Aqara has just released its Smart Wall Switch H2 in Australia, bringing a fresh approach to home automation that goes well beyond your standard light switch. The device comes in both vertical and horizontal orientations, offering flexibility for different home setups and automation needs.
The Smart Wall Switch H2 handles the basics brilliantly, turning lights and connected devices on and off either manually or through wireless control. You can pick from one, two or three-channel versions depending on how many circuits you need to control, along with either two-button or four-button layouts. This means whether you’re managing a single lamp in the bedroom or orchestrating lighting across multiple rooms, there’s a configuration that fits.
Each button supports three different press modes – single press, double press and long press. This opens up quite a bit of room for customisation when setting up automations and scenes throughout your home.
Installation is straightforward regardless of your home’s age. The switch works with both neutral and non-neutral wiring setups, which is particularly useful for older Australian homes that often lack neutral wiring at the switch location. If your home does have neutral wiring available, you’ll unlock extra features like overload protection and energy monitoring, giving you more control and insight into power consumption.
The switch supports both Thread and Zigbee protocols, connecting directly to third-party ecosystems including Apple Home, Google Assistant and Alexa without requiring an Aqara hub (like the M3 Hub I’m using with the U300 smart lock) for those platforms. If you’re already invested in the Aqara ecosystem with existing Zigbee hubs, switching to Zigbee mode gives you access to exclusive Aqara features while maintaining backwards compatibility.
One particularly useful feature is the Decoupled Switch Mode. This separates the physical switch function from wireless control, allowing you to lock the electrical switches to maintain constant power to wired loads while using the physical buttons as wireless triggers in the Aqara Home app. This means you can keep your smart bulbs powered while still using the wall switch to trigger scenes and automations across different device types.
Power monitoring comes built-in when using neutral wiring. The switch tracks energy consumption of connected devices and provides detailed reports through the Aqara Home app. This data helps identify power-hungry devices and create automations focused on reducing electricity usage, which becomes increasingly valuable as energy costs continue rising.
The real appeal of the Smart Wall Switch H2 is its versatility across different household scenarios. Families can set up a single button press to run bedtime routines that shut off all lights, lock doors and activate white noise machines in kids’ rooms simultaneously. Morning routines can gradually increase bedroom lighting, open roller shades and start playing music for gentler wake-ups.
For those working from home, a button press can power on desk lamps, activate smart plugs for computers and adjust blinds to reduce screen glare, all in one action. When paired with Aqara’s presence sensors or doorbells, the switch enables fully automated lighting that responds to arrivals and departures, turning lights on when you walk in and switching them off after detecting no movement for a set period.
The Aqara Smart Wall Switch H2 Vertical is available now through the Aqara Australia Official Store and Amazon Australia starting from A$109. The Horizontal version is currently available on the Aqara Australia store, with Amazon Australia availability expected in late November at matching prices.
Pricing breaks down as follows: the two-button, one-channel model retails for A$109, the two-button, two-channel version costs A$119, and the four-button, three-channel configuration is priced at A$129.
