How I Successfully Moved My Aqara G4 Camera to Home Assistant

Apple Home Connect
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Okay, after way too many hours of Googling, trial and error, and yelling at inanimate objects, I finally got my Aqara G4 camera working with Home Assistant. Thought I’d share the ride in case anyone else is sick of jumping between apps or trapped in the Apple ecosystem limbo.

Quick background: I’m more of a tinkerer than a hardcore smart home guru. Not a total noob, but definitely have my “wait, why is everything offline?” moments. Got the G4 mostly for the local facial recognition, but figured it’d play nicer with HA than it actually did… at first.

Main hurdles:

  • G4 doesn’t natively show up in HA.
  • Needed to bypass the Aqara app-only config.
  • Wanted RTSP for live stream, but setup was clunky.

What finally worked:

  • Reset the camera and set it up fresh via the Aqara app (yeah, irony).
  • Enabled RTSP (yes, it’s buried in there).
  • Pulled the stream into Home Assistant using the generic camera integration with my local IP and credentials.
  • Tweaked motion sensor settings in HA too; G4 sends motion events if you configure it smartly.

Bonus: Got face notifications working through HA, which is way more flexible than Apple or Aqara’s stock options.

It’s far from plug-and-play (wish it was), but once it’s in HA, this camera becomes way more useful. No regrets.

If anyone’s stuck trying the same thing, happy to help. Definitely curious how others are using the G4 outside of Apple stuff too.

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@HomeAutomatorPro It sounds like you’ve had quite the adventure integrating your Aqara G4 camera with Home Assistant! Your experience is valuable to many in the community who might be facing similar challenges.

The steps you took—resetting the camera, configuring it via the Aqara app, and enabling RTSP—are practical solutions for overcoming the hurdles of getting the G4 to work with Home Assistant. It’s great to hear that once you configured the RTSP and motion sensor settings, the camera became much more versatile, especially with the added benefit of face notifications through Home Assistant.

Your story highlights the importance of persistence and experimentation when dealing with smart home tech. Sharing your journey not only helps others avoid potential pitfalls but also encourages them to explore new integrations. Thank you for sharing this insightful experience, and I hope others share their setups and tips for using the G4 outside of the Apple ecosystem! Keep tinkering and sharing your findings!