Matter Beta Rollout For Aqara M2 Begins

Posted by February 3, 2023 443 Views

Aqara today announced the rollout – in beta form – of an update to add Matter compatibility to their M2 hub. The newest firmware – v4.0.0 – is only for the M2, and as it’s in beta form at present, it’s advisable to think twice before updating, which is a given for any beta updates. What you do get is the hub becoming Matter compatible, which in turn exposes all supported devices to then, in turn, be exposed to Matter – which includes compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and of course Apple HomeKit. As the international models are already compatible with at least three of these four platforms, for many it won’t make too much sense to update at this time, but if you’re feeling adventurous….

This update is initially only for international models of the M2, so if you have a Chinese model, then you won’t be able to update, at least not initially. This will also initially be limited to M2 hubs manufactured in 2022, with an estimated lead time for the updates to propagate in the next 4 to 6 weeks fully.

To activate Matter, please choose “Bind to Matter (Beta)” on the M2 hub settings.

Users are strongly urged to check the requirements carefully before proceeding:
Please ensure the Aqara Home app is up-to-date (version 3.0.8 or higher), and connected to one of the global servers outside Mainland China;
Please bind at least 1 Zigbee device to the M2 hub before binding the M2 to any third-party platforms via Matter;
Please ensure the M2 hub, the Matter controller devices (e.g. HomePod mini, Nest Hubs, etc.) and the mobile phone with a Matter-ready app are on the same local network (the same SSID);
If users intend to bind the M2 hub to Apple Home via Matter, please ensure the firmware version of Apple devices (e.g. iPhone, HomePod mini) is up-to-date (version 16.3 or higher).
Please also note that binding existing devices to Matter won’t require users to reset everything. Users can keep using HomeKit (recommended), and connect Aqara devices to other systems via Matter.
Matter is a new standard, and we know that the Matter experiences of Aqara devices still have a number of limitations (as follows). We’re working with our partners on further optimization.
At this stage, we have 40+ Aqara devices that are able to connect with Matter via the M2 hub (please refer to this list). Only the global versions of these devices are guaranteed to get Matter support, as the Chinese versions of some of the devices may not be supported at the moment.
In the case of connecting the devices to Apple Home via Matter, please note that it is very sensitive to the Wi-Fi router quality and signal. If the signal is not strong enough, it will often show “No response”.
To add devices to Google Home via Matter, users need to have a Google Home or Nest device as a Matter controller (please refer to this blog). Additionally, users may at this time need to have an Android phone to use the Matter-ready Google Home app, as Google Home on iOS devices does not support Matter yet.
Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings do not support Matter Bridges (such as Hub M2) as a device type yet, and cannot connect the Zigbee devices that are connected to the M2 via Matter at the moment.
The new firmware is a BETA version, and it may have some bugs which may have an unexpected impact on your smart home in some cases. If this happens, please try to unbind from Matter and re-add the hub to the Matter app.
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