Aqara B1 Curtain Controller Out Now – No HomeKit…
Aqara’s updated Curtain motor, or the Smart Curtain Controller as it’s also referred to, has officially been released in China at the Xiaomi Youpin Store, priced at a special discount of ¥699 from now until the end of May, with the price increasing to ¥799 at the start of June. If you want to get your hands on one, you’re going to have to be either in China or know someone that is, however, as the release is only in Mainland China. The product, with an expected price hike, is bound to make its way to places like AliExpress and GearBest soon after though.
The bad news is that whilst this is a great upgrade from the previous model, it doesn’t currently have HomeKit certification, whereas the original model does. This may be due to a delay with either firmware issues (and we all know about Aqara’s firmware issues right?) or a delay with certification, as it would make no sense to have a newer model with less compatibility than the older model. Aqara has always maintained that this would be compatible with HomeKit eventually, and so it’s a case of ‘wait and see’ for now.
As previously mentioned in our review of the B1, the main upgrade with the B1 is the removable/rechargeable battery that can last up to 6 months between charges, as well as being constantly charged if plugged into mains electricity, with the motor even capable of receiving mains electricity, even without the battery being connected at all. Aside from that, the product itself looks more sleek and modern and has roughly twice the power of the previous model.
Very exciting! Do you know if the new tracks can be fastened to the wall rather than just the ceiling?
maybe b1s will have homekit? we will see.
lumi.curtain.vagl02
Aqara intelligent tubular motor T1 is an electric intelligent curtain motor that can realize the intelligent curtains of ordinary roller blinds, Shangri-La curtains, etc. It has built-in Zigbee wireless communication module, using Zigbee 3.0 protocol, and equipped with Zigbee gateway function. (referred to as “gateway”), it can realize remote control, time switch curtains, and multi-device intelligent linkage.
lumi.curtain.hagl07
Aqara intelligent curtain motor C2 is an intelligent electric curtain motor that can realize the intelligent opening and closing of the ordinary opening and closing curtain. It is powered by 100-240V~ strong electric input. At the same time, it has built-in Zigbee wireless communication module and adopts Zigbee 3.0 protocol. With the Zigbee gateway function (“gateway”), it can realize remote control, time switch curtains, and multi-device intelligent linkage.
lumi.curtain.hagl06
Aqara Smart Curtain Motor B1S is an intelligent electric curtain motor that can realize the common intelligent opening and closing curtain. It can be powered by power adapter or lithium battery. It also has built-in Zigbee wireless communication module and adopts Zigbee 3.0 protocol. With the Zigbee gateway function (“gateway”), it can realize remote control, time switch curtains, and multi-device intelligent linkage.
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Any updates on if it supports homekit? I see the curtain B1 is available to add in the aqara home app. Does that mean I can get it to show up in homekit?
HomeKit support is still not official yet, but one of the beta testers we know for Aqara has it working in HomeKit with a beta version of the app and firmware.