Aqara offers a variety of smart home products, running the gamut from smart locks and sensors to smart lights and smart curtains. The brand is now ready to expand its catalog even further, with the reveal of several new smart home gadgets at IFA 2024. A common thread throughout the reveal was support for Matter — making it easy for shoppers to integrate the devices with the rest of their home.
The Camera Hub G5 Pro is the standout product, as it’s Aqara’s first security camera built for outdoor use. Its 4MP camera captures color night vision and uses onboard AI to identify people, pets, vehicles, and packages, allowing for more accurate notifications when motion is detected. And since it’s officially rated for outdoor use, you should have no problem finding a good spot for it on your property.
Aqara also revealed the Garage Door Controller T2 Kit, bringing support for two sectional garage doors plus full Matter compatibility. The smart garage controller market is rather limited, making this a welcome reveal at IFA.
Other smart home devices on display include the Aqara Valve Controller T1, which can detect leaks to automatically turn off water or gas lines, the Aqara Smoke Detector with a staggering 10-year battery life, and a variety of smart wall switches and light bulbs.
As for Matter, the Hub M3 is getting something known as Advanced Matter Bridging. With the feature, users can sync their “IF” and “THEN” conditions in the Aqara Home app to other supported Matter apps. This gives access to more robust routines and ensures all devices in your home network play nicely with Aqara’s lineup.
Expect to learn more about pricing and availability soon.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.