No need for an Aqara Zigbee hub, it's Matter out the box
Aqara has taken the covers off of its first native Matter device; the Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2 is a Thread-based device that will work with any Matter controller.
Aqara has already fully embraced that new Matter smart home standard with a the likes of the M2 Hub and the new Smart Lock U100 working with Matter, but this is the first time we’ve seen a device from the Chinese brand that doesn’t require you to be already using an Aqara setup and the Aqara app.
In fact, it can’t actually exist within an Aqara system, yet, as it requires a Matter controller that is also a Thread Border Router, such as an Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo or a SmartThings Hub.
However, Aqara does have its own Matter controller / Thread border router in the works; we’re told that the M3 Hub will arrive early next year and looks like being the perfect solution for anyone who already has an array of Aqara’s Zigbee sensors and wants to expand to a Matter system.
Back to the Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2 and it’s your standard magnet based smart home sensor, which can be used to trigger automations and alerts when its closed / open status changes.
In the future, once its paired with that new M3 Hub, it will become even smarter as there’s a button on board that can also be programmed to trigger routines and the like, and a tamper feature will also go live.
The Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2 is on sale now direct from Amazon. It’s $29.99 in the US and £29.99 in the UK.
Aqara is currently offering a 15% discount:
• North American stores: USDWP2CA (applicable to Amazon US & Canada)
• European stores: DWSP2UKEU (applicable to Amazon France, Germany, Italy, Spain & UK)
What I think
You may have read my op-ed, Matter is a mess, back in March which stated that Matter really needed to make life easier for consumers, not harder.
And while Aqara has been quick to jump on board the Matter bandwagon, it has – until this launch – come with some caveats, such as not working with certain smart home ecosystems or needing s specific Aqara smart home hub to get everything working within a Matter setup.
The Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2 points to a cleaner Matter experience, one where a device works out of the box, no matter what digital assistant or Matter controller you use.
And that’s really the whole point of Matter.
