Aqara works best when it goes in hub first and in a set order. Here is that order, from the hub to the first automations, with what to check before you buy.
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An Aqara installation goes in hub first. Almost every Aqara sensor, switch, curtain driver and Zigbee lock talks to an Aqara hub rather than to your router, so the hub you pick decides what the system can do later. After the hub, add the mains-powered devices that strengthen the mesh, then the battery sensors, then the lock and the doorbell, and only then build rooms and automations. This page walks through that order for a Malaysian condo or terrace. For the wider plan, start at smart home installation.
Aqara is built around a small box that speaks Zigbee to the devices and WiFi or Ethernet to the house. Sensors and switches join that box, not the router, which keeps dozens of small gadgets off your WiFi and lets them keep talking to each other locally. The flip side is that a sensor bought without a hub does nothing on its own, and a lock paired to the wrong hub cannot be reached from your phone when you are away.
Aqara's own product pages make the dependency explicit. The Single Switch Module T1 page says the product needs to be paired with a Zigbee hub, and the U100 lock page says an Aqara Zigbee hub is required for remote unlocking, automations and Matter support. Buy the hub with the first order, not after the sensors arrive.
If you are still deciding between Aqara and other systems, our comparison of Aqara, Tuya, Xiaomi and Home Assistant covers that choice. This page assumes Aqara is the answer and gets on with the set-up.
Aqara sells several hubs, and they are not interchangeable. Read the maker's page for the model you are looking at, and match it to the house rather than to the lowest price.
| Hub | What the maker says it does | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Hub E1 | Plugs into any USB-A port; extends the Zigbee network and repeats WiFi; cannot itself be controlled by third-party ecosystems | A small condo with a handful of sensors |
| Hub M2 | Ethernet port for a wired link, built-in infrared for an aircon or TV, local automations that keep running if the internet drops | A terrace or larger condo where the hub can sit near the router |
| Hub M3 | WiFi plus Zigbee and Thread radios, PoE input, acts as a Matter controller | A home that plans to add Matter devices or share devices with other apps |
| Camera hub | A camera that also hosts Zigbee devices | A room where you wanted a camera anyway |
Place the hub near the middle of the home, high and in the open, with a power point that will not be switched off by accident. A hub buried inside a TV cabinet or a metal DB cover struggles to reach the far bedroom. The Hub M2 page notes that the hub is not a WiFi router, so a dedicated router is still needed for the rest of the house.
Create the Aqara Home account in the name of the person who owns the property, not the installer and not a teenager who set up the phone. Every device you pair is tied to that account, and moving it later means removing and pairing again. Name the home, then add family members as members of that home rather than sharing one login.
Aqara's product activation region policy maps Malaysia to its Southeast Asia region, and devices are designed to work in the region of their original sales market. A unit bought from an overseas seller may not activate here. The full story of China and global versions is in our region lock guide; check the box before you check out.
Zigbee is a mesh. Devices on permanent power pass messages along for battery devices further away. Aqara's hub pages name the Smart Plug and the Wall Switch (with Neutral) as repeater devices. Pair in this order and each step has a stronger network to join.
If a far room keeps losing devices after this, the answer is usually one more repeater halfway, not a second hub. Our Zigbee range and repeater guide covers where to put it.
Aqara sells wall switches in with-neutral and no-neutral versions, and small modules that sit behind an existing switch. Many Malaysian switch boxes have no neutral, so the box decides which version you can use; our no-neutral smart switch guide explains why. Aqara's hub pages name the with-neutral switch as a repeater device; the no-neutral version is not listed as one, so do not count on it to strengthen the mesh.
Swapping a wall switch for a smart one is electrical work. For smart switches and anything wired into the mains, we supply the devices and set up the app, and the switch or wiring work is done by an electrical contractor registered with Suruhanjaya Tenaga that we coordinate. Any mains electrical work, such as a new power point, a change at the distribution board or a hardwired switch that needs new wiring, must be done by an electrical contractor registered with Suruhanjaya Tenaga.
Two Aqara features are worth setting up once the switches are in. The H1 page describes remapping the button as a wireless switch, so a light that must stay powered (for a smart bulb, say) is controlled by automation instead. The T1 module page describes support for existing two-way switches on a staircase.
Aqara's lock range includes Zigbee models that join the hub. The U100 page lists fingerprint, keypad codes and Apple Home Key, and notes that its one-time passwords are generated locally, so a guest code works even when the lock is offline. It also lists a mechanical key and a USB-C emergency port for a flat battery.
Before you buy, measure the door: thickness, the existing mortise, and whether there is a grille in front. Condo fire-rated doors and grilles change the answer, so read our smart lock versus digital lock guide first. Pair the lock to the hub before it goes on the door, test every unlock method on the bench, then fit it.
The Video Doorbell G4 is sold as a battery-powered doorbell that can also run from an external supply. It comes with an indoor chime repeater, and Aqara's page says the MicroSD card lives in that indoor unit so it cannot be reached or tampered with from outside. It supports HomeKit Secure Video, and local streaming to Google and Alexa smart displays.
For a condo, check the corridor rules with your management office before mounting anything outside the door. For a terrace, the bigger question is whether visitors stand at the door or at the gate; the battery doorbell guide covers that.
Assign every device to a room as you pair it, and name it by place and job: “Master bedroom ceiling light”, not “Switch 3”. Voice assistants read these names aloud, and automations refer to them, so renaming later breaks things.
| First automation | Devices it needs | Runs without internet? |
|---|---|---|
| Corridor light on at night when someone walks past | Motion sensor, switch or bulb, hub | Yes, if the hub runs it locally |
| Alert when the kitchen floor gets wet | Leak sensor, hub, phone | The alert needs internet to reach you |
| Living-room curtains open on weekday mornings | Curtain driver, hub | Yes, on a hub schedule |
| Lights off and lock checked when you leave | Lock, switches, phone location | No, it depends on the app |
| Aircon off when the balcony door opens | Door sensor, Hub M2 infrared | Yes, if the hub runs it locally |
Keep the first set small and boring. One automation that works every day earns more trust than ten that fire at the wrong time. Which automations survive an outage is covered in our guide to running a smart home without internet.
Aqara devices can appear in Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa through the hub. Pick one app as the place where automations live and use the others for voice and quick control, or you will chase the same rule in three places. A Matter-capable hub such as the M3 makes sharing simpler; the Zigbee, Matter and Thread explainer sets out what Matter does and does not change.
We set up the hub and the Aqara Home account in your name, pair the sensors room by room, install the lock and the doorbell, and build the first automations with you. We do the smart device, app and low-voltage side of the job. You keep the account and the device list, so anyone can take over later.
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