Europe, features an 85-decibel siren and smartphone notifications for smoke detection. When paired with Aqara cameras, homeowners can visually verify alarms remotely. The detector can also trigger other Aqara hub sirens and grouped smoke detectors for whole-home alerts.

Both products work with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home through Matter-over-Bridge support. This enables automated routines like flashing smart lights red during smoke detection or shutting down HVAC systems to prevent smoke circulation.

The Smoke Detector utilizes Zigbee protocol for efficient power usage, offering up to 10 years of battery life. Both devices can be managed through the Aqara Home app for configuration and monitoring.

The Valve Controller T1 is available now through Aqara's Amazon stores in the US and Europe. The Smoke Detector can be purchased from Aqara's European Amazon stores and select retailers.

Article Link: Aqara Launches Smart Smoke Detector and Valve Controller

 

[justperry]

You can get the Tuya smart valve On AliExpress for a third of the price.

 

[Ctrlos]

Riddle me this: If the thing you keep on all the time at home, ie your router catches fire how will the smoke alarm let you know if you're out of the building?

 

[mystery hill]

Riddle me this: If the thing you keep on all the time at home, ie your router catches fire how will the smoke alarm let you know if you're out of the building?

It should alert you when smoke is detected, before your router catches fire.

 

[mystery hill]

They should switch all their products to Matter over Thread. Why are they still launching new products with Zigbee only?

 

[MrRom92]

I wonder why no HomeKit smoke detectors seem to be coming to the US. It must be some regulatory thing. A smart combo smoke/CO2 detector would be really ideal. And as a cost-no-object, erm, object, it should have both methods of smoke detection. As a matter of cost savings it seems that most smoke detectors, even “dumb ones” only offer one mode of detection.

 

[Burger Thing]

They should switch all their products to Matter over Thread. Why are they still launching new products with Zigbee only?

I am glad they do. I found Zigbee devices

1. Far more reliable (at least under HomeKit)
2. Far more energy efficient. Thread is an energy sucker.

 

[Burger Thing]

I wonder why no HomeKit smoke detectors seem to be coming to the US. It must be some regulatory thing. A smart combo smoke/CO2 detector would be really ideal. And as a cost-no-object, erm, object, it should have both methods of smoke detection. As a matter of cost savings it seems that most smoke detectors, even “dumb ones” only offer one mode of detection.

Are you sure there are none? I have ordered one from Amazon USA 2-3 years ago. Onelink was the brand.

 

[MrRom92]

Are you sure there are none? I have ordered one from Amazon USA 2-3 years ago. Onelink was the brand.

On the several times I have searched for something compatible with Apple HomeKit I have come up empty handed

 

[johntherazz]

Well, I was hoping that might be an affordable alternative to the Nest Protect alarm, but it looks as if that's still head and shoulders above the competition (in terms of price, as much as features too, sadly). No carbon monoxide sensing, and (the biggie) no voice telling you which sensor has been triggered or needs its battery replacing. If there's a fire, the last thing I want to be doing is checking an app on my phone to find out what's going on.

 

[GeneticBloom]

On the several times I have searched for something compatible with Apple HomeKit I have come up empty handed

Maybe it is an Apple policy for HomeKit? It isn't US regulatory, there are smart smoke detectors/CO alarms. I used to have two of the Nest ones installed.

 

[RMo]

I am glad they do. I found Zigbee devices

1. Far more reliable (at least under HomeKit)
2. Far more energy efficient. Thread is an energy sucker.

Thread and Zigbee are very nearly the same (at the physical layer; Zigbee is the whole stack, but the application layer is the Matter part of Matter over Thread). Power efficiency is one of the main reasons to prefer Matter over Thread compared to Matter over Wi-Fi, and it's why you'll normally find Thread and not Wi-Fi in battery-powered devices like the Eve Motion Sensor or some other Aqara offerings.

In other words, don't expect you'd find much of a difference in battery life between the two.

But why Zigbee and Matter via their hub/bridge instead of Matter over Thread directly, I don't know...but I do expect to see both protocols around for a while, even if Matter catches on. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Burger Thing]

Thread and Zigbee are very nearly the same (at the physical layer; Zigbee is the whole stack, but the application layer is the Matter part of Matter over Thread). Power efficiency is one of the main reasons to prefer Matter over Thread compared to Matter over Wi-Fi, and it's why you'll normally find Thread and not Wi-Fi in battery-powered devices like the Eve Motion Sensor or some other Aqara offerings.

In other words, don't expect you'd find much of a difference in battery life between the two.

But why Zigbee and Matter via their hub/bridge instead of Matter over Thread directly, I don't know...but I do expect to see both protocols around for a while, even if Matter catches on. 🤷‍♂️

Maybe I am just unlucky with my devices. I have experimented/tried for example motion detectors of 4 different brands: Aqara, Homesmart, Eve and one Qinqping. The Zigbee ones (Aqara and Homesmart) have a dramatically better battery life compared to Eve and Qinqping (Thread) and are on top of that rocksolid. Especially when my Apple TV is the Home Hub I have found that the Thread devices like to go to a non respond state. I just haven't been impressed much with Thread or Matter (upgraded Eve to Matter, didn't see any difference).

 

[flashpirate]

These are not the Valve Controllers that you are looking for 😶‍🌫️

 

[Piplodocus]

Boo. I'm after a smoke alarm. Figured maybe a smart one makes sense. But this isn't Thread, it's Zigbee, so you need their hub.