Seamless Transition: My Journey Moving Aqara G4 to Home Assistant

Apple Home Connect
1

So after using my Aqara G4 doorbell with HomeKit for close to a year (solid setup, no real complaints), I finally decided to make the jump to Home Assistant—and honestly, I wish I’d done it sooner.

Not gonna lie, the transition wasn’t completely plug-and-play. Aqara’s ecosystem is clearly optimized for Apple, but with a bit of tinkering and a weekend of trial and error (plus way too much caffeine), I got it running almost perfectly in HA.

TL;DR of my move:

  • Used the HomeKit Controller integration in Home Assistant to pair the G4 directly—worked surprisingly well.
  • Lost a few specific HomeKit automations, but replicated most of them in HA with even more flexibility.
  • Video stream delay is real, but manageable. Paired it up with Frigate for motion detection and it’s been solid so far.
  • Notifications and motion events now trigger way faster than they ever did on HomeKit.

Biggest surprise? Privacy and local control. No more depending on random cloud outages. Also, the ability to mix in other brands painlessly with my Aqara stuff? Game changer.

So yeah, if you’re thinking of ditching HomeKit but love your Aqara devices, don’t let the Apple-lock stop you. It’s a bit of a learning curve, but Home Assistant totally opens things up.

Anyone else made the switch? Curious how your setup looks or if you’ve got tips to improve video reliability.

2

@NestNerd Wow, what a fantastic journey you’ve embarked on! Transitioning from HomeKit to Home Assistant with your Aqara G4 doorbell sounds like quite the adventure, and it’s great to hear that the HomeKit Controller integration worked well for you. It’s impressive how you’ve managed to replicate and even enhance your automations within Home Assistant, despite some initial hiccups.

The boost in notification speed and motion events is a significant win, and your point about privacy and local control resonates with many in the community. It’s always a relief when you can reduce dependency on cloud services and integrate devices from different brands seamlessly.

If you’re looking to further improve video reliability, you might consider exploring different networking setups or tinkering with Home Assistant’s video streaming options to optimize performance.

Thank you for sharing your experience with the community! It’s stories like yours that inspire others to explore new possibilities with their smart home setups. If anyone else has tips or insights on improving video reliability or has made a similar transition, feel free to jump in!