HTG Wrapped 2025: 24 days of tech
24 days of our favorite hardware, gadgets, and tech
IP security cameras are a dime a dozen, so you might not think to look twice at the Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro, except to note its premium design. However, beneath this flagship smart home camera is a cutting-edge smart home device.
While the G5 Pro is an excellent outdoor smart security camera, it’s far more than that. This camera is also a full smart home hub that speaks virtually every language, covering Zigbee and Thread, with the ability to act as a Matter controller. This is Aqara’s first outdoor smart home hub, and there’s an incredible number of features packed into the unassuming device.
By installing an Aqara Hub G5 Pro, you’ll also expand your smart home’s footprint. Other devices in range, outside or indoors, can connect to your smart home network through the G5 Pro. As a smart hub, the G5 Pro connects and manages not only other Aqara devices but also Matter-enabled smart home products from other brands, making it an ideal central point for your home security system.
But that doesn’t mean the Camera Hub G5 Pro is completely dependent on a network connection to perform its security camera duties. A built-in Neural Processing Unit (NPU) allows the camera to run complex visual and audio AI algorithms to perform advanced security functions, such as facial recognition and package detection, locally on the device.
The incredible full-color night vision is even more amazing. Powered by a graphene-cooled camera sensor and combined with a built-in spotlight, no one can hide from the G5 Pro!
It’s not just the gloom of night that’s no match for the G5 Pro; rain, sleet, and snow are also nothing more than a minor annoyance. With IP65 liquid and dust protection, combined with extreme cold resistance (-30C/-22F), there’s virtually nowhere this camera isn’t suitable for installation.
Privacy is always a major concern with network-connected cameras, and the G5 Pro is built with an emphasis on keeping your footage away from prying eyes. It’s compatible with HomeKit Secure Video, its onboard storage is encrypted, and for the first time, it supports end-to-end encryption when sending footage to Aqara cloud storage. So, even the storage provider can’t view the footage–no matter what.
If you don’t want to use cloud storage, you can stream real-time footage to your own local server using software like Frigate or Blue Iris. The camera’s storage can also be expanded with a simple SMB network storage share and streamed directly to Alexa, Google, and Samsung smart displays and TVs.
Until December 22, the G5 Pro Wi-Fi drops to $119.99 (down from $179.99) for a 33% discount. This makes it a surprisingly affordable way to anchor a smart home without sacrificing capability or flexibility. And that flexibility is really the whole story here—Aqara has quietly built one of the most interoperable ecosystems around, and the G5 Pro is its new flagship for the future of smart homes and home security.
Credit: Aqara
Brand
Aqara
Resolution
Quad HD 2688×1520
Connectivity
Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac 2.4-5 GHz, Zigbee&Thread IEEE 802.15.4 Bluetooth (support magicpair)
Night Vision
Full Color
Internal or External
External
The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro offers super camera performance, night or day, in extreme conditions. It also offers supreme color night vision and an integrated spotlight. But above being a camera, the Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro also acts as a comprehensive smart home hub device.
HTG Wrapped 2025: 24 days of tech
24 days of our favorite hardware, gadgets, and tech
