I replaced my Ring with this outdoor security camera – and there’s no subscription required
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For a limited time, the Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro is one I can genuinely get behind. This security camera is unique because it can double as a smart home hub and is Aqara’s first outdoor security camera.
The G5 Pro is a Thread border router and a Matter controller and has Zigbee support for Aqara devices that require a hub. You can buy this Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro to surveil your home and add other Aqara devices without buying a separate hub.
I have two Aqara hubs in my home, an Aqara Hub M2, that the newer Aqara Hub M3 replaced. This camera is enough to replace both of them — and surveil inside or outside my house.
This isn’t the first Aqara camera to double as a smart home hub. Aqara already has the Camera Hub G3, a 1080p indoor camera. The new G5 Pro, however, is the first time Aqara is bringing a hub to the outside of the home, as this security camera is weatherproof, and the first Aqara outdoor camera, aside from its video doorbells.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
With local RTSP access, you can use video server software via Home Assistant, Frigate, or Blue Iris to record and manage your footage locally. RTSP lets you store video locally on a NAS (network-attached storage) or SMB (server message block), bypassing cloud storage subscriptions. Of course, when you use Home Assistant to manage your camera, you can more easily customize your existing smart home devices and set up alerts without relying on Aqara’s cloud services.
I run a HomeKit smart home and use Apple Home as my central smart home controller. (Because I test smart home devices for a living, I also have Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings running.)
The G5 Pro camera is natively compatible with Apple Home with HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV), so it works seamlessly and swiftly through the Apple app. It’s also compatible with Alexa, Google, and SmartThings.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Using the camera’s AI recognition, you can automate functions — such as opening the garage when a specific vehicle approaches the house, prompting a camera response when a person has been lingering on your property, and triggering an alarm when the lens is obstructed.
The camera has four AI-powered audio recognition capacities, including crying, an alarm sound, barking, and coughing. These allow the camera to be used as more than security surveillance, as evidenced by the notifications I got of my toddler crying while grandma was babysitting.
