Tested: I love how Aqara's video doorbell doubles as a smart home hub

Price When Reviewed

$129.99

Best Prices Today: Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410

Describing the Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 as simply one other video doorbell is like dismissing the quirky VW ID. Buzz as a run-of-the-mill minivan.

Sure, it would control your entrance porch, however it could actually additionally management all of the different sensible units in your house, because of the presence of Bluetooth, Thread, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Zigbee radios; Matter assist; compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartIssues, IFTTT, and Apple’s HomePackage Secure Video; and a 24/7 recording possibility with RTSP assist for hardcore customers.

One caveat: Its Zigbee assist is proscribed to Aqara’s personal Zigbee units.

It’s nonetheless an enormous step up from the Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 that TechHive reviewed within the spring of 2024, addressing practically each criticism leveled at that earlier product. And like that unit, this one comes with a distant AC-powered chime with native storage for the doorbell’s video clips, offered by a microSD card slot (card capacities as much as 512GB are supported, however you’ll want to offer one). The chime can get fairly loud: as much as 95dB.

Aqara properly carried over that earlier doorbell digicam’s facial recognition characteristic, whereas boosting its video decision from 1080p to 2K (2048 x 1536 pixels) and including millimeter wave (mmWave) movement detection. All that stated, Aqara did make one vital change that can disappoint some consumers; one which may even stop a number of G4 house owners from contemplating an improve. More on that in a bit.

Design, sturdiness, and climate resistance

Aqara

The industrial design of Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 very intently resembles that of the sooner G4 mannequin, measuring 5.57 × 2.56 × 1.2 inches (HxWxD). It’s out there in black or grey, each out there on Amazon, however there’s additionally a Select mannequin that’s out there in black or white. It’s unclear if the Select mannequin has any further options past a three-month HomeGuardian trial, in comparison with the 1-month provide that comes with the bottom mannequin.

Like the G4, the G410 is rated IPX3 for defense from the weather. According to our IP code guide, meaning Aqara makes no claims for defense in opposition to particulate matter ingress, however that the digicam is protected in opposition to water sprayed at as much as a 60-degree angle on both aspect of vertical. Given that gentle IP code, I’d advocate putting in this doorbell below an eave or awning and never subjecting it to extraordinarily moist climates.

Installation and setup

It took me lower than 15 minutes to arrange the Aqara G410, from unboxing to completion. The distant chime I discussed earlier doubles as a Matter-certified sensible dwelling hub (it’s a Matter bridge and controller and a Thread border router). It bears repeating, nonetheless, that its Zigbee radio can solely management Aqara’s personal Zigbee merchandise. But earlier than you get to any of that, you’ll have to cost the doorbell’s battery by plugging the offered USB-C to USB-A cable right into a AC adapter (one that you simply’ll want to offer).

I’d beforehand put in the Aqara cellphone app throughout testing of the wonderful Camera Hub G3, and that app controls setup for the G410 as effectively. There’s not a lot in the best way of printed directions, however as soon as the app acknowledges the G410, the in-app instructions are clear, and it was straightforward to attach the doorbell to my Wi-Fi community.

James Barber/Foundry

The G410 can function on battery energy, however it could actually additionally reap the benefits of hardwired energy (from a 12V-24V AC or DC transformer) in the event you’re changing an current wired doorbell, or if you wish to pull wire to a newly put in transformer. Your current chime, nonetheless, is not going to work with the brand new doorbell.

Nearly each video doorbell I’ve examined has been too large to slot in the slender hole between my dwelling’s doorframe and brick façade, so I opted for a wi-fi set up. I put in six AA batteries into the unit and caught it to the wall subsequent to my entrance door, utilizing the angled shim to provide a greater view of somebody standing on my porch.

While I’m positive the doorbell’s adhesive possibility would work effectively on glass or tile, or wooden, fiber-cement, vinyl, or comparable sorts of siding, it’s not acceptable for brick. I needed to reattach the unit with some industrial power mounting tape after per week as a result of doorbell’s adhesive failed and it fell off the wall. That’s not meant as criticism of the G410, it’s simply an advisory to anybody who needs to put in the doorbell on masonry: Be ready for the messy activity of drilling holes and hammering lead anchors into them.

I put in Aqara’s hub/chime unit in my kitchen, about 20 yards from the doorbell, which is far additional than Aqara’s advice of a distance lower than 5 meters (about 16 ft). Aqara additionally recommends the chime be no additional than 20 meters (about 66 ft) out of your Wi-Fi router. When I first put in the doorbell and chime, I received a weak sign warning within the app. After I moved a classic metallic stand mixer within the kitchen out of the road of sight between the doorbell and chime, nonetheless, the sign power jumped to 5 bars out of six.

Sharper, smarter, and taller video

James Barber/Foundry

As I’ve already talked about, the G410’s digicam is a big improve over the one within the earlier G4. In addition to boosting its decision from 1080p to 2K, the brand new digicam additionally has a taller facet ratio (4:3 vs. 16:9), which captures guests from head to toe, together with any packages left on the porch close to your door—offered you put in the digicam in the appropriate place.

When I first examined the unit with the ringer button on the similar peak as the house’s authentic doorbell, I couldn’t see something on the bottom. I received a lot better outcomes after decreasing it by a number of inches. Exceptionally tall guests might want to bend barely to ring the bell at that peak, however that shouldn’t be a significant inconvenience for them.

The video high quality is strikingly improved, particularly in daylight. Its 176-degree diagonal discipline of view and f/1.8 aperture lens ship a crisp, brilliant picture, with higher dynamic vary. It’s nonetheless not HDR, nevertheless it’s greater than ok for its activity.

In low mild, the development over the G4 is much less dramatic however nonetheless noticeable, with much less murkiness and extra element round faces. The outcomes are greater than sufficient for recognizing guests and monitoring deliveries.

Vastly improved movement detection

James Barber/Foundry

Aqara added a millimeter-wave (mmWave) presence sensor, a considerable improve from the G4’s PIR (passive infrared) movement sensor, which may miss individuals who stood nonetheless. Shadows and pets may additionally set off that sensor. Unlike PIR, mmWave expertise can detect a human presence primarily based on micro-movements, even when somebody is standing quietly in your porch.

This characteristic drastically diminished false positives whereas making notifications sooner and extra related. Passing automobiles and sidewalk pedestrians don’t set off irrelevant alerts on my iPhone or Apple Watch, one thing that has been an ongoing situation with my Ring Doorbell Pro.

Motion-triggered recordings are nonetheless restricted to 12 seconds whenever you use the free cloud storage plan or native microSD storage. If you need longer clips, you should use Apple’s HomePackage Secure Video or arrange 24/7 native recording, though the latter requires you to hardwire the doorbell to an influence supply.

On a optimistic be aware, Aqara has made the triggers a lot smarter. On-device facial recognition can now tie instantly into automations, not solely in Aqara’s app however throughout Matter-compatible ecosystems, together with Home Assistant. You can set off a appropriate sensible deadbolt in your door to unlock when the digicam acknowledges a member of the family, as an example. You may program the doorbell to show in your sensible porch mild when anybody approaches the door at night time. Aqara helps you to remodel alerts into actions.

An entire Matter hub

Aqara’s most transformative change is invisible. The G410 is now a full-fledged sensible dwelling hub, with a built-in Matter bridge and controller, Zigbee hub (as soon as once more, one which’s restricted to Aqara’s personal Zigbee units), a Thread border router, and a dual-band Wi-Fi adapter. That means the G410 can do way more than simply present you who’s on the door, it may be your sensible dwelling’s mind.

RTSP and HomePackage Secure Video assist

James Barber/Foundry

Apple customers can be to know that the Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 helps Apple’s HomePackage Secure Video (HKSV), which shops encrypted safety digicam recordings of their iCloud accounts. Be conscious, nonetheless, that this requires a paid iCloud subscription with at the least 50GB of storage (you’ll want a plan that gives 200GB for as much as 5 cameras, and 2TB for an infinite variety of cameras).

Also, the decision of video recordings saved in your iCloud can be restricted to 1200p (a considerably curious declare, as all of the out there data on HKSV that I can discover signifies Apple limits such video decision to 1080p).

Michael Brown/Foundry

Whatever the case could also be, different hardcore dwelling surveillance system followers can be fascinated by realizing that the digicam hub additionally helps RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol). That offers you the power to retailer its video recordings—together with 24/7 recording—on a networked video recorder (NVR), a network-attached storage system (NAS), or with third-party sensible dwelling platforms reminiscent of Blue Iris and Home Assistant.

While RTSP itself doesn’t impose a decision restrict, your community limitations would possibly impose a sensible restrict. And on this case, utilizing RTSP is determined by the doorbell digicam’s being hardwired to an influence supply. The characteristic is just not out there when it’s operating on battery energy. Speaking of battery energy, Aqara says the G410 ought to run on battery energy for as much as 5 months, primarily based on 10 activations per day. More frequent guests and/or inclement climate will scale back that point. For me, the battery stage as reported by the app nonetheless reads 100 % after a number of weeks of use.

More cloud choices, and the return of the subscription

Finally, right here’s the caveat I discussed earlier which may stop Aqara G4 Smart Wireless Video Doorbell house owners from upgrading: The G410 doesn’t embody the G4’s provide of a rolling seven days of video storage in Aqara’s cloud without spending a dime.

What you get as an alternative is one day of rolling storage for 6 months, until you join Aqara’s HomeGuardian subscription service to stand up to 90 days of encrypted storage within the cloud. That subscription prices $5/month ($50/12 months) for a single Aqara digicam, and $10/month ($100/12 months) for an infinite variety of Aqara cameras. It’s a notable shift, nevertheless it’s one which’s according to what many of the competitors is doing.

Should you purchase the Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410?

With its Doorbell Camera Hub G410, Aqara delivers nearly all the things Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 customers have been asking for: Sharper video, smarter presence detection, and higher integration with different platforms, together with Matter.

Add in all the brand new sensible dwelling options, HomePackage Secure Video and RTSP assist, and you’ve got a simple TechHive Editors’ Choice winner. That stated, the G410 is just not good. Its inventory video clips are brief, its weatherization options go away a bit to be desired, and Aqara has moved away from its provide of 7 days of free cloud storage to nudge you towards paying for a subscription.

But in the event you’re in search of a doorbell that may additionally function a hub on your complete sensible dwelling, it deserves critical consideration.

This evaluate is a part of TechHive’s in-depth protection of the best video doorbells.