Aqara today released tantalising images of some of the company’s forthcoming products on Chinese social media, that showcase not only products in existing categories we’re used to, but at least one new product that sits almost by itself in many ways. As the release of these product images doesn’t give much away, there’s not a lot we can tell you about them, although in all four products it’s confirmed that they’ll be HomeKit compatible, as is evident from the new ‘Works with Apple Home’ badge included in each product image.
The first of these devices is designed for the bathroom and roughly translates to the ‘Smart Bathroom Heater T1’, which is basically a ceiling fan that can provide cool or warm air, depending on your requirements. As it’s HomeKit compatible, we can only assume it would come under some kind of heating or HVAC category. It has a 2800W dual motor for rapid heating and is designed to ensure evenly distributed air, thanks to the vent design and control.
The second product is the Aqara Curtain Motor H1, which works with custom tracking, using a dual motor for controlling curtains on both sides. The motor will also be capable of three different speeds, which is something new for Aqara’s curtain motor range.
Next is another new smart lock – the Aqara D200. Like the company’s recent offerings, the A100 (Pro, Zigbee) and the D100 Zigbee, the D200 will work with both Apple Home(Kit) and also Apple HomeKey. Like the D100, this lock is fully automated and unlocks via the aforementioned HomeKey feature, as well as fingerprint recognition, keypad, NFC, and manual key, but it also has 3D facial recognition, which sounds similar to the technology used for Apple’s FaceID feature found in newer iPhones. This facial recognition technology will also allow the lock to disengage. It also has a built-in doorbell…
The final device is what appears to be an update to the Aqara S1 switch panel that the company released a while back. The promo images seem to feature a design that may well allow a fair bit of customisation, although what else would be different from the regular S1 panel, we’re not sure.
If you’ve been following Aqara’s live streams in the past 6-8 months, you’ll also know they have yet more products coming before 2022 is done with, which would include the company’s very first HomeKit compatible video doorbell, so there’s certainly enough to be keeping both the company busy and us smart home fans drooling…
Thanks to Eric Yao at https://wave.tech for the tip-off.