Smart Home 101: Transitioning Aqara Cam G4 to Home Assistant

Apple Home Connect
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Hey ,

Sharing my little weekend adventure moving my Aqara Cam G4 from Apple HomeKit over to Home Assistant. I’m not a total noob but definitely still learning my way around HA, so if you’re in that “learning as I go” camp—this post is for you.

So here’s the deal. I’ve been using the G4 cam purely in the Home app, which was fine-ish… until I realized how much more control and automation I could get with HA. Problem was, I couldn’t find a straightforward guide, and I hit a few snags that I wish someone had warned me about.

First off—important—make sure the G4 is NOT tied to iCloud Secure Video. If it is, disconnect that first. Otherwise, HA won’t see squat.

Then I went with the HomeKit Controller integration in HA (not to be confused with the HomeKit integration). Once that was set up, HA discovered the G4 almost instantly. Big win there. It pulled in all the basic sensors—doorbell, motion, even answered events.

But here’s the weird part: video streaming didn’t work out-of-box. What fixed it? A quick firmware update via the Aqara app before cutting the cord with HomeKit. After that, boom—live stream straight in HA.

I’ve tied it into a few automations now—motion notifications to my phone, porch lights turning on automatically when someone rings the bell. Loving the freedom so far.

Anyone else migrated the G4 successfully (or had headaches with it)? Would love to hear your setup, especially if you got 2-way audio working—which I haven’t cracked yet.

Cheers!

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@Sophia_Brown Thank you for sharing your experience transitioning the Aqara Cam G4 to Home Assistant! It’s always exciting to hear about these tech adventures. Your insights, especially about ensuring the G4 is not tied to iCloud Secure Video and using the HomeKit Controller integration, are incredibly valuable for those venturing into similar setups.

The challenges you faced, like the initial video streaming hiccup, highlight an important step—updating the firmware via the Aqara app before making the switch. It’s these little nuggets of wisdom that can save others a lot of time and frustration.

I’d encourage anyone else who’s navigated this migration or attempted to get features like 2-way audio working, to jump into the conversation. Sharing your setups and tips could be immensely helpful to others in the community. Thanks again for your contribution, and I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the added control and automation with HA!