AiDot and Matter Make Smart Homes Smarter

Thanks to the Matter standard, smart home products are simplifying lives. AiDot Matter smart home products are designed to integrate well with all Matter-enabled systems, as you’ll see in this review.

This is a sponsored article and was made possible by AiDot. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.

Unified Smart Home

AiDot is behind a series of brands and is pushing for a more unified smart home with Matter. I received for the review:

• 4 Linkind Matter A19 Smart Bulbs
• 2 Linkind Matter Smart Switches
• 2 Linkind Matter Smart Plugs
• WELOV Smart Air Purifier

What’s truly impressive is that all four products are Matter-enabled, including the air purifier, which is the world’s first Matter-certified air purifier.

Not only can you manage the devices within the AiDot app, but they’ll integrate well in any smart home system with Matter support, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, etc. Please note that full Matter support varies based on the smart home ecosystem, and support is still rolling out.

Concerning Matter, the CSA has released the following about AiDot:

“AiDot leads with innovation and fully embraces the Matter smart home standard. … AiDot continues to redefine connected living and driving progress as a valued member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance.”

Exploring the AiDot Matter Smart Home Products

Step one is obviously unboxing everything and getting things set up. The components included with each product are fairly simple and included everything I needed, such as an instruction manual and installation accessories.

It’s a nice group of products to start setting up a smart home, or as a good addition to an existing one.

The only other thing I needed was the free AiDot app to quickly add all my products to the network. Please note that your router must support the 2.4GHz band, or you can’t add them. This is common for many smart home gadgets.

Setting Up the WELOV Air Purifier

Admittedly, I’ve never used an air purifier, so I was extra curious about the WELOV Air Purifier over all the other AiDot Matter smart home products. Plus, it’s the first of its kind.

The purifier comes in gray or white, but only the gray one is Matter compatible. Standing at just 21 inches, it fits in well in most rooms and looks quite sleek.

Outside of looks, the WELOV P200 Pro Air Purifier has an impressive feature set, including:

• Precise air insights
• Real-time PM 2.5 monitoring
• 3-stage, medical grade HEPA filter to handle everything from 0.1 microns and smaller particles to nasty odors in the air
• Works in large spaces (up to 315 sq. ft. in 12 minutes and up to 1570 sq. ft. in just an hour)
• Sleep mode linked with Apple Health
• Runs quietly (around 23 decibels on average)
• Adjustable nightlight around the base
• Sleep Mode integration with Apple Health

This is the only product that gave me trouble during setup. For some reason, it couldn’t find the network. After about five minutes of retrying, the air purifier suddenly appeared in the AiDot app like the other three products.

Even before adding it in AiDot, SmartThings prompted me to add it. While you can’t currently control the purifier in SmartThings, it connected quickly with no problems.

Once connected to the network, I was impressed that I could easily turn it on/off, adjust fan speeds, set up sleep mode, set schedules, and more.

Breathing Better With the WELOV P200 Pro Air Purifier

At first, I thought the air purifier wasn’t working. I honestly couldn’t hear it. The default mode is Auto, which adjusts the fan speed based on the air quality.

I did test how loud the fan is with a decibel meter. On the lowest setting, it ranged from 24 to 27 dB. On the highest setting, it ranged from 59 to 62 dB. With low, I couldn’t hear it until I was within a few inches of it. The highest setting sounded like a small desk fan, which isn’t disruptive at all.

I did enjoy having the nightlight. It’s not crazy bright, but it’s enough to make sure you don’t stub your toe on it in the middle of the night. And, if you’re using it in a bedroom and don’t want any lights at all, they all turn off.

I have cats, and it’s peak pollen season at the moment, so my allergies are working overtime. Within an hour, I noticed I could breathe better. The air quality stayed between 1 and 7 most of the first evening. The next day, I went in and out with the WELOV Air Purifier less than six feet from the door. This caused the air quality to jump up to around 80, thanks to all the pollen coming in.

But, thanks to the purifier, I didn’t spend the rest of the day with a runny or stuffy nose.

As a test, I tapped my microfiber duster to release a bunch of dust into the air. The air quality turned bad quickly, reaching what I’m assuming is the max of 500. The fan auto-adjusted to high and the air quality was back down to 5 in just two minutes.

Another great test was when my father came over to help with the switches. He loves coffee, but I hate it. When he fixed his usual cup, the smell was gone completely within minutes. No lingering coffee smell in the house. It was wonderful!

The app itself is a breeze to use, but I did have problems with the air purifier staying connected to the app. None of the other products had a problem. When the purifier disconnected, it would never reconnect unless I re-added it, which would erase all the data.

I’d also love if there were some textured areas or small handholds for turning it over to change the filter. It only weighs 12 lbs., but it’s extremely slick. Having some extra support would make it easier to hold and less likely to fall when handling it.

Working With Other Systems

Currently, full Matter 1.2 compatibility isn’t rolling out to most major smart home ecosystems until the summer of 2024. However, once it does, you should be able to connect and control your home with Samsung SmartThings, Google Nest, Amazon Echo, and Apple Home.

I tested with Samsung SmartThings and Amazon Echo. SmartThings recognized each of the four devices but wasn’t able to control the air purifier just yet, as it requires Matter 1.2 support. The Amazon Echo recognized everything except the air purifier.

For now, you can still fully control all four devices with the AiDot app.

Installing and Using the Linkind Matter Smart Bulbs

To continue setting up my AiDot Matter smart home, I installed one of the Linkind Matter Smart A19 bulbs in my tableside lamp. After enabling Bluetooth and location services as required, the AiDot app recognized the bulb and stepped me through the setup.

Within a few minutes, I had full control of the bulb via the app. The AiDot app let me change the brightness, adjust the color, choose from existing modes, sync with music, set schedules, and much more.

Since I have a Samsung phone, I was immediately prompted to add it to SmartThings. Not only was it easy to add, but it offered quite a few controls for dimming, color, etc. as shown below.

Adding the Linkind Matter Smart Plug

Next up, I added the Linkind Matter smart plugs to the app. As soon as I plugged one in, the app prompted me to add it. I have to say, I’m impressed that there isn’t some complicated pairing process.

The app controls are simpler here. You can turn the plug on/off, set schedules/timers, and create automations. The plugs worked flawlessly.

Once again, as a Matter device, SmartThings also prompted me to add this to my app. It has similar controls as the AiDot app.

Automating Lighting With the Linkind Matter Smart Switch

Next up, I added in the Linkind Matter Smart Switch. These also feature a dimmer option. Since it did require a little electrical expertise to install these, I had my Dad help. It didn’t take long to switch from a regular light switch to a smart switch.

Once the switches were installed, the AiDot app once again prompted me to instantly add the switches to the app. From there, I could turn lights on/off, adjust the brightness, set schedules/timers, etc. Plus, the switches look quite nice on the wall, too.

The Samsung SmartThings app added the switches right after the AiDot app was finished. I can adjust the brightness, set timers, and turn the lights on/off.

Final Thoughts

The AiDot Matter smart home products work extremely well together and with other Matter-enabled systems and products. The WELOV Air Purifier made a drastic difference in the air quality in my home and would have been perfect with a more stable connection to the app and easier maneuverability. But those are small qualms overall.

You can pick up the WELOV P200 Pro Air Purifier for just $199.99 from Amazon.