Aqara G350 Camera Hub Review

When Aqara first announced the Camera Hub G350, the headline that caught my eye was the claim that it was the first Matter-certified camera on the market. The material, while not perfect, is a big part of what I want from the smart home industry: the freedom to depend on a supplier. Let’s take a look at the new Aqara Camera Hub G350 and see how it works with Matter and HomeKit.

Weekly HomeKit is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything related to Apple’s smart home framework.

Box contents and technical specifications

In the box you’ll find the camera and a very long USB-C cord. I wish Aqara included a wall adapter in the box, but I have plenty lying around. In terms of specifications, here is what Aqara has included in the Camera Hub G350.

• Resolution and objectives: It uses a dual-lens system that combines a 4K wide-angle camera with a 2.5K telephoto lens. HomeKit Secure Video will once again be limited to 1080p.
• Zoom and coverage: You get up to 9x hybrid zoom and a motorized pan and tilt base that provides a full 360-degree view of the room.
• Smart Home Hub: Beyond video, it functions as a Zigbee hub, Matter controller, and Matter bridge for other Aqara devices.
• Local AI Tracking: The camera has in-device intelligence to automatically track people and pets. I’m naturally skeptical about the effectiveness of these algorithms in a busy living room, but keeping processing local rather than sending it to the cloud is an important step for privacy. This one is not connected to Apple Home.
• Storage: You can record locally with a microSD card up to 512 GB, use a NAS, or connect it to Apple HomeKit Secure Video.
• Material Confidentiality: Aqara has included a physical lens cover that automatically covers the camera when it’s off, allowing you to check it. I love this feature and wish every camera included it.

Aim to become a true smart home hub

The Aqara Camera Hub G350 aims to be much more than just a security camera. It acts as a complete smart home hub. It supports Matter 1.5, the latest standard that finally brings cameras into the Matter ecosystem. Apple Home hasn’t yet been updated to support Matter 1.5 cameras, but I think we’ll see it at WWDC as part of Apple’s fall release. That means we’re still relying on standard HomeKit integration for video streaming today, but this camera is incredibly future-proof for when Apple eventually flips the switch.

It also works as a Zigbee hub and Thread Border router. This means you can connect your existing Aqara door sensors, climate sensors, and smart buttons directly to the camera, and it will link them to Apple Home. Aqara has a ton of low-cost sensors that work great in your HomeKit environment.

Setting up the Aqara Camera Hub G350 in Apple Home

Since Apple has yet to update the Home app to support Matter 1.5 cameras, the G350’s setup currently relies on standard Apple Home integration. Once you plug in the USB-C cable and connect it to your Wi-Fi network in the Aqara app, you can add it directly to Apple Home. It’s as simple as scanning the code on the bottom of the device. The Matter code is on the back and it will appear in Apple Home as a bridge, but the camera won’t be there yet. It was a little confusing for me at first when I set it up.

Once in the Home app, it works just like any other HomeKit secure video camera. You get iCloud recordings, facial recognition and activity zones. The only downside to HomeKit Secure Video is that Apple still strictly limits the video stream to 1080p. However, because the G350 also supports RTSP, you can simultaneously stream the full 4K stream to a NAS or drive connected to the local network. This dual-stream approach gives you the convenience of the Apple Home app for quick alerts on your iPhone, while preserving high-quality 4K footage locally when you really need to zoom. I feel like Apple is way past borrowed time when it comes to whether they care about HomeKit Secure Video. It’s high time to expand the feature set.

Summary on the Aqara Camera Hub G350

The Aqara Camera Hub G350 is a solid HomeKit secure video camera that doubles as a hub to integrate all your Aqara devices into Apple Home. The hardware privacy shutter, dual-lens system, and Matter-certified durability make this one of the most compelling cameras I’ve seen this year. I’ll be watching it closely as the Matter standards continue to evolve and gain Apple’s support.

You can buy the Aqara Camera Hub G350 on Amazon.