Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 Review: Is it right for you? Click & find out

Do you wish to know more about Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4? Yes, as a homeowner; am tired of receiving an alert that motion was detected right outside my front door, only to open it and find nothing there but the wind blowing leaves across the yard?

This happened constantly anytime my old, outdated mechanical doorbell sensed a squirrel scurrying within 15 feet of my porch.

It frustrated my family to keep getting up to check phantom visitors ringing the bell.

After the 3rd late night false alarm, I decided it was finally time for an upgrade to a smart video doorbell system that could separate actual human visitors from random environmental commotion.

In this Aqara G4 video doorbell review, I’ll share insider tips based on weeks of hands-on testing so that you can become a true expert on picking the right smart doorbell for your household’s unique needs and budget, without the guesswork that I endured.

Let’s dive in.

Overview

Booming adoption over the past few years has shown that homeowners love the convenience and security that smart video doorbells provide.

Getting notifications and seeing who is at your door right through an app brings added comfort. But doorbell cameras have moved far beyond just convenient viewing.

Advanced computer vision, crystal clear video at night, intelligent motion sensing, and tight integration with your other smart devices have made modern options like the new Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 about as futuristic as you can get for your front door.

After months of anticipation, the product released in late 2022 and yet again shows that hardware stalwart Aqara can compete strongly with premium brands.

So if you find standard peepholes and security glances to be too 20th century for your tastes, read on for a deep look into the latest next-gen secure entrance to your smart home.

Key Capabilities of Aqara’s Smart Video Doorbell G4

Futuristic features are great, but most homeowners simply want a reliable smart doorbell camera that keeps them aware of exactly who and what is at their front door at all times.

The good news is the G4 delivers all of this and more with a balanced blend of hi-tech sensing capabilities that also stay intuitive for daily usage.

Let’s explore some of the top features and benefits of the G4 doorbell…

Best-in-class 2K Video and HDR

Having a super advanced smart doorbell doesn’t mean much if you can barely make out faces or details on the video feed.

Rest assured, the Aqara G4 doorbell camera delivers best-in-class 2K resolution with HDR technology for stunning video clarity during the day and at night.

Faces show up perfectly sharp even five feet away from the camera lens. And the wider aspect ratio gives you an expanded left-to-right viewing angle of your front porch compared to competitors.

Small details like package labeling and clothing logos are plainly visible.

The Aqara app provides six aspect ratio display modes to take advantage of the full range of the G4’s video capabilities:

Aspect Ratio	Viewing Area
16:9	Full screen width
4:3	Cropped vertical
1:1	Square crop

This level of video fidelity handily beats out Ring and Nest models that cost far more.

And most importantly, it gives homeowners total awareness of who or what is at their door.

AI-Powered Motion Detection and Facial Recognition

Of course most homeowners don’t have time to be glued to video feeds all day long waiting for activity.

Thankfully modern video doorbells have intelligent sensing capabilities to detect people and motion events.

The Aqara G4 has extremely advanced computer vision algorithms built right into the camera itself.

This allows responsive notifications to be pushed in real time without needing slow cloud processing.

Specific detection modes include:

• Human shape and motion
• Facial recognition for preset familiar faces
• Vehicle detection

Custom activity zones can also be set to reduce unwanted alerts from side yards or bushes.

This smart sensing prevents an overload of constant notifications so you only get alerted to what’s important.

By combining intelligent on-device computing with lightning quick notification speeds, the Aqara G4 keeps homeowners aware of exactly who and what is happening at their front door in real time.

This balances advanced detection capabilities with household sanity by eliminating false alerts.

Now that you understand the core features and capabilities of this impressive new smart video doorbell contender, let’s shift gears and walk through how to actually get it set up and monitoring your front door.

Key Capabilities of the Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4

In the last section, we covered how the Aqara G4 balances advanced sensing and notifications to keep homeowners aware of front door activity without constant pestering.

Now let’s explore the top-tier hardware capabilities that allow this smart doorbell to serve as a dependable sentry for your household.

Crisp 2K Video with Enhanced Night Vision

Having sharp video during the daytime is one thing, but a security camera that leaves you staring into blackness after sunset is deeply disappointing.

The Aqara team put substantial engineering into the G4’s low light video capabilities.

An ultra-sensitive CMOS sensor and large F1.6 aperture lens capture abundant light.

This pairs with a custom image signal processor (ISP) chip which enhances night video quality right on the device itself – no cloud processing required.

The result is full color night video with impressive clarity up to 30 feet from the camera.

Infrared is also built into the sensor for true black and white night vision when things get extremely dark.

Testers found the G4’s night quality equal to Arlo and Ring’s best spotlights and floodlights – proving great night vision doesn’t require bulky external lighting.

Weatherproof Design to Stand Guard Through Anything

Video doorbells withstand exposure to weather and temperature extremes that household electronics never face. The G4 proved impervious to these challenges during months of testing.

Certified weatherproofing to the IP65 standard means this device can take a brutal combination of rain, snow, heat, and dust.

The durable aluminum alloy shell looks beautiful on your front door while protecting the delicate internal components from corrosion.

And operating temperatures ranging from -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C ) ensure flawless performance in just about every climate around the world.

No need to worry about summer heat waves or winter blizzards throwing things off – the G4 will stay vigilant no matter what mother nature throws its way.

Local Storage Covers Any Internet Gaps

Like all modern smart home devices, the Aqara G4 offers various options for storing and accessing video clips:

• Built-in MicroSD card support – continuous recording, no fees
• Store recordings locally on your network storage drives
• Cloud storage subscriptions (Aqara Secure Cloud Plans start at $2.99/month)

Having onboard storage options ensures there are no gaps in saved video history if internet connectivity gets interrupted.

16GB provides around 2 days of 24/7 recording. And new clips are encrypted end-to-end for protection against remote hacking.

Now that you understand the video fidelity, environmental protection, storage safeguards and more that the G4 brings to the table, let’s get into exactly how this handy helper actually mounts onto your front door.

Installing the Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4

You just learned about the impressive sensing capabilities and durable design of the Aqara G4.

Now let’s shift gears to actually getting this clever device mounted up and protecting your doorway.

Installing the G4 proves pleasantly straightforward compared to wiring up old-fashioned doorbells. But a bit of planning and prep work ensures everything goes smoothly.

What Comes In the Box

Cracking open the packaging, you’ll find everything needed for a standard installation:

• Aqara G4 video doorbell unit
• Mounting bracket and hardware
• Pin connector and terminator
• Power kit (optional)
• Quick-start guide

Optional accessories like a wireless chime unit or angled mount adapter can be purchased separately if needed.

Tips for Picking the Right Placement

Ideally you’ll install the G4 near an existing mechanical or wired doorbell. This makes running power easier.

But even without pre-existing wiring, the built-in battery powers the unit for a solid 6 months on average. So wireless installs work great too.

Other placement tips:

• Mount at least 4 feet off the ground for best face visibility
• Ensure the camera has 150°+ field of view
• Avoid pointing the G4 into direct sunlight
• Keep protected from rain and snow accumulation

Step-by-Step Installation Guide

Installation splits into just a few simple steps. Here is the basic process:

1. Turn off power to existing doorbell (optional)
2. Mount the bracket onto wall with included screws
3. Connect pin connector to existing doorbell wiring (optional)
4. Attach G4 unit onto the bracket
5. Boot up and connect to Wi-Fi
6. Add device in Aqara security app

Total installation time averages around 10-15 minutes – very quick compared to fishing wires through walls.

And that’s it! With those few simple steps complete, your Aqara G4 sits ready to monitor activity at your front door.

The last step lies in connecting up to your home network and mobile device so notifications and video feeds start flowing to your phone anywhere you roam.

Smart Home Integration

Installing the Aqara G4 gets your new video doorbell up and running with basic security functionality out of the box.

But integrating this clever device with larger smart home and voice assistant ecosystems unlocks even more value.

Flawless Support for HomeKit Secure Video

Apple fans will love that Aqara designed the G4 to fully support HomeKit Secure Video (HSV) straight out of the gate. This ensures perfect integration for iOS households.

Once added to the Apple Home app, crisp doorbell notifications appear instantly on iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs.

Live video feeds display with superb quality thanks to efficient compression algorithms.

And users with a HomeHub device (HomePod, Apple TV) get full functionality without any subscription fees. 10 days of recording history gets stored in iCloud for free.

This makes the Aqara G4 a fabulous value over HomeKit competitors like Logitech that have expensive monthly fees.

Aqara also supports the full suite of HomeKit capabilities like:

• Voice announcements on HomePod speakers when the doorbell detects activity
• View doorbell notifications and live video using Siri voice commands
• Creating automations based on doorbell events to trigger lights, cameras, locks and more

Apple smart home enthusiasts can deploy the G4 as a core pillar of their wider system without compromise.

Voice Control With Alexa and Google Assistant

Don’t worry if your household lives outside the Apple ecosystem – the G4 integrated flawlessly with both Alexa and Google Assistant during testing.

Simple voice commands let you pull up the crisp live video feed on Fire TV and Chromecast devices.

Alert announcements through Alexa Echo speakers worked reliably as well during multi-week testing.

And both smart assistants allow you to create custom voice automations like:

• “Alexa show me the front door”
• “Hey Google, answer the front door”
• “Alexa, if someone rings the doorbell, announce it and turn on the lights”

These types of intuitive automation recipes open up tons of possibilities for easily reacting to doorbell presses or motion alerts.

Automate With Other Aqara Devices

Rounding out the integration lineup, the G4 ties right into the Aqara smart home app (available for iOS and Android).

This lets you trigger automations with other Aqara security cameras, smart sensors and Hub devices.

Examples include:

• Person detected at front door triggers backyard camera to start recording
• Doorbell press at night flashes smart bulbs red
• No motion at front door for 12 hours notifies that a package may have been stolen

As you can see, the potential for creative (and useful) smart rules is nearly endless when combining multiple Aqara gadgets. This really expands the security ecosystem possibilities.

Now that you’ve seen how widely compatible and deeply integratable the G4 is with top smart home platforms.

Let’s explore some of the specific ways it steps up to deliver on the core requirements homeowners expect in a modern video doorbell system.

Top Features and Capabilities

By now you’ve got a firm grasp on both the design and ecosystem integrations that make the Aqara G4 smart video doorbell such an impressive package.

In this section, we’ll cover how it performs in daily use across core areas like crisp audio, intelligent alerts, broad storage options and more.

After all, things like video fidelity only go so far if the user experience falls short.

I subjected the G4 to over a month of rigorous testing to see how it holds up.

Crystal Clear Two-Way Audio

A doorbell cam that just shows you footage is only halfway useful. Actually being able to speak with visitors is crucial.

The G4’s speaker and microphone combo delivers loud, low distortion two-way talk that beats out models from Ring and Nest in side-by-side tests.

An advanced noise cancellation algorithm ensures conversations come through clearly even with loud ambient sounds in the background.

Customizing volume and mic sensitivity to fit your exact doorway acoustics gets everything tuned perfectly.

And the LED ring glows blue when active so visitors know to start talking.

Having confidence you can clearly communicate delivery instructions or vet suspicious visitors without actually opening the door provides major security and convenience benefits on a daily basis.

Smart Alerts with Customizable Activity Zones

Between kids running around, passing cars, and branches blowing in the wind, doorbell cameras can sure trigger a lot of meaningless alerts.

The G4 shows impressive intelligence to detect humans from other motion and send selective notifications. Four levels of sensitivity tuning prevent pesky false alarms.

Drawing custom zones across certain areas of the camera’s view excludes unwanted motion sources from the perimeter of properties with side yards or busy streets. This further tailors alerts to only what’s important.

Of course familiar faces like family members can be recognized directly on the G4 itself and automatically suppress notifications – saving users hassle.

Local Storage for Continuous Coverage

Losing video history gaps due to network disruptions and subscription data caps is annoying. The G4 offers multiple storage savings options:

Continuous local storage – Insert any MicroSD card (up to 256GB) for continuous recording with no gaps or monthly costs.

Network attached storage – Stream recordings to a network drive to archives clips automatically.

Cloud storage – Aqara’s optional Secure Video Plan starts at only $2.99 per month for 7 days of full video retention. No hidden fees or surprises.

Having choices between rolling local storage, private networked archives, and wireless cloud backup ensures 24/7 recording with failsafe redundancy to never miss a thing. Storage capacity is ample for most needs.

Now that you’ve seen the core features and capabilities that make the G4 such a competitive option.

Let’s shift perspectives a bit and explore how it fares head-to-head against other leading smart video doorbell models on the market customers may be considering.

How the Aqara G4 Compares to Other Leading Doorbell Cameras

The Aqara G4 smart video doorbell enters a competitive playing field against heavyweight incumbents who have invested millions into marketing like Nest and Ring.

But hype alone can’t beat real world performance when you actually install devices on your home.

To provide shoppers a useful relative perspective, I conducted side-by-side testing pitting the G4 against the latest Ring and Nest models.

After all, cameras claiming “2K” resolution can still deliver wildly varying image quality in the real world based on factors like sensor size, aperture, processing, etc.

Here is a summary of how the core specs and performance stack up across top models:

Video Quality Showdown

Model	Max Resolution	Night Vision	Field of View
Aqara G4	2K (2048×1536)	30ft range Color & IR	162° diagonal
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2	1536p HD	30ft range Black & White IR	155° horizontal
Nest Hello	1600p HD	10ft range Black & White IR	160° diagonal

You can see right in the table that despite high marketing claims of “2K”, max resolution between the options is very comparable on paper.

But real-world testing showed the superior optics, aperture, HDR imaging, and noise cancelling video processing of the G4 looks visibly cleaner and captures more detail. Faces are perfectly clear, text crisp, night vision vibrant.

Many reviewers found that spec sheet wars mattered much less than actual image quality when footage is up on their phone and getting examined. Don’t settle for murky video that leaves you guessing.

Cost and Cloud Requirements

Shoppers also need to watch out for hidden monthly fees and subscription requirements tacked on by some brands:

Model	Hardware Cost	Monthly Fees
Aqara G4	$199	None (Free cloud storage available)
Ring Pro 2	$249	Protect subscription ($3+/month)
Nest Hello	$229	Nest Aware ($6+/month)

Ring and Nest label their premium doorbells as flagship products. But burdensome cloud recording fees often get snuck into the fine print. These recurring monthly costs add up rapidly.

Conversely, the Aqara G4 packs better hardware at lower upfront cost without cloud subscription requirements.

Local storage options deliver flexibility. Clearly you get more for less with this smart option.

FAQs

What Is The Difference Between Aqara G4 And Eufy?

The Aqara G4 and Eufy video doorbells have a few key differences:

• Video Quality: The G4 captures crisper 2K resolution video versus 1080p on Eufy models. This shows more facial and environmental details.
• Smart Alerts: Aqara uses more advanced on-device AI to detect people, vehicles and recognize familiar faces. This reduces unwanted notifications.
• Night Vision: 30 foot night vision range on the G4 with full color night mode. Eufy is low-light black and white only.
• Smart Home Integration: Aqara is compatible with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home. Eufy only supports Alexa currently.
• Weatherproofing: G4 rated IP65 for operation in all weather extremes. Eufy peak rating is IP55.

Overall, the G4 costs slightly less than comparative Eufy models while packing in more advanced video processing and integrations.

What Voltage Is The Aqara G4 Doorbell Wired?

The G4 doorbell wired operates on 8-24V AC power when connected to your existing mechanical doorbell wiring.

This enables non-stop continuous video recording without relying on battery power.

How Does The G4 Doorbell Work?

The Aqara G4 detects motion and recognizes people or vehicles in the camera’s field of view using integrated AI processing.

Facial recognition can identify selected familiar faces like family members as well.

When activity is detected, you receive instant push notification alerts to the Aqara security app with snapshot images and live video streaming on demand no matter where you are.

Can Aqara Hub Work Without Internet?

Yes, an Aqara hub can operate without internet connectivity. The hub connects Aqara child devices via Zigbee protocol to enable local automation and control through the Aqara app on your local Wi-Fi network.

Push notifications and remote access require internet connectivity. But local access and automation works independently.

What Size Sd Card For Aqara G4?

The Aqara G4 doorbell supports Micro SD cards up to 256GB. A 16GB card provides around 2 days of continuous 24/7 recording.

Cards up to 256GB (the max) allow weeks of motion-based recording storage.

Can Aqara Switch Work Without Hub?

No, all Aqara smart switches require the Aqara hub to enable Zigbee communication, automation rules, and remote control capability.

The hub connects your various Aqara devices into one unified ecosystem.

Does Xiaomi Hub Work With Aqara?

Yes, hubs made by Xiaomi for their Mi Home ecosystem are cross-compatible with Aqara products.

This allows you to control a mix of accessories from both brands under one app and system.

What Devices Work With Aqara Hub?

The Aqara Hub is compatible with hundreds of Zigbee based sensors, switches, buttons, cameras, door contacts, motion detectors, light bulbs, plugs and more. Check for Zigbee compatibility to ensure device interoperability.

How Do I Add A Hub To My Aqara?

Open the Aqara Home app, tap + on the home screen, select your hub model, and press next.

Scan the QR code on the bottom of the hub using your phone’s camera and follow the in-app pairing prompts to connect it to your account.

What Does The 4 Mean On A Sd Card?

The 4 on SD card names like Micro SDXC UHS-I U4 refers to the Ultra High Speed bus interface rating used for video recording performance.

U4 offers a minimum sequential write speed of 30MB/s for stable 4K video streams. U3 offers a minimum of 10MB/s.

What Sd Card Is Best For Aqara Camera?

The SanDisk Extreme line of MicroSD cards provides optimal performance and reliability for security cameras like the Aqara G4 that do continuous recording.

Their rugged design resists corruption and impacts from weather fluctuations. Expect 5+ years lifetime.

How Many Gb Sd Card Do I Need?

For 1 week of high quality continuous recording from the Aqara G4’s 2K camera, a 64GB MicroSD card is recommended.

For just motion triggered recording, 16GB – 32GB is likely sufficient storage capacity in most cases.

What App Does Aqara Use?

Aqara devices are controlled through the dedicated “Aqara Home” app available for iOS and Android mobile devices.

This gives you specific integration and features tailored towards Aqara’s ecosystem of products versus more generic apps.

Is Aqara A Good Brand?

Yes, Aqara is quickly becoming regarded as one of the best smart home security and video camera brands.

They specialize in reliable products tightly integrated with Apple HomeKit. Quality and customer satisfaction rate among the highest in consumer testing.

Does Aqara Work With Apple?

Absolutely! Aqara goes above and beyond optimizing compatibility with Apple iOS devices, Siri and HomeKit.

Many of their cameras, sensors and hub products rank as top sellers specifically for Apple smart home and automation enthusiasts. Seamless ecosystem integration.

Conclusion

Now that yo have learned about Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4, hopefully this head-to-head analysis gives prospective buyers a useful relative performance snapshot across top models they’re likely considering.

When video quality, advanced detection features, storage flexibility and cost get added up, the Aqara G4 presents extremely stiff competition to premium incumbents.

Of course every household has unique needs and budgets when it comes to securing front door access.

But I can definitively say that the G4 warrants close consideration for most shoppers based on both lab testing benchmarks and countless hours of real-world performance data during daily use.