Aqara expands global Matter options with A-OK shade partnership

Aqara is expanding its offering to Matter smart home users worldwide by partnering with A-OK, a major Chinese manufacturer of window covering motors.

This collaboration, announced on Monday, represents a great step for Aqara in the global market. Aqara has released a series of smart curtain and blind products in its home market, while the global listing in this category only covers basic curtain and blind modification drivers. 

What is the Aqara and A-OK partnership for?

“Aqara is thrilled to empower A-OK with advanced, future-proof connectivity across their extensive product portfolio through Matter,” said Cathy You, senior vice president of global business and strategy at Aqara.

The two will make a full suite of A-OK’s motorized shades natively compatible with the Matter smart home standard. This means Matter users – across major platforms like Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings – can now choose from a much broader array of ready-made, professionally installed shade options and enjoy seamless integration in their smart home automations.

The full range of A-OK products that will be Matter-enabled includes:

• Awnings
• Curtains
• External Venetian Blinds (EVB)
• Interior Blinds
• Pergolas
• Roller Shutters
• Zig Screen Blinds

The announcement also details that the partnership will integrate Aqara’s multiprotocol module directly into A-OK products. So this suggested the new listing may support Zigbee too, like the recently-released W100 Climate Sensor.

According to Thread Group’s certification database, two Aqara modules are listed – Aqara Thread Module LM22-G24-HP and LM22-G24-LP, which could be used for the upcoming devices.

The partnership will be showcased at R+T Asia, an industry trade show in Shanghai, China, from May 26 to 28. Attendees will get a first look at the newly Matter-enabled motorized shading solutions and see how they can be integrated into both consumer homes and professional installations.

For Aqara, this move bolsters its competitive position against other Matter and Thread-enabled shade providers such as Eve Motionblinds, SmartWings, and Zemismart, bringing more choices and future-proof options to smart home enthusiasts worldwide.

(Source: Aqara, A-OK, Image: A-OK, @LiangZhiNeng)