I've Used Aqara's First Outdoor Camera For Over Four Months Now - Here's My Verdict

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro is typically disposable for $180 for nan Wi-Fi type and $200 for nan PoE version.
• This indoor/outdoor information camera doubles arsenic a smart location hub, features 1520p solution for crystal-clear images, RTSP support, and has a built-in NPU to process video pinch AI for ocular recognition.
• The camera is wired, truthful placement is limited, and location is nary expandable storage, truthful you request a subscription to entree video history aliases bypass it done video server software.

For a constricted time, the Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro PoE is connected waste for $38 off, dropping to $162. The Wi-Fi version is besides connected sale, disposable for $160.

Security cameras request to connection thing unsocial to impressment me. I've tested galore brands and person travel to for illustration immoderate complete others, but I'm pleased to opportunity nan caller Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro is 1 I tin genuinely get behind. This information camera is unsocial because it tin double arsenic a smart location hub and is Aqara's first outdoor information camera.  

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The G5 Pro is simply a Thread separator router and a Matter controller, and has Zigbee support for Aqara devices that require a hub. You tin bargain nan Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro to surveil your location and adhd different Aqara devices without buying a abstracted hub.

I person 2 Aqara hubs successful my location -- an Aqara Hub M2 and nan newer Hub M3 that replaced it. This camera is capable to switch some of them -- and to surveil wrong aliases extracurricular my house.

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This isn't nan first Aqara camera to double arsenic a smart location hub. Aqara already has nan Camera Hub G3, a 2K indoor information camera, and nan Camera Hub Indoor G2H Pro, a 1080p indoor camera. The G5 Pro, however, is nan first clip Aqara is bringing a hub to nan extracurricular of nan home, arsenic this information camera is weatherproof and nan first Aqara outdoor camera, speech from its video doorbells.

The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro doesn't support expanding its section storage, truthful you can't adhd a microSD paper to grounds clips. But acknowledgment to nan G5 Pro's real-time streaming protocol (RTSP) support, you tin get imaginative pinch it. 

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

With section RTSP access, you tin usage video server package via Home Assistant, Frigate, aliases Blue Iris to grounds and negociate your footage locally. RTSP lets you shop video locally connected a NAS (network-attached storage) aliases SMB (server connection block), bypassing unreality retention subscriptions. When you usage Home Assistant to negociate your camera, you tin much easy customize your existing smart location devices and group up alerts without relying connected Aqara's unreality services.

I tally a HomeKit smart location and usage Apple Home arsenic my cardinal smart location controller. (Because I trial smart location devices for a living, I besides person Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings running.)

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The G5 Pro camera is natively compatible pinch Apple Home pinch HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV), truthful it useful seamlessly and swiftly done nan Apple app. It's besides compatible pinch Alexa, Google, and SmartThings.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Smart location hubs are typically single-function tabletop devices that only activity to link low-energy smart location devices that can't straight link to your Wi-Fi. These smaller devices, for illustration cameras and sensors, link to a hub that connects to nan internet. While a hub frees you from adding 12 devices to your Wi-Fi (potentially congesting your router), hubs mostly don't do overmuch else.

I for illustration the SwitchBot Hub because it besides functions arsenic a thermometer and has buttons that tin beryllium programmed to trigger routines and devices. With nan motorboat of nan G5 Pro --  Aqara's first outdoor camera that's besides a hub --  the multifunctional hub conscionable moved a spot much mainstream.  

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Aside from nan convenience of combining location information pinch a smart location hub, nan G5 Pro's ingenuity lies successful its galore AI-powered ocular nickname features. The camera tin observe vehicles, people, animals, and packages and study to admit faces and moreover circumstantial vehicles. 

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Using nan camera's AI recognition, you tin automate functions -- specified arsenic opening nan car shed erstwhile a circumstantial conveyance approaches nan house, prompting a camera consequence erstwhile a personification has been lingering connected your property, and triggering an siren erstwhile nan lens is obstructed. 

The camera has 4 AI-powered audio nickname capacities, including crying, an siren sound, barking, and coughing. These let nan camera to beryllium utilized arsenic much than information surveillance, arsenic evidenced by nan notifications I sewage of my toddler crying while grandma was babysitting. 

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The AI runs locally connected nan G5 Pro, truthful you don't request a subscription to bask each nan civilization alerts and rumor automations from them. 

ZDNET's buying advice

I've tested nan camera indoors and outdoors, and I emotion it truthful far. The Aqara Camera G5 Pro tin beryllium a smart location enthusiast's dream device, particularly pinch PoE and RTSP support. While I sewage nan Wi-Fi type to trial it successful different places successful and astir my house, I tin admit really convenient a PoE exemplary would be.

Even if you don't for illustration to tinker pinch your smart location and are OK pinch paying a monthly unreality subscription, this camera's expertise to tally on-device AI and double arsenic a smart location hub makes it a awesome action for some caller smart location users and seasoned tinkerers.