Aqara Radiator Thermostat W600 Review

Aqara Radiator Thermostat W600: Introduction

Smart radiator thermostats are installed in strange spaces. At one end of the market are complete heating platforms offered by companies like Tado and Honeywell that want to manage their entire system.

The other option is a smart thermostat that simply saves you the hassle of walking to the thermostat.

The Aqara Radiator Thermostat W600 falls between these two extremes.

Brands like TP-Link, Netatmo, and Shelly offer similarly priced TRVs, but when it comes to Matter support, nothing can currently match the W600.

What Aqara offers here is room-level control that operates independently of the boiler, combined with Matter over Thread compatibility similar to Eve Thermo, but at a significantly lower cost.

Read our full review of Aqara W600…

design and components

• Fits most TRVs
• There are many adapters in the box
• Operates on 2 AA batteries

From a design perspective, the W600 is a clear step up from the 2022 E1.

It looks sleeker and more confident, more akin to high-end options like Tado than an affordable accessory.

The matte white casing looks clean from the radiator, and the front display is sharp and easy to read.

Temperature and status icons are clearly displayed, and the screen can be rotated so it’s always easy to read, no matter how the unit is mounted.

Manual control is carried out by twisting the body of the thermostat, with an additional button on the top. That button is one of the weaker elements of the design. The various press combinations weren’t intuitive, and tasks like factory resets often had me going back to the manual to double-check which order I needed.

Thankfully, installation is much smoother. Aqara includes a large selection of valve adapters in the box that support M30x1.5 and a wide range of common fittings.

The mounting hardware is metal rather than plastic and feels solid, perhaps better than what more expensive rivals offer.

Replacing an existing Tado TRV with a W600 took less than 5 minutes with the appropriate adapter installed. After installation, the thermostat performs an automatic calibration to learn the valve’s operating range. This process can also be triggered manually from the app if needed.

The Aqara app uses diagrams to guide you through everything. Power is provided by 2 AA batteries and can be accessed by removing the outer shell.

There is one thing to note here. The internal LEDs are very bright when exposed and should not be looked at directly. Here you can also find the pairing QR code for Matter and Aqara.

Features and ecosystem support

• matter support
• Further functionality via Aqara Hub

Now common in a wide range of Aqara devices, the W600’s distinguishing feature is its dual-protocol approach.

It can run as a Matter over Thread device or a Zigbee device within the Aqara ecosystem. You must choose one and only one protocol can be active at a time.

By default, the W600 ships configured for Thread. Switching to Zigbee requires a protocol change process that takes approximately 5 minutes. The same goes for if you want to change it back later, you’ll have to reset it by double-tapping the button and holding it for 10 seconds.

When running in Thread mode, the W600 can be added directly to platforms like Apple Home and Amazon Alexa using compatible Matter controllers and Thread border routers like Apple TV and Echo speakers.

If your Aqara M3 hub is acting as a border router, you can also add it via the Aqara app. Even in threaded mode, Aqara app provides the most complete experience.

However, in Zigbee mode, the full functionality of Aqara is available. This includes window detection, more flexible scheduled behavior, child locks, anti-frost control, and deeper integration with Aqara sensors.

An Aqara Zigbee hub is required, but for existing Aqara users, this is where the W600 really shines.

The thermostat supports Aqara temperature and humidity sensors such as the T1, W100 climate sensor, and even the FP300 multi-sensor that we used during testing.

Once paired, you can choose whether the W600 relies on internal or external sensors. This is useful when radiator placement skews temperature readings. Temperature calibration is also available for further adjustment.

performance

• Changes will appear after a short pause
• quiet operation

Temperature adjustment can be done in 0.5 degree increments. Changes made through the Aqara app or connected smart home platform will appear on the thermostat itself after a short wait. The delay is noticeable but not frustrating.

When it comes to noise, the W600 is unobtrusive. Aqara rates it at less than 30dB and it actually sounds very similar to the Tado TRV. There is a soft mechanical sound, but unless you are particularly sensitive, it is unlikely to disturb your sleep.

Scheduling within the Aqara app allows you to set up to 7 periods per day and separate profiles if multiple devices are installed.

One complication is that adjustments made on third-party platforms aren’t always synced to the Aqara app, which can make it difficult to determine exactly which schedule is active.

Window detection worked reliably during testing and responded correctly to sudden temperature drops. A child lock is included for families with small children, and a frost guard is enabled by default to prevent damage during cold weather.

It is important to note that this is not a complete heating system. The W600 is not connected directly to the boiler. Heat can only be provided if the boiler is already in operation due to demand elsewhere.

When using a smart thermostat to control your boiler, automation can fill in the gaps. Setting the W600 to a certain temperature may also activate the main thermostat and turn on the heat.

Most of my testing was done in Zigbee mode using an Aqara M3 hub. With the powerful Aqara Zigbee network in place, reliability is excellent and we did not experience any dropouts. Matter over Thread performance was also generally good, supported by multiple Eero devices acting as Thread border routers.

That said, I occasionally saw the W600 show up as a heater in Apple Home when it wasn’t actually providing heat. Removing the battery and reinserting it fixed the problem, but it’s not something I need to deal with on a regular basis.

A room sync feature is available to coordinate multiple W600 units in the same space, but I was unable to test this feature as I only had one device available.

final opinion

The Aqara Radiator Thermostat W600 performs best when used as part of a wider Aqara set-up. Zigbee mode is reliable, flexible and very useful for managing heating on a room-by-room basis. Support for Matter over Thread is a welcome addition, but it still doesn’t feel as consistent as Aqara’s native approach.

If you already own an Aqara hub and sensor, the W600 is a logical upgrade from the E1 and a viable alternative to the more expensive Smart TRV.

If you plan to rely completely on Matter without using the Aqara ecosystem, that remains an option, but you should expect to make some compromises along the way.

Test method

When we publish a review, you can rest assured that it is the result of long-term testing.

We test smart home kits all day, every day, so we know what’s important and how a particular device compares to the alternatives you’re considering.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and unbiased, and of course we don’t receive direct compensation to review devices.

For more information, read our guide on how to test.

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