2. Sensors – Aqara Hub
Price: $55 (hub only) – $129 (starter kit)
If you are looking for a HomeKit compatible system with a number of different sensors and accessories, the always growing Aqara ecosystem seems to be the best way to go. I like the fact that I can have the whole setup working in “HomeKit only mode” on my local network. In fact, I even banned the Aqara hub from accessing external networks and everything still works without issues. The hub uses Zigbee for connectivity and in my experience, the coverage and stability have been nothing short of superb.
You can either start with the hub and buy additional accessories or get a starter kit bundle. The options for sensors are great and constantly expanding – temperature, humidity, vibration, door/window, water leak, etc. The hub also functions as a multi-colored night-light and an alarm system, so you can easily cover most of your house needs for <$200. As far as home automation goes, you can set your rules in the Aqara app, HomeKit, or set up an integration in Home Assistant (not natively supported though, so you will have to make some trade-offs here).
