I’ve found past Aqara products, like the multipurpose security sensor, particularly useful, but at IFA 2026, the security company is swerving in an entirely new direction: smart lighting.
Entering the lighting world is a bold move for Aqara, but I’m not totally surprised. Showing off a suite of products that looks to confront lighting maestro Govee, Aqara wants to differentiate itself with several tricks connecting the lighting products back to its previous security specialties. Here’s what I noticed.
Read more: The Weirdest Tech We Spotted at IFA 2026
New lamps, LED strips and outdoor lighting
Aqara’s colorful floor lamp looks directly inspired by Govee products. Aqara
Aqara isn’t just dipping its toes into smart lighting at IFA — it’s unveiling a packed product line with entries for basically every part of the home. It takes most brands years to expand into so many areas, so a large launch like this is particularly unusual.
Indoors, Aqara is showing off both a standing lamp and table lamp, with a focus on multicolor options (through app control, of course). The standing lamp, for example, has 18 different zones to control separately or cycle colors through. The line will also include a smart downlight for low ceilings, plus a smart LED strip with 108 LEDS per meter — which sounds like a whole lot to me based on my past tests of LED strips.
Then Aqara moves outdoors, with a new outdoor string light product that has a broad color temperature range to mimic different kinds of natural light. The company is also planning to release permanent, weatherproof outdoor lights designed to stay under eaves and provide lighting year-round.
Hmm, where have I seen colorful, permanent outdoor eave lights just like this? Oh yes, Govee again. Aqara
I don’t have info on release dates or pricing for all these lighting products yet, but it’s immediately clear how similar they are to Govee lights, including the floor lamp and the permanent outdoor lights. It looks like Aqara is taking the smart lighting king head-on with this release, giving consumers an alternative that hasn’t been easy to find in past years.
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