Aqara today announced two new smart home safety products – a Smoke Detector for European markets and a Valve Controller T1 for global release. Both devices expand the company's home safety lineup with Matter compatibility and Apple HomeKit integration.
The Valve Controller T1 is designed to prevent water damage by retrofitting onto existing household water valves. It can automatically shut off water flow when linked to leak sensors and supports common pipe sizes from 1/2" to 1". The controller runs on four AA batteries with an estimated two-year battery life.
The new Smoke Detector, available exclusively in Europe, features an 85-decibel siren and smartphone notifications for smoke detection. When paired with Aqara cameras, homeowners can visually verify alarms remotely. The detector can also trigger other Aqara hub sirens and grouped smoke detectors for whole-home alerts.
Both products work with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home through Matter-over-Bridge support. This enables automated routines like flashing smart lights red during smoke detection or shutting down HVAC systems to prevent smoke circulation.
The Smoke Detector utilizes Zigbee protocol for efficient power usage, offering up to 10 years of battery life. Both devices can be managed through the Aqara Home app for configuration and monitoring.
The Valve Controller T1 is available now through Aqara's Amazon stores in the US and Europe. The Smoke Detector can be purchased from Aqara's European Amazon stores and select retailers.
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past.
The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC.
It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent.
A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3.
Mac users can download the macOS Sequoia update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15.
With...
Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect.
The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design.
It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information.
Relocated Charging Port
While the Magic Mouse switched from...
Well, I was hoping that might be an affordable alternative to the Nest Protect alarm, but it looks as if that's still head and shoulders above the competition (in terms of price, as much as features too, sadly). No carbon monoxide sensing, and (the biggie) no voice telling you which sensor has been triggered or needs its battery replacing. If there's a fire, the last thing I want to be doing is checking an app on my phone to find out what's going on.
Riddle me this: If the thing you keep on all the time at home, ie your router catches fire how will the smoke alarm let you know if you're out of the building?
It should alert you when smoke is detected, before your router catches fire.
