Aqara Doorbell Home Assistant: Full Integration Guide

Last updated on April 18th, 2024 at 02:11 pm

Can I integrate the Aqara doorbell Home Assistant? Yes, You can. Home assistant continues to gain popularity as an incredible open source automation platform.

And Aqara has been making major waves with their innovative smart home gear. So integrating these two together seems like an obvious winning combo.

I distinctly remember the sense of unease from my old house’s aging doorbell system.

The wiring was shorting, leaving me unaware of visitors randomly. And without a camera, each unexpected late night ringer triggered nerves. If only I could monitor my entry point remotely.

Integrating a modern smart doorbell like Aqara’s with Home Assistant revolutionized my home security.

Now customizable notifications and intelligent video feeds grant peace of mind.

I’m eager to explain beginner steps I wish I knew for installing the devices, establishing connectivity, configuring options, and tapping automation potential. Read on to simplify your entry monitoring.

I’ll provide step-by-step walkthroughs that anyone can follow – whether you’re a total beginner or experienced tinkerer.

Let’s get started.

Overview of Key Features and Specs On Aqara G4 Doorbell Home Assistant

Before we jump into setup and configuration, let me quickly summarize some of the Aqara doorbell g4‘s key features and technical specifications:

• 170° Ultra-wide viewing angle with adjustable mount
• 1080p Full HD video feed
• Night vision mode with infrared LEDs
• Two-way audio communication
• Passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor
• On-device AI for person, vehicle and package detection
• Weatherproof IPX3 rating
• 16GB local storage (MicroSD card slot)
• Wireless connectivity via WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz only)
• Wired connectivity optional for constant power supply
• Powered by rechargeable battery (up to 180 days)
• Over-the-air firmware update capability
• Voice assistant integrations (Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri Shortcuts)
• Combined with Aqara Hub to connect dozens of other Aqara sensors and devices

With advanced detection features, local storage, and native connectivity APIs – this smart video doorbell checks all the boxes.

And the ability to directly integrate with home assistant makes it a very appealing option compared to competitors.

Now let’s look at exactly why you should connect this intelligent entry sensor to your home automation platform, and how it can enhance your smart security.

Reasons to Connect the Aqara g4 Doorbell to Home Assistant

Here are some of the top benefits of pairing the aqara doorbell with Home Assistant:

1. Enable Person Detection Alerts: The doorbell camera leverages AI to distinguish human from vehicles and packages. Home Assistant can trigger customized notifications when a person is detected at your door.
2. Create Smart Automations: Set presence-based rules like porch lights turning on automatically when someone approaches at night. Or have a chime play throughout the home when the bell is rung.
3. Self-Monitored Package Delivery Notifications: Get immediate alerts upon package delivery without any subscription fees. The on-board intelligence can reliably detect Dropoffs from UPS/FedEx/Amazon/etc.
4. View a Live Feed Anytime: Check the 1080p video stream on any device via the Home Assistant frontend to see who is at the door without needing the Aqara app.
5. Enhanced Security and Awareness: The extra motion sensor, night vision camera, siren alerts and integration with other devices creates a more robust security ecosystem.

With so much flexibility and customization possible through Home Assistant integrations, the opportunities are endless!

Now let’s get into the installation and setup process.

Preparing for Installation and Setup Aqara Doorbell Home Assistant

The aqara video doorbell is packed with cutting edge sensors and features that enable seamless integration with Home Assistant.

But we do need to take care of a few prerequisites first:

• Your Home Wireless Network
  • 2.4Ghz WiFI connection
  • Strong signal where the doorbell will be installed
  • WPA/WPA2 encryption
  • 802.11 b/g/n protocol
• Tools/Materials
  • Power drill (if hardwiring-in an existing chime/buzz)
  • Screwdriver
  • Optional: 16GB MicroSD card for local continuous recording
• Home Assistant Platform
  • Version 2022.x or above
  • Aqara integration plugin
  • YAML configuration editor access
  • Zigbee or Aqara hub if connecting other aqara sensors

As long as those basics are covered, we can start setting up the hardware and software!

Step-By-Step Installation Guide Aqara g4 Home Assistant

Let’s get hands on and walk through getting this clever IoT doorbell mounted, powered on, connected, and updated:

1. Select Mounting Location
2. Mount the Bracket Base
3. Wire In Power Source
4. Attach and Position the Doorbell
5. Connect to WiFi Network
6. Firmware Updates

1. Select Mounting Location

The aqara doorbell g4 can either mount over your existing doorbell, or any other suitable location like a wall near an entryway.

Consider where wiring access makes sense, as well as positioning the camera to best capture visitors:

Doorbell Install Tips

Pros	Cons
Near eye level of guests	Could be obstructed by decor
Angled down to capture faces/packages	Limited adjustability
Wall outlet nearby for wired power	Complex initial wiring

Ideally choose an area with adequate WiFi signal strength for reliable connectivity.

2. Mount the Bracket Base

Use the included screws or double sided tape to affix the metal mounting plate. Make sure it sits flush and is anchored securely.

Leave enough room to seat the doorbell module and adjust the swivel mount.

3. Wire In Power Source

For maximum uptime, the hardwired power connection is recommended over just battery power. This continuously charges the built-in battery as a fail safe too.

If an existing wired digital or analog doorbell is already in place, you can upgrade by connecting the included jumper cables directly to the two screw terminals.

Otherwise, working with the local wiring to extend connectivity takes more skill. Consider hiring an electrician if you’re uncomfortable dealing with AC voltage lines.

4. Attach and Position the Doorbell

With wires threaded through the mount, slide the aqara g4 doorbell  module down into the bracket arm. Rotate and angle the camera to best cover your doorstep area.

Give the housing a firm downward push to snap into place securely.

At this point, apply power to initiate first boot sequence. The small indicator LED will start blinking blue as it searches for an Internet connection.

5. Connect to WiFi Network

During initial setup, the Aqara doorbell needs to be assigned to your 2.4Ghz wireless network.

• Launch the Aqara Home app and register a new account if first time user
• Tap + and select the G4 Doorbell from detected device list
• Follow the on-screen prompts to add doorbell and connect to local WiFi

Once successfully configured for WiFi, you’ll see the indicator LED glow solid blue. We’re ready for Home Assistant integration next.

6. Firmware Updates

Similar to computers and phones, Internet connected gadgets like this occasionally receive over-the-air software updates with bug fixes and feature improvements.

It’s a good idea to manually force a firmware check on newly setup IoT devices.

In the Aqara app:

• Navigate to My Home tab
• Select Aqara Doorbell G4
• Choose the Device Information page
• Tap Check for Firmware Update

This ensures optimal integration compatibility with Home Assistant’s latest releases.

Now let’s get the video stream, motion alerts, and doorbell notifications flowing into our home automation platform!

Adding and Configuring the Doorbell in Home Assistant

With the Aqara G4 mounted outside and connected to Wi-Fi, we can bring it fully into the Home Assistant ecosystem.

Auto-Discovery and First Configuration

Modern versions of Home Assistant include built-in auto-discovery for connected devices on your local network.

So there’s a good chance that after rebooting HA, you’ll see a new detected integration called Aqara Doorbell Card.

To begin setting up notifications and options, navigate to Configuration >> Integrations in the web UI sidebar. Locate the discovered Aqara integration and click Configure.

On the integration details screen, click Set Options to tailor preferences:

• Notification type & sounds
• Motion detection sensitivity
• Stream quality
• Initial modes or settings

For example, I enabled Chime notifications so a classic “Ding Dong” sound plays from my media hub when anyone presses the bell. Super handy for loud environments or multi-level homes!

The new doorbell camera feed and playback controls also get embedded right on the Overview dashboard for convenience.

Now with the Aqara video doorbell streaming live under the Home Assistant integration, we can really unlock the smart automation potential.

Enabling Smart Notifications and Alerts

Beyond just a live view, one of the best features of the G4 is its intelligent detection capabilities for people, vehicles, packages and pets.

We can customize all kinds of useful notifications and alerts triggered by the Aqara’s built-in AI image recognition:

Visitor and Motion Alerts

Under the doorbell’s entity settings, enable notifications for the following activity:

• Person detected at door – have HA notify your phone anytime someone approaches for awareness.
• Doorbell ring press event – know instantly if your chime fails so you never miss a guest.
• General motion trigger – adjust sensitivity to filter out far background movement based on camera frame position and lighting conditions.

I recommend configuring messages with a photo snapshot so you can quickly identify if a notification requires attention or not.

Now your phone acts as a mobile doorbell notifier for maximum convenience!

Scheduled Quiet Mode

HA automations also allow setting “Quiet Mode” rules to disable notifications during certain nighttime or nap hours. No more annoying midday solicitations waking up kids.

Smart Lighting Responses

Beyond mobile alerts, the integrated doorbell can trigger actions like smart bulbs turning on when motion is detected after sunset:

automation:

  trigger:
    platform: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.aqara_doorbell_motion
    from: 'off'
    to: 'on'

  condition:
    condition: sun
    after: sunset
    after_offset: "-01:00:00"

  action:
    service: light.turn_on 
    target:
      entity_id: light.porch

This gives guests a subtle yet visible cue that the camera sees them upon approach. Pretty cool!

And the options go on from there like greetings from Alexa when someone is spotted at night, or color loop effects from Hue lights synced to the entryway doorbell.

Home Assistant helps this clever IoT doorbell punch way above its weight through smart integrations!

Advanced Features and Integrations

Beyond basic alerts and automations, the Aqara video doorbell packs numerous advanced capabilities that technology geeks will appreciate.

While mainstream consumers just need the basics covered, us enthusiasts always take things a bit further.

Local Stream and Video Storage

Without any monthly fees, the G4 doorbell camera provides free continuous recording locally to a microSD card for full security coverage. No reliance on flaky cloud services.

16GB holds a few days worth of 1080p video. But a larger 128GB card stores weeks of activity, automatically segmenting older clips into a searchable timeline.

Playback controls are also exposed within Home Assistant for reviewing footage visually.

For extended archiving, the RTSP video stream can even be fed directly into a NVR like Blue Iris or ZoneMinder. Now we’re talking enterprise-grade surveillance.

Facial Recognition Profiles

Teach the on-board AI to recognize familiar faces like family members for custom alerts when your kids return home from school. Or suppress familiar face alerts to only notify on strangers approaching.

Through the Aqara app’s Profile Management settings, capture various facial images at different angles to enable highly accurate identification abilities.

Voice Assistant Integration

Like most smart home gear these days, the G4 doorbell camera offers native connectivity for Alexa and Google voice commands.

View your doorstep camera feed on an Echo Show display when someone rings. Unlock automations using custom Google Assistant statements like “Hey Google, answer the front door”.

And always-listening platforms become even more useful when infused logically into a broader ecosystem.

Smart Lock Integration

For households with Aqara, Schlage and other supported electronic deadbolts, you can literally trigger automated unlocking when close friends or expected VIPS approach your property.

No need to juggle both keys and a baby in hand! AI recognition has got your back.

This also enables scenarios like remotely unlocking the door for pet walkers so they can pop in while you’re stuck at the office. No special apps needed on their end.

As you can see, the rabbit hole goes deep when merging multiple sensors together under a central nervous system hub like Home Assistant. This is where the magic happens!

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Of course with any complex home automation project using cameras, wireless connectivity and rolling software updates – the occasional issue can pop up.

We’ll wrap up this guide by briefly covering some common integration problems and their troubleshooting tips:

Doorbell Fails to Discover

If Home Assistant doesn’t auto-detect the newly installed Aqara doorbell, try rebooting your Zigbee hub. Also confirm 2.4Ghz WiFi coverage extends properly to the G4’s mount location.

Manually specifying discovery parameters like hostname and port number may be required for connectivity in some scenarios.

Choppy or Disconnected Video Feed

Choppiness or video dropping out entirely points to a wireless networking bottleneck.

Try shifting the doorbell module closer to your router, or installing a WiFi extender in between for stronger penetration.

Also reduce Stream Quality to a lower resolution setting which requires less network bandwidth.

720p or even standard definition quality may better suit homes with older networking equipment and mediocre signal coverage.

Delayed Alerts and Notifications

Latency or delays between actual activity outside and mobile notification can occur if Home Assistant’s server resources are overwhelmed.

Consider adding a more powerful Docker host or migrating to an auto-scaling cloud platform.

Adjust notification throttling rules to not bombard users too aggressively during events like Halloween when doorbell rings are constant.

For optimal local performance, disable external integrations to smart assistants which siphon precious CPU and memory.

Keep everything running locally on a well-equipped Home Assistant server box tailored for your usage levels.

FAQs

Can You Use Aqara With Home Assistant?

Absolutely! Aqara devices integrate incredibly well with Home Assistant for complete control and automation.

Modern versions have a native integration that auto-discovers most sensors like temperature, motion, door/window, leak, vibration, etc. Cameras and hubs may require some manual input for connectivity.

I prefer running an Aqara hub locally via Zigbee protocols rather than relying solely on cloud services.

This keeps response times quick while enabling a mesh network and compatibility for dozens of gadgets. It also grants flexibility between WiFi and Zigbee peripherals.

Once paired, customize notifications, create visibility dashboards, build smart automations and more.

How Do I Add Aqara Doorbell To Google Home?

Luckily, Google Assistant has direct integration for displaying Aqara doorbell camera feeds and enabling voice controls.

• In Google Home app, tap + to add the Aqara service under Works with Google
• Sign into Aqara account to link services
• Say “Hey Google, show me the front door camera” to pull up live video
• Create speaker announcements when rings or motion occur

This hands-free visibility and verbal alerts bring tons of convenience!

Does Aqara G4 Support Matter?

The recently announced connectivity standard “Matter” promises to unify IoT devices across ecosystems.

Good news – Aqara has confirmed the G4 video doorbell will receive a firmware update to make it Matter compatible.

This will broaden integration capabilities even further with platforms like Apple Homekit.

Is Aqara Doorbell Weatherproof?

Yes, the security camera itself has an IPX3 weather resistance rating to withstand rain, snow, humidity and moderate exposure.

It won’t survive submersion but handles all elements an outdoor entryway deals with.

I would still recommend installing the doorbell module underneath a covered porch or eave.

This protects from direct sun heating and heavy downpour acceptance. Proper placement goes a long way.

Is Aqara Wi-Fi Or Zigbee?

Aqara product offerings actually leverage both wireless communication protocols. Their ecosystem of sensors, buttons, motion detectors primarily utilize Zigbee for minimal power draw and robust mesh.

Cameras and security hubs with higher bandwidth act as Zigbee controllers while also having WiFi for app connectivity.

And the G4 video doorbell can operate completely over WiFi without an Aqara hub required. Nice flexibility.

Is Aqara Good For Homekit?

Homekit support for Aqara products has been hit or miss. Apple’s walled garden approach limits native compatibility for devices they don’t fully authorize.

However, the G4 doorbell specifically is slated to receive Homekit support. And using the Homebridge middleware translator opens up unofficial control for other Aqara gear. There are decent options for iOS households.

How Do I Add Aqara Bridge To Home Assistant?

Enabling the Aqara hub with Home Assistant requires enabling the ZHA platform:

1. On the Integrations page, add ZHA and configure the serial port for your USB stick
2. Reboot HA once to generated default entities
3. Navigate to Devices & Services >> Add Integration
4. Search for and enable the ZHA Aqara Hub integration

This bridges communication between the accessories and automation platform. Super handy for presence detection, environmental monitoring, triggers and more!

Does The Aqara G4 Doorbell Require A Hub?

Nope! A nice perk of the G4 is that it can operate completely independently over WiFi without needing their hub or bridge.

Setup does initially require the Aqara Home app for configuring wireless connectivity.

But after that point the doorbell interfaces directly with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and especially Home Assistant for full functionality.

Does Aqara Work Offline?

One extremely handy capability of Aqara products is local network connectivity even without an internet connection.

This means detection, automation triggers and controls continue functioning inside the home if your ISP has an outage.

Streams from their cameras of course do require cloud services for remote access. But keeps your core environment humming.

Can Aqara Work Without Wi-Fi?

Thanks to Zigbee wireless protocols, the majority of Aqara devices work in a low-power mesh network without ANY WiFi needed. The only requirement is having their central hub powered within range.

So motion sensors, contact monitors, button triggers, temp/humidity readings, etc will all route through the mesh back to the hub for processing. No Internet or apps needed.

Cameras and other bandwidth-heavy devices do require WiFi. But the platform handles both scenarios well.

Conclusion

We’ve covered everything from unboxing the Aqara G4 doorbell to enabling facial recognition alerts triggered through Home Assistant. Key takeaways:

• Mount camera securely with good WiFi coverage
• Connect doorbell module with Home Assistant auto-discovery
• Customize notifications for motion events and rings
• Build automations like porch lights activating upon visitor approach

I hope this guide sparks ideas for securing your home. Don’t hesitate to drop questions below. Getting comfort and control over your entrance is extremely rewarding.