Aqara Video Doorbell G400 (review)

Aside from possibly the Xiaomi ecosystem, Aqara offers one of the most comprehensive smart home product line-ups available, with options across almost every category. When it comes to video doorbells, the company was a little late to market, but now has three models – the G4, G410, and the newer G400. Today I’m looking at the latter, which may suit those who prefer a more straightforward setup.

PACKAGING | CONTENTS

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For this review, Aqara supplied the G400 ‘Select’ bundle. This is identical to the standard model, but includes a complimentary three-month subscription to the Home Guardian service. This adds a range of features that, in some respects, go beyond HomeKit Secure Video. However, it’s limited to Aqara doorbells and cameras, at least for now, and may remain so unless future updates bring broader support through Matter 1.5. Unlike the recently released Camera Hub G350, which supports Matter 1.5 out of the box, there’s no confirmation that the G400 will receive a similar update.

The packaging shows both the doorbell and chime on the front. Notably, the chime is now optional in some scenarios, which is a first for Aqara’s doorbells. Compatibility extends to platforms such as Home Assistant, although this isn’t highlighted on the box itself.

One side lists the main features, which on paper are solid:

• 2K head-to-toe view
• 165º field of view
• Local detections
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 6
• IP65 outdoor rating
• Ring to Call
• Existing wiring or PoE support

Whilst there’s support for multiple ecosystems, as the G400 isn’t Matter certified, integration with Google or Amazon requires linking your Aqara account to their respective platforms. For Apple Home users, setup is much simpler via the HomeKit QR code.

It’s worth noting that 2K video is only available when the G400 is used solely within the Aqara ecosystem. As with the Doorbell Hub G410, adding it to Apple Home or other platforms reduces the resolution to below 1080p. This is due to the 1200 x 1600 aspect ratio, which has fewer total pixels than standard 1920 x 1080 video.

That said, this vertical orientation provides a better view of the area directly in front of your door. It’s effectively the same layout as the G410, rotated, offering more coverage of the ground and upper body, which is useful for identifying visitors or packages.

A 165º horizontal field of view remains respectable, so you still retain decent side coverage alongside the head-to-toe framing.

Local detection likely refers to on-device processing when using the Aqara ecosystem, meaning no reliance on cloud analysis. However, some Home Guardian features may still use cloud services.

One of the standout upgrades is dual-band Wi-Fi 6. While the G410 supports dual-band Wi-Fi, it lacks Wi-Fi 6, so this should provide improved stability, particularly for video streaming.

The IP65 rating is another improvement over the G410’s IPX3. While this may not matter if your doorbell is sheltered, it’s a clear advantage for fully exposed installations.

‘Ring to Call’ is a new feature that mimics an incoming phone call when someone presses the doorbell. Answering it opens the live video feed. It’s a neat implementation, and something Apple could benefit from integrating natively in future iOS versions.

Another significant addition is Power over Ethernet support. Although not everyone will have PoE available at their front door, those who do will benefit from a more stable wired connection and simplified power delivery.

What’s missing compared to the G410 is an integrated hub. The G410, or more specifically its chime, includes an Aqara Zigbee hub (as well as a Thread Border Router and Matter Controller) which the G400 does not. For users who already have Aqara hubs in place, this won’t be an issue, and may even be preferable. I’ll cover the implications of this in more detail later.

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In the box, you get the doorbell, along with two bracket components for flat or angled mounting. There’s a basic installation guide, a mounting template, screws, and extension wire kit, wall plugs, a SIM pin, and a screwdriver. The chime is included, along with a USB-C to USB-C cable for power, although no power adapter is provided. There are also two separate blocks of rubber designed to help keep a fitted ethernet cable in place if you intend using one, as well a basic one for protecting the internals from any liquid ingress.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DOORBELL

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The G400 doesn’t use batteries at all, and as a result it’s slimmer than its predecessors, which had to accommodate six AA cells.

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It’s still relatively deep, but the overall design is closer to a typical video doorbell. The camera sits at the top, with a circular button and bell icon below. This button illuminates when someone is detected in front of the door, and also when it’s pressed.

Beneath the camera is a small hole housing the microphone, followed by an ambient light sensor on the front. This allows the device to switch between full-colour video and night vision. There’s no colour night vision here, with infrared LEDs concealed behind the fascia handling low-light conditions.

On the rear, there are two QR codes – one for Aqara setups, and another for Apple Home. There’s also a reset button, and a recess which is part of the anti-theft design found across Aqara’s doorbell range.

Below this are two terminals for connecting existing doorbell wiring, although this won’t enable use of your existing chime.

At the bottom is a recessed section for routing an ethernet cable, along with a slot for a microSD card. Unlike previous models, the card is housed within the unit itself. This means that if the doorbell is stolen, any local recordings go with it, making cloud storage via Aqara or HomeKit Secure Video particularly important.

This recess also accommodates the rubber plugs mentioned earlier. It’s worth noting that the rubber plug with the cut-out for the ethernet connector is designed for smaller ethernet plugs, so some cables may not fit without adjustment.

The underside of the unit includes a speaker, which for the first time allows a chime sound to play directly from the doorbell without needing to set up an automation to do so.

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As for the mounting options, the standard bracket positions the doorbell facing straight ahead. An additional angled bracket allows it to be tilted by 15º, which is useful if your door is set back or off-centre. Both come with very strong 3M double sided adhesive stickers.

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Finally, there’s the chime. Its design is similar, though slightly revised, compared to those supplied with the G4 and G410. A USB-C port on the underside provides power, while the top features buttons for volume and chime selection. As it doesn’t include a hub, it doesn’t connect to your Wi-Fi. Instead, the doorbell connects directly to your network, while the chime communicates with it over RF433MHz.

Since the chime is optional, you can instead use other Aqara hubs with built-in speakers, such as the M1S, M2, M3, or M200, to play alerts. HomePods can also be configured to act as chimes, offering additional flexibility depending on your setup.

IN APPLE HOME

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It’ll come as no surprise that the G400 appears in Apple Home much like any other camera or video doorbell. The only notable difference is the aspect ratio. In the main camera overview, it’s cropped to roughly 16:9 to match other cameras, but once you open the live feed, the full 3:4 image is shown.

The live view offers the usual controls, including the talk button, access to recordings if HomeKit Secure Video is enabled, and additional options via the settings menu.

In the accessory settings, there’s a single additional item listed, which is the motion sensor. This isn’t a true PIR sensor, but a pixel-based detection system, so its usefulness is a little limited. Beyond that, you can disable the night vision LEDs and the camera status light, and that’s essentially the extent of what’s available within Apple Home.

IN AQARA HOME

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As expected, there are far more options available in the Aqara Home app, although many sit behind the Home Guardian subscription.

One issue worth highlighting is reliability when accessing the live stream within Aqara Home. For some users, the G400 can be inconsistent, occasionally showing a “Network connection failed, please try again” message. In many cases, this isn’t accurate, especially if the live feed is still accessible via Apple Home.

A fix was rolled out not long ago, which improved things, but the problem hasn’t been completely resolved and can still crop up from time to time.

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As for the new ‘Ring to Call’ feature, when someone presses the doorbell, a pop-up appears on your phone in much the same way as an incoming call. Tapping the tick in the blue circle takes you to a full-screen interface, where you can then choose to accept or decline the ‘call’.

If you accept, the live stream opens, allowing for two-way audio communication with the person at the door. There’s also an option to modify the sound of your voice, although it feels more like a novelty than something genuinely useful. You can mute your microphone if required as well.

You’re able to see the visitor clearly, but as there’s no display on the G400 itself, they can’t see you.

There are a ton of other features, although many of them are already present in previous Aqara doorbells, which I’ve covered before, so I don’t want to go over old ground. It’d also spoil your fun at discovering features for the first time, right?

IN USE…

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The G400 arrived just as we’d moved into a new apartment, so I held off installing it straight away in case there were any restrictions around video doorbells or cameras in shared areas. As a result, I’ve been using it intermittently, mainly when there’s a reasonable chance of much less activity outside, and in some cases I’ve simply set it up indoors for testing.

During that time, it hasn’t lost connection at all. The earlier issue, where the Aqara app reports that the device is offline, still appears occasionally, but it’s clearly a false alert given that the live stream remains accessible. In Apple Home, it’s been completely reliable.

So how does it compare to Aqara’s other video doorbells? The key difference is the absence of an integrated hub. Having that choice is welcome. The G410 remains a strong option, particularly with its support for 5GHz Wi-Fi, and its ability to function as a Zigbee hub, as well as a Thread Border Router and a Matter Controller. That will be genuinely useful for many setups.

For my own use, though, it was effectively another hub to manage, and potentially another Thread Border Router to complicate the network. Since moving, I’ve made a conscious effort to simplify both my Wi-Fi and Thread environments, and overall stability has improved as a result. Compatibility with WiFi 6 is also something not to be sniffed at.

With the G400 acting purely as a video doorbell, things stay more straightforward, which is how I prefer it now. I can’t make broad comparisons beyond Aqara’s own range, but in terms of pricing, it’s very competitive.

The Power over Ethernet option, whilst not something I’m able to make use of at this time, is definitely a feature many have asked for, so I have to give it to Aqara for listening to customer requests.

The main drawback is the loss of 2K video once the device is integrated with platforms outside Aqara’s ecosystem. In practice, this isn’t a major issue within Apple Home, which is still limited to 1080p. However, if Apple increases that ceiling in future, the G400 could start to feel dated more quickly, along with similar products. We’ll likely get a clearer picture when WWDC comes around.

For now, it’s a solid addition to Aqara’s line-up, and the breadth of options across its product range remains one of its strongest advantages.