Aqara Hub M2 vs Arlo Pro SmartHub

The Aqara Hub M2 is the better buy and the cheaper one. It is a genuine smart home hub with a Zigbee coordinator, Bluetooth, an IR blaster and support for Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home and Home Assistant. The Arlo Pro SmartHub supports none of those protocols and only benefits Arlo camera owners.

What they connect. The Aqara Hub M2 pairs Zigbee sensors, switches and blinds and blasts infrared at a TV or air conditioner, exposing everything to HomeKit, Alexa and Google. The Arlo Pro SmartHub connects only Arlo cameras, over a dedicated wireless link, and offers no smart home protocols.

No. The Aqara Hub M2 is Zigbee, Bluetooth and IR only, with no Thread border router and no Matter bridge, and no Z-Wave either. It still reaches Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home and Home Assistant through Aqara's own integrations, but if Matter or Thread matters to you, the Aqara Hub M3 is the newer option.

Only the Aqara Hub M2, thanks to its 360-degree infrared blaster, which can control a TV, an air conditioner or any IR device and can be triggered by Siri, Alexa or Google. The Arlo Pro SmartHub has no IR hardware, so it cannot control anything beyond Arlo cameras.

Buy the Aqara Hub M2 if you use Aqara Zigbee sensors, switches or blinds, since they pair far more reliably on their own hub than on a generic Zigbee stick. The Ethernet port keeps it stable, the IR blaster adds TV and AC control, and it supports up to 128 subdevices at a low price.

Buy the Arlo Pro SmartHub only if you own Arlo cameras. It gives them a dedicated link with faster response and better range, unlocks 2K live streaming on Essential and Ultra cameras and adds local USB recording, but Arlo's event detection and recorded history still need a subscription.