Aqara has today announced a product exclusively for European users, which has been a rarer event compared to products for China and North America.The product in question is the Wall Outlet H2 EU, which replaces a single standard Type F electrical outlet.
The H2 is compatible with standard 55mm wall plate designs found from many manufacturers, and is designed so that it can be fitted as part of multi-gang setups in the home. Unlike some more recent offerings from Aqara (Hub M3, Motion Sensor P3) , the H2 is a standard Zigbee 3.0 product, not Thread. However, if it’s connected to an Aqara hub that is set up as a Matter bridge, you can also expose this to platforms via Matter, ensuring it’s totally local, instead of relying on any cloud connection. Whether you opt for Matter, HomeKit, or legacy connections to Amazon and Google via a hub, the H2 can act as a zigbee range extender due to it being permanently connected to mains power.
The H2 also offers something quite relevant in times where energy prices seem to continually rise, with energy monitoring, so you can keep tabs on your electricity usage, whether that’s a fan, a washing machine, or standalone lamps etc. This feature is currently only available via the Aqara app, although with the release of Matter 1.3 including energy management features, it’s hoped that the feature can be exposed to Matter platforms at some point. The socket is capable of handling 16 amps, 250v @ 50/60Hz, but with options to deactivate the electrical outputs at predefined levels up to 3840w. Unlike some standard outlets, it also features an on/off button along with an accompanying status LED.
You’ll be able to pick up the Wall Outlet H2 from Amazon stores in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland from May 30th.
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