Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4

The Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 is a video doorbell with an unusually wide 162-degree lens, which is what lets it show a parcel left on the step directly below it rather than only the visitor’s face.

It can run on batteries or on existing doorbell wiring. That flexibility matters in flats and in older houses where there is no transformer behind the existing bell push.

What HomeKit Secure Video gives you

Secure Video moves the clever part of the camera onto hardware you own. A HomePod or an Apple TV in the house analyses the footage, and the clips go to iCloud encrypted end to end, where they do not count against your storage allowance.

In return you get person, animal, vehicle and package detection, activity zones so the camera ignores a busy pavement, and face recognition drawn from the People album in your own Photos library.

You need an iCloud+ plan for it. The 50 GB tier covers one camera, 200 GB covers five, and 2 TB removes the limit.

Apple Home carries the doorbell chime, the two-way audio and the Secure Video recordings. Aqara’s own face recognition and continuous recording run in the Aqara app alongside them.

Before you buy

Check the mounting height and the approach to your door. A wide lens helps, but a doorbell fitted too high still shows the tops of heads, and one fitted at the side of a recessed porch will mostly show the wall.

If you choose battery power, plan for taking the unit down to recharge it. If you wire it in, check the voltage of your existing bell transformer first.

The doorbell needs a chime unit indoors, and a HomePod or an Apple TV in the house for Secure Video.

Specifications