Aqara Smart Hub E1 (2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Required), Powered by USB-A, Small Size, Zigbee 3.0, Acts as a Wi-Fi Repeater (Hotspot) for up to 2 Devices, Supports HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT

The Aqara Hub E1 is a budget-friendly, ultra-compact gateway that plugs directly into any standard USB-A port, making it an effortless way to connect Aqara Zigbee sensors to platforms like Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. Shaped much like a flash drive with a pivoting hinge, it stays completely out of the way while supporting up to 128 child devices and even functioning as a basic Wi-Fi repeater. While it lacks fancy extras like a built-in speaker siren or nightlight, and doesn't support newer Thread protocols, its low price tag and discreet design make it one of the easiest, most cost-effective entry points for expanding a smart home ecosystem.

Great little smart hub easy to set up and connects quickly with all my Aqara devices. The compact size is perfect and fits neatly into any USB port. Works smoothly with Apple HomeKit and automations run without delay. A solid choice if you’re building a smart home on a budget.

This little hub fits nicely if you've got one of those new plug sockets that also have a little USB port next to the plug as if flips up out of the way just taking up the space of the connector. Very neat. It installed first time, always adds new devices via the Aqara app without any problems and doesn't mind being switched off and moved around. Only annoying thing was when I changed broadband you can't change the wi-fi network the hub is using from the app. You have to reset the hub and set it up from scratch again and add back in all your devices. Fortunately, that is not something we do regularly but still an unnecessary pain.

I had an issue with my first hub, which was replaced by support. I had some issues pairing the hub with the app. It seems like if it fails for some reason, then it (can) get into a bit of a funny state that you kind of need to reset cleanly before trying again (if an instant retry fails again). If you have similar issues I'd suggest a few things: - ensure your WiFi is on 2.4GHz only (can re-enable 5GHz later). - where possible use an up-to-date android phone (I had issues on my old one plus, but Samsung S22 worked) - If experiencing issues pairing, try turning off/on the device and doing the reset (see support guides) I also found closing the app/restarting the phone seemed to help fully reset the state of the pairing. Once the pairing was out of the way, I was easily able to pair other sensors and configure the automation rules to get push notifications. Seems to be working fine since initially configured and the app is easy to use. It would be nice if the push notifications were a little clearer at first glance, most of the notification text appears to be the heading and not just the 'action' that it is alerting me on, until i click and expand it further to see the details.

We've had this item for almost a year now and it's only had one charge. It is a brilliant bit of kit that I am so pleased I got. I use it with my vertical blinds and Alexa. I have the blinds set to open in the morning and close when the routine for all the lights coming on in the evening, I hated that my lights came on when I wasn't home and the blinds still being open so bought this and it works perfectly well. It is pretty easy to set up, the dongle bit I plugged directly into my router so I haven't taken up another plug or USB port on my sockets. I highly recommend this item!!

Could not get it working with Aqara w600 thermostat despite advertised to be compatible

This is a great product. My blinds are up and down more often than a YoYo now. Why is commanding Alexa to open and shut your blinds so rewarding? Anywhoo - you need to buy the recommended Hub separately or they do a pack with the hub and the motor together. Took me a while to set up but not very long after I decided to read the instructions that came with it. Works perfectly with Alexa and Siri. Siri seems to provide more functionality with voice command. You can also control the blind through the app on your phone and you can programme it to open when you enter a room etc. I am going to get a few more of these especially as occasionally they are on offer at the 60€ price point which makes them really really good value. DON'T forget you need to buy the small hub unit regardless of what home automation you have Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home etc. I believe 1 hub handles 2 unit. ... I'll soon find out. Highly recommended. I've had this one more than a month and use it a good few times and only recharged it once, so battery life is fabulous. Great product.

First unit would not pair with any devices, but after a bit of back and forth with Aqara support they got a replacement out to me within a couple of weeks. After that it's mostly worked fine. I recently increased the number of child devices to 8, and now every few days it stops working entirely or loses connection to a Roller Shade Driver E1, and needs powering off and back on again. It also developed a major problem reporting data to HomeKit from Temperature and Humidity Sensors that are bound to Smart Radiator Thermostat E1s - they seem to pick up a random value of temperature and humidity, and the value reported jumps between this value and the real value, see screenshot from Home Assistant. The thermostat current temperature reading does something similar. The readings looked fine in the Aqara app though. I've just replaced the E1 Hub with a more expensive M2 Hub, and surprisingly the reported signal strengths for all devices are worse, but first impression is that the problem with HomeKit has been resolved so it's a definite improvement for me.

polecam

Works exactly as advertised for my Aqara smart lock. Very easy and straightforward to set up via the Aqara app. Has been reliable for over a year now, never disconnected or needed any reboots. The range is quite impressive, it's covering a span of at least 30-40 feet even through a couple walls. Highly recommend this if you want to remotely control your Aqara smart locks remotely (not just locally over bluetooth).

Buono

Il me fallait un 2e hub car le signal de celui du salon n’arrivait pas à atteindre les accessoires de la cuisine, celui ci était le moins cher et ne nécessitant pas de prises de courant en plus d’être très compact il convient parfaitement à mon utilisation. De plus la clé sait se faire discrète. Excellent produit et excellente marque que je recommande

Anfangs ließ sich das Hub nicht im WLAN einbinden, bis ich in der Anleitung gelesen habe, dass man das 5Ghz Netzwerk ausschalten muss. Anschließend ging die Einbindung problemlos. Auch nach dem zuschalten des 5Ghz läuft das Hub sehr zuverlässig. Die Einbindung von Geräten läuft auch problemlos. Allerdings muss man aufpassen von wo die Geräte sind, da manche mit einem Ländercode versehen sind. D.h. das man z.B. Sensoren aus China nur auf dem chinesischen Server einbinden kann. Man kann zwar problemlos zwischen den Servern hin und her schalten aber was auf dem chinesischen Server registriert ist agiert nicht mit Geräten auf dem deutschen Server.