Internally at 9to5Mac, there have been a few conversations about the lack of releases in new HomeKit cameras in recent years. The challenge with HomeKit Secure Video is that the manufacturer sees no option for recurring revenue, so I suspect that might be part of it. The wait for something new is over, though. Today, Aqara has released the new Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro with HomeKit Secure Video support. I’ve had my hands on one for the last two weeks, so I am excited to share my experience.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
I’ve been using Aqara products since 2020 and am a huge fan of what they offer. It’s a nice balance of low cost, but it works great. With the release of the Camera Hub G5 Pro, they’ve officially stepped into the outdoor camera category. It’s available in both power-over-ethernet (PoE) and Wi-Fi versions. The G5 Pro is designed to work anywhere. Its 4MP resolution paired with True Color Night Vision ensures you won’t miss a single detail, even at night. I’ve been blown away so far.
What’s in the box
The unit I am testing is the Wi-Fi only model, but I love that they’re offering a PoE model, though. Especially if you have the ability to run new cabling, it makes powering the camera much easier than trying to hide the USB-C cable. The camera doesn’t come with a USB-C wall plug, so you’ll need to provide your own. You’ll also get screws and anchors in case you want to mount it. The PoE edition is also great for places where you have Wi-Fi deadspots.
Smart home wise, the Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro has everything you want: it includes built-in Zigbee 3.0, Thread support as a border router, and Matter compatibility so it works great with HomeKit, Samsung, Amazon, and Google. On the HomeKit side, it supports HomeKit Secure Video as well. It also supports eMMC storage to syncing with local NAS servers, etc. For my testing, I stuck with HomeKit Secure Video.
If you’re using the Aqara app, it has on-device AI, which detects and recognizes faces, vehicles, pets, and packages. Otherwise, you’ll have access to what Apple has inside of HomeKit (very similar depending on which camera you’re using).
Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro: what’s the verdict?
The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro is super easy to install and set up. The HomeKit/Matter code is on the camera. Plug it up to power (or PoE), let it boot up, scan, and then HomeKit completes its onboarding process. I had zero issues, and everything went through on the first try.
The camera looks awesome during the day. Where it really shines is at night, though. It has a built-in light, so when it comes on, you get a really impressive recording. You can see some examples below of this camera (with the light off) vs. a camera without it. The light can be broken out independently from the camera as a HomeKit tile as well.
For an outdoor HomeKit camera, it’s really the best option on the market right now. Kudos to the Aqara team to meeting a need with modern HomeKit Secure Video cameras that work outside. The market has been missing them.
You can buy the new Wi-Fi edition Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro from Amazon in either white or black. The PoE edition is also for sell on Amazon as well.
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