Check the model number before buying or setting up an Aqara H1 triple rocker. The QBKG29LM is the no-neutral version. The with-neutral model covered elsewhere on this site is the QBKG34LM; Aqara also lists a with-neutral H1 triple as QBKG32LM. Regional H1/T1 branding and retailer listings can make these models easy to confuse, so use the number printed on the switch.
This guide covers the QBKG29LM’s Zigbee2MQTT entities, pairing, decoupled operation, and the limitations of its no-neutral design.
QBKG29LM vs. QBKG32LM: get the SKU right first
The QBKG29LM is designed for a switch box without a neutral conductor; the with-neutral versions require one. Z2M handles the QBKG29LM through a separate converter entry, so use its model-specific documentation and settings.
If your listing, box, or GitHub issue doesn’t specify no-neutral or with-neutral explicitly, check the model number stamped on the switch itself before you order a replacement or troubleshoot against the wrong reference. Our with-neutral H1 triple rocker walkthrough covers the QBKG34LM if that’s actually what you have.
What “no neutral” actually changes
A no-neutral switch gets its operating power through the connected load. That allows it to work where the switch box has only live and switched-load conductors. The load must tolerate the small current the switch draws while off. Some LED bulbs can flicker or glow faintly, so check compatibility before installing several switches with the same fixtures.
For physical wiring, follow the manual supplied with your exact switch. Do not guess the live and load terminals from instructions for a similar model. This guide covers pairing and Home Assistant configuration after the switch has been installed; it does not provide a wiring diagram.
Pairing to Zigbee2MQTT
Once wired and powered, pairing follows Aqara’s standard sequence: hold the physical button until the LED goes solid blue, with your Zigbee2MQTT network in permit-join mode. Nothing unusual here compared to other H1-series switches.
If pairing stalls after the initial button hold, try the community-documented workaround: press the button every few seconds while watching Z2M’s log. Repeated presses can keep the pairing process active long enough to complete, so a stalled first attempt does not necessarily mean the switch is faulty.
Entity walkthrough: three rockers, one device
Once paired, Zigbee2MQTT exposes the QBKG29LM as three independent switch endpoints, roughly left, center, and right, each with its own on/off/toggle control. That means each rocker is its own switch entity in Home Assistant. You can automate them separately without any workaround for shared state.
Beyond the three switch endpoints, the device also exposes:
- Power-outage memory: a boolean setting that enables or disables restoration of the last on/off state after a power cut.
- A flip-indicator-light setting, controlling whether the physical rocker’s LED orientation matches on/off logically or inverted.
- An LED-disabled-at-night toggle, useful if you don’t want a bedroom hallway switch glowing at 2am.
- Device temperature reporting.
- A power-outage counter.
- Multi-button action reporting, which fires combination events like a simultaneous press across the left and center rockers, or a double-press across all three, not just single-rocker taps.
Multi-button actions are separate from the three switch entities. Use an MQTT device trigger or the action in Z2M’s JSON message for a combined press such as single_left_center. An old sensor.*_action example can depend on legacy discovery settings and need not exist in a new installation.
Decoupled mode and a scene-controller automation
Each of the three endpoints can be set to decoupled mode independently, meaning the physical rocker stops directly driving its own relay and instead only reports button presses to Zigbee2MQTT. You can mix modes across the same switch. Relay control on the left rocker for the actual ceiling light, decoupled on the center rocker if you want that one to act purely as a scene trigger for something else entirely, like a group of smart bulbs on a different circuit.
A basic Home Assistant automation for a decoupled center rocker looks like this:
alias: "Decoupled center rocker triggers evening scene"
trigger:
- platform: mqtt
topic: zigbee2mqtt/qbkg29lm
value_template: "{{ value_json.action | default('') }}"
payload: single_center
action:
- service: scene.turn_on
target:
entity_id: scene.living_room_evening
Paste the example into one automation’s YAML editor. Replace zigbee2mqtt/qbkg29lm with your Z2M base topic and device friendly name, and use your own scene entity. Check the action payload first. For gestures such as single_left_center or double_all, use that action as the payload in a separate automation. In automations.yaml, add each automation as a list item.
Zigbee role: end device
The no-neutral H1 triple joins the Zigbee network as an end device. It does not relay traffic for other devices or extend the mesh. Its operating power comes through the load, which limits the power available for continuous routing. The with-neutral QBKG34LM can operate as a router.
If you need better mesh coverage near this switch, add a mains-powered router nearby, such as a suitable smart plug, with-neutral switch, or repeater. Check the switch’s role in your ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT network view; it should appear as an end device with no other devices routing through it.
FAQ
What’s the difference between the Aqara QBKG29LM and QBKG32LM?
QBKG29LM is the no-neutral H1 triple rocker, built for circuits without a neutral wire at the switch box. The with-neutral H1 triple is sold as the QBKG32LM (and, under Aqara’s closely related H1/T1 branding, as the QBKG34LM). They’re separate Zigbee2MQTT converter entries, not firmware variants of the same device.
Does the Aqara H1 no-neutral triple switch need a neutral wire at all?
No. It powers itself by drawing a small trickle current through the connected load, which is the entire point of the no-neutral design. The load needs to tolerate that trickle without flickering or glowing when nominally off.
Can each rocker on the QBKG29LM be set to decoupled mode independently?
Yes. Each of the three endpoints has its own operation-mode setting, so you can run one rocker as a normal relay-controlled switch and another purely as a decoupled scene trigger on the same physical unit.
Is the Aqara H1 no-neutral triple switch a Zigbee router or end device?
An end device. With no neutral wire, it can’t spare the continuous power to route for other devices, so it joins the mesh as a leaf and won’t extend coverage — unlike the with-neutral QBKG34LM, which is a router. If you need to fill a coverage gap, add a mains-powered router nearby.
Does Zigbee2MQTT support the QBKG29LM out of the box?
Yes. Its converter supports the three switch endpoints, power-outage memory, LED settings, operation modes, and action reporting described above. It remains an end device, so it will not extend mesh coverage.
Choosing between no-neutral and with-neutral
The no-neutral QBKG29LM is the right tool for a specific job: retrofitting a triple-gang switch into an older circuit where pulling a neutral wire isn’t practical. It’s not a feature to seek out for its own sake. If your wall box already has a neutral available, the with-neutral QBKG34LM sidesteps the LED-compatibility question entirely and doubles as a Zigbee router, so I’d default to it.
Before configuring automations, check the Z2M device page and your switch’s Exposes tab for the available settings and action values. Firmware and converter updates can change what is available; base the configuration on the device you have rather than expecting additional features.