The Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 is a feature-rich smart thermostat that can serve as a hub for other smart home devices. I love the concept, but the project fails at fundamentals that make it hard for me to recommend.

5/10

Brand

Aqara

Integrations

Matter, Zigbee, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, Home Assistant

Connectivity

Wi-Fi

Display

4-inch

The Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 is a not just a smart thermostat, but also a Matter controller, Zigbee hub, presence sensor, and more.

Pros & Cons

• Functions as a Matter and Zigbee hub
• Mostly simple installation
• Easy touchscreen controls

• Requires an app for setup
• Many features require app to access
• App design can be confusing

Price and availability

The Aqara W200 goes for $160 and is available exclusively in black.

A smart thermostat that looks much better when the screen is off

It’s not quite as premium as it first seems

Nest thermostats remain the most popular smart thermostats, and the Aqara W200 clearly takes inspiration from Google’s wall-mounted device. It’s priced between the entry-level Nest Thermostat and the higher-end Nest Learning Thermostat, and the build materials reflect this. The W200 appears like a square-shaped version of the latter, only the design is cheapened by a few design decisions.

The presence of Aqara’s logo at the top isn’t a deal-breaker, but it doesn’t do the product any favors. Likewise, where the Nest Learning Thermostat has a bezel-less design, the W200’s screen is surrounded by quite large black bezels. They aren’t noticeable when the screen is off, as it is the vast majority of the time, but as soon as the screen comes on, the LCD stands out from the large bezels that surround it. The blacks contrast quite obviously with the frame.

Nonetheless, the W200 is stacked with features that make it a tempting purchase. This product is Matter-compatible in more ways than one. I can add it to my Homey Pro, but the hub is also capable of replacing my Homey Pro and serving as the center of my smart home. Not only can it function as a Matter controller, but it’s also a Zigbee hub. In addition to measuring the temperature, the thermostat can also measure humidity and proximity. And if you’re in the Apple ecosystem, this hub incorporates Apple’s Adaptive Temperature and Clean Energy Guidance.

A mostly simple installation

Setting up the hardware is simple, but the software? A little less so

Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek

Installing the W200 is initially as straightforward as any other thermostat. You take off your old thermostat, take a picture of the wiring, remove that pre-existing backplate, and install a new one. Aqara actually gets kudos on this backplate, which comes with a built-in level. With that screwed on, you then connect the wires back the way they were before. At that point, you can slide the unit on top of its backplate.

The thermostat will then guide you through the process of setting up your system. Unfortunately for me, the app took issue with the way I wired up my thermostat. It told me to double-check the connection and said that, if the error persisted, then there was a likelihood that the thermostat simply isn’t compatible. I checked multiple times, and the error did not go away.

It turns out the issue was with the placement of one of my wires. Whereas my existing thermostat had no issue with my W cable being connected to W2, Aqara requires this wire to be shifted to W1. This is something I discovered by searching through online Aqara message boards and also getting help via email. It’s not something the unit guided me on, and had I not sought out outside help, I would simply have assumed that this thermostat from an unfamiliar brand doesn’t work with my home.

A thermostat that is totally app-dependent

Do not bother if you’re uncomfortable with the cloud

Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek

One of the big selling points of the W200 is its Matter-compatibility. You can control the thermostat as a Matter device via other smart home apps, and you can use it as the hub your smart home is built around.

Unfortunately, if you want to add the W200 as a Matter device, you must first create an Aqara account and generate a Matter pairing code within the mobile app. One of my favorite things about the Matter standard is that it does not inherently require online accounts and distant servers in order to function. By requiring an online account for setup, Aqara is undermining one of Matter’s best advantages. That said, the W200 is not alone in this regard. My Honeywell Home X8S requires me to create an account to generate a Matter Pairing code as well. Smart thermostats are consistently the only Matter devices I buy that come with this sort of requirement.

I have a bigger issue with the W200, and this is the one that would prevent me from personally buying the device. My Honeywell Home X8S may be a smart thermostat, but the unit itself has full functionality regardless of whether I install the mobile app. I can set up the entire device without connecting to the internet or pulling out my phone at any point. I can fully control my HVAC, set schedules, and change themes.

With the Aqara W200, the setup process goes through the Aqara mobile app. Then, once setup is complete, most of the configuration options still require the app. I’m not talking about advanced configuration options either. When I tap the thermostat in my hallway, I can’t change the theme, nor can I set up schedules.

Here is what functionality is available directly via the thermostat’s on-screen controls:

• I can change the system between cool, heat, and automatic.
• I can also adjust whether the fan stays on or cycles on for a set amount of time each hour.
• I can also set a temperature range that I want the temperature to stay between, with the thermostat turning the heat on if it gets too cold and turning the air on if it gets too hot.
• The screen will show the outside weather and the indoor humidity, though this information can’t be interacted with in any way.
• After enabling the feature in the mobile app, I can switch between my schedules via a list presented on the thermostat.

That’s it. I understand this may be par for the course for many smart thermostats, but this feels like a step backwards compared to even the most basic of “dumb” wall thermostats, where all but the most basic will allow me to set up daily schedules directly from the device. When I buy a smart thermostat, I’d like to gain additional ways to control my thermostat without losing the ones I already have.

A functional app that I do not want to use

The app works, but it could be far more intuitive

I’m not a big fan of the Aqara app, which feels soulless in a way many smart home products are. It looks remarkably similar in design to the TP-Link Tapo app as well as robot vacuum apps like those from Ecovacs and Dreame.

Worse than the bland design, I find the app frustrating to navigate. Settings are not where I expect them to be, and simple tasks aren’t always an option. For a while, I couldn’t figure out how to change the Wi-Fi network. After giving up and performing a web search (which in and of itself shows a failure of app design), it turns out I had to remove my thermostat from the app and re-add it. That’s far from ideal.

The thermostat is listed as a device in the “Home” tab, but if you want to view all of your Aqara products or Matter devices, you must click on the “Accessories” tab. When viewing the thermostat within the Aqara app, there is a section at the bottom titled “Device Linking & Screen Settings,” but that’s not where you go to link the thermostat to your existing smart home platform. Instead, device linking here refers to companion devices like a compatible Aqara video doorbell.

Either the center of your smart home or a welcome addition

The W200 is both a Matter device and a Matter controller

The W200 is Matter-compatible, but that doesn’t tell you the whole story. This is a device that can appear as your thermostat in smart home platforms like Apple Home, Google Home, and Home Assistant. Once you generate a Matter pairing number inside the app, you merely have to enter that number in your smart home app in order to view and adjust the climate within your home. Once you’ve got everything up and running within the Aqara app, you’re free to ignore it and stick to your preferred app for adjusting the temperature.

The inclusion of the presence sensor means the W200 can also be used for automations. You can have the lights in your hallway turn on automatically when you walk by the thermostat. Inversely, you can use the W200 as the hub that controls your other Matter devices. In this way, Aqara becomes an alternative to the likes of Apple Home or Google Home, rather than a companion. If you are deep in Aqara’s ecosystem already, this may be compelling. Yet before you volunteer to share information about how you use your home with Aqara, I would recommend a local-only smart home platform like Apple Home, Home Assistant, or Homey instead. If you do opt for Aqara, expect a typical smart home hub experience, complete with voice controls.

Should you buy the Aqara W200?

Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek

I wouldn’t buy the Aqara Thermostat Hub W200, but I can imagine one scenario where I might. If I didn’t already have a Matter Controller, then the ability to use this thermostat as one is admittedly an upsell, considering it costs less than a Home Assistant Green or a Homey Pro mini.

But as a thermostat, I’m just not impressed. I already own a smart thermostat with better-looking hardware and most of the same features, minus the dependency on a mobile app. The W200 does what it promises, but nearly every step of the way, I was quite frustrated with its implementation. At the end of the day, I look forward to taking it off my wall.

5/10

Brand

Aqara

Integrations

Matter, Zigbee, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, Home Assistant

The Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 is a not just a smart thermostat, but also a Matter controller, Zigbee hub, presence sensor, and more.