Aqara - T1 Door and Window Sensor- Requires Hub product, Supports Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google, SmartThings - White

[Employee of bestbuy] TLDR: Aqara is the most affordable brand that is compatible with HomeKit, SmartThings, Alexa, Google Home. Triggers automations & routines instantly. The P2 sensor doesn’t require a hub, but currently it’s creating upset customers, not automated homes. Best Buy SKUs for Aqara Products Mentioned: 6568829 T1 Sensor (Requires Hub) 6568825 P1 Sensor Thread & Matter (No Hub) 6568824 M2 Aqara Hub 6568833 FP2 Presence Detector (No Hub) Not Available P1 Motion Detector (Requires Hub) I bought 3 of these Aqara T1 Sensors along with a required hub; I chose the M2 Hub. It’s been about a month, & so far, the 2 that hardly get triggered, work flawlessly. The one that is triggered 10-20 times a day, has been the vein of my existence. I have them connected to Homekit, SmartThings, Alexa, with routines & the underwhelming Aqara App. Currently, Alexa routines turn Tuya/Smart Life light bulbs & smart outlets on triggered INSTANTLY by these sensors & their corresponding door. The routines turn the lights off after 10 minutes, which isn’t exactly ideal, but I’m hesitant to spend $80ish on the Aqara FP2 Presence Sensor just for the garage. If I could get my hands on their P1 Motion Detector for about $20, this routine would work flawlessly. I’ve reset the ansty sensor about 5 times, & it has worked for about a minute. For the most part, I endure outrage from my family for the garage light IoT automation failure that this sensor’s moodiness causes. While writing this review, I came to realize that the Alexa routine that relies on this sensor’s output had been disabled during one of those resets. I’m not deleting the remainder of this review because I’m the 1st to review it on Best Buy, which doesn’t inform you of which Aqara accessory requires additional accessories, it might be helpful for other potential customers. Plus, this 1 sensor might still have issues. I’ve been procrastinating on my decision to either replace the T1 Sensor for the same item or try an Aqara P2 Sensor without the hub & see if it’s as bad as the Amazon reviews led me to believe. (The P2 has Thread & Matter which means it doesn’t require a hub. Seems like a no-brainer to pick that version instead, but the bad reviews led me to believe that Aqara has some work to do on the P2.) Speaking of which, Best Buy needs to get more descriptive about what hubs are needed, more filters that are accurate to the product about IoT protocols & compatibility. Their biggest competitor doesn’t even do a great job at this, so it would be a unique added value for researching & purchasing from BB rather than option A.

Aqara has some of the best smart home products on the market connecting easily to Apple home or any ecosystem you want to use. It is a breeze to install, easy on the budget and works without issues. So many uses. I have them on all my doors in the house, garage and even the yard gates and shed.

Fantastic battery life. I've had two installed for over a year and they're both over 80% battery still. Definitely worth the cost for any door you need a basic sensor for.

An inexpensive little sensor that works just fine with Home Assistant out of the box as long as you’ve got a ZigBee radio. I’ve had a couple of these around the house for about a year and they’re still reporting about 60% left on the batteries they shipped with. I highly recommend these for anyone looking for a contact sensor for Home Assistant. I can’t speak for their proprietary software or hub because I don’t use it.

I bought a bunch of these for my condo's doors and windows, and the sensors have performed very well. Setup was quick with the Aqara app, and the sensors properly communicate to the hub and HomeKit to which doors are opened and closed. You can build your own HomeKit security system for cheaper than buying a pre-packaged system.