Aqara G4 Video Doorbell review: The best wireless doorbell with HomeKit Secure Video

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The all-new Aqara G4 Video Doorbell stands out from a crowded market not just because of its affordable price but by being the only battery-powered model to support HomeKit Secure Video.

Aqara G4 smart video doorbell
Aqara G4 smart video doorbell


Every company is dueling to put cameras on your front door these days. Amazon-owned Ring has almost wholly cornered the market, while HomeKit models are a bit far between.

We've been proponents of the Belkin Wemo doorbell camera, the Logitech Circle View, the Netatmo, and the Alro as our top recommendations. Now, Aqara is putting up a good fight to become the top choice for Apple users.

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HomeKit versus HomeKit Secure Video

Before we get into the weeds too much, we should break down the differences between types of video doorbells, especially within the auspices of HomeKit.

When choosing a doorbell, you can opt for one that needs to be hardwired or one that can run off of an internal battery. They each have their tradeoffs.

Those in apartments or rental properties may be unable to install a wired doorbell, and new builds have started omitting pre-installed wires.

But a wireless doorbell means the batteries will need to be replaced -- or charged -- every so often, which can be an annoying task and add to the overall cost of the device.

Within HomeKit, some support HomeKit but not HomeKit Secure Video. The former can show in the Home app, chime HomePods, appear on your Apple TV, and trigger automations, while the latter has verbose support for recording video into iCloud.

HomeKit Secure Video is notoriously taxing on batteries; hence, why, to date, any that support HomeKit Secure Video requires a wired power connection.

Hardwiring is an option
Hardwire or battery power the doorbell


Aqara gets around this by using a separate hub. HomeKit can send requests to the hub as often as it wants as it is perpetually connected to power but will only wake up the doorbell when necessary.

Unlike most others, the Aqara G4 can run wired or wireless, giving users total control based on their use case.

Installation

Aqara doesn't venture much off the beaten path for the G4. Its installation process isn't all too dissimilar from other video doorbells.

Installing the Aqara G4
Installing the Aqara G4


Scope out your location, mark the screw holes, pre-drill the holes, the screw the base plate to the exterior wall.

After that, you've got a couple of options when installing the G4 smart video doorbell. First, you can go battery-powered, in which case you just need six AA batteries, or you can hardwire it in.

Aqara G4 batteries
Aqara G4 batteries


We opted for the battery-powered installation because we planned to install it on the rear of our house, where we lacked a pre-wired doorbell.

The doorbell slips over the mounting plate before you can secure it on the right side by a star-shaped screw. The odd screw head makes it harder for thieves to depart with your doorbell but makes it more tedious when replacing the batteries.

Aqara G4 mounted
Aqara G4 mounted


Due to the size of the battery compartment, the Aqara G4 is slightly larger than other video doorbells. It has a large sensor at the top with an easily-identifiable button on the bottom.

A subtle light glows around the button to make it easy to find at night, though you can't see it during the day.

With the doorbell successfully mounted, we plugged in the hub inside. The hub connects over USB-C and holds the MicroSD card for local video storage.

Aqara G4 hub and chime
Aqara G4 hub and chime


The hub is crucial to the doorbell's operation because of the rigorous network requirements of Apple Home. Apple's constant check-ins with devices are murder on batteries and why it's near-impossible for cameras to work over battery power and support Apple Home.

To skirt this, the wall-powered hub communicates with your Home Hub while the doorbell camera only wakes up when someone presses the button, motion is detected, or you summon it from the app.

Oh, and the hub doubles as the doorbell's chime. We mounted ours under our kitchen cabinets since it's a reliable central location.

Securing your home with HomeKit Secure Video

This doorbell supports Apple HomeKit Secure Video, meaning you can securely store your video in iCloud without requiring any third-party subscription.

Apple's 50GB iCloud+ subscription allows for one camera, the 200GB plan allows for five cameras, and the 2TB plan affords users storage for unlimited cameras in their homes. If you already have iCloud+, you won't need to shell out anything extra for cloud recording.

Recording options for HomeKit
Recording options for HomeKit


Multiple recording options for the camera can be independently configured for when you are home or away. You can have all access off, you can stream video only, you can detect activity without camera access, or you can stream and allow recording.

Furthermore, recordings can get triggered for any motion or only specific types of movement. Apple allows you to toggle on and off recordings for people, animals, vehicles, and packages.

Recording options for HomeKit
Recording options for HomeKit


Frustratingly, Apple doesn't allow you to trigger scenes based on these motion categories. Any automation rule you create based on motion happens with any motion and not just the recording categories.

For example, we'd love to only turn on the porch lights when a vehicle or person is detected. But, as it stands, you can only turn on the porch light when absolutely any motion is detected.

The wind blowing, a cat walking by, a leaf falling, a bird flying, or a bug getting too close to the lens will inadvertently trigger those automations. It's a shortcoming we hope to see Apple correct in upcoming versions of iOS.

Creating activity zones
Creating Activity Zones


With iOS 16, Apple added support for Activity Zones. These do make it a bit easier to cut down on errant notifications. Only motion within the marked zones will trigger your video doorbell.

Activity zones are useful on front-facing doorbells because you can cut out motion alerts from cars passing by and limit it to only motion detected on your porch. Unfortunately, Activity Zones also can't be used in automations.

For privacy reasons, captured recordings from your doorbell can only be accessed within the Home app. It is another odd limitation to HomeKit as other accessories can be viewed and controlled in other apps, but camera recordings are only available through the Home app.

HomeKit Secure Video interface
HomeKit Secure Video interface


Recordings get marked by the type of activity captured -- people, animals, et cetera, and you can quickly share or save the recordings.

A big benefit of Apple Home support for doorbell cameras is Apple's tight ecosystem integration.

Apple TV doorbell motion alert
Apple TV doorbell motion alert


When someone rings your doorbell, it can chime on any HomePods you have. The alert can also show up on your Apple TV.

Aqara G4 doorbell on Apple Watch
Aqara G4 doorbell on Apple Watch


Video alerts or doorbell rings will also show on your Apple Watch, where you can watch the video and talk with whoever is at your door.

Apple can tap into your photos album to identify people who visit your home based on the name you've assigned them in the Photos app, assuming you've permitted it to do so.

Aqara offers more

As is often the case with Aqara accessories, it supports a wealth of native HomeKit functionality but then brings more unsupported features to users via the Aqara app.

Ringing the doorbell
Ringing the doorbell


You can set recording options for the local SD card, adjust the power frequency, toggle on or off lens correction, and more.

Aqara G4 in the Aqara app
Aqara G4 in the Aqara app


Aqara is one of the few that offers a privacy occlusion mode. You can black out up to three sections of the camera's view, and when you do, they won't show on any videos captured.

Should you buy the Aqara G4?

The Aqara G4 video doorbell is an excellent option for Apple users. It's battery-powered, has tons of advanced configuration options, and supports HomeKit Secure Video.

There are a couple of downsides worth mentioning, though. First, on one of the few hot days in 2023, we did have the doorbell overheat when the sun was bearing down on it directly. If your doorbell is in direct sunlight, that may be a problem for you time-to-time.

Video captured on Aqara G4
Video captured on Aqara G4


The camera also has a very wide POV. That's not a bad thing, but because it is landscape, it doesn't capture footage at the doorstep. Packages placed on your doormat will go unseen by the G4.

Finally, there seemed to be something funny going on between the Aqara app and the Home app. If we told the Home app to only record video with people, it suddenly stopped recording any video.

There was seemingly a miscommunication on the identified activity type, so it stopped altogether. However, this seems software-related, so it's fixable by Apple or Aqara. If you don't pair with the Aqara app, it's a non-issue.

Ringing the Aqara G4 doorbell
Ringing the Aqara G4 doorbell


In the end, this doorbell offers features found nowhere else in the market at a reasonable price. It's easy to set up, easy to use, and works with all of your other HomeKit accessories.

What more is there to say?

Pros

  • Only battery powered HomeKit Secure Video doorbell

  • No subscription required

  • Local MicroSD backup inside where it can't be stolen

  • Hardwired option

  • Easy to install and use

  • Good quality video and night vision

Cons

  • Can't see low

  • Can overheat in direct sunlight

  • Recording filters clashed with Aqara app

  • Requires hub

Rating: 4 out of 5

Where to buy

Pick up the new Aqara G4 smart video doorbell on Amazon for $119.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    And then you read all the problems, just search Reddit. And I have the doorbell, and can confirm all the problems this thing has: it is more offline than online!
    Battery powered leaves you with look a lasting power of three weeks. With luck.
    But the biggest problem is when it is wired: every 2 - 5 days your doorbell (not the chime, the main unit) will be dead: no video, no bell when someone presses your doorbell. The only remedy: disconnect it from power, then attach the wires again: the only way the doorbell unit part can be restarted.
    It is a known problem and the latest firmware 4.01.0020.0038 does not fix this.
    Do a search on the problems before buying! Mine is going back and will be replaced by the Ring Wired…
    edited April 2023 cg27appleinsideruserlolliverwatto_cobrahammeroftruth
  • Reply 2 of 9
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,286member
    "The former can show in the Home app, chime HomePods, appear on your Apple TV, and trigger automations,"

    Would love a battery-powered doorbell camera with HomeKit support. Secure video is of secondary importance. I'd be very happy with just the above




    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 9
    cg27cg27 Posts: 213member
    Seems compelling once the bugs are hopefully ironed out.

    No mention of Thread / Matter support.  Even if neither is offered, it should be mentioned in this review, as well as any review of HK accessories going forward.

    Amazon’s $120 price is without the Aqara hub.  If you don’t already have the hub then the bundle price with hub is around $165 as there appears to be at least three Aqara hub bundle versions; so it would be nice for the review to mention which specific hub model they used.

    What’s also not clear to me yet is whether the Aqara hub is necessary if hardwiring the doorbell and WiFi is strong to doorbell (since the review is based on battery power and mentions the hub alleviating SecureVideo battery drain).  I assume the hub is required even with hardwiring, but not totally certain.
    edited April 2023 jamnapwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 9
    Even hardwired, it sounds like the hub contains required HomeKit comms logic that probably isn’t in the doorbell.

    what resolution is it? Oh hang on HSV limits it to 1080. Doh!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 9
    Huge HomeKit guy here.  Completely disappointed in the Aqara G4 doorbell for motion detection.  Disclaimer, my doorbell setup was in battery only mode.  I have a perfect Wifi 6 mesh network and love and own many Aqara products.  This one is worthless in it’s purpose (in battery only mode).  Maybe wired is better IDK.  Anyway, have an exit plan.  This thing may not work as the sponsored guys on blogs and YouTube would lead you to believe. 
    cg27jamnapwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 9
    For me the kicker is the limited range from their hub to doorbell
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 9
    I was very disappointed with the overheating issues. As far as I’m aware of, every HomeKit Secure Video doorbell has overheating issues, without exception. I have the Logitech video doorbell and it didn’t last very long. I would like to find another HomeKit Secure Video doorbell but will wait until the overheating issue is resolved, which might not be anytime soon.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 9
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,898member
    These doorbell cameras all seem to have issues. My Logitech Circle View initially had the over heating issue, but deactivating the built-in light fixed that for the most part. Overheating still happens, but it is pretty infrequent now. I feel the bigger issues are with Apple and the lack of features in the apps. I also don't get why the cameras, their hubs or Apple don't allow automatic downloading of footage to a computer for archival storage. If my camera records something (a person, a car passing etc.) that could be used in the solving of a crime, I'd like to have the video for longer than a couple weeks. The lack of fine tuned triggering of scenes or devices via Homekit seems a pretty big omission. The package detection fails constantly with false triggers. Also how about an easy to access "pause" button in the app for notifications? I'm retired and do a lot of gardening. When I'm working in the front, the notifications are constant. Being able to quickly pause them would be very handy.
    edited May 2023 watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 9
    welshdog said:
    Also how about an easy to access "pause" button in the app for notifications? I'm retired and do a lot of gardening. When I'm working in the front, the notifications are constant. Being able to quickly pause them would be very handy.
    Push the Lock Screen notification to the left! You'll get a nice Welsh surprise...
    watto_cobra
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