Aqara Smart Light Switch H2 (2-in-1 Neutral, 4 Buttons, 3 Channels), Thread/Zigbee Protocol, Wall Switch for Smart Home, Supports Apple Home, Google, Alexa, Matter Over Thread

Good switch for Home Assistant
So I got this switch to use primarily in Home Assistant. I made sure to do my homework first before getting it. I was aware that depending on how you integrate it, you will lose some features. I first connected it to HA using Matter over Thread. That gave me the switch, power monitoring, and the extra button showed up under events. I had a good use case for the H2 because I have a bedroom with a ceiling fan that uses pull chain for the light and fan with only 1 switch. So I have the actual H2 switch control the ceiling light/fan as only a fan now and the smart button to control a lamp that I put in the room. That way both options are accessible from the switch and have smart controls.One thing I must say is that if you don’t have an Aqara hub then make sure to update the switch through the app. I put the H2 into HA immediately and controls were very inconsistent. Half the time it was instant, the other half had heavy delays or didn’t respond at all. After I updated the firmware, it works perfectly now. The switch is always instant. The smart button is too as long as you’re not pressing it in quick succession. It will eventually have a delay of maybe 1-2 seconds if you are pressing it repeatedly very quickly. But when I waited longer between each press it worked instantly every time. So it works perfectly fine for normal use.I did try Zigbee for fun though. I removed the switch, changed it to Zigbee mode using the Aqara app and reconnected it to HA using ZHA. It was very quick and simple but all you get is the switch. The smart button is not available and I don’t even remember checking if power monitoring was available.Overall I’m pretty satisfied with the switch. But my only expectation was to be able to connect it using Matter over Thread and have access to the smart button. Both of which were met. I see that some others were upset about losing options and features. I did my homework though and knew I wouldn’t have access to certain things. For my uses case I’m pretty happy with it. So be aware of what you may be losing out on and if you’re okay with that before buying the H2.

Works well with Aqara Hub
I intend to use this switch to control a bathroom fan/light combo. Fan, light, night light. After reading that it was Matter certified I assumed I was all set as I have multiple Apple TV boxes and a few HomePods. I was unable to add this switch using Apple Home. It would connect immediately but fail at the “setting up” screen. I considered returning it, but the 3 active buttons in a single gang device isn’t common and I like the style of it. I thought the best way to ensure the switch would work well in my house would be to add an Aqara M3 hub. Mildly frustrating as the Apple gear are Matter hubs, but such is life. I received my new Aqara hub and expected a painless Matter/Thread setup with my new switch. Nope. I was unable to connect this Aqara switch to the Aqara hub using the Matter/Thread protocol. Power cycled phone, hub, router and reset the switch many, many times. Still no luck with Matter/Thread. By now I was less concerned with establishing a Thread network and just wanted the switch to work! Using the Aqara app, I switched to Zigbee mode, accomplished by a firmware re-flash. Bam! The switch was added to the Aqara app successfully in just a few moments. My ultimate goal is to use Apple Home for ALL home automation and control and avoid using other apps, even Aqara’s own. It took a couple extra minutes but now I can ignore the Aqara app and use Apple Home, the same way I use Philips Hue products. The switch itself is high quality with tinned wire leads and a nice screw-less wall plate. Each button has an LED indicator for on/off that also changes colors to indicate different setup modes. Value for money is dependent on whether you already own a hub. At some point when I get a few more Matter/Thread devices I will probably attempt the Matter/Thread protocol on this switch but I’m happy with the Zigbee functionality for now. Strongly recommended if you already have a hub or plan to get one. Otherwise you may want to investigate other options, perhaps from Lutron. One final note: a factory reset requires a button to be pressed TEN times. This seems excessive compared to my other smart home stuff. Having a reset button like a router would be a nice upgrade.

Great smart light switch, easy to install. Occasionally, there is some lag when switching, but otherwise great. The software (Aqara App) is also easy to use.I only wish they had a 2 button version that supports 3-way switching. The extra button is useful, but is not needed in some situations. Having that option would have been great.

I brought 8 of those. There is a noticeable lag in automation. Using as trigger the buttons have no lag. However if you don’t connect neutral it has an additional second of lag in automation (eg one switch controlled by the other). One may already install without the hassle of connecting neutral – but then realize the lag and has to install again.Edited: please connect to neutral if yon have one! Huge difference in latency when doing automation. They will not show up on Google home. Also they don’t actually trigger Aquara event in the message queue API.

Réglage simple et fonctionnel