is a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. He’s been a tech journalist for 20 years.
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Aqara came to Vegas with a number of smart home firsts in its rapidly growing portfolio. It’s showcasing an impressive smart lock that unlocks on approach, a thermostat with support for Apple’s Adaptive Temperature and Clean Energy Guidance, a Matter-enabled camera, and a pair of sensors to track human occupants and objects.
The Camera Hub G350 and Thermostat Hub W200 both function as Matter controllers, fitted with dual-band Wi-Fi, Thread, and Zigbee radios. They also support Aqara’s quest for “Spatial Intelligence” that allows the hubs to act as a central point to connect and manage both Aqara devices and Matter-compatible products. It’s all part of the company’s long-term effort to achieve ambient intelligence in the home with some help from AI.
Aqara’s Camera Hub G350. Image: Aqara
The dual-lens G350 indoor camera is Aqara’s first camera to support the recently announced Matter 1.5 spec. The pan/tilt motor provides 360-degree coverage captured through a 4K wide-angle lens and a 9x zoom lens. It can lock onto, identify, and track pets or people during the day and night and alert owners to breaking glass, coughing, or crying. The camera supports up to 512GB of local microSD storage and doubles as a Zigbee hub, Matter Controller, and Matter bridge for older Aqara devices.
Thermostat Hub W200. Image: Aqara
The W200 thermostat has a 4-inch touchscreen and supports Apple’s Adaptive Temperature and Clean Energy Guidance features in iOS 26. That means it’ll automatically adjust the temperature based upon your activity state in the Apple Home app — home, sleep, away, or extended away — and try to heat and cool a space when the grid is “cleaner” and electricity rates are lower. Its display can also be used to see visitors and unlock the door when synced with an Aqara doorbell and lock. Aqara didn’t provide any pricing ahead of the thermostat’s launch next month.
Smart Lock U400. Image: Aqara
Aqara’s Smart Lock U400 — check out our hands-on — is a deadbolt lock with UWB that opens as soon as the resident is about six feet away from the door. At first, that hands-free access will require an Apple Home key stored in the Apple Wallet of the user’s iPhone or Apple Watch. But this Matter-certified lock is also “Aliro-ready,” so it’ll eventually work with digital keys stored in wallets from the likes of Samsung (expected by March) and Google. Aqara is pricing the U400 smart lock at $269.99 and it’s available today.
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