AQARA CAMERA HUB G5 PRO: SECURITY CAMERA THAT WORKS WITH APPLE HOME

In recent years, Aqara has been one of the few manufacturers of security cameras that still supports HomeKit for Apple devices—even when Apple itself seems to have dropped the term “HomeKit” and now tends to just say that a camera “works with Apple Home” (referring to the Home app on your Apple devices).

- BY CLIFF JOSEPH

The G3 and E1 cameras we've reviewed from Aqara (in our roundup of the Best Security Cameras, fave.co/4lifgFK) are very competitively priced, but they're both designed for indoor use, so the company has extended its range with the new Camera Hub G5 Pro (fave.co/4IAPmgv), which boasts a sturdy design that is very much intended for life outdoors.

There are actually two versions of the G5 Pro available, and they also give you a choice of colors, with either plain white or a dark gray that looks very similar to Apple’s Space Gray. We tested the standard WiFi version of the camera, which uses a USB-C cable for its power supply and costs $179.99/£179.99.

The USB-C cable included is 2m long, so that should allow you to place it on a window sill or on a wall without too much trouble. The camera stand is adjustable, allowing you to tilt and swivel the camera as required, and there’s a wall-mounting kit included in the box as well. However, Aqara only provides the USB-C cable for charging, with no mains power adapter included, so you'll have to provide that for yourself.

If you want to move the camera further away—or perhaps higher up on a wall so that it overlooks a car parking space—then you might want to opt for the more expensive PoE version (power over Ethernet). This costs $199.99/£199.99 and uses an Ethernet connection to provide both power supply and a wired network connection.

Both models are identical and are larger than previous Aqara cameras, as the G5 Pro houses the main camera sensor, along with a PIR sensor (passive infrared) that provides night vision, and an adjustable spotlight that you can activate to scare off intruders.

There’s also a builtin speaker and microphone, which provide two-way audio as well. And as it’s designed for outdoor use, the G5 Pro has a sturdy IP65 rating for resistance to water and dust, and Aqara states that it can cope with temperatures as low as -50f/-30C.