[Deprecated] Xiaomi / Aqara ZigBee device drivers (possibly may no longer be maintained)

[SmartHomePrimer]

@bill

Well that's the first I've heard of anything like non-standard zigbee. If that's the case these devices are going in the trash

Stop. Send me a PM before you do that and I'll send you my address where you can ship them. I'll pay the shipping.

@veeceeoh

In all seriousness, however, Xiaomi / Aqara's official websites state that their ZigBee-based devices require a Xiaomi / Aqara Gateway Hub, and compatibility with any other hub platforms is never mentioned. So using them with other hubs is presumably at the user's risk.

I'm able to get all the Xiaomi Zigbee devices to work reliably, and not drop from the Zigbee network by using only IKEA Trådfri outlets and repeaters, with no incompatible powered Zigbee devices on my hub.

However, that has not been the case for me with the Xiaomi Mijia or Aqara contact sensors. They work, but I still had occasional drops and contact sensors that did not respond correctly on occasion, despite being very close to the hub. The only fix has been to pair them directly to a Xiaomi Aqara HomeKit hub, and then sync that back to HE virtual switches via HomeKit automation. That has been 100% solid performance.

Xiaomi Aqara HomeKit edition

The Aqara HomeKit hub is a really interesting device. I spent the last 24 hours getting familiar with what's possible and what isn't. What it is: By far the least expensive and most comprehensive official HomeKit hub so far. The Xiaomi Mijia and Aqara devices are very good quality for the price, and pairing them to an actual Xiaomi Aqara hub is a breeze. The devices literally pair within seconds, every time. No need to tap the pairing button to keep them awake, as is necessary with ST and HE. …

Not the answer for everyone, but for $40 US, this gave me 100% solid, nicely designed and compact contact sensors, that cost only $10 each. It also gave me a doorbell, a supplemental alarm siren, a full spectrum nightlight/status light, and the ability to use any supported Xiaomi Zigbee device, regardless of whether or not the driver exists on HE, and regardless of its reliability on HE. So if you consider the total cost, I have 6 Xiaomi contact sensors, and one Xiaomi HomeKit hub. Those, plus the Controller app for iOS was a total cost of $112 US. Whereas 6 Samsung SmartThings multi-sensors would have cost $120 US. So it's not that I'm saving a ton, but I will save $10 every time I buy a new contact sensor. Plus I have the flexibility to purchase other Xiaomi Zigbee products, and I only have to make sure they are supported by the Aqara Home app.

This works well for me because I'm an iOS users, I was already running Homebridge for HE, and I have an Apple TV 4 to do the HomeKit automations in the background. So while it's obviously not a solution for everyone, it is a solid solution. The only word of advice extra I will add is as noted above, pay for the Controller Pro for HomeKit app, and be sure to backup your HomeKit automations. They are the one unstable piece in that puzzle, no thanks to Apple's stupid idea to automatically delete your automations the moment a device is unavailable in HomeKit.