Horizontal feed would cover more of our front porch and the neighborhood including people walking up from our driveway on the side, but your examples of missing heads and not being able to see packages are very critical! Great video, thanks!
hard to say for sure but I think he mounted the G4 a little low, it looks like people are reaching down to press the button, if it were at about chest height this would solve the missing heads. as for packages, well presumably we saw a delivery guy on camera/received a notification so it's not really a problem imo. Great video tho I'm probably gonna get one thanks!
Bought it just after midnight on a leap of faith after waiting months… still feeling good after watching your review. I’m wondering if 16.4 will resolve the HomeKit quirks. I’d also prefer the vertical camera perspective but that’s not a dealbreaker for me. I need to get out of my Ring HELL!!! Thank you as always, Shane! Added: arrived today. Zero issues installing, zero issues in use thus far. I have mine direct wired. Second one ordered. 👍
If they made a smaller version only for hardwiring and improved the camera quality dramatically, I would buy this. I’d say they have work to do if they want to compete with other doorbells out there.
We ended up exchanging this model for the slimmer version th-cam.com/users/postUgkx0jZ_lGlDVJhDnmagEU8gn47cmfPNlLQU because it was too wide for the only door trim area that made sense to mount it on. However, we should have just noted the dimensions prior to purchasing. Otherwise, we love the doorbell. It works perfectly, and the video is very clear, even at night.
If this performed better with HomeKit, had better dynamic range, and was in portrait or could display a square video that was the best of portrait and landscape, I'd argue it was perfect. Honestly, a rechargeable battery inside would be awesome too. It would be great in wired mode if the battery just took care of itself for power outage and dismantled scenarios. I'm glad the AAs can serve as backup to the wired connection. This is so close to perfect, but I think I'll wait until the next version.
I don’t get why it’s so big. They have a sweet thin stylish door lock and they pair it with something that looks like it was designed in the 80’s. Looks like the iPod Classic.
This may already been asked for but does it come with a notification on apple watch WITH a picture of who is at the door or/and then a tap for direct online communication with who is at the door?
Excellent review! I currently have an Arlo wire free which is about 5 months old and having issues with battery life and a recent update just loops. I receive my Aqara Doorbell tomorrow. I've wanted HomeKit integration forever. Arlo has promised it for a year and a half but so far no avail. As with any doorbell camera there are tradeoffs. Looking forward to getting mine. As always your reviews are EXCELLENT.
Thank you for the review. While I would love to change out my Ring doorbell, the problems with integration with HomeKit is currently a show stopper. Hopefully that will be corrected in the future. Also horizontal view is much preferred over the wide view.
The connection issue is likely due to the fact that you might need a more powerful transformer; I know for Ring and Eufy, I didn't have an issue, but when I upgraded to a more powerful smart doorbell, I needed a better transformer because I was getting those same disconnect/connect notifications
Thanks for the comment. I don't think that's the case, because it's working great in the Aqara app. And I've had the same issues on battery only. It's only HomeKit that gives me problems. And my other hardwired HK doorbells have worked fine. Great point tho for others who may be experiencing issues when hardwired.
@@ShaneCreates Ever had something like this with a Netatmo camera. After completely resetting and reinstalling never had a problem again. So maybe give it a try….
@@ShaneCreatesI have the same problem with my G2 pro’s. I went ahead and got an absolute steal on eBay, a brand new G4 for £25. I have dropouts on all 3 cameras but they all show up in the Aqara app.
Wonderfully detailed and comprehensive review, Shane. The doorbell seems to have added in a bunch of niceties but failed to polish the necessities. I am not a fan of the wide-angled doorbells for all of the reasons you have noted: missing heads and missing packages. I don’t see why adding in a a doorbell that can switch between the modes by pivoting the camera 90/-90 degrees. I also appreciated the overall fair critiques. One oddity I don’t think Aqara considered was the cumulative effect of asking their reviewers to launch their videos on the same day. Each review hit on many of the same negatives: horizontal video, poor video quality, and some level of HK.
Questions: 1- It will be in the direct rain and wind... to choice about that... will that be a problem? 2- LOVE the 24/7 recording... Is is possible to show 24/7 display on the inside of my house, on an iPad? Thank you for all the detail in your videos!!!!
I bought it one Day 1 and I'm loving it. It does everything as promised. My ONLY nitpick, is that I wish it came with a flat plate for installation. We live in an Apartment so that would have really helped since I'm worrying about using the adhesive and ripping the paint off the door.
soooo, personally Id love a small section at the end of your videos when comparing different items in the same category and even give a top 3 each time. All doorbell cameras, all sensors, etc. Love your videos and treat them as gold!!! What is your top rated doorbell camera? Im kinda leaning towards the Logitech so far.
Thank you for the honest review. You almost seem deflated that this product doesn’t live up to your expectations. How does a video doorbell make it to market that chops off heads and packages from view? That’s a big miss for me. I literally hate my Google Nest Hello (1st gen with dead defective internal battery so every time the button is pressed it goes offline). I have been waiting for a great Apple Home(kit) video doorbell to hit the market. This one checks nearly every box -but the missing heads and missing packages is a dealbreaker. You covered the temperature range but I am wondering if this device suffers from direct sunlight and goes offline as some of the other options on the market? I enjoy your content. Thanks.
Just add this for my back door, so far connectivity has been good and have not seen disconnecting from WiFi as you have described. Will let it go for few days. By the way, I opted for wired option, maybe that has some thing to do with the connectivity since it has the constant handshake with the hub. I have the Logitech in my front entrance, so far, I am fine with either orientation. Being at my back door, the walk way is few steps down, I was able to get the full frontal of anyone ring the doorbell. But I can see your point if this was installed in front entrance, the vertical image is definitely preferred. Thanks again for your review as always.
Thanks for sharing your experience Howard. Good to hear you haven't had any connection issues. I had the same issues when testing on both battery only and hardwired. And again, no issues in the Aqara app, only HomeKit. Hoping it gets better but again, glad to hear all is good with you!
Thanks @Shane great video as usual !!!!!!! just a very quick question With a Google nest hub you can watch the live stream of the doorbell right ? But are you able to receive the g4 notifications with the image of who is ringing your doorbell through the Google nest hub as well ? I’m running the G4 Chinese version
It’s been almost a year and I just got this device I love it took me 10 minutes to set it up love that updates by now has improved this device and because I have no doorbell at all this was perfect all I did was stick it up lol 😂
This will be my first HomeKit doorbell ( had eufy and currently have ring using scrypted) Looking forward to seeing how this works out and for the price the risk is low. I prefer the horizontal view because of how my home is situated but can see how with your setup vertical would be appreciated. Great review as always!
I had to return mine as it broke down after 6months of use, and I found the battery only held for 3weeks or so, even when using rechargeable NiMh batteries or higher quality Energiser Lithium batteries. I went back to using Ring which seems more effective but would like to get a HomeKit enabled battery enabled wireless doorbell.
Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 Shane. Love your vids and learning a bunch. One addition: in Europe (Netherlands at least) a lot of doors on older houses are recessed in brick walls. For my dad’s situation this means the screw that fixes the camera to the backplate cannot be secured as the wall is in the way. That’s a big miss. I guess also for others. Also, one request. I loved that episode where you made your grandpa’s house more secure. I’m currently trying to do that for my 88 year old dad. Any follow up videos on this topic would be greatly appreciated. All the best.
Living in a typical Dutch house too, installed it flawlessly using a wera mini rachet. You could consider the wera mini rachet set as it is useful in countless situations!
I see that I can trigger an Apple TV display of the camera with a doorbell button push. Can it do the same on an iPhone or Watch? What about motion detection?
Awesome video. Do you know what happens if the Wifi cuts out? I know recordings can't be uploaded or synced with phone because that needs wifi and internet, but are the recordings still recorded to the SD card? - if so, how are they accessed later?
I purchased the video doorbell but have been unsuccessful fetting through set up. Do I also need to purchase the hub for it to work? I only have the doorbell video and the chime. Please, advice.
Just to clarify, when in HKSV mode, the 24/7 local recording is still possible? When hard wired ofc. Thanks Shane! It’s indeed a pity that it’s not a vertical ratio.
Can an automation be created that triggers when the Aqara doorbell is run? Or is the only option to trigger an automation when the Aqara doorbell detects motion? If only the latter is possible, then can the field be limited so only someone directly in front of the doorbell camera is detected?
I was excited at the beginning of the Video and then when I saw the pixelation, poor night vision and the decision to use horizontal camera instead of vertical completely put me off! :) Great review.
Gday Shane, got mine about 3 weeks ago in Australia. Pro’s definitely out weigh the con’s. Love the pop up on the Apple TV 4K from the doorbell and the event icons on the HK timeline plus the AI detection. Haven’t had any issues with wifi signal in HK app that you mentioned.
@@ShaneCreates Hi Shane. That code doesn’t seem to be working anymore on Amazon Canada. Anyway to get it extended as I like to try this as an upgrade to our old gen 1 Ring Pro. Thanks!
This one caught every motion by my front door today didn't miss a thing and if you change the delayed recording to 0 secs instead of 3 secs you will catch the full video clip and not just the person walking away
Can you please provide the dimensions of the doorbell? I'm trying to buy a mounting box (clamp) to mount it to my door because my apt does not allow us to mount doorbells. Thanks.
New doorbell. Have yet been able to activate steam & record to HKSV. I've tried batteries only, hard wire power only, and both. Firmware is current at 4.04. MacOS, iOS, AppleTVOS and homepod mini OS are all current. I've removed and reset the device a few times. I've added it with the app that launches HomeKit and just the Aqara app first and then HomeKit. I've tinkered with different detection settings. I do know HKSV works for me as I have an iCloud 2TB plan and can stream a Wyze camera with RSTP through Scrypted. But I'd rather drop the server running Scrypted, so I am hoping to get this setup working. Any other suggestions for troubleshooting beyond what I have have tried? Any setting I may have missed? I also sent a support request to Aqara.
Great info Shane, lots of great features and I agree I would not like the horizontal view. A deal breaker for me is the width of the G4 as I only have 2” width to install it. I will hang on to my old Ring door bell until something better comes around.
Still confused. If I hardwire this device will. it trigger my chime doorbell? or do I still use the little speaker. I want to NOT use a little speaker. I want my chimes to activate on press.
Very informative video, thanks for that. I'd have to test it along side the Ring doorbell we have now. A big thing I like about the Rind is that it shows us the floor in front of the door, so we can see packages that have been left there. The G4 may still work with where we have our doorbell mounted, but would have to test. Thanks again for the video
Hi Shane, is it possible to change ringing options cause notification sound is same as movement detection and all notifications on iPhone and I don't notify that someone was pressing button when I'm away
I know this is an old video but I just got the doorbell. Hoping you can help! I hardwired it and it’s working fine and when I went into the doorbell settings it has me choose between 50hz and 60hz. It defaulted to 50hz and is working fine. Is there anything I should be changing? I live in US.
Hello Shane, how are you? Hope you're fine! Wondering if there is any way to make an automation in which my aqara doorbell recognizes that my mother or my father is at the door and my homepod plays “your mother is at the door”. Or something like this … Cheers from Brazil!
As this needs to be within 5m of the chime I assume it needs the chime to work? If that’s correct how will it work in a power outage? The chime is mains supplied and for most people so is their Wi-Fi so pretty much it’s all dead isn’t it?
Very informative videos. My problem with Aqara g4 is after just a few week the hard wire stop working. Only work on battery supply. I connect to a 24v wall ac adapter still not working. Any idea what might be the problem
Question of the day? Would i be better off getting the newer nest doorbell wired with starling hub. or get aqara with homekit. from what i heard package detetion is trash on aqara. Video quality is great on nest. Thoughts Shane? what am i losing by going to nest vs aqara as they both technically work with homekit.
Great review as always! But does anyone know how this doorbell holds in direct sunlight in the sense of overheating? I now have a Logitech Circle View and although I love it from a quality perspective it is just crap in direct sunlight. In the summer if always turns itself off because of overheating around 15.00 - 17.00 and (rain?) water also made it inside the device, it still works but the device enclosure looks terrible now. I am thinking of buying this device as a replacement but I need to know if this one doesn't overheat so quickly in direct sunlight...
Ordered! Any insight on when we could see the FP2 presence sensor and the E1 roller shade motor in the US market? Think you’ll get a preview on those too. That presence sensor could be a game changer for automations with its detection zones.
I am very invested into Aqara, I have many of their devises, but the lack of vertical camera kills this one for me. I'm super bummed, I was really hoping this camera had vertical video.
My doorbell doesn’t record my voice (through iPhone/iPad) while talking to a visiter. Recording video or visiter’s voice is normal. Shane, or anyone, do you experience this?
Another great video! I would also prefer the vertical view so I can see the person's head and packages. Also, can I borrow your demo unit? lol I'm still on a August Doorbell Cam Gen1
I am curious about the online/offline issue of the doorbell. Most probably there has been a few firmware upgrades since the recording of this video. Does the offline issue still exist? Or has it resolved? I have the same issue with the eufy cameras and it bothers me so much i decided to change the doorbell and security cameras of eufy, because eufy wont fix this problem, since they dropped HomeKit support with their new cameras and customer support is also very bad at eufy.
Do you or anyone know of any anti theft door mounts that would fit this? I use one for my ring when I travel. I like to put them on my hotel door. Good for not having to drill or stick to the property walls
Shane, does your HomePod announce who’s at the door using face recognition? Mine has announced 3-5 times in like 2 years. It’s identifying them in the HKSV recordings feed so it’s spotting people. Just not announcing. Super weird. Others complain that it doesn’t work too on redit, etc. can’t find the fix.
Hi Shane, do you know how to temporarily disable the forced dismantle alarm when changing the batteries? The option to disable it was in the aqara app before I updated the firmware; its no longer available. Please share if you have any idea!
I love my Aqara products (cameras, water sensors, etc) but since the day I bought my G2H’s have had that HomeKit connection issue. We’ve moved during the time we’ve had them to, so it wasn’t Internet related, and as you mentioned they still function in the Aqara app. It’s entirely random but I’ll end up with a ton of notifications from the cameras about connections lost, then connected again. I’ve never had any other HKSV cameras so I’m not sure if it happens with others. Disappointing, but I still love them for their price point and will likely give this a shot.
Can this record 24/7 AND record motion-activated segments to HSV at the same time? Or is it one or the other? Also can you view 24/7 recordings on the SD card away from home? If so, can this be viewed on the Apple Home app or only the Aqara app?
I cannot ad my Aqara Doorbell G4 to my Aqara home app ! The app does not recognise my doorbell ! The app always wants me to ad my doorbell to Apples Homekit but i do not want to do this for the moment !
Have had my Aqara doorbell for 3 days now. Horizontal image is good. For now, I'm using it on batteries. Il live on a fairly busy road in the city, so put it on eco mode. Curious how long the batteries will live. Oh yes, I can't find anywhere how to make an automation "when the doorbell rings"....great video thanks!
You can create an automation in the Aqara app when the doorbell button is pressed. If you want to create an automation based on that in HomeKit, you need to use a 3rd party homekit app like Eve or Home+.
Hi guys. Very sad that a doorbell does not expose to HomeKit the main purpose of it, which is to press the button 🙄 Do you know if this will be exposed anytime soon? (I use an Aqara bulb to turnaround this limitation)
I’ve had the same problems with my Wemo video doorbell. It keeps dropping offline for a min or 2. Some nights it drops offline for as much as 2 hours. I thought it was a Wi-Fi issue but signal was 5 nars at the doorbell. Thought it was a wiring issue but I see no signs of actual power loss. Looks like the HomeKit integration for doorbells might just be buggy
Nice one fella, been waiting for 🇬🇧 release date so appreciate this with a nice discount 👍 *ordered it before even watching the video * 😳 it’s ok though I’m desperate for a non-wired battery HomeKit enabled doorbell so this will have to do!!
I have been using the Logitech doorbell camera for a few years now. It has some major drawbacks but I experience the same connectivity issue within HomeKit, problem is the Logitech is only available within HomeKit. At least with this one you have a backup you can access the footage in. I don't like the camera angle in this one though, the Logitech has the vertical view which actually does seem better. Would be curious to see a direct comparison with pros and cons.
Ok so do they provide a transformer in case you need it like ring did? Also, does the house doorbell still work? Or do you need to use the chime only as the new doorbell chime?
This is the first HKSV doorbell available in EU so it doesn’t really have competition here. But yeah I’d prefer 3:4 vertical video. My current doorbell is 9:16 vertical and that’s too much, it even breaks the Home app’s doorbell notification UI and I have to scroll to get to my door lock and other buttons. Were HK connectivity issues happening on battery or when hardwired too?
Their website says Aqara Doorbell now supports a NAS. Have you tried it with your Synology? Can you save recordings to your NAS? Have you heard if it's going to support Matter?
I’ve been waiting for this to come out but why can’t they ever make anything in white? My front door gets beat on by the sun and my circle view door bell constantly over heats. I was wanting to switch to this one but I only assume it will do the same thing.
The disconnection issues and horizontal feed unfortunately are deal breakers for me. I was so excited for this and it would have been my first Aqara product if it just had those issues resolved. Hopefully their innovation will inspire even more competition in the doorbell market…but I guess my ring will get replaced with logitechs doorbell for now
Horizontal feed would cover more of our front porch and the neighborhood including people walking up from our driveway on the side, but your examples of missing heads and not being able to see packages are very critical! Great video, thanks!
hard to say for sure but I think he mounted the G4 a little low, it looks like people are reaching down to press the button, if it were at about chest height this would solve the missing heads.
as for packages, well presumably we saw a delivery guy on camera/received a notification so it's not really a problem imo.
Great video tho I'm probably gonna get one thanks!
I agree, I prefer landscape viewing. I think the problem is his camera placement.
Bought it just after midnight on a leap of faith after waiting months… still feeling good after watching your review. I’m wondering if 16.4 will resolve the HomeKit quirks. I’d also prefer the vertical camera perspective but that’s not a dealbreaker for me. I need to get out of my Ring HELL!!! Thank you as always, Shane!
Added: arrived today. Zero issues installing, zero issues in use thus far. I have mine direct wired. Second one ordered. 👍
If they made a smaller version only for hardwiring and improved the camera quality dramatically, I would buy this.
I’d say they have work to do if they want to compete with other doorbells out there.
On Reddit most of the issue with connect and disconnecting oddly only happen to those hardwired not batteries
We ended up exchanging this model for the slimmer version th-cam.com/users/postUgkx0jZ_lGlDVJhDnmagEU8gn47cmfPNlLQU because it was too wide for the only door trim area that made sense to mount it on. However, we should have just noted the dimensions prior to purchasing. Otherwise, we love the doorbell. It works perfectly, and the video is very clear, even at night.
Who needs tech support when you have a garbage bin? Aqara doorbell back in action after a quick toss. Thanks for the adventure, Aqara!
If this performed better with HomeKit, had better dynamic range, and was in portrait or could display a square video that was the best of portrait and landscape, I'd argue it was perfect. Honestly, a rechargeable battery inside would be awesome too. It would be great in wired mode if the battery just took care of itself for power outage and dismantled scenarios. I'm glad the AAs can serve as backup to the wired connection. This is so close to perfect, but I think I'll wait until the next version.
I don’t get why it’s so big. They have a sweet thin stylish door lock and they pair it with something that looks like it was designed in the 80’s. Looks like the iPod Classic.
It’s because of the AA batteries that it takes but yeah I agree
This may already been asked for but does it come with a notification on apple watch WITH a picture of who is at the door or/and then a tap for direct online communication with who is at the door?
Video on a Thursday! Awesome review as always. Thanks for your help.
Thanks for watching!
Anyone know can it be shared between 2 appartments.. ie i building 2 apartments and would like to have door bell at the entrance
Excellent review! I currently have an Arlo wire free which is about 5 months old and having issues with battery life and a recent update just loops. I receive my Aqara Doorbell tomorrow. I've wanted HomeKit integration forever. Arlo has promised it for a year and a half but so far no avail. As with any doorbell camera there are tradeoffs. Looking forward to getting mine. As always your reviews are EXCELLENT.
So what do you think of it? I am thinking of buying it
Thank you for the review. While I would love to change out my Ring doorbell, the problems with integration with HomeKit is currently a show stopper. Hopefully that will be corrected in the future. Also horizontal view is much preferred over the wide view.
The connection issue is likely due to the fact that you might need a more powerful transformer; I know for Ring and Eufy, I didn't have an issue, but when I upgraded to a more powerful smart doorbell, I needed a better transformer because I was getting those same disconnect/connect notifications
Thanks for the comment. I don't think that's the case, because it's working great in the Aqara app. And I've had the same issues on battery only. It's only HomeKit that gives me problems. And my other hardwired HK doorbells have worked fine. Great point tho for others who may be experiencing issues when hardwired.
@@ShaneCreates Ever had something like this with a Netatmo camera. After completely resetting and reinstalling never had a problem again. So maybe give it a try….
@@ShaneCreatesI have the same problem with my G2 pro’s. I went ahead and got an absolute steal on eBay, a brand new G4 for £25. I have dropouts on all 3 cameras but they all show up in the Aqara app.
Wonderfully detailed and comprehensive review, Shane. The doorbell seems to have added in a bunch of niceties but failed to polish the necessities. I am not a fan of the wide-angled doorbells for all of the reasons you have noted: missing heads and missing packages. I don’t see why adding in a a doorbell that can switch between the modes by pivoting the camera 90/-90 degrees. I also appreciated the overall fair critiques.
One oddity I don’t think Aqara considered was the cumulative effect of asking their reviewers to launch their videos on the same day. Each review hit on many of the same negatives: horizontal video, poor video quality, and some level of HK.
Questions: 1- It will be in the direct rain and wind... to choice about that... will that be a problem?
2- LOVE the 24/7 recording... Is is possible to show 24/7 display on the inside of my house, on an iPad?
Thank you for all the detail in your videos!!!!
I bought it one Day 1 and I'm loving it. It does everything as promised. My ONLY nitpick, is that I wish it came with a flat plate for installation. We live in an Apartment so that would have really helped since I'm worrying about using the adhesive and ripping the paint off the door.
Glad to hear you like it! Couldn't you just screw in the back plate, not using the sticky tape, without using the wedge?
Literally buying one for my apartment. How was the installation for you? Any suggestions for apartment doors?
soooo, personally Id love a small section at the end of your videos when comparing different items in the same category and even give a top 3 each time. All doorbell cameras, all sensors, etc. Love your videos and treat them as gold!!! What is your top rated doorbell camera? Im kinda leaning towards the Logitech so far.
Thank you for the honest review. You almost seem deflated that this product doesn’t live up to your expectations. How does a video doorbell make it to market that chops off heads and packages from view? That’s a big miss for me. I literally hate my Google Nest Hello (1st gen with dead defective internal battery so every time the button is pressed it goes offline). I have been waiting for a great Apple Home(kit) video doorbell to hit the market. This one checks nearly every box -but the missing heads and missing packages is a dealbreaker. You covered the temperature range but I am wondering if this device suffers from direct sunlight and goes offline as some of the other options on the market? I enjoy your content. Thanks.
Hey Shane, watching a lot of your stuff - one of the best HomeKit channels out there. Keep up the good work
Thank so much for the support! 🙏🏼
Just add this for my back door, so far connectivity has been good and have not seen disconnecting from WiFi as you have described. Will let it go for few days. By the way, I opted for wired option, maybe that has some thing to do with the connectivity since it has the constant handshake with the hub. I have the Logitech in my front entrance, so far, I am fine with either orientation. Being at my back door, the walk way is few steps down, I was able to get the full frontal of anyone ring the doorbell. But I can see your point if this was installed in front entrance, the vertical image is definitely preferred. Thanks again for your review as always.
Thanks for sharing your experience Howard. Good to hear you haven't had any connection issues. I had the same issues when testing on both battery only and hardwired. And again, no issues in the Aqara app, only HomeKit. Hoping it gets better but again, glad to hear all is good with you!
Thanks @Shane great video as usual !!!!!!! just a very quick question
With a Google nest hub you can watch the live stream of the doorbell right ? But are you able to receive the g4 notifications with the image of who is ringing your doorbell through the Google nest hub as well ? I’m running the G4 Chinese version
Were the homekit connection issues ever fixed?
anything fixed from cons mentioned in this video?
My partner and I rent so this doorbell is a winner for us. Set it up yesterday and have no gripes with it thus far :)
Great to hear!
It’s been almost a year and I just got this device I love it took me 10 minutes to set it up love that updates by now has improved this device and because I have no doorbell at all this was perfect all I did was stick it up lol 😂
Great to hear. Thanks for sharing!
Can you update this with how to hook up the repeater? They do not include a plug or other way to connect and it is required. Thanks.
This will be my first HomeKit doorbell ( had eufy and currently have ring using scrypted) Looking forward to seeing how this works out and for the price the risk is low. I prefer the horizontal view because of how my home is situated but can see how with your setup vertical would be appreciated. Great review as always!
I have Ring and I hate it. The chime keeps going offline and won't easily reconnect.
Great video. I have ordered one of these and hope that the homekit integration is better for my situation.
I had to return mine as it broke down after 6months of use, and I found the battery only held for 3weeks or so, even when using rechargeable NiMh batteries or higher quality Energiser Lithium batteries. I went back to using Ring which seems more effective but would like to get a HomeKit enabled battery enabled wireless doorbell.
Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 Shane. Love your vids and learning a bunch. One addition: in Europe (Netherlands at least) a lot of doors on older houses are recessed in brick walls. For my dad’s situation this means the screw that fixes the camera to the backplate cannot be secured as the wall is in the way. That’s a big miss. I guess also for others.
Also, one request. I loved that episode where you made your grandpa’s house more secure. I’m currently trying to do that for my 88 year old dad. Any follow up videos on this topic would be greatly appreciated. All the best.
Living in a typical Dutch house too, installed it flawlessly using a wera mini rachet. You could consider the wera mini rachet set as it is useful in countless situations!
I see that I can trigger an Apple TV display of the camera with a doorbell button push. Can it do the same on an iPhone or Watch? What about motion detection?
Thank you Shane for very innovative review- the best HomeKit channel.
Wow, thanks!
Is the IR bulb up high somehow attached to the door cam unit, shadows too strong for no additional light bulb.
batteries last a couple weeks for this camera, small motion zone, ended up hardwiring it
Can this g4 do automation that if it detect a selected face. Your Aqara door lock installed on your door would unlock aswell?
About to order it to play with it. I would prefer vertical to horizontal. But let’s see how it works. Thanks Shane!!
Awesome video. Do you know what happens if the Wifi cuts out? I know recordings can't be uploaded or synced with phone because that needs wifi and internet, but are the recordings still recorded to the SD card? - if so, how are they accessed later?
I purchased the video doorbell but have been unsuccessful fetting through set up. Do I also need to purchase the hub for it to work? I only have the doorbell video and the chime. Please, advice.
Just to clarify, when in HKSV mode, the 24/7 local recording is still possible? When hard wired ofc. Thanks Shane! It’s indeed a pity that it’s not a vertical ratio.
Yes, that is correct.
@@ShaneCreates Thanks! Orderd Mine today. The Logitech is NA in The Netherlands
Can an automation be created that triggers when the Aqara doorbell is run? Or is the only option to trigger an automation when the Aqara doorbell detects motion? If only the latter is possible, then can the field be limited so only someone directly in front of the doorbell camera is detected?
Is it possible to connect the Ring solar charger directly to the Aqara doorbell for reduced battery dependency?
Does the home app support preview images notifications on Apple Watch??
I was excited at the beginning of the Video and then when I saw the pixelation, poor night vision and the decision to use horizontal camera instead of vertical completely put me off! :)
Great review.
Gday Shane, got mine about 3 weeks ago in Australia. Pro’s definitely out weigh the con’s. Love the pop up on the Apple TV 4K from the doorbell and the event icons on the HK timeline plus the AI detection. Haven’t had any issues with wifi signal in HK app that you mentioned.
Thanks for sharing Craig. Glad to hear you are happy with it!
@@ShaneCreates Hi Shane. That code doesn’t seem to be working anymore on Amazon Canada. Anyway to get it extended as I like to try this as an upgrade to our old gen 1 Ring Pro. Thanks!
have you checked how relaible notifications are? most of my other battery powered cameras miss 40% of motions..
This one caught every motion by my front door today didn't miss a thing and if you change the delayed recording to 0 secs instead of 3 secs you will catch the full video clip and not just the person walking away
Saw the pros and cons… if not this camera which other HomeKit camera is recommended that works with Apple TV.
Can you please provide the dimensions of the doorbell? I'm trying to buy a mounting box (clamp) to mount it to my door because my apt does not allow us to mount doorbells. Thanks.
New doorbell. Have yet been able to activate steam & record to HKSV. I've tried batteries only, hard wire power only, and both. Firmware is current at 4.04. MacOS, iOS, AppleTVOS and homepod mini OS are all current. I've removed and reset the device a few times. I've added it with the app that launches HomeKit and just the Aqara app first and then HomeKit. I've tinkered with different detection settings. I do know HKSV works for me as I have an iCloud 2TB plan and can stream a Wyze camera with RSTP through Scrypted. But I'd rather drop the server running Scrypted, so I am hoping to get this setup working. Any other suggestions for troubleshooting beyond what I have have tried? Any setting I may have missed? I also sent a support request to Aqara.
Great info Shane, lots of great features and I agree I would not like the horizontal view. A deal breaker for me is the width of the G4 as I only have 2” width to install it. I will hang on to my old Ring door bell until something better comes around.
Thanks for watching Pat!
Still confused. If I hardwire this device will. it trigger my chime doorbell? or do I still use the little speaker. I want to NOT use a little speaker. I want my chimes to activate on press.
Very informative video, thanks for that. I'd have to test it along side the Ring doorbell we have now. A big thing I like about the Rind is that it shows us the floor in front of the door, so we can see packages that have been left there.
The G4 may still work with where we have our doorbell mounted, but would have to test. Thanks again for the video
Thanks for watching!
Hi Shane, is it possible to change ringing options cause notification sound is same as movement detection and all notifications on iPhone and I don't notify that someone was pressing button when I'm away
Hi Shane
In your opinion, what is the best exterior doorbell for homekit? does any one allow remote door opening? Thanks
I know this is an old video but I just got the doorbell. Hoping you can help! I hardwired it and it’s working fine and when I went into the doorbell settings it has me choose between 50hz and 60hz. It defaulted to 50hz and is working fine. Is there anything I should be changing? I live in US.
Great review of the G4. Hopefully the bugs get worked out over time for connectivity issues.
Curious to know if the hub is actually interchangeable with other hubs of the same company so that less hubs/speakers are managed
Does recording fail if no internet, power failed or router powered on?
Hello Shane, how are you? Hope you're fine! Wondering if there is any way to make an automation in which my aqara doorbell recognizes that my mother or my father is at the door and my homepod plays “your mother is at the door”. Or something like this … Cheers from Brazil!
I currently have Ring doorbell & want something to use with homekit. I have reviewed both Aqara & Logitech. What would you recommend?
As this needs to be within 5m of the chime I assume it needs the chime to work? If that’s correct how will it work in a power outage? The chime is mains supplied and for most people so is their Wi-Fi so pretty much it’s all dead isn’t it?
Very informative videos. My problem with Aqara g4 is after just a few week the hard wire stop working. Only work on battery supply. I connect to a 24v wall ac adapter still not working. Any idea what might be the problem
Thanks for watching. I’m not sure about this. I would contact Aqara customer support. Maybe it’s a faulty unit.
Thanks for taking your time to look into this.
Question of the day? Would i be better off getting the newer nest doorbell wired with starling hub. or get aqara with homekit. from what i heard package detetion is trash on aqara. Video quality is great on nest. Thoughts Shane? what am i losing by going to nest vs aqara as they both technically work with homekit.
Thanks for the warning about the 5m distance between doorbell and chime, just canceled my order. It seems I will go with logitech.
Great review as always! But does anyone know how this doorbell holds in direct sunlight in the sense of overheating? I now have a Logitech Circle View and although I love it from a quality perspective it is just crap in direct sunlight. In the summer if always turns itself off because of overheating around 15.00 - 17.00 and (rain?) water also made it inside the device, it still works but the device enclosure looks terrible now. I am thinking of buying this device as a replacement but I need to know if this one doesn't overheat so quickly in direct sunlight...
Ordered! Any insight on when we could see the FP2 presence sensor and the E1 roller shade motor in the US market? Think you’ll get a preview on those too. That presence sensor could be a game changer for automations with its detection zones.
Question, does it crash randomly like Logistech/Wemo? And a lot of the time, Logitech would not pick up a package from the delivery guy...
Shane your videos are so informative and helpful regarding the homekit ecosystem
Does it work with your normal hardwired doorbell chimes or do you need to use the speaker?
I am very invested into Aqara, I have many of their devises, but the lack of vertical camera kills this one for me. I'm super bummed, I was really hoping this camera had vertical video.
My doorbell doesn’t record my voice (through iPhone/iPad) while talking to a visiter. Recording video or visiter’s voice is normal. Shane, or anyone, do you experience this?
Another great video! I would also prefer the vertical view so I can see the person's head and packages. Also, can I borrow your demo unit? lol I'm still on a August Doorbell Cam Gen1
Quick question, can you do automation where if your door opens the speaker on this doorbell will chime like the speakers on their hubs?
Yes, as long as you have an Aqara Door sensor on the door.
If it’s hardwired will it still sound the original home doorbell chime or does it only play on the one it comes with?
I am curious about the online/offline issue of the doorbell. Most probably there has been a few firmware upgrades since the recording of this video. Does the offline issue still exist? Or has it resolved? I have the same issue with the eufy cameras and it bothers me so much i decided to change the doorbell and security cameras of eufy, because eufy wont fix this problem, since they dropped HomeKit support with their new cameras and customer support is also very bad at eufy.
Do you or anyone know of any anti theft door mounts that would fit this? I use one for my ring when I travel. I like to put them on my hotel door. Good for not having to drill or stick to the property walls
Shane, does your HomePod announce who’s at the door using face recognition?
Mine has announced 3-5 times in like 2 years. It’s identifying them in the HKSV recordings feed so it’s spotting people. Just not announcing.
Super weird. Others complain that it doesn’t work too on redit, etc. can’t find the fix.
Hi Shane, do you know how to temporarily disable the forced dismantle alarm when changing the batteries? The option to disable it was in the aqara app before I updated the firmware; its no longer available. Please share if you have any idea!
I love my Aqara products (cameras, water sensors, etc) but since the day I bought my G2H’s have had that HomeKit connection issue. We’ve moved during the time we’ve had them to, so it wasn’t Internet related, and as you mentioned they still function in the Aqara app. It’s entirely random but I’ll end up with a ton of notifications from the cameras about connections lost, then connected again. I’ve never had any other HKSV cameras so I’m not sure if it happens with others. Disappointing, but I still love them for their price point and will likely give this a shot.
Can this record 24/7 AND record motion-activated segments to HSV at the same time? Or is it one or the other? Also can you view 24/7 recordings on the SD card away from home? If so, can this be viewed on the Apple Home app or only the Aqara app?
When I try to make a scene with the Aqara SMDB it does dot show up in my list of accessories :|
How can I only get notifications on HomeKit an not the Aqara app.?
I cannot ad my Aqara Doorbell G4 to my Aqara home app ! The app does not recognise my doorbell ! The app always wants me to ad my doorbell to Apples Homekit but i do not want to do this for the moment !
Have had my Aqara doorbell for 3 days now. Horizontal image is good. For now, I'm using it on batteries. Il live on a fairly busy road in the city, so put it on eco mode. Curious how long the batteries will live. Oh yes, I can't find anywhere how to make an automation "when the doorbell rings"....great video thanks!
You can create an automation in the Aqara app when the doorbell button is pressed. If you want to create an automation based on that in HomeKit, you need to use a 3rd party homekit app like Eve or Home+.
@@ShaneCreates OK thanks! I didn't find it right away!
Hi guys. Very sad that a doorbell does not expose to HomeKit the main purpose of it, which is to press the button 🙄
Do you know if this will be exposed anytime soon? (I use an Aqara bulb to turnaround this limitation)
Does the chime stay online and if it goes offline does it reconnect? I have a Ring Chime that totally sucks at that.
Would love a comparison on the Aqara G4 vs Nest Doorbell (via Starling) for best HKSV doorbell!
Do you think in the future you will have a video on how to make your own ringtone for this doorbell?
I’ve had the same problems with my Wemo video doorbell. It keeps dropping offline for a min or 2. Some nights it drops offline for as much as 2 hours. I thought it was a Wi-Fi issue but signal was 5 nars at the doorbell. Thought it was a wiring issue but I see no signs of actual power loss. Looks like the HomeKit integration for doorbells might just be buggy
Nice one fella, been waiting for 🇬🇧 release date so appreciate this with a nice discount 👍
*ordered it before even watching the video * 😳 it’s ok though I’m desperate for a non-wired battery HomeKit enabled doorbell so this will have to do!!
I hope you like it! 😃
How do I get the HomeKit, to pop-up with a notifikation when the doorbell is pushed ?
Until now, it only pop-up with Aqara
Make sure your home app notifications are turned on as well as your notifications for the specific camera
I have been using the Logitech doorbell camera for a few years now. It has some major drawbacks but I experience the same connectivity issue within HomeKit, problem is the Logitech is only available within HomeKit. At least with this one you have a backup you can access the footage in. I don't like the camera angle in this one though, the Logitech has the vertical view which actually does seem better. Would be curious to see a direct comparison with pros and cons.
Ok so do they provide a transformer in case you need it like ring did? Also, does the house doorbell still work? Or do you need to use the chime only as the new doorbell chime?
No transformer included. House doorbell still works if you hard-wire it.
This is the first HKSV doorbell available in EU so it doesn’t really have competition here. But yeah I’d prefer 3:4 vertical video. My current doorbell is 9:16 vertical and that’s too much, it even breaks the Home app’s doorbell notification UI and I have to scroll to get to my door lock and other buttons.
Were HK connectivity issues happening on battery or when hardwired too?
My issues were both on battery and hardwired.
I can't find anywhere what size of micro ssd is needed to save at least 7 days of continuous recording. Do you have this info?
Their website says Aqara Doorbell now supports a NAS. Have you tried it with your Synology? Can you save recordings to your NAS? Have you heard if it's going to support Matter?
I’ve been waiting for this to come out but why can’t they ever make anything in white? My front door gets beat on by the sun and my circle view door bell constantly over heats. I was wanting to switch to this one but I only assume it will do the same thing.
Any lag in the 2-way talk? Is performance on homekit with 2-way talk as good as in the native app? Thanks!
Hey Shane, does the native aqara app notifications have thumbnail pictures for the doorbell?
The disconnection issues and horizontal feed unfortunately are deal breakers for me. I was so excited for this and it would have been my first Aqara product if it just had those issues resolved. Hopefully their innovation will inspire even more competition in the doorbell market…but I guess my ring will get replaced with logitechs doorbell for now
Logitec Circle View also has disconnection issues, a lot of people is complaining about that...
Thoughts on running 2 doorbells(front and side door)? Wondering if one chime can use both. Prob can make it work on the Apple TV/HomePods
Sure I think it would be fine.