I’ve decided to join forum’s 1st anniversary (and enter the competition 
) and tell you about my first Aqara product.
My first Aqara product was the Camera Hub G3. Bought in May 2024 (almost a year before the forum). The camera was bought to watch our puppy when we (me and my wife) went out.
Actually, that’s not the first camera we bought to watch the puppy. It’s the second. First one was a cheap camera (recommended by everyone because of the price and ease of setup) but we were really disappointed with it. When we used it to talk to the puppy, our voice was distorted.
And many times, turning it off didn’t work—when we used the button in the app, the app told us that the camera is off. But when you went back to the app few minutes later, it was still recording!
Being fed up with those things (and low video quality), I found more expensive (but reasonably priced) alternative - an Aqara G3. It had loud sound detection, pet detection, was cute and, a killer feature for us, a physical shutter. It literally closes its eyes when you turn it off. No more doubts about our privacy!
Another selling point for us was Apple Home integration. I also mentioned to my wife “it’s also a smart home hub, but it’s a gimmick, we probably won’t use it, but curious how many feature this camera has, doesn’t it?”. Oh boy was I wrong.
Generally, the camera is great. We still use it (but we also bought the G350).
This camera being a hub was also a very important factor when we decided what smart LEDs to use in Jan 2025. And then the brand of smart switches. And more LEDs. And wireless buttons. Thermostats. Sensors. Locks.
Sorry for the clickbait title, but my block was built in 1985 and I don’t believe anyone here has as much smart devices as we have! So maybe it’s not clickbait at all… anyways, thanks for reading my story!
To sum up: I’m an Aqara geek thanks to my puppy
