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Aqara is a leading manufacturer of HomeKit smart home devices. Window/door, temperature, motion and vibration sensors are among the items you can buy from them, but when you throw a device like the Camera Hub G2H Pro into the mix, you can now connect everything without needing a separate hub. That and some strong privacy and security features make this indoor security camera well worth a look.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Price and Availability
The Camera Hub G2H Pro is currently available on Amazon US for $69.99 and in any color you want as long as it’s white.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Specifications and Features
What I like about Aqara and this camera center is their attention to privacy features and ease of use. When you go to the Aqara Home app, you can tap the video settings and set the privacy area. Let’s say you are in a condominium and your children’s bedroom windows are on the first floor. You want to place a camera, but you don’t want it to be recorded, only the window. Tap the private occlusion area feature and you can use the grid to drag up to three areas on the screen that will place black bars over your recordings. No image or action/motion will be recorded in the closed area. You can even disable audio recording for even more privacy.
For a 1080P camera, the video is pretty good. There is better, but in the end HomeKit Secure Video will take all those 2k and 4k cameras and still record in 1080P. Mounted opposite a large sliding glass door, the light streaming from it washes out some of the detail on this side of the room, but you’ll deal with this to varying degrees from many cameras. Details in videos, such as writing on the wall and faces, are easily discernible up to about 20 feet away from the camera, but lose fine detail as you go further.
With support for Siri, Alexa, and Google Home, it’s a great camera for someone like me who primarily uses iOS, but whose wife prefers Google and Alexa. The use of Ark 2.0 makes it a unique option for the safe use of automation.
In short, Ark 2.0 allows some of your devices to connect to others via a mesh network and still run local automation even if the internet connection goes down. This is a critical security feature because there are malicious people who use Wi-Fi jammers to disable internet-connected cameras before breaking into a home. And these jammers are relatively easily available for those interested in committing property crimes.
In terms of connectivity, the G2H is 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only with a built-in Zigbee 3.0 hub. It is powered by a dated microUSB to USB-A cable.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Build and Appearance
The Camera Hub G2H Pro is a plastic affair, but I haven’t seen a ton of negative reviews or Reddit posts complaining about longevity. It’s smaller than Aqara’s G3 and E1, standing a tiny 3.24 inches tall and 2 inches wide unless you prop it up on the extendable base.
The bottom of the G2H Pro is equipped with a magnet that is strong enough to attach to many metal or iron surfaces. I mounted mine on an iron apron hook in my kitchen/dining room and it feels pretty solid there. You’ll also find a microSD slot on the bottom, which supports up to 512GB of storage, and a reset button next to it.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Easy to use
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro is easy to set up and use. After opening the box, you will find a micro USB to USB A cable, but no power adapter, 3M patch for mounting on various surfaces, manual, ejector tool and metal plate. I didn’t use a metal plate or 3M sticker for mounting; instead, I used a strong magnet to attach it to an apron hook mounted on the wall between the kitchen and dining room. The mount there was pretty secure and gave me a view of my dining area, living room and part of my kitchen.
Connecting the camera to Aqara and HomeKit was as easy as scanning a few QR codes and following the instructions, which took less than 10 minutes.
Once connected to Wi-Fi, you can browse the Aqara app and configure all privacy and security settings, automation, motion/abnormal sound detection and custom ringtone settings. Since Hub G2H Pro now supports Apple HomeKit Security, you can go into the Apple Home app and set up automations and notifications based on the four alarm modes supported in the app. With these alarm modes and motion or sound detection configured, you can use the available onboard storage, up to 512GB via microSD, to trigger video continuously 24/7 or on every alarm event. If you run it 24/7, you’ll get about a week’s worth of video.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Competition
At $69.99, the Camera Hub G2H Pro doesn’t really have a direct competitor, as it includes a Zigbee 3.0 hub. That said, for $40 more, you should check out Aqara’s Camera Hub G3.
The G3 Hub also supports connection with up to 128 Aqara smart home devices, but improves on all the features that the G2H Pro has, except image occlusion. The G3 also adds pan and tilt to the equation. And if the $40 difference seems steep, a quick look at historical pricing shows that the G3 has been on sale for $87.49 twice in the last four months, a difference of only ~$15.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Should you buy it?
You should buy it if…
- You are investing in the Aqara ecosystem
- You want a camera with great mounting options
- You want a camera with great privacy options
You should not buy this if…
- You want pan/tilt/zoom functionality
- You want a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Verdict
With a built-in Zigbee 3.0 hub, flexible mounting options, great privacy controls and good video, the Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro is a great choice for those who want to fill their home with wallet-friendly Aqara sensors and cameras. And the price of $69.99 for all of this isn’t bad either. Add to that HomeKit Security and Ark 2.0 support and you have a robust hub, camera and basic security system to help you keep an eye on and protect what’s dear to you.
If you’re just jumping into the market, I recommend checking out the newer Camera Hub G3, but you may not need everything it has to offer. Either way, G2H Pro is a good buy when building your smart home security.
Conclusion:
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro is packed with smart privacy features, looks good in daylight and dark, and can control up to 128 Aqara devices. You won’t find anything better at this price!