After the successful introduction of Aqara's ceiling lamp T1M on the international market (video HERE), the company has left any form of relaxation behind and released even more products on the Chinese market; A smart socket and a smart Zigbee gateway on the wall.

Smart Wall Gateway V1

We'll start with the last one, the Smart Wall Gateway V1, which isn't actually their first wall-mounted Zigbee gateway, but does offer more than its predecessor: the Smart Wall Socket H1 (with hub). At first glance it seems like a pretty minimalist panel, with a USB-C port in the center, and while this port offers a usable 5W output, the V1 also acts as a Zigbee 3.0 gateway for Aqara products. PoE/LAN port It can also connect to 2.4 and 5.0GHz WiFi, while also offering a wired connection via a PoE/LAN port on the back. To make things even more interesting, the V1 also includes an IR blaster as found in the M2, M3 and G3. the V1 is available in two finishes, and as you may have guessed, it's designed for Chinese homes, suitable for an '86' style control box. Because it's a Zigbee hub, it can't control devices that use Thread or Matter, like the recently released M3, but it is a Matter-compatible bridge, so Zigbee devices connected to it can be exposed to the Matter platform of your choice via the V1.

Smart Wall Socket H2

The Smart Wall Socket H2 is not a new product type for Aqara either, although it is again a step up from previous iterations. In addition to the typical Type I three-pin socket, it also offers a Type A socket, as well as two 20W fast-charging USB ports – one for USB-A and the other USB-C. Included is energy monitoring (via the Aqara app) and a power button with included LED to actually turn the socket on or off, which is not normally an option for standard sockets. As for the output parameters, it only offers 10A at 220~250V, so it won't be of much use outside of China. Thanks to Eric Yao for the tip.