Aqara is expanding its smart home lineup with a new smart lighting series that is built to work across almost every major platform. Announced on September 4 at IFA 2026 in Berlin, the collection brings Thread and Zigbee to all five products, all Matter-enabled, with compatibility across Apple Home, Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Homey. Aqara frames the series around whole-space lighting scenarios and automated control, with the broad platform support meant to let the lights drop into homes that already run more than one ecosystem.
Cross-platform lighting built on Matter, Thread, and Zigbee
Every product in the new series is built around the same idea: one set of lights that can talk to many smart home systems. All five devices support both Thread and Zigbee and are Matter-enabled, which means they can slot into Apple Home, Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Homey. For anyone who already has a mix of platforms at home, that means these lights can join existing setups without forcing a switch to a new ecosystem.
Cross-platform support runs through the whole lineup, though Aqara frames the announcement itself around whole-space automation and AI-powered scene creation. Instead of releasing one light here and another there for different systems, the company is offering a single line meant to work in mixed homes, shared spaces, and households where people prefer different apps. Aqara has not detailed specific setup steps or named which hubs and Thread border routers these lights will need, though one or the other is unavoidable: a Thread device needs a border router to reach your network, and Zigbee needs a hub. So some of the practical details are still open questions. The company also has not announced pricing or availability, so these products are not confirmed for sale or pre-order yet.
Floor Lamp T1: wall-washing color with zone control
The Floor Lamp T1 is a 1,420 mm tall lamp with a side-emitting design that spreads light evenly across a wall instead of shining straight out like a spotlight. That style makes it a fit for “wall wash” effects behind a TV, in a corner of a living room, or as background light in a home office. Aqara describes it as a way to change the mood of a room without relying on harsh overhead lighting.
Inside, a 16-bit, 5-channel chip drives 18 individually controllable zones, giving the lamp the ability to show different colors or brightness levels along its length. The lamp supports tunable white light from a warm 2,000K all the way up to a cool 9,000K and can reach up to 1,000 lumens. With Matter support and a choice of Thread or Zigbee connectivity, the Floor Lamp T1 can sit in scenes or automations created in Apple Home, Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings or Homey, depending on what the household already uses.
LED Downlight T2: low-profile recessed lighting for smart homes
The LED Downlight T2 is aimed at ceilings where space is tight, with an ultra-thin profile designed for low-clearance installs. Aqara is offering two versions of this recessed light: an RGB CCT model that spans 2,000K to 9,000K and supports 16 million colors, and a CCT-only model for people who just want adjustable white tones. Aqara rates the simpler CCT version for everyday brightness up to 1,200 lumens, putting it in true room-lighting territory rather than accent duty; it has not published a brightness figure for the RGB CCT model.
The Downlight T2 includes a power-off memory feature, which means it can remember its last state after the power is cut and restored, such as when someone uses a wall switch. Like the rest of the series, it can run as a Matter device over Thread or on Zigbee, and is designed to tie into Apple Home, Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Homey. For people upgrading existing recessed fixtures, the T2 is meant to bring color control and smart automation to what is usually just a basic ceiling light.
LED Strip T2: flexible, trimmable lighting with AI-assisted scenes
The LED Strip T2 is Aqara’s flexible strip option in the series, intended for cabinets, behind furniture, or architectural details. The strip is trimmable and flexible, with 108 LEDs per meter so it can fill spaces with light without visible gaps. A 16-bit, 5-channel chip inside the strip handles 18 independently controllable zones per 3 meters, allowing gradients, chase effects, or multi-color patterns along one run of strip.
For people who like animated lighting, the LED Strip T2 supports music-synced effects, reacting to audio for parties or movie nights. Aqara is also adding AI-assisted scene creation, which is described as helping users generate lighting scenes without manually tuning each color or zone. As with the other products, the strip speaks Thread and Zigbee, is Matter-enabled, and is built to slot into Apple Home, Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Homey scenes and automations. Aqara has not shared details on maximum strip length or other electrical specs beyond what is listed, and pricing and launch timing remain unannounced.
Outdoor String Lights H1 and Permanent Outdoor Lights H1
For outdoor areas, Aqara is introducing two options: the Outdoor String Lights H1 and the Permanent Outdoor Lights H1. The Outdoor String Lights H1 are weatherproof and designed for patios, balconies, or garden spaces. They support a white color range from 2,000K to 9,000K and feature individually controllable zones, so different parts of the string can show different looks at the same time.
These string lights also include an AI-assisted “Gen-Scene” feature that helps create lighting scenes, likely aimed at people who want a custom look without fine-tuning every bulb. The Permanent Outdoor Lights H1 are built more for house outlines and rooflines. They are weatherproof, extendable and cuttable to match the shape of a roof, and use individually controlled LEDs to create patterns or color designs along the edge of a home. One-tap presets give quick access to saved looks, which can then be tied into Apple Home, Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings or Homey routines, either through Matter over Thread or over Zigbee through a compatible Zigbee hub.
Aqara Builder: sharing real-world projects and automation ideas
Alongside the lighting hardware, Aqara is showcasing Aqara Builder, a global content-sharing platform meant for enthusiasts, developers, installers, integrators and creators, which the company first unveiled at CES 2026. The idea is to offer a place where people can post real-world projects and automation ideas and get AI-assisted help while building scenarios. That could include tutorials, example setups, or step-by-step guides on how to use devices like the new lighting series with different platforms.
Aqara Builder is positioned as a way to lower the barrier for people who want to do more than simple on/off schedules. By combining shared community projects with AI guidance, Aqara wants to help users design more ambitious scenes and automations for their own setups, taking advantage of the cross-platform nature of the new lights. As with the lighting products themselves, Aqara has not shared pricing or availability details related to Aqara Builder access, and has not outlined any regional limits.
Across the whole announcement, Aqara is leaning on Matter, Thread, and Zigbee support to appeal to people who want flexibility in how they run their smart homes. From the 1,420 mm Floor Lamp T1 and low-profile LED Downlight T2 to the flexible LED Strip T2 and the two outdoor H1 options, the line is built to fit different spaces while still playing nicely with multiple platforms. Until Aqara announces pricing, availability, and setup requirements, the specifics of when and how these products will reach homes remain unknown, but the company’s direction toward broad compatibility is clear.
View the original press release.
