Pros & Cons
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- Sharp 2K video
- Useful AI motion alerts
- Built-in video storage
- Dual-band Wi-Fi
- Works across multiple platforms
- Matter, Thread, and Zigbee connectivity
- Supports IFTTT
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- Some features require a subscription
Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro Specs
| Alarm | |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth |
| Connectivity | Ethernet |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi |
| Connectivity | ZigBee |
| Field of View | 133 |
| Integrations | Amazon Alexa |
| Integrations | Apple HomeKit |
| Integrations | Google Assistant |
| Integrations | IFTTT |
| Integrations | Samsung SmartThings |
| Night Vision | |
| Resolution | 2K |
| Storage | Cloud |
| Storage | Local |
| Two-Way Audio |
The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro ($179.99) may look like a typical outdoor security camera, but it’s what’s inside that makes it special. In addition to providing sharp 2K video and color night vision, it is equipped with the latest smart home technology, enabling it to serve as a hub with support for the Matter, Thread, and Zigbee protocols. That means it works with the Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings ecosystems. We also appreciate its AI-powered motion detection (including face and vehicle recognition), dual-band Wi-Fi, free embedded local video storage, and IFTTT support. Its power cable could be longer, and you need a paid subscription to unlock some key features, but the G5 Pro’s versatility and performance easily earn it our Editors’ Choice award.
Design: Compact and Weatherproof
Available in gray or white, the G5 Pro measures 2.7 by 2.7 by 3.5 inches (HWD) and has an IP65 weatherproof rating. It comes with a preinstalled hinged mounting bracket that lets you position the camera at any angle, or you can use it as a desktop stand. Behind the removable rear panel is a reset button plus two QR codes, one for Apple HomeKit and the other for the Aqara app (available for Android and iOS).
The bottom of the enclosure has a speaker and a USB-C power port. The G5 comes with a 6.6-foot USB-C to USB-C cable, but this is way too short for an outdoor camera (unless you are installing it right next to a GFCI outlet). You’ll likely need to buy a longer cable from a third party, and you have to supply your own power adapter as well.
If you'd rather go completely wireless, the $119.99 TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam is worth considering. It includes a rechargeable 10,000mAh lithium-ion battery that can last up to 300 days between charges, depending on usage. It also supports solar charging via the $39.99 Tapo A200 Solar Panel, so you can avoid the need to recharge it, which is especially helpful if you're mounting it somewhere hard to reach.
The front of the G5 Pro camera is glossy black and holds the lens assembly, a PIR (passive infrared) motion sensor, a spotlight, a microphone, and an LED indicator that glows solid blue when the camera is online and working properly, flashes blue while connecting to a network, and flashes yellow during firmware updates.
Camera and Smart Features: Well Equipped and Fully Connected
Video is captured at 2K (2,688 by 1,520) resolution and has a 133-degree field of view. The camera doesn’t have any infrared LEDs and thus does not support black-and-white night vision; instead, it uses the spotlight for full-color night vision. The TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam also captures video at 2K resolution, has a wider 150-degree field of view, and supports black-and-white night vision using built-in infrared LEDs or color night vision using its spotlights. If you've got a large area you'd like to monitor, you might also want to consider the $199.99 Eufy SoloCam S340 Wireless Outdoor Security Camera. It offers dual cameras, 3K resolution from the wide-angle camera and 2K from the telephoto camera, a built-in solar panel, and mechanical pan and tilt.
Inside, the G5 Pro is packed with connectivity features, including Zigbee and Bluetooth radios, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Thread and Matter technologies. It acts as a Thread border router, so you can use it as a hub for a Thread network, and it also serves as a Matter controller, so you can easily integrate it with the Alexa, Google, HomeKit, and SmartThings home automation platforms. No other security camera we've tested offers such comprehensive smart home connectivity.
The hub also connects to other Aqara devices such as door locks, lights, and security sensors, and IFTTT support allows it to work with scores of third-party smart home devices. Finally, Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) support allows you to send video to servers and NAS devices. For those who prefer a wired network connection, a Power over Ethernet (PoE) model is also available for $199.99.
When it detects motion, the G5 Pro will capture video and store it for free locally using 8GB of built-in flash memory. It offers AI-powered motion detection and alerts for animals, delivered packages, people, and individual faces and vehicles. It can also alert you if it detects a lens obstruction, people lingering in view, or certain sounds like an alarm or a baby crying.
If you require more storage, a HomeGuardian plan gives you 90 days of unlimited video storage, plus alarm notifications and the ability to filter, download, and share event videos. The $4.99 per month/$49.99 per year plan covers a single camera, and the $9.99 per month/$99.99 per year plan covers an unlimited number of cameras.
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(Credit: Aqara/PCMag)The camera uses the same mobile app as the Aqara Smart Lock U100 we reviewed last year, and appears on the home screen along with any other installed devices from the brand. Tap the camera panel to open a live stream that can be viewed in full screen by turning your phone sideways. On the lower edge of the video panel are buttons for putting the camera to sleep, initiating two-way talk, manually taking a photo or recording a video, and pausing the live stream.
At the bottom half of the home screen is the control panel. Here you’ll find buttons for turning the spotlight on and off and enabling face and vehicle recognition, various motion detection options (animal, lens obstruction, lingerer, package, and/or person), and sound detection. At the very bottom of the screen are buttons for starting a live video and viewing a timeline of events. Each event is color-coded: blue for pet, orange for person or vehicle, red for a sound alert. Tap the three dots in the bottom right corner of the video panel to download, delete, or share the clip.
To access the camera settings, tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen. Here, you'll find options for adding known faces and vehicles to your library, configuring video, sound, time-lapse recording, and local storage settings, and setting up HomeKit and Matter.
Back at the home screen, there’s an automations button that allows you to have the camera interact with other Aqara devices, a profile button for viewing account and subscription information, and an accessories button that lists all of your installed Aqara devices.
Performance: Sharp, Reliable Surveillance
Installation is straightforward. I downloaded the Aqara app, created an account, and plugged in the camera. I tapped the plus icon in the upper right corner of the home screen to add an accessory, and the app immediately recognized the camera. I scanned the Aqara QR code, selected my Wi-Fi SSID, and entered my password. I gave the camera a name and assigned it a location, and it was successfully added to the app.
Next, I followed the on-screen instructions to connect the camera to my HomeKit account. Once that was set up, I used the HomeKit option to copy a setup code to add the camera to my Alexa account. To complete the setup, I took the camera outside, attached it to the front of my house using the included mounting hardware, and plugged it into a nearby GFCI outlet.
The G5 Pro performed wonderfully in testing. The camera delivered sharp, colorful 2K video during the day and equally crisp video at night. Nighttime color quality was better than average, thanks to the bright spotlight, but still not on par with daytime color quality.
Motion alerts were accurate and arrived instantly. Special motion detection features such as face recognition and vehicle recognition worked as intended, as did the linger alert and lens obstruction features.
The G5 Pro did a fine job of following my Alexa voice commands to stream video to an Amazon Echo Show smart display, and my Alexa routine to have the camera trigger a U-tec Smart Plug worked every time. I had no trouble accessing and controlling the camera using the Alexa app and the Apple Home app, and it fit seamlessly into my HomeKit scenes. I created an automation in the Aqara app to have an Aqara Lock U100 when the camera detected an unfamiliar face, and it worked perfectly.