Aqara G4 Video Doorbell

Pros

• AI features ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 5.0
  Reviewers highlight the G4’s local AI, with the indoor chime handling tasks like facial recognition and loitering detection for faster smart alerts and automations without relying heavily on cloud processing.
• lag) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 5.0
  Compared with other video doorbells, the G4 is frequently praised for extremely low latency, with the time from button press to live video and two way talk among the fastest many testers have experienced.
• Weather & temperature tolerance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 5.0
• Installation & Mounting ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.8
• Price & value ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 reviews 4.7
  At its aggressive mid-range price, the Aqara G4 is widely seen as excellent value, especially for HomeKit-focused households that appreciate robust local storage and broad smart-home integrations at a cost many rivals struggle to match.
• Privacy ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 4.5
  HomeKit Secure Video keeps clips encrypted in iCloud while the G4 can run largely as a local only camera with AI processed in the indoor chime, and optional features like cloud uploads and playful voice changing give owners flexible ways to balance privacy with convenience, so long as they remember to disable vendor storage if they want everything kept local.
• Subscription ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 4.5
  Many owners appreciate that the G4’s core features, including local SD storage and a short cloud history, work without any Aqara subscription, while HomeKit Secure Video only requires Apple’s relatively modest iCloud plans that become more noticeable in cost as more cameras are added.
• Base / Hub integration ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.5
  The indoor chime acts as the system hub, combining loud chime, Wi Fi repeater, and microSD recorder, and now also handling most of the G4’s local AI processing, giving a more reliable, secure setup than relying solely on the doorbell or cloud.
• Complete kit in box ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.5
  The G4’s box includes the doorbell, indoor chime, angled wedge, screws, adhesive backing, USB C cable and even a small screwdriver, so most buyers can complete a basic install without purchasing extra hardware.
• Recommendation for new buyers ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.5
  Recommended mainly for Apple centric buyers who specifically want a battery powered doorbell with HomeKit Secure Video, and who are comfortable managing its more complex feature set.
• Theft & Tamper ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.5
• Storage ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 7 reviews 4.4
  Expandable local storage in the indoor chime’s SD slot keeps recordings safely inside the home and away from the outdoor unit, supports sizable cards for several days or even 24 7 history, and can be combined with optional seven day free cloud backups or HomeKit Secure Video for extra redundancy.
• Power Options & Compatibility ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 reviews 4.4
• Design aesthetics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 4.3
  The G4 uses a modern square, flat design with matte gunmetal plastic and a prominent illuminated button that most owners find clean and easy to use.
• Audio ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.3
  Two-way audio on the G4 is clear enough for brief conversations with visitors, and most reviewers report little noticeable delay when talking through the app.
• Wi-Fi range & stability ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.3
  Reviewers find the G4’s connection reliable in part because the indoor chime doubles as a Wi Fi repeater, helping the doorbell maintain strong signal and enabling unusually fast live view loading on compatible smart displays.
• Smart-home integration (Alexa, Google, Siri, HomeKit, Matter, Thread) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 7 reviews 4.1
  The G4 stands out as a battery capable doorbell that supports HomeKit Secure Video while also streaming to Google and Alexa displays, and reviewers love how quickly it can pop up on Echo Shows and Fire TVs, though Alexa routines currently only expose a doorbell press trigger rather than full motion events and there is still no direct Home Assistant or RTSP support, and some HomeKit users report quirky behavior such as offline tiles in the Home app even when the live stream loads quickly.
• Recording ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 4.1
• Battery & Charging ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 7 reviews 4.0
  Six standard AA batteries can power the G4 for several weeks to a few months depending on settings and climate, and while wired power removes battery concerns entirely, some reviewers now report that the included disposable cells fall well short of Aqara’s four month claims and that rechargeable AAs offer only somewhat better life.
• Object & person detection ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 4.0
• Automation flexibility ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.0
• Notifications ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 3.9
  Paired with HomeKit and Alexa, G4 doorbell presses can trigger very fast push alerts and live views—some testers call it among the quickest cameras they have used—though a few still see occasional delays on advanced face based alerts compared with the very fastest competitors, and some HomeKit users also report not responding tiles and missed motion alerts that make notifications feel unreliable in certain setups.
• Face recognition ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 3.8
  Facial recognition can tag familiar visitors and distinguish unknown faces, powering automations like custom chime messages or lighting scenes, but accuracy still depends on people pausing in view and good lighting, so identification can be less reliable at night or with fast moving visitors.
• Chime ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 reviews 3.8
  The included indoor chime is mandatory for setup and doubles as a hub and SD recorder, giving a reliable audible alert point inside the home, but it needs its own USB-C power outlet and cannot reuse most existing wired chime circuits.
• Zones & activity areas ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 reviews 3.5
• Low-light & Night vision ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3 reviews 3.5
• Motion-detection customization ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 3.5
  The Aqara and Home apps expose advanced tools like loitering alerts, detection filters for people or animals, and precise motion zones, though HomeKit automations still often treat motion as a single trigger rather than letting users target specific object types.