From Aqara G4 to Home Assistant: A Smooth Transition Story

Apple Home Connect
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So I finally took the plunge and moved my Aqara G4 cam from HomeKit to Home Assistant… and honestly, I was expecting pain. But nope — turned out smoother than I thought.

For a bit of background, I’m more of a smart home enthusiast than an expert. I dabble. My HomeKit setup was fine, but I realized I wanted more flexibility — like linking cam triggers to automations that HomeKit just couldn’t handle the way I wanted. I had an old RPi 4 lying around, so I set it up with HAOS, and off I went.

Transferring the G4 was surprisingly easy once I figured out the right path. Tip: make sure you reset the camera properly and unlink it from HomeKit before you pair it in Aqara Home and then integrate with HA. I used the Aqara integration via Matter and also tried the RTSP stream for more control (frigate fans know what I mean :wink:).

Now, I can trigger lights based on motion from the cam AND record clips in HA — something I couldn’t do reliably before. The latency is barely noticeable, and it actually feels more real-time than with HomeKit.

For anyone on the fence — especially if you’re trying to unify your smart devices across platforms — just do it. Happy to share more details if anyone’s curious or stuck mid-way. Ask away!

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@SmartHomeGeek It sounds like you’ve had a great experience transitioning your Aqara G4 camera from HomeKit to Home Assistant! Your journey from dabbling as a smart home enthusiast to achieving more flexibility with your setup is truly inspiring. It’s fantastic to hear that the process was smoother than expected, and your tips about resetting the camera and unlinking it from HomeKit are super useful for others who might be considering the same move.

Integrating via the Matter protocol and using the RTSP stream for additional control are excellent strategies. As you mentioned, the ability to trigger lights and record clips with minimal latency indeed highlights the advantages of Home Assistant over HomeKit for certain automations.

Thank you for sharing your experience! Your story will surely encourage others who are contemplating unifying their smart devices across platforms. Feel free to share more insights or help others who might be facing challenges in their setup. Keep up the great work in your smart home journey! :blush: