Aqara US Switches Now Listed on US Site
After initially uncovering the existence of the Aqara US Switch in testing back in April, and reporting only last week the light switch appearing as an addable device in the Aqara app (US Server) after an update, Aqara has made it official, with the light switch listed on their US website.
As expected, the new switches, that come in single and double button configurations, require the Aqara hub in order to be added to your smart home and to be exposed to HomeKit. As these are designed for the US market, they are also exposed to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, which was a part of the last app update that first revealed these switches.
As with any HomeKit compatible light switch, you can control the device via the apps, via voice control, and set timers & automations. What may be of interest to some though is that fact that Aqara offers both a ‘neutral’ and ‘no neutral’ version of their light switches. As many homes in the US still lack a neutral wire for their lighting, this could be seen as an alternative to the Lutron smart system which appears to be the only other HomeKit compatible light switch manufacturer that offers this option. The ‘neutral wire’ version is listed HERE.
Here are some basic specs for the ‘No Neutral’ version;
- Single Rocker – WS-USC01 | Double Rocker – WS-USC02
- Material – PC
- Operating temperature – 0~40ºC | 32~104ºF
- Max. load – 600w/way (incandescent) | 200w/way (CFL/LED) | 1/4HP motor
- Input – 120v AC @ 60Hz
- Dimensions – 120 x 73 x 36.5mm | 4.72 x 2.91 x 1.44in
- Wireless protocol – ZigBee 3.0
- Colour – White
- Operating humidity – 0~95% RH, non-condensing
Specs for the ‘Neutral’ version;
- Single Rocker – WS-USC03 | Double Rocker WS-USC04
- Material – PC
- Operating temperature – 0~40ºC | 32~104ºF
- Max. load – 600w/way (incandescent) | 200w/way (CFL/LED) | 1/4HP motor
- Input – 120v AC @ 60Hz
- Dimensions – 120 x 74 x 36.5mm | 4.72 x 2.91 x 1.44in
- Wireless protocol – ZigBee 3.0
- Colour – White
- Operating humidity – 0~95% RH, non-condensing
Currently the switch is not available to buy but is listed as coming soon to amazon.com, so hopefully, this switch will be available before the end of the year. There are no details on price yet, however.
Thanks to Reddit user u/asbestum for bringing this to our attention.
Will the nueutral version of this switch support being a repeater to increase the range of your zigbee?
I also assume you need the new Aqara Hub for this to function correctly?
Hi Don, I don’t know the answer to your questions unfortunately, but as regards the second one, I’d be surprised if this switch wasn’t able to work with the current hub, as they’re still selling it and it’s compatible with Zigbee 3.0 devices.
Ok thanks, I looked at the us web site you sourced in your article under support and there are currently no documents listed for either versions of this switch.
What I did find is the zigbee North American smart plug. That product has regular zigbee listed. https://cdn.cnbj2.fds.api.mi-img.com/cdn/aqara/website/manuals_en/downloads/Smart%20Plug%20Quick%20Start%20Guide.pdf
Will that product work a a repeater? Thanks.
I’m told the plug does act as a repeater yes. Fyi, I do have a PDF of the US switch manual, so I can send it to you if you’d like to see it. Just send a message to info(at)homekitnews.com and I can post it to you.
On the website says the neutral version measures the power consumption and have a protection when it detects temperature variations to turns off the power supply.
Do you know if it’s a 2 or 3 way switch?
Thanks
Hi, according to the manual, this is not a 3-way switch and can’t be used as such.
Sad news 🙁
Except for Wemo, I didn’t find an interesting 3-way Homekit switch, but they are expensive.
Thanks for your fast answer!
Theres no need for a 3 way switch since it is a multiway. Just use a wireless switch on one end and a wall switch on the other.