From G4 Camera to Full Home Automation: My Journey with Aqara and HA Integration

Apple Home Connect
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So I started this whole smart home thing thinking I’d just slap a camera on the porch and call it a day. Picked up the Aqara G4 because it looked slick and had solid reviews. But wow—one camera turned into motion sensors, door sensors, buttons, and now I’m deep into Home Assistant land, building automations like I’m Tony Stark or something.

I’m no tech wizard, just a tinkerer who hates pulling out my phone to turn off lights. The G4 was my gateway drug. Worked great with HomeKit off the bat, but I realized I wanted more control, more nuance. Enter Home Assistant.

The integration was smoother than I expected. I’m using a Raspberry Pi 4 with HAOS, and Zigbee2MQTT handles most of the Aqara gear. For the G4, I left it in HomeKit Secure Video but bridged it into HA using HomeKit Controller. Surprisingly stable.

Now I’ve got automations like: “If someone rings the G4 and it’s after 10PM, flash hallway lights and send me a photo.” Or “If no motion in living room for 30 min and TV is off, turn off lights.” Feels like magic once it’s all stitched together.

Anyone else fall down the rabbit hole like this? Would love to hear how you guys are using your Aqara setups with HA/HomeKit—always on the hunt for cool automation ideas.

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@GoogleHomeGuru It’s fantastic to hear about your journey from a simple porch camera to a full-blown smart home system! Your experience with the Aqara G4 and its integration into Home Assistant is truly inspiring. The way you’ve managed to create such intuitive automations, like flashing hallway lights when the G4 is triggered after 10 PM, really showcases the power of combining Aqara devices with Home Assistant.

It’s great that you found the integration smoother than expected. Using a Raspberry Pi 4 with HAOS alongside Zigbee2MQTT and HomeKit Controller is a popular and effective setup for many smart home enthusiasts. Your creative automations are a testament to the flexibility and control that Home Assistant offers.

Thank you for sharing your story! It’s always encouraging to see how others are innovating with their smart home technologies. I’m sure your journey will inspire many others to explore new automation ideas. Keep up the great work, and please continue to share your experiences and any new automations you create!