Aqara 4MP Camera Hub G5 Pro PoE, True Color Night Vision Security Camera

Why it's worth it

The G5 Pro is a 4MP PoE camera with HomeKit Secure Video, a built-in neural processor for on-device detection, and 8GB of encrypted storage inside the camera. It also acts as an Aqara hub for Zigbee and Thread devices.

Apple Home users have had a thin menu for years, and this is the camera that fixes it. HomeKit Secure Video works properly here, which means your clips go to encrypted iCloud storage instead of a camera brand's cloud. You need an active iCloud plan and an Apple Home hub, but if you already have those, you're not adding another monthly fee. Owners who bought it specifically for Apple Home consistently say it's the one that just works.

The on-device AI is the real reason to pick this over a cloud-only camera. A built-in neural processor handles seven types of visual detection and four kinds of unusual sound, all on the camera. PCMag found that Aqara's on-device processing measurably cut false pet-triggered alerts compared with cameras that ship every frame to a server first. If a cat crosses your living room forty times a day, that difference is the whole experience.

From our review of 8 indoor security cameras

What we like

• +Apple Home users have had a thin menu for years, and this is the camera that fixes it
• +The on-device AI is the real reason to pick this over a cloud-only camera
• +Low light is where it pulls ahead of most indoor cameras
• +It doubles as a smart home hub, which is unusual

What to know

• –This is the PoE version, so it needs an Ethernet run and a PoE switch you buy separately
• –Some features sit behind Aqara's own paywall, and owners are vocal about it
• –It's a bigger, more industrial-looking camera than the soft white pucks most people put in a living room