HomeKit Weekly: The Aqara G400 brings PoE and HomeKit Secure Video to your front door

When Aqara announced the Doorbell Camera G400 supported Power over Ethernet, it immediately caught my attention. PoE isn’t for everyone, but if you want it, you’ll likely ignore any option that doesn’t include it. Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 is great as a fallback, but absolutely nothing beats the 24/7 stability of wired cable. The Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 delivers that stability, along with local AI detection and a tall aspect ratio designed to spot packages. Let’s break down exactly what this doorbell brings to Apple Home users.

HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.

HomeKit Secure Video and technical trade-offs

The big feature for most of us is support for HomeKit Secure Video. This gives you an encrypted recording, face recognition tied to your Apple Photos library, and activity zones in the Home app. However, you have to keep the hardware limitations in mind. While the G400 is a 2K camera, Apple still limits HomeKit Secure Video to 1080p. If you use both the Aqara app and Apple Home simultaneously, the lower resolution applies to both platforms.

To get the most out of the G400 in Apple Home, you will need an iCloud+ subscription and a HomeKit hub (HomePod mini or Apple TV). While the resolution cap is frustrating, the trade-off is the seamless integration into the Apple ecosystem. You’ll get detailed notifications on your iPhone and Apple Watch, and you’ll be able to view the live feed on your Apple TV when someone rings the bell.

If the limitations of HKSV are starting to wear on you, Aqara has included support for RTSP and ONVIF, letting you send a high-quality stream to a Synology while still keeping the convenience of the Home app for daily use.

Head-to-toe video and local AI

Outside of the Apple Home integration, the actual camera hardware is built exactly for what a front door needs. The Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 has a 165-degree ultra-wide field of view with a 3:4 aspect ratio. A lot of older doorbells still use a 16:9 widescreen format, which is great for a standard security camera but terrible for seeing packages placed right against your door. Aqara also equipped the Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 with 940nm infrared LEDs for night vision.

The Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 handles person recognition and zone intrusion on the device without relying on a cloud connection. If you want to bypass the cloud entirely, you can record continuously 24/7 directly to a microSD card up to 512GB, and it will even automatically back up that local footage to a Synology or any SMB-compatible NAS.

Tech specs on the Aqara Doorbell Camera G400

Here is a breakdown of the hardware inside the doorbell:

• Resolution and field of view: 2K HD resolution with a 165-degree ultra-wide viewing angle. The 3:4 aspect ratio aims to provide a vertical, head-to-toe view that makes it easy to spot packages on the ground.
• Power and connectivity: It supports PoE, existing 8-24V AC/DC doorbell wiring, and dual-band Wi-Fi 6.
• Night vision: It uses 940nm infrared LEDs, which means it records clear video in the dark
• Weatherproofing: IP65 rated to handle wind, rain, and dust.
• Storage options: It supports local microSD cards up to 512GB for 24/7 continuous recording, along with automatic backups to a NAS.

Wrap-up on the Aqara Doorbell Camera G400

Finding a HomeKit Secure Video doorbell that checks every single box is nearly impossible, but the Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 gets incredibly close for a really strong price. By offering Power over Ethernet, Aqara solved the biggest pain point of a smart doorbell: getting a strong Wi-Fi signal outdoors. I have a brick house, so Wi-Fi outside can be a challenge because RF doesn’t penetrate it well.

I really want to see Apple evolve HomeKit Secure Video’s features, but until they do, you have to accept the trade-offs. I am getting to the point where I might look to a local NAS because, as manufacturers continue building great features that aren’t compatible with it, it starts to look less attractive.

You can buy the Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 on Amazon or learn more about it from Aqara.