hi there, just recently got my C8 pro and I am currently building my smart home. I primarily like to use everything through homekit. I would like to use these water sensors to shutoff the water main if a leak is detected however i have been unsuccessful to add the sensors. after reading around on the community posts i ran across the custom drivers from Chirpy.
was just curious if this is still the best way to add these sensors?
also it is my understanding that I wouldn't need the aqara hub to make this process work as the C8 takes its place is that correct?
UPDATE: so figured i would post this here. Realized it was primarily user error. I downloaded the driver from @chirpy however in order to use it you need to add the hubitat package manager lol once i did that i was able to pair the water sensors.
then i created the rule using the basic rule tool. after reading some other posts this seems the best way to get reliable results.
the next thing i will add is the repeaters which probably wont happen until later this year after the remodeling is finished.
thanks everyone for the help. im sure ill have more questions later lol
Greetings dsny615. Glad you posted. This is a great place to get help. There are many much more knowledgeable than me who will help you.
My understanding, and experience with Aqara devices has been, if the device is close enough to the hub (Habitat hub) and no repeater is involved they seem to work. If however the signal has to jump or bounce through a repeater, they drop off without using the Aqara hub. I too wish to avoid multiple hubs, preferring to use only HE if at all possible.
I have this with an Aqara motion sensor and a water leak detector, both giving the same result.
Unfortunately, Aqara tends to use non-standard zigbee implementations that makes it difficult to use their devices outside of their own proprietary hub. So successful pairing with Hubitat (or any other non-Aqra zigbee coordinator) is unpredictable - it may work, maybe not...
Robertsonlodge is right that it gets even more sketchy if the device needs a repeater -- I know some community memebers have found certain repeaters are more Aqara-friendly than others, so that info is somewhere here in the community if you search.
I apologize I don't have have more info -- I don't use any Aqara stuff for all these reasons, but hopefully other users here who have had success can provide additional tips.
Aqara sensors and other devices work best through a repeater/extender, and not directly connected to the hub.
I have over 30 Aqara devices and I keep them all happy with a few Sonoff S40 Lite plug-in outlets as repeaters.
I have many of these (plus other Aqara) and the @chirpy driver works great.
The only caveat is a strong, compatible, repeater.
I use Tuya ZB 3.0 repeaters and they are fanstatic with a silly strong radio.
The Tradfrei ones I tried were useless for me.
thanks for the response and tips i wouldnt think that little usb would be a good repeater lol.
i was able to install the driver today. however i still cant get it to pick up the sensor.
do i need a aqara hub?
or do i have to enable the driver i added?
thanks for the input.
im thinking i may have to try some sort of hub/repeater option to make it work. i plan on adding 16 water sensors. (PTSD from previous major water leak when i wasnt home) and some of these will be in ADU that if im being honest with myself i will not check on as often as i should. lol this paired with the zwave bulldog seems to be a good choice however with that many sensors i would like to keep it under $20 per sensor if at all possible.
Ther ones I added talk from my garage/she to my entrance hall. That's 35M which is way beyond the spec. The signal is low but always connected.
The repeater in my garage/shed connect to the hub 30M away through the 2 buildings like a champ.
thanks for the help everyone. i updated my initial post. ended up being user error and i was able to get them working and showing in Homekit. i appreciate the help and messages.
