TL;DR
I’ve finally moved away from Arlo and their constant subscription hikes, but my journey to a single-doorbell solution didn’t go as planned. I’m currently running both an Aqara G410 and the new G400 (PoE) side-by-side because neither one is a complete package.
My doorbell journey started with an Arlo doorbell. When I upgraded my outdoor camera from Eve Outdoor to the G5 Pro, I came across the Aqara G410 and decided to switch—mainly to move away from Arlo’s ever-increasing subscription costs.
After installing the G410 (luckily in a different position, since it’s wider and couldn’t fit in the original Arlo spot), I removed the Arlo doorbell. Overall, the G410 works great—HKSV, SD card, NAS support, all solid. I’m also fine with the 4:3 format.
However, one major drawback: there’s no “call to phone” function when someone presses the doorbell, which is a key feature for us. So I ended up reinstalling the Arlo just for that function. For a period, I was running both the G410 and Arlo side by side.
Later, I added a T2 relay to control my electric drop bolt. With that setup, I was able to use the G410’s local face recognition to automatically unlock the door. (Yes, it’s 2D recognition, but since this is for an outer door, security wasn’t a big concern—this was purely for convenience.)
When the G400 was announced with “call to phone” support, I thought I could finally consolidate everything into a single device and replace both the G410 and Arlo.
Installation went smoothly, but I quickly realized:
The G400 does not support local face recognition.
To use face recognition, I had to subscribe to Home Guardian. Not ideal since I’m trying to move away from subscriptions, but I was willing to accept it—as long as pricing remains reasonable.
Unfortunately, the issues didn’t stop there.
- In low light, the G400 image is darker than the G410, which affects face recognition accuracy
- This can be partially mitigated by adjusting brightness or using the G5 spotlight
- But the bigger issue: cloud-based recognition is significantly slower
I experienced delays of up to 5 seconds (even with PoE). There were many instances where I had already entered and closed the door before recognition triggered—only for the door to unlock again afterward.
My wife and I had already gotten used to the instant response of local face recognition, so this delay became a deal breaker. I don’t mind paying for a service, but not at the cost of usability.
My Current “Frankenstein” Setup
- Cancelled Home Guardian subscription
- Reinstalled the G410 alongside the G400
- G410: used purely for local face recognition and auto-unlock
- G400: used for everything else (including “call to phone”)
Conclusion:
This isn’t a clear “better vs worse” situation—both devices solve different problems.
- G410 → better for fast, local automation
- G400 → better for feature completeness (e.g., call to phone)
The main consideration is whether your setup prioritizes real-time response or integrated features via the cloud. In my case, I ended up needing both.
