Everything You Need With The Aqara G3 Camera Hub! || Review, Setup, Features

[@HughD]

Thanks again, Brian. Since I'm playing around with Homekit more I decided to get the G3 and after setting it up decided to re-watch this video. I did indeed pick up on some stuff I missed myself like getting the recording going in Homekit. Thanks again for what you do.

[@AutomateYourLife]

Thanks for what YOU do Hugh. I see you around, on the other channels. :)

[@TheMishgo]

I think all my Qs were answered in your super detailed G3 tutorial. Nice job! 👌✌️

[@AutomateYourLife]

Thank you! Glad it helped!

[@kenzzie519]

Great video!!! Very detailed breakdown of a complex device. Best user manual for the G3 that I’ve come across on my setup and implementation journey so far. Thanks for doing

[@AutomateYourLife]

That was the exact point. I'm so glad it's working that way now.

[@SpaceStrike]

Wow you covered everything! Also, petition for you to make a pun every video? I love puns. They really pack a PUNch.

[@AutomateYourLife]

Deal! 🤣🤣🤣

[@SpaceStrike]

@@AutomateYourLife Yes!!!

[@dankelley9361]

Just a truly excellent review of the Aquara G3 camera! I’m hoping addition integration will come to the Amazon ecosystem but this camera is pretty amazing! I’m hoping you will update your followers when updates arrive!

[@AutomateYourLife]

Hey Dan, I certainly am updating a few things about this camera/hub in next month's smart home news! Watch for those and that's where I'll do most of the basic feature updates, but when this camera warrants a big updated video I'll have a look!

[@bert-9916]

Just an amazing extensive video thank you so much! Can you tell me if I’m using home kit secure video and I have the stream turned off when I’m home. Does that shut down the Aqara side of things or is that streaming on there servers?

[@AutomateYourLife]

Hey Bert! When you turn off the stream on this camera and close that privacy shuttter, that's the best way to ensure the stream is off. But you'd have to test if you turning it off the way you do within HK does that. You'd be able to open the Aqara app and do a quick check to see if it's closed and off! It should be...but I don't remember testing this specifically

[@bert-9916]

@@AutomateYourLife Thank you Brian for your prompt response! I will test it out👍

[@JawedKarim763]

I was under the impression that you could record continuously with this and it would load to a cloud for up to a few days of footage. Can you shed any light on that? I've already set mine up but I'm stuck here!

[@Sanka876]

awesome video, but I'm little confused with the integration with Alexa and Google. Am I able to view the live feed from my phone or do I need a smart home display?

[@AutomateYourLife]

I've never had great luck viewing the feeds in those apps, but it is available to view. Sometimes it's just slower to pop up.

[@daytona1212]

Nice, but what I miss in these videos is the WIFI range of the device itself. It's nice to know the WIFI receiving strenght, but how far can you take away from your router before it starts performing badly.

[@ninguynl]

Really great review. I've been looking to get this camera-hub hybrid as well. Just one thing I'm curious about: is it possible to set a limited time for the "then" step in automations? I'm thinking of using it in the same way you did (~30 min mark) with a trigger (IF) and record video (THEN). But I recon it would not be very useful to have hours of video recorded. Is there a timer to be set, of does it record a standard timeframe?

[@AutomateYourLife]

I don't believe you can configure the time to record in the automation Ninguy! Sorry! You're going to have to look at the recording options there for that.

[@platypusensei]

Great video Brian, very very useful thanks ! I have one question though, If I choose to configure the camera in apple HomeKit will it overcome all the setup and automations I made in the aquaria app ? In another words, should I use only one app to run and configure the alarm systems?

[@AutomateYourLife]

Nope! You can do both with this camera. I think keep in mind that there could be delays if you try to do it in many places, but in generally the processing is happening locally here so you're good to go on both HomeKit and Aqara automations. :)

[@AndrewDee]

Well done Brian. Even more in depth than Simon from Homekit news

[@AutomateYourLife]

I wanted to create a guide for people to use when they got one, so I'm glad you think so! Thanks Andrew

[@faengelm]

Great info!. I finally got one of these and found your setup info to be the most helpful of any I have seen. It looks like a firmware update changed one item: @21:51 "Automation" was replaced with "related items of device" In HomeKit, is there a way to control the Pan/Tilt of the G3?

[@AutomateYourLife]

I don't know that there is a way in HK Frank :) But thanks!

[@csarbishop7604]

This is my favorite channel on the citadel

[@AutomateYourLife]

The Citadel? Catch me up Casesar!

[@Collective_Oilers]

Great video! Looking into getting one and this may convince. Can two people control the camera from their own phones? Or is it linked to 1 account? And is the camera weather resistant? Wondering if it could be setup outside provided you had proper coverage from the elements?

[@AutomateYourLife]

2 can definitely control the camera from their own phones. You can invite family members into the Aqara app in the account settings page. Or you can just login to the same account on 2 phones. Not weather resistant. I wouldn't. It's not really made for that, and the privacy component could cause real humidity ingress.

[@Collective_Oilers]

@@AutomateYourLife Thanks for the feedback! Love the channel!

[@dankelley9361]

Brian, loved your review & thought I’d mention a problem in having getting an Aquara window door sensor working with Amazon. I an Amazon routine to turn on a light if the sensor detected an “Open” state. Not only did the lamp come on, as it should, but it also comes on when it goes to a closed state. Can’t figure this one out, must be a flaw from the sensor reporting to Amazon that a “change of state” occurred, but it doesn’t work as it should!

[@AutomateYourLife]

Yeahhhh, and this is one of the things that I don't love with Aqara at the moment. Their integration with Alexa is weak. You'll see that come up on the "How to build a smart home 101" video I'm going to release soon.

[@florent6382]

Hi. Nice video. Have you been able to integrate it within Home Assistant ?

[@AutomateYourLife]

Nope, but haven't really tried. I'd think it could come through Homekit

[@lany_07gaming]

Nice info and review for the Aqara G3 camera hub.👍

[@AutomateYourLife]

Thanks Lany! It's a tough one to review

[@zestforlife11]

Great info! I have a question about the battery power. I would like to mount it so that I can get optimal visibility. However, I'm concerned that it won't last as long and I'll constantly be having to take it down to charge etc. any idea of how long it can go as wireless? Also any benefit to splitting up devices between 2 different hubs?

[@AutomateYourLife]

There's no battery power on this camera, so that's an easy answer

[@zestforlife11]

@@AutomateYourLife so does that mean it always has to be plugged in?

[@antoniodimaio8093]

Great Review!! Can I control/get data from public internet ? I want to use it as security system when I am not at home and be able to switch off alarm when I am away (and get a notification when a movement is detected ).

[@AutomateYourLife]

You'll get notifications wherever you are :)

[@BurakTurgut07]

Hi, I have some questions about Aqara G3 features such as face detection or gesture detection. I would like to create a homekit automation with gestures to non-aqara devices. I’m using some matter non-aqara devices but as an example, I can’t trigger my kasa matter lights with g3 gesture. Because as an idea, it is possible to create lots of automation with face recognition and gestures. The problem is how to integrate it into the homekit. Please kindly help me, even if it's better if you prepare some kind of tutorial video. Appreciated!

[@AutomateYourLife]

Those recognition features are only in the Aqara app. So what you need to do is turn something on/off in the Aqara app that can be used in Homekit if that's what you want to do.

[@yringler]

Hi- thanks for your video. Just wondering if the Zigbee hub connects to other Zigbee devices (not made by Aqara)- or is the hub exclusive to their own zigbee devices? Likewise, do Alexa routines work nicely? Thanks again.

[@AutomateYourLife]

Hi Yogi, sadly I haven't seen Aqara's Zigbee hub working with anything other than Aqara devices. Sometimes you can get Aqara Zigbee devices into other hubs though. As for Alexa Routines, the hub doesn't have any triggers as far as I can see.

[@yringler]

@@AutomateYourLife Hi ! Thanks for the reply= keep up the good work on these videos! I watch them regularly!

[@Viralplace]

Can I start Alexa (for example a song) when someone enter in my room? P.s You can do the things in Homekit (57:15) just because you have an Apple hub. If you haven’t an Apple hub you can’t do that

[@AutomateYourLife]

I believe the only trigger for this camera is motion detection at this point, so while you could start something in Alexa for that, I would suggest that you do something a bit different. Use the camera to detect exactly what it is you want. Ie. A certain face. Then use that to turn on a smart plug from Aqara or something simple like that. When that plug comes on, use that in Alexa to do whatever it is you'd like :) Costs a bit extra, but gives you customization options for the routines.

[@lurenlei1905]

Thanks for a great video, the hub is really tempting to get and this was very informative. One question, though... In my country the only true option for an ecosystem is Google home. You can buy from abroad, but also I've never liked Apple and I'm trying hard not to purchase from flagrant union busters. Is it safe to start collecting Aqara products now, or is there a danger that they will go completely HomeKit? They seem to be leaning very hard in that direction. I'm just now starting to expand my smart home into hub territory, and I'm hoping to be able to focus it on one brand for simplicity, but I also want to make sure that I'm not not suddenly stuck in one singe ecosystem even though right now Google is the only real option. (You can see by my priorities that I've been following your videos, I'm sure. Great channel, it really is a great help.)

[@AutomateYourLife]

I don't think they'll go fully Homekit! I think you're good! Thanks for all the kudos. :) It's a little bit of a sticky system cause all the accessories/sensors basically only work with Aqara. There's a bit you can do if you switch hubs, but...not much.

[@marcoontingco5370]

looking forward to Aqara becoming Alexa "friendly" their devices looks amazing with bunch of features. do i need the aqara hub for this camera to work? and does the Zigbee hub in the camera works like those of the new gen echoes? say pairing a zigbee smart plug on it. thanks Brian.

[@AutomateYourLife]

This IS the Aqara Hub! It's both a camera and a Zigbee hub. :)

[@AutomateYourLife]

You can ONLY pair Aqara Zigbee devices, and IR devices with it though.

[@marcoontingco5370]

@@AutomateYourLife oh ok, as much as it's great i prefer something that would work with others. maybe in time Aqara will open up.

[@wissammikati]

Great video! I got the G3 and I tried to stream it to my nest hub max but for some reason I am getting the message that camera feed is not available. Any idea why is that and what is the solution?

[@AutomateYourLife]

So what I'd try is to see how long it takes to bring up the feed through your phone when you're out of your home or off your WiFi. If it's struggling, this will tell you that it's not necessarily between Google/Aqara. In any case, you can get this for short periods of times if the services are having issues. Other than that, maybe look at where you set up your account in Aqara's system vs your Google? Maybe the servers are across the world?

[@kaneleussink5089]

Is it possible to have the camera recording all the time where it just keeps rewriting over the saved footage with the new footage it captures on the SD card? Thanks

[@AutomateYourLife]

That's a continuous recording option, which I thiiiiink I showed in the video! Sorry, can't confirm 100% cause I'm not using it anymore.

[@sams6484]

Hey brian, I've been watching your show for years about your smart products, I was wondering if you know if there's any way a Google home camera will capture motion and immediately being able to view on the Google home hub automatically

[@AutomateYourLife]

Sadly no way to automatically bring it up on a display still! Sorry Sam!

[@AutomateYourLife]

You can with Echo Shows and some cameras

[@jcm9698]

If I already have the M1S hub, how do I integrate this into the ecosystem to be used in conjunction with what is already setup and configured?

[@AutomateYourLife]

It's just another hub. You don't have to change a thing :) So just add this one and you can use it as the hub for new Aqara devices if it's closer or you're finding your M1S overloaded.

[@Plantje1978]

Hi Brian! It states it has a physical shutter. Can you actually see a lid going over the camera lens? My wife doesn't allow me to have cameras in the household. Perhaps this is acceptable. Would you advise this one? In my case, I already have a Athom Homey smart home controller. Or would you advise a camera without the added functionality of being a hub/controller? Thanks!

[@AutomateYourLife]

I really like the combo here and I think aqara is a really good option for hubs. I normally would say buy a device that performs a task really well and not multiple OK...but this is both a great hub and camera. The camera physically moves to use the housing as a shutter. So it's not a cover over top as much as it's a movement to hide it.

[@Plantje1978]

@@AutomateYourLife great! Thanks for the reply. As long as it is clear the camera is unable to film anything I'm ok

[@garethjones5068]

Hey Bri, do you know if the G3 Hub & the G4 Doorbell work with the Lenovo Smart Display to show camera feeds?

[@AutomateYourLife]

They both work on Google smart displays…buuuuut I don’t have a Lenovo to test anymore

[@garethjones5068]

@@AutomateYourLife I’ve just ordered the G4 doorbell so I’ll reply to this comment tomorrow to confirm wether or not it integrates with the Lenovo Smart Display

[@AutomateYourLife]

@garethjones5068 😃😃😃

[@MrsBablica]

Did Aqara manage to implement IR control with Alexa until now?

[@AutomateYourLife]

No

[@MrsBablica]

@@AutomateYourLife pitty, I wanted to buy it just because of this extra feature... ah, maybe in some time from now they will. Anyway, thnx for fast answer :)

[@bullie86]

My Aqara g4 as well as my doorbell g3 won’t stream on my google hubs. Any tips?

[@AutomateYourLife]

Check the server you're using on Aqara's app. The wrong one vs the one in Google's app can cause issues (I've found). Also, networking in your home has to be able to handle the streaming. If the camera is using a WiFi band that's full or not allowing full-bandwidth streaming out of your home and then back in, that's a problem. Either the G3/G4 or the Hub could be the problem. Otherwise, sometimes things are just bad on cloud services...but I haven't found this with Aqara cameras, so something's up.

[@slowboy89]

Can you use the gestures/facial recognition to trigger alexa routines?

[@AutomateYourLife]

As of now, no.

[@slowboy89]

@@AutomateYourLife i figured you would've mentioned but it never hurts to ask. Thanks for the prompt reply.

[@fublja]

Hi! I don't understand the video writing to SD card. I inserted SD card and it works. I attached network NAS and no problems. My problem is - if there is a motion detection, it writes a low res 640x360 video to SD card and my NAS. If I connect to camera live feed and start recording manually - it writes video in HiRes. I cannot figure out - how can I force camera to write event videos in hi res format on SD card. Can You help me? And how should I configure camera for security purposes to detect motion and record it? Currently I have set in camera settings/Detection settings to detect Humans and record it. It records only 360p videos to Cloud/SD card and NAS. Should I turn it off and do it through automation with - IF motion is detected, THEN record video?

[@AutomateYourLife]

I think you should chat with Aqara directly on this. Sounds like a very specific setting

[@davidrobe3115]

Any way to removed the ears or are the part of the main body?

[@AutomateYourLife]

It's just a skin, comes off

[@the_guy_next_door_31]

Great video, how does it integrate withing home assistant ? What entities do we get ? I'm waiting for this to buy it

[@AutomateYourLife]

Sorry! I don't do H.A. in my own home. There's a few folks looking at that side of things that you can find today. :)

[@AndrewDee]

There is ha via homekit integration

[@GuentherZettl]

@@AutomateYourLife I wanted to ask the same question as Jeremie. I am using several Aqara sensors (as well as Ikea and Lidl Zigbee bulbs and smart plugs - all of them without hubs). Home Assistant is so much better than Google, Alexa or Homekit. Would be a great addition to your channel, if you would look at Home Assistant too.

[@ONI1013.]

Can this camera be added to SmartThings?

[@AutomateYourLife]

Nope

[@bktan3992]

Is it possible to integrate it with Home Assistant?

[@AutomateYourLife]

I don't believe so...yet. I haven't seen anyone do it and I haven't seen an integration yet.

[@InvertedFlight]

Can you do rtsp streaming with this?

[@AutomateYourLife]

I haven't seen that feature, although Aqara talked to me about future options for storage/streaming. Sounds like they have plans for many options, but RTSP wasn't specifically stated.

[@AndrewDee]

They Say it will be samba streaming which is even better to my mind

[@houstonshomeautomation3524]

Very interesting tech here

[@AutomateYourLife]

Yeah, so many functions

[@asprywrites]

Man, I'm doing everything I can to not jump from Smartthings, even tho they screwed me. I understand how good Aqara is, and that's extra annoying lol.

[@AutomateYourLife]

Well hopefully you can forgive and forget, or...hey, listen this is really good!

[@patrickcadette]

😁😁😁👍👍👍

[@AutomateYourLife]

😁😁😁😁😃😃