Aqara has been busy as of late. The company announced Matter support for 50 new device types earlier this month, and now it’s launching three new products — the Aqara M100 Hub, Climate Sensor W100, and Camera Protect Kit Y100. All three are now available for purchase.
If you’re interested in syncing all your smart devices together, the Aqara Smart Hub M100 is bound to be the most exciting of the bunch. The next-gen smart hub is designed for seamless Matter compatibility, allowing you to set up complex automations between Aqara products and Matter-enabled products from other platforms.
The M100 works with up to 20 Zigbee devices, and it even lets you use features like facial recognition across Home Assistant and other Matter-enabled ecosystems. Its tiny design means you can place it just about anywhere, and there’s virtually no setup required — after plugging in the hub, you can start connecting other gadgets once you’ve signed into your network. Support for 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6 should result in smooth performance.
Aqara also revealed the Climate Sensor W100. This isn’t exactly a smart thermostat, but it can be synced with other devices to help you control your home’s climate. Three buttons are located next to a large 3.4-inch display, which shows the current temperature and humidity. Think of it as a device that lets you control your smart thermostat while away from your physical HVAC device.
It’s a bit more compelling than using your smart thermostat mobile app, as you can program multiple different functions across its buttons. This will primarily appeal to niche shoppers who need increased control over their systems — but its reasonable price of $40 could make it intriguing to shoppers with a large home looking for an alternative to installing a second thermostat.
The last product released by Aqara is the Camera Protect Kit Y100. The bundle includes a 2K Camera, a door and window sensor, a motion sensor, and a vibration sensor. A microSD card slot is included for local recording, and it can be synced with Apple Home, Alexa, and Google Home for access to voice controls.
All three products are now available. The Aqara Smart Hub M100 costs $20, the Climate Sensor W100 costs $40, and the Camera Protect Kit Y100 costs $140.
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.