I bought the Aqara G410 because it was marketed as a premium HomeKit Secure Video doorbell and topātier Matter hub. What I actually got was a product that fails at the most basic expectation of all: being a DOORBELL.
First joke:
A Ā£129.99 āflagshipā powered by six AA batteries that lasted 11 days.
In 2026.
Environmentally disastrous and technologically prehistoric.
Second joke:
The G410 is not waterproof.
A doorbell.
Sold for outdoor use.
Not waterproof.
And Aqara buried that fact everywhere except where customers would actually see it ā but they did manage to sell a waterproofing sleeve as an accessory. Convenient.
Because it isnāt waterproof and because the AA batteries were being inhaled, I had to hardāwire it at extra cost ā and Aqara didnāt even include basic wiring couplers. A āpremiumā doorbell that arrives unfit for outdoor use and incomplete for indoor use.
Third joke:
Some features require an Aqara subscription.
On a HomeKit Secure Video device ā a platform designed specifically to avoid thirdāparty subscriptions. Thatās not innovation; thatās opportunism.
So hereās the real G410:
Not waterproof
Eats AA batteries in under two weeks
Missing basic wiring parts
Subscriptionāgated features
Contradicts HSVās privacyāfirst model
Marketed as āpremiumā while failing at the fundamentals
Iāve requested a refund or a proper replacement, compensation for the wasted batteries and wiring costs, and a public apology.
Aqara should also provide waterproofing cases to all existing owners ā FREE ā because selling a nonāwaterproof doorbell is a design failure, not an upsell opportunity
Iāve escalated this to Apple as well, because this product should never have passed certification.
Aqara needs to own this publicly ā not hide behind fine print and accessories.
Iām sorry youāre facing disappointment with these things. Hopefully Aqara responds to your support case and helps you figure it out. However, I donāt think anything you shared about waterproofing or subscriptions wasnāt public knowledge. If youāre using HKSV, which Aqara features do you find you need that are locked behind Home Guardian?
On the battery front, it sounds like your settings could use some configuration. They should not drain that quickly and by adjusting your detection settings you can get a lot of life out of the batteries. If youāre interested in any help from the forum members, share screenshots of your settings and Iām sure people will jump into help. We all feel the frustration at times with different things. At least folks here might be able to help identify if itās a setting issue or faulty hardware. Let us know if we can help.
Completely agree with you it is specifically listed as a water resistant doorbell which isnāt unreasonable but I can understand the frustration. On the battery from it sounds like you suggest the settings are setting off the doorbell on many detections, it would also be useful to know if it is located in a āhigh trafficā area as that may also be a reason for the drain.
From a gating perspective again frustrating but these companies have to make ongoing revenue somehow and as someone who doesnāt use the paid for features I still get all the features I would expect by plugging in the SD card for a small backup of notifications and then coupling that with a NAS.
Itās really annoying when something isnāt as you expect but I feel like there will be work around to all of these issues
Thanks for taking the time to respond, but your reply skipped the two core issues I raised ā and that avoidance is exactly why this thread exists.
Before I get into that, let me add some context.
I donāt spend my life reading every forum rumour or design flaw discussion. I live in the UK, I work in a completely different industry, and like most people, I rely on the assumption that when Apple finally supports HSV doorbells, the products in that category meet basic environmental and functional standards. Three weeks ago there were only two HSVācompatible doorbells, so I bought the higherāend one. Appleās public stance on environmental responsibility ā including their 2030 carbonāneutral commitment ā gave me confidence that choosing an HSVāapproved device was a safe, responsible decision. Had I known these doorbells were environmentally wasteful and not even waterproof until this week (which I discovered today), I would have seriously reconsidered my relationship with Appleās ecosystem altogether.
Now, back to the two issues your reply avoided:
Environmental waste:
A doorbell burning through six AA batteries every 10ā14 days isnāt a configuration issue. Thatās a design flaw with a measurable environmental impact. No settings tweak changes the fact that this device produces unnecessary battery waste. Ignoring this point doesnāt make it disappear.
Waterproofing:
Waterproofing isnāt an optional feature for an outdoor doorbell. Itās the baseline requirement for the product to function. If a doorbell needs an extra accessory just to survive normal weather, thatās not a user mistake ā thatās a fundamental design oversight.
And regarding the suggestion to ātweak settingsā:
If I have to reduce functionality just to make the doorbell perform its most basic job, then my topic headline is accurate. A doorbell that only works when you disable half its features is a doorbell failing at being a doorbell.
Iām happy to share settings if it helps, but these issues arenāt caused by configuration. Theyāre structural problems with the product itself, and they deserve a direct, transparent response rather than being sidestepped.
Battery Life & Environmental Waste - you can tweak the default settings for more performant battery operation. More on that below. You can also hardwire it. Keep in mind, Apple did not manufacture this doorbell.
Weather rating - this is one of the items that I am saying was a known limitation - same as the original G4. Iām not defending the choice, I was just stating it was documented.
There is a difference between running a doorbell with constant power from a transformer and running it on batteries. The G410 has settings which help cut out unnecessary wake ups by determining intent. Take a look at the Lingerer Detection settings when you have a chance. There are different settings profiles for wired vs battery operation.
Also keep in mind the people replying here, myself included, are just users like yourself who are trying to be sympathetic and helpful. No need to be rude.
Just to clarify one point: nothing I wrote was intended to be rude. Iām being direct because the issues I raised are factual, measurable, and affect every customer who bought this product in good faith. Highlighting design flaws, environmental impact, and missing basic functionality isnāt rudeness ā itās consumer feedback.
If my tone came across strongly, itās because the problems themselves are serious, not because Iām attacking anyone personally. Iām addressing the product and the decisions behind it, not the users in this thread.
PS:
Just to add ā I did hardāwire the doorbell precisely because I wasnāt willing to contribute to the environmental waste of burning through six AA batteries every couple of weeks. None of us should be normalising that level of waste in 2026. Itās one planet, and we all share the consequences of poor design choices.
Should I simply conclude my argument here? I have shown myself to be quite ineffective in the realm of eloquence and have diplomatically corrected those who find an individualās neutral and straightforward way of sharing their findings somewhat unsettling.
Iām one of the most harsh Aqara critics on here, you wont find the comfort you are looking for. The product will remain as you bought it without much improvement. Iām sorry.
Stop Sloppypasta: Don't paste raw LLM output at people is not meant personally, just as food for thought. The future does not look bright and the sooner we get norms around AI slop, the better (haha just kidding the future will not be better)
