Aqara’s New Smart Ceiling Light Can Do More Than Just Decorate a Room
A year ago I had never heard of Akara . They then released a well-proven sensor that no one else had, FP2 , a “presence” sensor. A quick look at their website will confirm that they are indeed a sensor company, with an extensive array of smart sensors that no one else has. Moreover, having tried many of them, they work when competitors simply do not. Installing and configuring the sensor is a small thing, but it was my trust in their sensors that prompted me to install their new T1M ceiling light ($149.99). A smart ceiling light may seem unexciting, but it’s one of the first lights we’ve seen from a name brand. It also boasts many smart features such as visual notifications based on other Aqara products. The best reason to trust the T1M was simple: it’s huge , and my kitchen desperately needed more light. The product is so popular that it sold out in its first week, but Akara says there will be more to come in the coming weeks.
A large but discreet lamp with two separate lamps.
The first thing to know about the T1M is that it is a spaceship lighting fixture. The huge 19.5-inch-wide light takes up little ceiling space. The fairly innocuous main light source is a spherical disk, and its white color ranges from warm to cool. The white light then surrounds the ring of RGB IC LEDs and you can control them separately. It mounts fairly level, about three inches from the ceiling. The light is made of molded plastic, but it doesn’t look cheap. Installation was quick – it’s lightweight so it’s easy to hold with one hand. The light arrived with all the parts needed to connect it to the light’s existing wiring.
Even with Materia, you’ll still need a hub.
The T1M supports Matter over Threads and Zigbee, but it requires an Aqara hub to act as a bridge. This device works with Google, Alexa and Siri. Normally the need for a hub would be a bummer, but Aqara currently offers the most interesting hub on the market: a wired indoor 2K security camera that looks like a cat. (There are also hubs with a more standard design.)
Impressive light array for programming
Turning on the light in the Aqara app online required no effort, and then it was just a matter of configuration. White is easy: you just set it to the white range you have in your home (people tend to gravitate toward either warm or cool whites). There are many smart LED lights on the market now, and most of them give you the same huge amount of color options as these lights. Nanoleaf has done a great job of coming up with subtle, sleek lighting designs that you’ll actually want to use, and I think Aqara has accomplished the same thing here. Essentially, the T1M acts like the sun: you can replace the white in the central sphere with subtle color profiles depending on the time of day. You can even set a schedule so that the lights inside mimic the time of day and turn on slowly as the sun rises: they call this “adaptive lighting.” You don’t need the same brightness all day long, so the light can be adjusted. Exterior lighting gets a little wilder but can remain subtle if desired, with themes such as meteor, sunset and autumn. It’s all fully customizable, from colors to motion, speed and brightness. My only complaint was that the slowest setting was still too fast for my taste.
It’s important to remember that even without the ring of colored LEDs, the light is still bright enough to fill the space without you ever having to turn on the ring. This is the advantage of two lights having separate controls. The entire time I installed it, I mostly just left the interior lights on and ended up creating a theme for a ring of white LEDs to complement it.
Automation is what makes this lamp especially smart
There are now smart light bulbs and smart switches that give you the flexibility to choose which aspect of your lighting you want to control. The question becomes why you would want or need the device itself to be smart, and this is where automation becomes key. Aqara allows you to create powerful integrations with other Aqara products that provide convenience and accessibility. If the doorbell rings, the light can sound an alarm. If another Aqara product pulls the trigger, indicator lights can visually alert you. Think about your smoke alarm: If you can’t hear it, a visual signal can make all the difference. I have a tendency to wear headphones while doing dishes, and I’ve missed the doorbell a few times and a visual cue would have helped get my attention. You can also extend this capability through IFTTT and your home assistant or hub, but being in the Aqara ecosystem has some benefits. One of the automations they offer is: “If a window or sensor is triggered, use the security camera to scan for any unidentified persons, and if it detects one, turn on the red light.” This automation relies entirely on Aqara products such as the Cat hub and window and door sensors. You can set this up as an automation using other products through IFTTT or your hub, but you’re unlikely to get the same set of triggers and actions that the Aqara app has for their own products.
Control your light with Aqara’s extraordinary options
While you can control this light with a voice assistant and a regular wall switch, Aqara also sells a wireless mini switch that you can install anywhere and use as a controller, which will also allow you to program special actions using the mini switch buttons. There is also a curious controller called the Cube , which is wireless and allows you to program each side of it to control many of Aqara’s products with automation and actions that you define. They allow you to control the T1M remotely, even without a light switch, if you don’t want to use your phone.
Look, I’d be happy with the T1M if it were just a light fixture: the LEDs illuminated the room incredibly efficiently in a way that some traditional bulbs couldn’t. However, the fact that they can be scheduled and programmed to simulate natural light and movement is a real treat, and what really impressed me (I didn’t even know I needed or needed this) was the clever functionality of using these lights as notifications other things. happening at my house.