From day one I built my Zigbee mesh to be Aqara friendly - populating it with lots of Ikea Tradfri smart plugs. Everything has been mainly OK & Aqara devices have been rock solid.
A couple of the Tradfri plugs are quite flaky & keep dropping off. It's weird because ALL the battery powered items are all OK. I've read that Tuya Zigbee Smart Plugs are also Aqara friendly but (might) have a better radio than the Tradfri. I'm happy to get things from AliExpress but it's such a complete minefield that I could really use some guidance.
So, which (Aqara friendly) Tuya Zigbee smart plugs do you lovely people recommend? Obviously they need to be UK socket configuration but they also need to be SAFE. I'm not about to use a mains powered device that isn't certified or might randomly catch fire.
EDIT: Should go without saying but: Of course (and most importantly) it needs to work with Hubitat!
I have read good feedback on other forums for AJAX : https://www.ajaxonline.co.uk/product/smart-zignito-zigbee-plug/
@Inge_Jones may be using such a socket? [RELEASE] Tuya Zigbee Metering Plug - #55 by Inge_Jones
A bit of warning here: since the end of the last year, there were some batches of Tuya smart plugs that suffer from a random turn-off issue. This has been recently addressed for some models with a firmware update that patches the hardware problem, but the story is still in development.
So if you decide to try a Tuya socket (I have 4 of them, all working perfectly as Zigbee repeaters, including Xiaomi/Aqara motion sensors and contact sensors) - ask your seller to confirm, that the socket Tuya application version is 1.0.13 (or newer).
If you need just a good Zigbee repeater, I can recommend this one : TuyaGo Zigbee Repeater
Yes I am using it to turn a simple electric fan on and off. It's staying connected ok. Not sure whether I'd trust it to be safe electrically with a 2 or 3kw space heater, (which I do use SmartThings outlets for)
I wouldn't use these for loads more than 2 kW ( 10 Amps max ).
BTW, a year ago I melted down a Xiaomi/Aqara socket, just by switching my Air Conditioner to 'High Power' mode (that was about 2.5 KW). The socket was rated 10A.
The Ajax looks like the way to go. They're £28 for two on Amazon so only a couple of ££ more than Ikea and the listing does state they've had the upgrade to fix the switching off issue. They'll only be used with relatively low loads. I've installed the @kkossev driver via HPM in readiness.
Do these definitely play nicely with Aqara stuff?
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Sorry , I am in doubt now that the Tuya plugs are the best repeaters for Aqara!
I am playing now with Aqara P1 motion sensor and I noticed problems while the Aqara sensor was linked to my HE hub via Tuya plug.. It is different model (TS0121), but still same or very similar hardware and firmware inside.
If you are not in a hurry, I would advise to wait for a week or two, I will try to get better understanding of why are these problems with the Aqara and if anything can be done from a driver side or not.
Thanks @kkossev .
I'm in no rush - the flaky Ikea plugs only control some under-counter lights in the kitchen & I'm quite used to WAF going up & down like a YoYo!
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Just an update: My Ajaxonline zignito plug is actually a little temperamental and most days I need to at least once jump up and operate it manually as it's not responding to the hub - sometimes having to power it down and up again. It has also affected items that were hopping through it, with some of those needing a power toggle or battery removing to start working again. However, the Aqara vibration sensor that was also hopping through it stayed solid! I have removed the latter though, in case that was causing the problems. It wasn't, as the plug has played up again since. NB it's direct line of sight to the hub so it's not a signal problem.
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An update from my side also - I have been wrong on my suspicions that Tuya plugs/sockets are problematic for Aqara devices, they work fine in my opinion. The problem seems to be with the Xiaomi/Aqara sensors themselves, which seem to 'stick' into the particular mains-powered device that they choose during the pairing process. And if this device that acts as a repeater is powered off, Aqara sensors may drop offline. Other Zigbee manufacturers devices usually recover very fast and find new routes to the hub, but seems like this is not the case with Aqara.
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