Aqara Roller Shade Driver E1, Requires AQARA HUB, Smart Blind Motor with Schedule and Voice Control, Rechargeable with Long Battery Life, Compatible with HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT

Product Information

Instead of flying around the room while playing Wii Sports Tennis, the Roller Shade Driver prefers a more muted persence, hanging in an unspectacular manner on the wall as you move your roller blind up and down. What is an especially nice touch: Thanks to the integrated battery, you don't have to lay yet another unsightly cable around the home. HomeKit News is not in any way afflilated or endorsed by Apple Inc. or any subsidiary companies related to Apple. What I like is that the ZigBee communications module is connected to an antenna on the side of the case, improving its signal. This is good practice to ensure stable ZigBee connectivity. One-Button Control: Thanks to the Aqara Home app, the full operation of your roller shade can be done by pressing only one button such as the Aqara Mini Switch.

Oh, I almost forgot. the Aqara roller shade driver comes with a USB Type-C charging port. The built-in battery can last up to 2 months with a full charge. You don’t have to worry about charging the device every few weeks.Another matter you may need to keep in mind is, the Aqara roller shade driver cannot join the network on its own. Without the hub, it would simply act as a two-button controller to open and close the shade. However, the good news is, Aqara offers some choices for the gateway to work with the shade driver. I will list them below for your reference. Should I buy one? In 2020, this was realised when I tested out and reviewed the Soma Smart Shades 2 (read the review HERE or watch the video HERE). I’ve been using the Soma product for over a year now, and generally, I’ve been very happy with it. I’ve really had no issues, except for a few minor, but insurmountable, details that I’d come to accept; One was that it wasn’t officially HomeKit compatible, and therefore the separate Soma Connect hub was needed. I’ve got no issues with using hubs, but to have one for the sole purpose of controlling one device, and it being a requirement to expose it to HomeKit – even uncertified – was a bit of an ‘ask’. Add to this the fact that the Soma blinds use Bluetooth to either connect directly to your iPhone or the hub, meant that quite often there would be an initial ‘no response’. This wasn’t as noticeable until I eventually started using a HomePod Mini, where I’d use Siri to open or close the blinds, whereupon I’d be greeted with the following response – “The Soma blinds failed to respond”. A second request would be successful, but it began to be all too predictable and a little tiresome. This is the fault of Bluetooth more than Soma, so even if they had official HomeKit support, I dare say the same issue would exist. The buttons on the Roller Shade Driver could also react a bit faster in my opinion. Each time the button is pressed, it takes a second for the motor to start. If the roller blind runs practically autonomously via scenes and automations, then this is not noticeable at all. However, if you want to go out to the balcony right now, it should be a bit faster. Month Battery Life*: Thanks to Aqara battery-saving technologies, industry-leading battery life is achieved. You don't need to worry about charging the device every few weeks.

The cover of the rolling plate has these plastic teeth that you need to brake off. These are not removed by default because some users might be installing the E1 in a horizontal position, so they would need to remove different two teeth. Setting Curtain Limits User-Defined Opening/Closing: The user will be able to pre-set a number of desired open/close percentages and switch between them easily. This starter kit includes everything you need to transform your ordinary roller shades into intelligent, automated devices. Whether you’re new to home automation or a seasoned enthusiast, this kit offers easy installation, precise control, and a world of possibilities to enhance your living space. Get started on your journey to a smarter home with the Aqara Roller Shade Driver Starter Kit. This kit provides the tools you need to elevate your living space, offering control, convenience, and endless possibilities. Welcome to the future of home automation – welcome to Aqara. Event Timeline and Notifications**: With the G2H Pro, when your Aqara sensors are triggered by an event such as opening the door, it will be marked on the video timeline, and you will be able to see video notifications.With thisroller shadedriver, users can not only control the roller shades by wireless remote switches and voice commands, they can also configure home automations such as rolling down the blinds automatically when the sun is too bright, or when the user goes to bed at nights. Aqara Roller Shade Driver E1 – The easiest-to-install and most flexible smart roller shade controller. The battery itself is a rechargeable Li-polymer battery with capacity of 1000mAh. Even though Aqara says the battery is not replaceable, this is just a standard Lithium battery which can be found online. Automation Support (via Aqara Home and Apple HomeKit): The switch can run automation, switch between smart scenes and change its functions depending on the time of the day or other conditions. Both Aqara Home ( iOS/ Android) and Apple HomeKit are supported. To install the Roller Shade Driver E1, you will first have to remove the plastic cap at the top end. Underneath is the shaft of the electric motor, on which there is already a receptacle for the common roller blind bead chains. If your roller blind uses a different type of chain, you will find three more adapters in the box.

I would highly recommend trying this product as well as Aqara’s ecosystem. This roller shade driver is a decent solution for every household to consider as long as you have a window shade/blind with a beaded cord. It does not require any prior skills or experience for the installation. You will find the Aqara Home to be an intuitive, and noob-proof application to use. But keep in mind, this shade driver works best when being used with an Aqara hub. The basic model Aqara Hub E1 should do the job if you wish to keep the cost in line with your budget. Short answer…yes. Long answer…yes, I will. I love all things smart, but I like them even more when they do what they're supposed to and work first try. So, Aqara has got me. I'll be adding lots more of these to the house. At the bottom of the case, the reset button is conveniently placed next to a 5V USB-C port. Aqara installing a USB-C instead of MicroUSB port gives me some assurance of the quality of the device and the company’s willingness to follow and adapt newer standards.Zigbee 3.0 Protocol: Enjoy the benefits of the fastest, most stable, and energy-efficient smart home technology. Better stability and compatibility (more standardized protocol), longer support, and more features. I setup the Aqara roller shade companion E1 ( ZNJLBL01LM) on Z2M a couple days ago and initially everything seemed to be working properly. More recently, every now and then, the roller shade stops working with the error (Data request failed with error: 'MAC transaction expired' (240))' Invisible IR Night LEDs: Thanks to 940 nm infrared night vision LEDs, the G2H Pro Camera Hub doesn’t have an annoying glow that could disturb your sleep during the night. The Aqara Roller Shade Driver E1 is a retrofit roller shade controller that does not require a complicated installation and can work with your existing Roller Shade by operating the beaded cord. It does not require dedicated wiring and can run both wirelessly from the built-in battery or being plugged into a power supply via the provided USB Type-C cable. Features Subscription-Free Alerts and Built-in Siren: The G2H Pro Camera Hub will notify you via smartphone and built-in siren and record a short clip in case an abnormal sound or motion is detected. A short clip will be sent to the cloud immediately (can be disabled in settings) while the full footage will be recorded locally.