Xiaomi Aqara E1 Zigbee 3.0 USB Hub Gateway US$23.53 (~A$32.72) Delivered @ Mi Homes On-Line AliExpress

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Clear on 13/01/2022 - 22:19 aliexpress.com (391 clicks)
Last edited 14/01/2022 - 10:07

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With the recent Aqara smart home sensors a few people have been wanting Zigbee gateways to control the sensors so I've found one on AliExpress for a good price. This is the basic version of the Aqara hub so it lacks features found in the others like a speaker and IR blaster. The USB port is for power only.

Featuring Zigbee 3.0 with support for up to 128 devices, powered via USB, built in WiFi repeater (max 2 devices) that uses other Aqara sensors for extra range, connects with the Aqara & Xiaomi app for management and supports Apple Homekit, Amazon Alexa, Google Home & IFTTT.

You can check out a review of the E1 Hub here.

AU$ based on current Mastercard rate, GST inclusive and stacks with Cashback / Socialgood.

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• 

  cxy0614 on 13/01/2022 - 22:24

  -1

  why not use m1s alarm or g3 camera as the hub

  • 

    Clear on 13/01/2022 - 22:26

    +1

    I shared this deal because so many people ask me in my Aqara deals where to get hubs and this is more affordable. The M1S won't have an AU Plug so good luck when that falls off with adapters and the G3 Camera is 3x the price of this.

    Feel free to purchase either. They'll all do the same thing.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 13/01/2022 - 22:24

  +1

  I think the Sonoff one is even cheaper… and can be used with ZHA

  • 

    Clear on 13/01/2022 - 22:28

    I was more thinking if you wanted something that works out of the box with Aqara and Xiaomi.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 13/01/2022 - 22:33

      True, I forget not everyone is as compulsive about controlling their setup.
      To that end it’s a great deal… and credibly beats the old round hub that was a pain to plug in

  • 

    Borg on 13/01/2022 - 23:11

    Was just looking at the Sonoff Zigbee 3 USB Dongle an hour ago. It's US$10.99 and postage to Sydney US$6.41
    https://itead.cc/product/sonoff-zigbee-3-0-usb-dongle-plus/

    New to these so can't comment on how it would compare.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 13/01/2022 - 23:21

      Use case is a bit different since you can plug it into ZHA or Z2MQTT but allows you to customise the devices and mix and match vendors like hue and ikea etc not just xiaomi

      • 

        Borg on 13/01/2022 - 23:41

        So in effect, the Sonoff would be a more attractive purchase if one uses a HomeAssisant PC and connects this to the USB port on it. I assume it would have to be attached to that PC. Correct?

  • 

    asa79 on 14/01/2022 - 07:28

    It's cheaper but can't update the firmware of aqara devices of needed you still need an aqara hub for that

  • 

    asa79 on 14/01/2022 - 07:30

    This also support Apple homekit for those that want that support out of the box

  • 

    bargaino on 14/01/2022 - 09:51

    And the Sonoff one is a proper bridge, wifi->zibee, so you can put it in a central location.

    "Gateway" or even "hub" is a bit of a grand name for something that is just a USB dongle, and relies on PC for the smarts.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 14/01/2022 - 09:52

      Does it rely on a pc for the smarts?
      I thought the usb was just for power.

      FWIW (and my two cents), I personally prefer a raspberry pi like home assistant running a bridge so I can mix and match products.
      But again that’s me

      For those who are serious about Zigbee.. the Conbee is amazing, and you can even run it with ZIGBEE2MQTT although phoscon is great software

      • 

        bargaino on 14/01/2022 - 09:56

        You are right! That is weird then. Why did they put a usb-A male in it then, rather than a micro-B connector like everyone else??

        I use the Sonoff, reflashed with Tasmota, with ZHA on Home Assistant. Does Conbee work a lot better?

        Occasionally (e.g. 2 months apart) it stops working, and I need to reset ZHA. But the Sonoff seems to be still working fine, if I look at the web console.

        • 

          Clear on 14/01/2022 - 10:06

          +1

          @bargaino: This is their "Youth Edition" and the E meaning Economic. Basically it's Aqara's cut down version of their gateway that is only a Zigbee gateway and doesn't have extra features.

          If you want the extra features there's the Camera Hub G3, the older Hub M1S with speaker and the new Hub M2

    • 

      asa79 on 14/01/2022 - 12:49

      The aqara is a hub as well USB is for power

• 

  Italkdigital on 14/01/2022 - 00:29

  Interesting didn't realise hubs were possibly that small and in an USB form factor

  • 

    bargaino on 14/01/2022 - 09:52

    edit: Zigbee is low power, low bandwidth, so yes, apparently. It just forwards messages between two protocols.
    I was fooled by the form factor.

• 

  clartan2015 on 14/01/2022 - 09:27

  Does this one needs to be plugged into my Home Assistant machine? Or the usb is for power only and i could plug it into any usb port(that supplies the required power) & connect it wirelessly to my network? Cheers

  • 

    Clear on 14/01/2022 - 09:37

    +2

    USB is for power only.