Aqara Roller Shade Driver E1 - Is It Obvious That This Needs Additional Hardware?

picklewizard on 05/04/2022 - 16:27
Last edited 05/04/2022 - 16:37

I have just purchased the following device: https://www.aqara.com/en/product/roller-shade-driver-e1

There is a single mention on the website that reads "** A compatible Aqara hub is required" - note that there are two asterisks next to this, however no indication as to what these apply to as there's nothing else with two asterisks next to them elsewhere on that page.

On the front of the box it reads "* Aqara hub is required" but flipping over to the back, the note next to the asterisk reads "* To work with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, an Aqara hub is required."

By all indications, I believe that I should be able to use this device without a hub. Based on both the box and website (not that the website is clear at all), this is only required for assistant integration. It turns out that this is purely a ZigBee device and hence needs the ZigBee hub to be used.

Box pictures:
https://ibb.co/Sn5B3hz
https://ibb.co/hsNN2y6

Just calibrating before I request a refund on the product - I've included a poll below. If it indicates that I'm an idiot I'll accept this and move on with my life 😅

Poll Options

  • 3
    The product should be fully functional without additional hardware
  • 6
    The product should have limited usability without additional hardware
  • 13
    The product should not work at all without additional hardware
Electrical & Electronics Xiaomi

Comments

  • MS Paint on 05/04/2022 - 16:30
    +1

    You only need the hub if you're lazy.

    • picklewizard on 05/04/2022 - 16:31

      Please elaborate! I have no ZigBee capable devices in my home and this device does not appear to have Wi-Fi connectivity.

      • MS Paint on 05/04/2022 - 16:32

        You only need the hub if you wish to incorporate one of the assistants.

        • picklewizard on 05/04/2022 - 16:33

          See now that's what I thought. Do you have this device, or are you just basing this on the information from the box?

          Edit: Regarding lazy - I have this device because I'm lazy 😂

          • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 05/04/2022 - 16:37

            @picklewizard: Have you downloaded the Aqara Home app and set the device up?

            • picklewizard on 05/04/2022 - 16:38

              @WoodYouLikeSomeCash: I have. It will not allow me to add the device without having added a hub first.

              My beef is that this really isn't apparent and I expected to have control/automated timing from the app.

          • MS Paint on 05/04/2022 - 16:50

            @picklewizard: I don't have it.

            Anything beyond pressing the physical buttons on the device likely requires a communication hub including their in house assistant.

            Best part of the day is waking up, opening the blind, checking out the weather and then making a cuppa. I wouldn't sacrifice this for a gadget.

  • ebenezer7 on 05/04/2022 - 16:41

    The product page says a compatible hub is required. This means you require a compatible hub for it to work.

    • picklewizard on 05/04/2022 - 16:44
      -1

      As per my post, it has two asterisks next to that comment (**) which seems to indicate this applies to certain functions or features only.

      There is nothing on the website that shows what the ** actually pertains to. Have you found what the ** is indicative of? I searched high and low 😐

  • thisisnotsteve on 05/04/2022 - 16:44

    Yeah all these things need a hub to work with. There is a cheap one for like 60 bucks. That's if you wanna stay in the aqara environment and plan on getting more of their things. I got 3 of these for my blinds around the house. It's a pretty good system once it's all up and running no complaints and the price point is good.

    • picklewizard on 05/04/2022 - 16:45

      I know this now, but my beef is that I don't think this is made clear on the website at all.

      • MS Paint on 05/04/2022 - 16:47
        +1

        Nothing is clear on the website. It's Chinglish at its finest.

        r/crappydesign

  • skid on 05/04/2022 - 16:54

    Anything Zigbee means a Zigbee hub is required. The Bluetooth version can be controlled from your phone. The wifi version works with no additional hardware.

    All versions can be controlled with the buttons on the device.

    • mskeggs on 05/04/2022 - 16:56

      So you can use it via buttons without a hub?
      That is a different story to a product that is functionless without the hub.
      Having the hub just adds the functionality of wireless control.

      • SgtBatten on 06/04/2022 - 14:02

        Yes the buttons drive the device manually.

  • mskeggs on 05/04/2022 - 16:55

    I can see how you could buy the product without thinking you need a hub, but I can also see from the vendor’s side.
    They show on the box the device you bought coloured in, linking to pale line drawn hubs and motion sensors, which I am sure is how they are trying to illustrate it is part of an ecosystem.
    Add the “You need a hub” on the front on the box, which is pretty unambiguous.
    I do see the ambiguity in the comment that you need a hub for voice control might let someone conclude you don’t need one for another type of control.

    Unfortunately, it looks like they are not an Australian company, so the ‘buyer beware’ principle will be what they rely on, rather than the “you must abide with consumer law” that vendors need to meet in Australia.

    • picklewizard on 05/04/2022 - 17:03

      I think this is probably the most reasonable answer. Though the "you need a hub" on the box again has an asterisk, and the asterisk on the back says "for assistant integration".

  • joolz50 on 05/04/2022 - 17:53

    The page clearly states it is a zigbee device, so unless you know nothing about zigbee, that would be your indicator that you're going to need 'something' that can handle zigbee (that being said, the FAQ page weirdly only mentions WiFi, but only in the context of if there is no wifi, you can only control it via the buttons). I don't know of any device that is zigbee AND something else.

    Did you watch the video? It shows selecting a hub as part of the setup process. The specs section shows what's in the box, and a hub isn't one of these things.

    If you had watched any reviews before purchasing, you would have seen that a hub is needed.

    I'm afraid to say, this one is on you.

    That being said, the device has an up and down button, so it still does what it states it does: drive a roller blind. So you can still use it to to open and close it, just not with your phone.

  • BigLeviathan on 05/04/2022 - 18:34

    You need a hub; perhaps worth checking out hubitat too - using the community driver

  • rysch on 05/04/2022 - 19:33

    It's a device with Zigbee-connectivity. It needs a Zigbee coordinator/router in the same way a device with Wi-Fi-connectivity needs a Wi-Fi router. And yes a Wi-Fi router is still "additional hardware".

    On the Specifications page, under Wireless Protocol it only lists Zigbee 3.0, not any version of Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is not a default assumption on anything, but especially not in the home automation space, where it has undesirable characteristics (power usage).

    Mind, the physical buttons should still work 100% without any smart assistant integration, but I'm still voting option 3.

  • JimmyF on 05/04/2022 - 20:26

    It turns out that this is purely a ZigBee device and hence needs the ZigBee hub to be used.

    This is correct…. Needs a hub!!

  • lint on 07/04/2022 - 15:56

    Well the front of the box says "* Aqara hub is required" and the back of the box says "* To work with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, an Aqara hub is required." The asterisk is a bullet point in both instances, rather than the back information expanding on what's on the front (otherwise the front would say "Aqara hub is required*".

    I can understand your confusion, but knowing it's a Zigbee device you would presume a Zigbee hub is required for it to function unless it clearly stated that it also had regular Bluetooth or Wi-Fi functionality.

  • IMadeYouReadThis on 19/04/2022 - 09:03

    Op, how you much you paid and where did you buy it from?

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join