My review of the Aqara G400

Aqara Products
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Here is my review of the all new G400.

Aqara G400 PoE Doorbell Review and Setup, Apple Home, HomeKit Secure Video and Home Assistant

And here is the description.

In this video, I take a detailed, real world look at the Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G400, including installation, Aqara app setup, Apple Home setup, menu walkthrough, Home Assistant integration, and a demo of the doorbell in daily use.

The Aqara G400 is a PoE video doorbell, which means it can be powered using Power over Ethernet for a cleaner and more reliable installation. If you do not have a PoE switch, you can still use an ethernet connection for data and supply power separately, which gives you more flexibility depending on your setup.

This doorbell supports local recording via microSD card, fast notifications when the bell is pressed, and video call style answering directly from your phone. It also integrates with Apple Home, giving you HomeKit Secure Video, HomePod chimes, Apple TV pop ups, and all the usual Apple Home automation options. For Home Assistant users, I also show how to bring the camera feed into Home Assistant using RTSP.

In the video, I walk through the Aqara app setup, firmware check, Apple Home pairing, and a detailed menu tour so you can see the main settings and features before buying. I also cover things like:

• Local microSD recording
• Cloud recording options
• Custom ringtones and quick replies
• LED indicator settings
• Motion and AI detection settings
• Face, package, animal, vehicle and fire detection options
• Virtual fence setup
• Tamper alarm protection
• Privacy masking
• Brightness and night vision settings
• HomeKit and Home Assistant integration

I also demonstrate how the doorbell works in practice, including call notifications, video and audio quality, Apple TV pop ups, and HomePod announcements.

This is an honest review. Aqara kindly sent me this unit to test and review, but they had no control over what I say in this video, and all opinions are entirely my own.

If you are looking for a smart PoE doorbell with local recording, Apple Home support, and Home Assistant compatibility, this video should give you a clear idea of whether the Aqara G400 is right for your smart home.

If you found this video helpful, please consider liking and subscribing. It genuinely helps support the channel and allows me to keep making detailed smart home reviews and setup guides.

If you have any questions about the Aqara G400, Apple Home, Home Assistant, or local recording, leave a comment below and I will do my best to help.

17 Likes
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Hi,

Thanks for the review! What I can’t find in the user’s manual or anywhere else is whether the G400 will ring a traditional chime, when it is connected using the power terminals using wires from the chime. Do you know?

/jab

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Unfortunately, I don’t believe there is a way to do this, however one of the other members/experts here may be able to give you a Work around. @DEChrisE @Stian @Raman.V maybe you could help?

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Unfortunately, it does not.

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Thanks for the thoughtful review! :yehec8wxjw08bxitza4t8e_35015:

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There’s a workaround how you make a common bell ring with the help of a relay- made by @Aqara_PM_Donie - for G4/G410 ! This should work for G400 too

Doorbell G4 / G410

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The content of this post was initiated by me, and I believe that G400 can be implemented in the same way as G4. You need to purchase additional Aqara Hub and Relay Module to implement it. I recommend implementing the solution described by “jp1114”

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Thanks @DEChrisE :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Thank you @Aqara_PM_Donie :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Is it possible in the future to bind other devices as well instead of just locks? I would like to use the doorbell cam to bind with a T2 relay to open a garage door

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Hi,
Thanks a lot for your review…

I recently installed the new Aqara G400 doorbell, connected via PoE and integrated into Apple Home using Matter ( I also have the hub M3 connected to the doorbell)

The camera stream and motion sensor are working perfectly. However, I’m unable to trigger any automation based on the doorbell press event. When I try to create a new automation in the Home app, the G400 does not appear in the accessory list as a button/trigger; it only shows up as a camera and motion sensor.

It seems like HomeKit is ignoring the “Doorbell Service” (Button) cluster of the Matter protocol and only recognizing the video and motion entities.

Do you jave any suggestion to solve this issue?

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are you sure you added the doorbell to Apple Home using Matter? Currently Apple Home doesn’t support Matter for Doorbells as it has not implemented Matter 1.5/1.5.1.

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Hi there.

I would say that the best way to do this would be through the Aqara app. I realised it may not be the response you want, however it’s the most reliable way to get your desired effect. This is an automation that I set up for playing a custom sound. You could use the principles set up other custom automation.

rst process:

Save a custom mp3 file to somewhere on your device that you want to use. I use Apple Files.

  1. Go to the doorbell and hit the 3 dots at the top right.
  2. Click Sound Settings.
  3. Go to Custom Quick Replies.
  4. Select Add Custom Quick Reply.
  5. Important the .mp3 file you saved earlier.
  6. Save.

Second Process:

  1. Go to the doorbell and click the 3 dots at the top right.
  2. Tap configure automations after scrolling down
  3. Under Automation, click Add
  4. Under WHEN, click Add Trigger, then Accessories.
  5. Click the doorbell and select Doorbell Press Detected.
  6. Under THEN, click Add Action, select the doorbell
  7. Select Doorbell Plays Custom Quick Reply.
  8. Select the custom reply you set up earlier.
  9. Save the automation.

Hope this helps.

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Not sure whether this has been answered, but how do we get the Aqara chime to make sound for motion too. Can we do it on Apple Home automations?

Currently the chime is only for doorbell press.

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Thank you for the great review and informative installation for the G400. :+1:

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The doorbell is paired via HomeKit Accessory Protocol (HAP). The G400 doesn’t support Matter yet itself.

That said, the doorbell button seems to be implemented as a custom HAP feature. If you use a HomeKit app like Eve or Controller for HomeKit you will see it and can create your automations. Once you create them there they will be visible in Apple Home itself. Hope that helps.

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