Since Apple announced HomeKit Secure Video I have been wanting to get a compatible Video Doorbell. The only problem was that for a while there was no true wireless option that supported Homekit natively*. This was frustrating in my case because we live in an apartment complex that does not have built in wirering for doorberlls. And althpough we own the place, because of our rhick concrete walls it was impossible to install them.

That was until Aqara announced their new Video Doorbell G4 at this year's CES, among other great products. The best part of the product is that it supports a full battery mode and it is fully homekit compatible. This was the product I was waiting for. We already have quite a few of Aqara devices so the fact that it was Aqara who unveiled it was even better.

Now that I've used the Doorbell for more than 2 months, I tought it would be good to share my impressions here.

Overview

Oh boy! This is definetly one of my {favorite} products for 2023!. It was verything I could hope for and more. Aqara has always delivered great quaity products at reasobale prices and this is no exeption.

Before this doorbell I just had a cheap doorbell from Amazon that came with a button and a ringer. It did the trick for a while but the upgrade was very welcomed. I love the overall design and I'm lucky that it matches the aesthetics of my house number and other hardware.

What I liked:

• Super easy to install
• Battery powered option
• Easy access to batteries while mounted
• Customizable settings via Aqara app
• The ring tone does not startled my dog like other doorbells
• Looks great

What could be better:

• Quality of materials look cheap close
• The angle of the camera does not work well for package detection.
• The adhesive to the wall fell of after the first month, I recommed using command strips instead

Unboxing and Instalation

The doorbell comes with everything you need to set it up. It includes batteries, screws if you wish mount it to the wall permanentlty and also includes a neat angle base in case your door has a weird angle.

{Side pic}

Physical instalarion was super easy and quick. The doorbell offers a thin adshesive film so you can glue it to the wall witought it stickkung too much. I have to say that after a month the thing came off and the doorbell fell, probably because of the humidity in Puerto Rico. Thankfully I was able to use multiple command strips to secure it again to the wall.

{pic of chime}

The doorbell itseld has no wires but the chime part has to be conneced permantenly via USB C for power. It also acta as a hub. You will need to hide it in a spot where the cables are not visible but not too hidenn away because you still need to hear the chime. It also needs to be close proximity to the actuall doorbell. The app will tell you how good the comnectibity is base on the distance.

Setup and pairing

Pairing to Homekit and the Aqara app was also a brezze. You can start the paring from either of the app, although I recommend starting from the Aqara app as it will expose additional settings like chime tones, volume and more.

So far I have no regrets of getting this doorbell. Even tough we dont get tonns of visits and the bell itself is barely use, it offers nice quality of life features thanks to Apple secure video unique doorbell capabilities. These eatures are not unique to the aqara doorbell but being the only available ome with battery support they kimd of are.

I love Homekit Notifications

One of my favorite features of Video Doorbells in Homekit are the rich notifications. When someone rings the bell it automatically sends you a notification that includes a snippet if the person when they rang the bell. It also tells you who rand the doorbell if you have defined people faces on the home app. You can also set it up to send notificarions when someone is at the door even if tehy dont ring the bell.

Another neat features is that you get live notifications on the Apple TV which shows a live video feed. These are very nice when we are watching TV and expecting an Uber eats order. (Which practially dfescribes our weekends lol).

Nice extra settings in Homekit App

You can access some cool features directly in the Home App. You manully toggle if you want the Doorbell to chime when pressed. Another cool feature with most Homekit Video cameras is that  I use it to block the view of the street so I dont get notification of cars. Also it allows you to .

• Activity Zones: you can setup custom Activity zones to define what trigger notifications. I use it to block the view of the street so I dont get notififiemd of people walking in the parking lot. For some security reason homekit blocks out the screenshots camera view.
• Face Recognition: You can tie in the face recognition with your predefined people in the photos apps. This has been a bit finicky as it almost never recognize us.
• Play chime trough Homepods: You can choose to also play the chome on your homepods. It also lets you selected on which homepods the doorbell chime will play trough.
• Toggle the Camera Status Light and Night Vision Light: Night vision light is super cool, even in pitch dark it has infrared so you can see everything with detail.

For notifications you can get very granular in what trigers them. One feature I was pleasntly saruprised is that

Even more customizations in Aqara App

As usual with Smart Home accesories not every feature is exposed in the home kit app

• Choose a differente chime

Detailed live feeds

Closing toughts

I think even if you have wired doorbell capabilities the Aqara doorble might be worth considering. Its easy installation, battery-powered option, and compatibility with HomeKit make it a great addition to any smart home. While there are some areas that could be improved, such as the quality of materials and angle of the camera, overall I highly recommend it! The rich notifications and customizable settings in both the Aqara app and HomeKit app are definetly the cherry on top.

Next up I will also be getting Aqara's new Smart Doorlock which is Homekey compatible. Aqara seems to be one of the quicker companies who are adopting Apple's new features, while still offering reasonalbe pricing. Stay tuned for my impressions in the lock.

In case you are still curious here are more in depth reviews of the doorbell:

Aqara’s Video Doorbell G4 can make your front door sing

Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 (review) – Homekit News and Reviews

Hope you enjoyed this review, let me know if you have anyquestions or if you would me to do an in depth look of my full homekit setup.