Aqara Expands Matter Over Thread Lighting Range at IFA 2026
Aqara has unveiled a substantial expansion to its smart lighting range at IFA 2026 in Berlin, with five new products covering indoor, accent, and outdoor lighting. More importantly for Apple Home users, every product announced supports Matter, with both Thread and Zigbee connectivity available.
The new lineup consists of the Aqara Floor Lamp T1, LED Downlight T2, LED Strip T2, Outdoor String Lights H1, and Permanent Outdoor Lights H1. Aqara is also introducing Aqara Builder, a new community platform aimed at smart home enthusiasts, installers, developers, and other creators.
While Aqara has traditionally relied heavily on Zigbee for many of its lighting products, the addition of Thread across the entire new range means users will have more choice when it comes to how these devices are integrated into their smart homes. Through Matter, the lights can work with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, and Homey.
MATTER, THREAD, AND ZIGBEE
All five of Aqara’s new lighting products offer both Thread and Zigbee connectivity. When using Thread, the lights can connect to compatible Matter ecosystems without requiring an Aqara Zigbee hub, although a compatible Thread Border Router will still be required. For Apple Home users, this potentially makes the new range particularly interesting, as recent HomePods and Apple TV models can provide the necessary Thread Border Router functionality.
Opting for Zigbee instead allows the lights to take advantage of additional functionality within the Aqara ecosystem, including integration with the company’s sensors, switches, hubs, and Aqara Home automations. This dual-protocol approach is something Aqara has increasingly adopted with its newer products, allowing users to choose between Matter over Thread for broader cross-platform compatibility, or Zigbee when deeper integration with Aqara Home is preferred.
AQARA FLOOR LAMP T1
The Floor Lamp T1 stands 1,420mm tall and uses a side-emitting design intended to wash a nearby wall with light, rather than simply providing conventional direct illumination. Aqara says the lamp uses a 16-bit, five-channel lighting chip and provides 18 individually controllable lighting zones, allowing for gradients, animations, and other multicolour effects. It also offers an unusually wide adjustable white colour temperature range of 2,000K to 9,000K, with a maximum output of 1,000 lumens. As with the rest of the new range, it can also be combined with Aqara sensors and switches for automated lighting based on presence or other conditions.
AQARA LED DOWNLIGHT T2
The new LED Downlight T2 is designed with an ultra-thin profile, potentially making it suitable for ceilings where there is limited installation depth. Aqara will offer the T2 in two versions.
An RGB CCT model provides 16 million colours alongside adjustable whites ranging from 2,000K to 9,000K, while a CCT-only model focuses on tunable white lighting and offers brightness of up to 1,200 lumens. The Downlight T2 also includes power-off memory, allowing the light to return to its previous state following a power interruption.
AQARA LED STRIP T2
The LED Strip T2 is Aqara’s latest multicolour light strip, with 108 LEDs per metre and the same 16-bit, five-channel lighting technology found in the Floor Lamp T1. Every three-metre section provides 18 independently controllable zones, enabling multiple colours and gradients to appear along the strip simultaneously. The strip can also be trimmed to accommodate different installations, including cabinets, shelving, and other indirect lighting applications. Music-reactive lighting effects are supported, while users of the Aqara Home app will also be able to use the company’s AI-powered scene generation features. These allow a user to describe the type of lighting or atmosphere they want using natural language, with Aqara Home generating a corresponding scene.
AQARA OUTDOOR STRING LIGHTS H1
The Outdoor String Lights H1 brings the same multizone lighting approach outside, with individually controllable zones and weather-resistant construction for patios, terraces, balconies, and other outdoor spaces. They support adjustable whites from 2,000K to 9,000K alongside colour lighting, with Aqara’s Gen-Scene feature also able to create coordinated effects across the different lighting zones. When combined with other Aqara devices, the lights can form part of more practical automations too. Aqara suggests examples such as automatically illuminating an outdoor path after dark or changing the lighting in response to a security event.
AQARA PERMANENT OUTDOOR LIGHTS H1
Aqara is also entering the increasingly popular permanent architectural outdoor lighting market with the Permanent Outdoor Lights H1.
Designed to remain installed throughout the year, the H1 can provide decorative lighting for holidays and other occasions without requiring temporary strings of lights to be installed and removed each time. Individual LEDs can be controlled independently, while the system is extendable and can be cut to accommodate different rooflines. It’s also weatherproof for permanent outdoor installation. As with the Outdoor String Lights H1, Matter, Thread, and Zigbee support mean the system isn’t restricted to Aqara Home for everyday smart home control.
AQARA BUILDER
Alongside its new hardware, Aqara is introducing Aqara Builder, a global community platform designed for smart home enthusiasts, developers, installers, integrators, and creators. The platform will allow users to share real-world smart home projects, automation ideas, and design inspiration. Aqara says AI-assisted tools will also be available to help users develop personalised automation scenarios based on ideas shared through the community. The company is demonstrating Aqara Builder alongside its new lighting products at IFA 2026 in Berlin.
AVAILABILITY
Aqara hasn’t yet announced pricing or release dates for the Floor Lamp T1, LED Downlight T2, LED Strip T2, Outdoor String Lights H1, or Permanent Outdoor Lights H1. All five products are being demonstrated at Aqara’s IFA 2026 booth in Hall 1.2, Booth 157.
