Aqara Hub Set-Up in London: Matter, Apple Home and Home Assistant

• Zigbee only: the Hub E1, M2 and M1S Gen 2 run Aqara's Zigbee devices but not the U200, U200 Lite or U600 locks
• Zigbee and Thread: the Hub M3, M200 and M100 are Matter controllers and Thread border routers, and act as a Matter bridge for Aqara's Zigbee devices
• The U200 needs one of those three, or the Camera Hub G5 Pro, for remote access; its Amazon UK listing names only the M3 and G5 Pro, but Aqara's UK store sells it bundled with the M100 and the M200
• In Zigbee mode, the Power Plug H2 UK pairs only with the M3, M100 or M200 on firmware 4.5.45_0017 or later, and Aqara lists the G5 Pro, G410, G350, G3 and M1S Gen 2 as not yet supported
• Aqara's listings warn that Zigbee2MQTT and similar USB dongles are not officially supported, so the pro pairs Zigbee devices to an Aqara hub

• The Hub M3's Amazon UK listing gives 6 m from the router for a stable link, and the M100's gives 10 m from the devices it serves
• Ofcom notes that brick internal walls make Wi-Fi harder to spread, so in a long terrace a PoE-powered M3 or M200 mid-house, fed by one data cable, can do better than a hub beside the router
• Mains Aqara devices wired to live and neutral, such as plugs and neutral-wired switches, are Zigbee routers that extend the mesh, while battery sensors and no-neutral switches are not; the Aqara UK Shop says each router supports 16 end devices
• The M3 and M200 carry infrared blasters for air conditioning, and Aqara suggests wall-mounting the M200 near the unit it controls

• The hub goes into the Aqara Home app first: Aqara says Matter accessories such as Thread devices need a Matter controller like the Hub M3 set up in Aqara Home before they are added
• Then the hub, or single Thread devices, are shared to the other app; Aqara's U600 and Power Plug H2 UK pages say that ecosystem's own Thread-enabled Matter controller is needed for direct control
• Apple Home Key on the U600 needs an Apple home hub, a HomePod, HomePod mini or Apple TV, and the U600 manual asks for IPv6 to be on in your router
• Cameras reach Home Assistant or a recorder over RTSP; on the G410 that works only when it is wired

• Aqara's Amazon UK listing says the Hub M3 can take over Zigbee devices and automations from older Aqara hubs, though Matter and HomeKit links need setting up again
• The Hub E1 is end of life on Aqara's UK security page, though still sold, and Aqara still describes Matter on the M1S Gen 2 as coming, so the pro does not plan a new Matter set-up around either
• Checked on 1 November 2026, Aqara's UK statements give the M3 and M100 a security-update period to 31 December 2026, and no UK statement was listed for the M200
• A hub bought for the US or China market may lose features here under Aqara's region policy, so the one set up is from a UK or EU seller

A vetted pro prices your Aqara job from the models and your photos, and the JACK app shows that fixed price before you book.

What the job touches moves the price more than the device does. Pairing a hub, fixing sensors, clipping a Curtain Driver E1 onto a rail or fitting radiator thermostat heads is set-up work. A smart lock is locksmith work on the door. An H1 or H2 switch, a Dual Relay Module T2 or a 230 V blind motor is mains work on an existing circuit, priced for isolating, connecting and testing.

The home comes next: a multipoint door that needs adjusting before a lock goes on, a bell transformer too weak for the doorbell, a PoE cable through solid brick. Where a job needs a second pair of hands, your pro can ask another pro on JACK to help through the Pro2Pro feature. Several devices, Aqara or other brands, go on one booking for one fixed price.

You buy the Aqara products; JACK does not sell them. Accessories the job needs, such as a replacement cylinder, a deeper back box, a 12 V plug-in supply or a PoE injector, are agreed and added at cost before you book, and so is parking where it has to be paid for. Prefer to pay for time? As a guide, hourly hire is typically £45–£95 per hour for smart home work, £55–£110 for electrical work and £60–£130 for locksmith work, and a full-day handyman booking is a flat £350–£400 for up to 8 hours on site.