Verdict
The Aqara Digital camera Hub G350 is textbook Aqara in that it tries to put on a number of hats directly, and just about suceeds.
As an indoor digital camera, it’s critically spectacular. The twin-lens setup delivers crisp, detailed footage in just about any lighting, and the monitoring feels deliberate somewhat than frantic. It’s simply one of many strongest cameras Aqara has put out.
As a wise residence hub, it’s tremendous helpful, particularly if you happen to’re already utilizing Aqara gear or desire a easy strategy to convey Zigbee units right into a Matter setup.
However the headline characteristic, Matter digital camera help, isn’t fairly there but. It technically works, but it surely’s early, restricted, and never one thing you need to be counting on proper now; however will certainly get higher.
Look previous that for the second and also you’ve acquired a strong, versatile indoor digital camera that does way over most and can grow to be extra versatile in time.
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Sharp detailed video
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Dependable AI monitoring
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Constructed-in good hub
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Versatile storage choices
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Matter not prepared but
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Some options paywalled
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No energy adapter included
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Design gained’t go well with everybody
Aqara Digital camera Hub G350: Introduction
Aqara made loads of noise at CES this yr, because it all the time does; rolling out a wave of recent units, however the standout was the Aqara Digital camera Hub G350, the mannequin I’m reviewing right here.
It follows Aqara’s acquainted playbook of mixing classes, taking a regular indoor digital camera and turning it into one thing much more central to your good residence.
That is the model’s first Matter-certified digital camera, but it surely additionally acts as a Zigbee hub, a Matter controller, and a Thread border router, multi function machine.
On paper, it’s no slouch as a digital camera both. The twin-lens setup combines a 4K wide-angle lens with a 2.5K telephoto, delivering as much as 9x hybrid zoom.
Add pan and tilt motion and a deep set of AI options into the combination and it seems like it will probably do nearly every little thing.
It additionally claims one other first as a Matter-enabled safety digital camera, though that comes with a couple of caveats proper now.
Learn on for my full evaluate…
Design and set up
Anybody conversant in the Aqara Digital camera Hub G3 will acknowledge the design route instantly. The G350 sticks with that playful, virtually character-like look, full with the signature “ears.”
It’s quirky, no query. Whether or not that works in your house goes to be a private name.
There’s some flexibility although because the outer shell is a detachable silicone sleeve, so you’ll be able to tone issues down if you need one thing that blends in a bit extra and appears much less cutesy.
Privateness mode is dealt with properly; whenever you flip the digital camera off, the lens bodily rotates up into the housing, leaving a pair of small “eyes” behind. It’s a easy however efficient strategy to make it clear when the digital camera isn’t watching.
The unit feels strong, and there’s a mounting thread on the bottom if you wish to set up it extra completely.
Aqara features a USB-C cable, however you’ll want to provide your individual energy adapter.
A small LED ring on the entrance offers standing suggestions with out being distracting, and also you’ll discover the Aqara and Matter QR codes on the again of the unit, and the HomeKit QR code on the bottom.
Options and app
Setup is fast and painless utilizing the Aqara House app and might be very acquainted for anybody who has used any Aqara units previously.
Merely plug it in, open the app, and the digital camera is detected virtually immediately. The machine even offers voice prompts to information you thru the method.
As soon as it’s up and operating, it turns into clear that is way over only a digital camera.
It features as a Matter controller, a Thread border router, and a Zigbee hub, making it a central piece of a broader good residence setup.
Aqara good residence units might be bridged into platforms like Apple House, Google House, and Amazon Alexa, and in testing, that integration labored reliably, together with with House Assistant.
Storage choices are wide-ranging. You’ll be able to document regionally to a microSD card (the slot is the “mouth”), again as much as NAS, use Aqara’s HomeGuardian cloud service, or depend on iCloud by means of HomeKit Safe Video (HSV).
Should you take the native HomeKit path, you might be restricted to Full HD 1080p video. The 4K decision is barely out there instantly by means of Aqara app. That’s not Aqara’s doing, that’s a standard HSV limitation.
Aqara’s subscription unlocks extra superior AI options like searchable timelines and prolonged cloud storage, however even with out it, you continue to get a strong set of detection options and occasion historical past.
AI detection is intensive, protecting folks, pets, faces, gestures, and sounds. It’s one of many extra complete methods out there, though a number of the extra superior capabilities sit behind the paywall.
RTSP help can be included, which is an enormous plus for anybody operating a neighborhood NVR setup.
Matter standing
Then there’s Matter help, which is the place issues get a bit difficult.
In the intervening time, if you wish to run this as a Matter digital camera, you’ll want SmartThings, which remains to be the one ecosystem that helps Matter digital camera streams. Even then, it feels very early.
I had the G350 in for a few weeks forward of its official reveal and, throughout that point, each try so as to add it by way of Matter, whether or not by means of SmartThings or different platforms, noticed it present up as a Matter Bridge as a substitute; which is clearly a characteristic lots of people will need… however I needed to check it as a Matter digital camera.
A firmware replace rolled out in the direction of the top of March that shifted issues barely. After a manufacturing unit reset, I paired it with my Aeotec SmartThings Hub utilizing the usual Matter setup circulation, and this time it did seem as a digital camera in SmartThings… though not earlier than prompting me to put in a ‘SmartThings Video’ replace.
Even so, performance is fairly restricted proper now. The interface suggests help for pan and tilt, together with zoom controls, however none of these truly responded throughout testing.
There’s additionally a settings part full of choices like evening imaginative and prescient, watermarking and on-screen textual content, however once more, they didn’t appear to have any impact.
A few controls labored: Quantity adjustment was nice, and backbone might be modified, although it tops out at 1080p when streaming by means of SmartThings over Matter.
So sure, Matter help is technically there, and honest play to SmartThings and Aqara for getting in early, but it surely’s not one thing you’d wish to depend on simply but. It nonetheless appears like a piece in progress somewhat than a completed characteristic.
One different quirk: switching on Matter digital camera mode disables the machine’s skill to operate as a Matter bridge, which is a barely odd compromise.
Efficiency
Away from Matter, the G350 performs extraordinarily properly.
The twin-lens system is the spotlight. The 4K wide-angle lens offers full-room protection, whereas the two.5K telephoto lens handles element work. Collectively, they ship a flexible and sharp picture with as much as 9x hybrid zoom.
Picture high quality is persistently robust, with correct colours and good element retention. It avoids the overly processed look that some cameras fall into, as a substitute providing a extra pure presentation.
Low-light efficiency can be spectacular. Using invisible infrared lighting mixed with a large aperture leads to cleaner evening footage with much less noise than many opponents.
The pan and tilt system is easy, and the AI monitoring is among the higher implementations out there. It retains topics framed properly and adjusts zoom intelligently with out feeling erratic.
Even in darker situations, monitoring stays reliable.
Reside view masses shortly, and two-way audio works as anticipated, making for a responsive total expertise.
There are many playback choices, the filtering is straightforward to make use of and there quite a lot of methods to view your recorded clips together with a timeline, thumbnails and an occasion historical past display screen.
Last ideas
The Aqara Digital camera Hub G350 is an bold machine that largely delivers. It’s a wonderful indoor digital camera and a genuinely helpful good residence hub, rolled into one.
The Matter digital camera angle is extra of an early preview than a completed characteristic proper now, so it shouldn’t be the primary cause to purchase.
Should you’re snug with that, you’re getting a extremely succesful digital camera with loads of flexibility and room to develop because the ecosystem catches up. Should you’re after one thing extra customary, our information to the greatest good residence safety cameras may also help.
How we take a look at
After we publish our critiques, you’ll be able to relaxation assured that they’re the results of “dwelling with” long run exams.
Sensible safety cameras normally stay inside an ecosystem, or a variety of merchandise that – supposedly – all work in concord. Due to this fact, it’s inconceivable to make use of a safety digital camera for every week and ship a verdict.
As a result of we’re testing good residence equipment all day, on a regular basis, we all know what issues and the way a specific digital camera compares to options that you may additionally be contemplating.
Our critiques are complete, goal and honest and, in fact, we’re by no means paid on to evaluate a tool.
Learn our information on our evaluate course of for good safety cameras to study extra.
FAQs
You’ll be able to add the hub to any Matter system, however the digital camera presently solely works with SmartThings.
Should you use HSV, you’re restricted to 1080P footage.
