This sleek doorbell camera is also a smart home hub

Aqara revealed the long-awaited update to its Video Doorbell G4 astatine CES this week, and it looks similar it’s been worthy the wait. The Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 adds 2K video quality, a 4:3 facet ratio, and end-to-end encryption connected unrecorded and recorded video. It is besides 1 of the archetypal doorbells to usage an mmWave sensor for much close idiosyncratic detection.

The G410 works implicit dual-band Wi-Fi and has Thread and Zigbee radios connected board. So — yes — it’s a full-on astute location hub. It tin link to and integrate some Aqara accessories and third-party Matter devices into your astute home.

Aqara is besides adding Real-Time Streaming Protocol enactment truthful you tin nonstop its provender locally to a third-party lawsuit specified arsenic Home Assistant. And this is each successful summation to features carried implicit from the G4, specified arsenic Apple Home compatibility (including HomeKit Secure Video support), on-device facial recognition, section storage, and the quality to enactment connected artillery (six AAs) oregon beryllium hardwired to your home’s wiring. When hardwired, it offers 24/7 continuous signaling to a microSD card.

The doorbell besides supports Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings to watercourse to compatible astute displays. It works with Aqara’s caller Panel Hub S1 Plus, which tin enactment arsenic a video intercom wrong your house.

There are a fewer disappointments, though. The tract of presumption is wider than the G4’s, astatine 172 degrees connected the diagonal, and it present offers a top-to-bottom 4:3 facet ratio, but the G410 doesn’t person HDR imaging, which means it whitethorn beryllium harder to spot faces successful immoderate lighting. Its upwind standing is inactive IPX3, meaning it truly needs to beryllium mounted nether a structure oregon thing akin to support against dense rainfall.

The doorbell’s astute alerts are constricted to radical and question — determination are nary package, animal, oregon conveyance alerts (but you tin get them done Apple Home). It besides lone records clips for up to 12 seconds astatine a time. Like the G4, the G410 won’t ringing your existing chime and inactive requires that you plug successful a tiny chime repeater to a adjacent powerfulness outlet. This tin location a microSD paper for section storage.

The G4 offered escaped unreality storage, but the G410 volition necessitate a subscription. Local retention is free, though, and you tin besides usage Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video work for recorded video. There’s nary pricing oregon merchandise day yet, but the G4 was $150, truthful this volition apt onshore determination astir that price.