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Aqara is a top-tier 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 add a device like the Camera Hub G2H Pro to the mix, you can now connect everything without needing a separate hub. That and some solid privacy and security features make this indoor security camera worth a closer look.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Price and availability
The Camera Hub G2H Pro is currently available on Amazon in the 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 hub is its attention to privacy features and its ease of use. By entering the Aqara Home app, you can access the video settings and set a privacy occlusion area. Let’s say you’re in a condo and your kids’ bedroom windows are on the first floor. You want to place a camera but you don’t want it to be recorded, just the window. Tap the Privacy Occlusion Area feature and, using a grid, you can drag up to three areas on the screen that will place black bars over your recordings. No image, action or movement will be recorded in the occluded area. You can even turn off audio recording for even more privacy.
For a 1080P camera, the video is pretty good. There are better things out there, but ultimately HomeKit Secure Video takes all those 2k and 4k cameras and records in 1080P anyway. Mounted in front of a large sliding glass door, the light coming through it blurs some details on that side of the room, but you’re going to be dealing with that from many cameras to varying degrees. Details in videos, such as letters in a picture on the wall, and faces are easy to make out about 20 feet from the camera, but the farther you go, they will lose fine details.
Compatibility with Siri, Alexa, and Google Home makes it 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 failsafe automation use.
Simply put, Ark 2.0 allows some of your devices to connect to others over a mesh network and still run local automation even if the internet connection goes down. This is a critical security feature because people with nefarious intentions use Wi-Fi jammers to disable Internet-connected cameras before breaking into a home. And those inhibitors are fairly easy to get hold of for those interested in committing property crimes.
In terms of connectivity, the G2H only has 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, with a built-in Zigbee 3.0 hub. It’s powered by an old-fashioned 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 many negative reviews or Reddit posts complaining about long-term durability. It’s smaller than Aqara’s G3 and E1, at a tiny 3.24 inches tall by 2 inches wide, unless you lift it up onto its extendable base.
The bottom of the G2H Pro features a magnet that is strong enough to stick to many metal or iron surfaces. I mounted mine on an iron apron hook in my kitchen/dining area, and it feels pretty solid there. Additionally, at the bottom you’ll find a microSD slot that supports up to 512GB of storage, and next to it, a reset button.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Ease of use
Aqara’s Camera Hub G2H Pro is easy to set up and use. Opening the box you find a micro USB to USB A cable but no power adapter, a 3M patch for mounting on various surfaces, the manual, an ejector tool, and a metal plate. I did not use the metal plate or 3M sticker for mounting; Instead, I used the powerful magnet to attach it to an apron hook mounted on the wall between my kitchen and dining room. The setup there felt pretty secure and gave me views of my dining room, living room, and a portion of my kitchen.
Connecting the camera to the Aqara app 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 access the Aqara app and configure all privacy and security settings, automation, motion/abnormal sound detection, and custom ringtones. Since the G2H Pro Hub now supports Apple HomeKit Security, you can access the Apple Home app and set up automation and alerts based on the four alarm modes supported in that app. With those alarm modes and any motion or sound detection configured, you can use the available built-in storage, up to 512GB via microSD, to play your video continuously 24/7 or per alarm event. You’ll get about a week’s worth of video if you run it 24/7.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Competition
At $69.99, the Camera Hub G2H Pro doesn’t really have a direct competitor because it includes the Zigbee 3.0 hub. That said, for $40 more you should take a look at Aqara’s Camera Hub G3.
The G3 Hub also supports connecting with up to 128 Aqara smart home devices, but improves on all the features the G2H Pro has except image occlusion. The G3 also adds roll and tilt to the equation. And if a $40 difference seems big, a quick look at historical prices shows that the G3 has been on sale twice in the last four months for $87.49, which is only a difference of ~$15.
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if…
- You are invested in the Aqara ecosystem
- You want a camera with great mounting options
- You want a camera with excellent privacy options
You shouldn’t buy it if…
- You want pan/tilt/zoom functionality
- You want 5 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity
Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro: verdict
A built-in Zigbee 3.0 hub, flexible mounting options, excellent privacy controls, and good video make the Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro a great option for those who want to fill their home with Aqara’s wallet-friendly sensors and camera options. And the $69.99 price tag for all that isn’t bad either. Add to that support for HomeKit Security and Ark 2.0 and you have a robust hub, camera, and basic security system to help you keep an eye on and protect what’s most valuable to you.
If you’re just entering the market, I suggest you look at the new Camera Hub G3, but you may not need everything it has to offer. Either way, the G2H Pro is a good buy for building your smart home security.
The final result:
The Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro is packed with smart privacy features, looks good in daylight and without light, and can control up to 128 Aqara devices. You won’t find much better at this price!
