If you like the idea of using a smart speaker to control devices like your thermostat, lights, and switches but aren't enthusiastic about the idea of a device constantly listening in your home, smart home company Aqara may have a solution.
Rather than passively waiting for you to speak a wake phrase (like 'Hey Google' or 'Alexa'), Aqara's button-like device with a microphone will not begin recording until you pick it up.
Smart speakers don't work by constantly recording everything in your home. Instead, they use software that spots the distinctive acoustic patterns of their wake phrase and ignore everything else. However, not everyone feels comfortable with having a hot microphone in their room.
The AI-enabled Voice Mate H1 gets around that problem by requiring a physical interaction. That does mean you can't use it hands-free, which is one of the main appeals of smart speakers, but it should help ease the privacy worries that continue to surround even the best smart speakers and put many people off trying one.
Although the wireless puck-style design is unusual, it makes the device simpler to operate than a button and allows you to easily carry it between rooms throughout the day.
Compatibility check
The Voice Mate H1 works with Aqara's voice assistant, Copilot, which launched earlier this year. The button requires the Aqara Hub-M3 to work, and according to The Verge, voice commands are cleared from the hub once they're completed.
Of course, all of this is only useful if the Voice Mate H1 works with the rest of your smart home tech. The Hub-M3 supports Aqara's own Matter-compatible Zigbee devices and works as a Matter bridge, but according to the company, it's currently only compatible with third-party sensors (presence, light, and contact), light bulbs, switches, thermostats, and plugs for the time being.
The Voice Mate H1 should work just fine if you stick with Aqara's own range of devices. However, if you want to mix and match your smart home tech, you'll need to make sure they're all compatible with the Hub-M3 first. Cautious homeowners will also want to check Aqara's full privacy policy to see what information the company collects and how it's used.
