CES 2025: Screens, switches and hubs dominate Aqara's Vegas launch-fest
Aqara has, as it always does, used CES to officially announce a whole bunch of new kit – including some swanky new additions for vying for your wall space.
I say “new”, but some of the gadgets in Aqara’s CES 2025 launch line-up are already available in other territories, but they are all new for the US and there are a couple of genuine brand new showstoppers.
The most notable of which is the Aqara Panel Hub S1 Plus (main image, above). The S1 Plus is a 6.9-inch touchscreen smart home hub designed to take on the likes of the Amazon Echo Hub, or higher-end control panels from the likes of Control4 or Crestron.
It’s somewhat of a direct rival to the likes of the Brilliant Panel as well, as it is powered directly from a light switch’s existing wires.
It’s actually capable of controlling a couple of dumb lights that are connected to the switch wires, and supports MARS Tech’s Smart Load mode, meaning wireless control of Aqara smart lights, with constant power to the light circuit.
Boasting dual-band WiFi and doubling as a Zigbee hub and Matter bridge, it can handle everything from live camera feeds to thermostat adjustments and users can personalize themes, dashboards, and widgets, or upload family photos to display.
Aqara has also used CES 2025 to spill the beans on its latest PIR and mmWave smart sensor.
The Aqara Presence Multi-Sensor FP300, unlike the FP2 and FP1E models that have come before it, doesn’t need to be plugged in; it’s battery powered.
Like that duo it merges PIR and mmWave sensing for super precision in human detection, making it a great tool for energy efficiency, security and home automation.
Another notable Aqara CES launch is the Doorbell Camera Hub G410, which is not a smart video doorbell, but also – as the name suggests – a smart home hub too.
Aqara has a history of making its smart security cameras double up as hubs but this is the first time we’ve seen the functionality extended to a doorbell… from anyone in fact.
And the good news is that it’s not just an Aqara hub, for controlling Zigbee Aqara child devices, it is – like the Aqara Hub M3 – also a Matter controller too.
Also on the hub front is the new Hub M100 a new compact, entry-level Matter controller, enabling support for both Aqara and third-party devices, and it’s also a Thread border router as well.
Also looking for some wall space is the US version of a device we’ve seen in China before: the Touchscreen Dial V1 US, a compact rotary dial with haptic feedback for precise control over lighting, curtains, and thermostats.
Like the Aqara S100 US (above), another CES launch device we’ve seen a Chinese variant of, the V1 uses existing light switch wires for its power, as do the US versions of the Light Switch H2 and Dimmer Switch H2 switches.
There’s also the Climate Sensor W100, which delivers real-time indoor climate monitoring with a display and intuitive controls.
All of this new Aqara gear is set to launch in the coming months, with EU availability likely to land before the US gets in on the action.
