Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired) Review

Introduction

Aqara has spent the past few years turning its smart cameras into multi-purpose smart home gadgets. The Doorbell Camera Hub G410 doubled up as a Matter controller, Zigbee hub, and Thread border router, effectively acting as a smart home control centre that just happened to have a video doorbell attached to it. The new Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired) takes a different approach.

This time Aqara has focused squarely on the doorbell experience itself. There are no hub tricks here, no Zigbee radios quietly running your smart home in the background.

Instead, the G400 is designed to be an affordable wired video doorbell with a stable always-on connection, local storage, plenty of smart home compatibility, and support for Power over Ethernet.

At less than £100, the G400 undercuts a lot of the premium competition while still offering support for Apple HomeKit Secure Video, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant, RTSP streaming, and 24/7 recording without locking core functionality behind a subscription.

There are also two versions available: the standard G400 (DB-C03E) and the G400 Select (DB-C03D).

The hardware is effectively identical between the two. The Select variant is simply bundled with a temporary trial for Aqara’s HomeGuardian cloud subscription in some regions.

If pricing is identical, you may as well grab the Select version for the free trial. If you are planning to use HomeKit Secure Video exclusively though, that doesn’t matter as much, as Apple handles most of the AI processing locally through your Apple Home hub plus there’s that iCloud storage too.

Read on for my full review to find out why, whatever your smart home system, it’s such a great video doorbell contender.

• Chime included
• MicroSD card slot
• Wi-Fi or Ethernet (PoE) supported

The G400 looks fairly similar to Aqara’s other recent doorbells from a distance, but there are some key differences once you get it in your hands.

Measuring 140.97 x 52.97 x 32.4mm, it is slimmer than the G410, although it still has enough bulk to look reassuringly substantial on a door frame.

That said, the overall finish definitely leans more functional than premium. The body feels a bit plasticky and lightweight compared to premium metal doorbells like the Nest Doorbell Pro or the Ring Video Doorbell Elite, and it lacks the more refined matte finish of the G410.

Still, it feels much sturdier than genuinely bargain-bin alternatives and the overall build quality is solid enough.

Aqara has given the G400 an IP65 rating, meaning it is designed to handle rain, wind, and general outdoor exposure without issue.

One of the biggest differences compared to the older G4 and G410 models is how connectivity works.

On those older models, the included chime was effectively acting as a bridge or relay for the doorbell, and it’s also where the microSD card was kept. If the chime was unplugged or moved too far away, the doorbell could lose connectivity. That is no longer the case here.

The G400 connects directly to your network either through dual-band Wi-Fi 6 or via Ethernet using PoE. The chime is now completely optional and the microSD slot is found on the back by the Ethernet port.

In fact, the doorbell itself has a built-in speaker that plays a ding sound outside when pressed, while inside you can use the chime, smart speakers, or even an Aqara hub, such as the Hub M3 or M1S for alerts.

One important thing to note, though, is that while the G400 can use your existing doorbell wiring for power, it cannot trigger your home’s existing mechanical or digital chime box. Those wires only supply power.

Unlike the battery-powered G4, the G400 is strictly wired. As mentioned, you can either power it through a standard 8-24V doorbell transformer or use Power over Ethernet for both power and data.

I tested it using PoE and this feels like the best way to run the G400 if you can.

Not only does it remove any dependence on Wi-Fi coverage at the front of your house, but response times are noticeably faster and I experienced zero connection drops during testing.

You do not get an Ethernet cable or PoE injector in the box though, so you will need to source those yourself.

In the box there are two mounting plates included: one for a straight-on install and another 15-degree wedge mount if you need to angle the camera slightly.

Both come with 3M adhesive pads if you want to avoid drilling, although screws and even a tiny screwdriver are also included if you want something more secure.

For PoE installs, Aqara includes a rubber sealing block that pushes into place after connecting the Ethernet cable to help keep things weather tight. I mounted my review sample, temporarily for testing – so it would obviously look a lot better mounted flush rather than over my old doorbell’s blue plastic back box.

The setup process itself is the standard Aqara one, which is to say pleasantly painless.

Once powered on, the Aqara Home app immediately detected the G400 and walked through the setup process step by step, including physical installation guidance and voice prompts from the doorbell itself.

You can technically add it directly into Apple Home but you will need to go through the Aqara app setup first.

Both the Aqara QR code and HomeKit QR code are placed right next to each other on the rear of the unit, so it is worth covering one while scanning to avoid pairing confusion.

• 1536 x 2048 resolution
• Local or cloud recording

On paper, the G400 ticks a surprising number of boxes for a doorbell at this price point.

The camera records at 1536 x 2048 resolution with a 165-degree ultra-wide field of view, and Aqara has thankfully opted for a 3:4 vertical aspect ratio rather than a traditional widescreen layout.

That means you can finally see packages sitting directly below the doorbell without needing an awkward downward angle.

It sounds like a small thing, but in day-to-day use it genuinely makes the camera far more practical.
There is also 24/7 continuous recording support when using a microSD card (or other local storage), with support for cards up to 512GB.

Importantly, Aqara is not forcing users into subscriptions just to access core functionality.
Basic AI detection including human detection and motion alerts runs locally on-device for free, even without an internet connection.

For people who prefer local setups, the G400 also supports NAS backups, RTSP streaming, and ONVIF support for Home Assistant, Frigate, Blue Iris, and other NVR systems.

The G400 also works with pretty much every major smart home ecosystem, but it’s not a Matter device (yet).

There is support for Apple HomeKit Secure Video, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, and Home Assistant through RTSP.

If you connect it to Alexa or Google Home you can stream live footage directly to compatible smart displays too, or your Samsung TV using SmartThings.

There is still a subscription layer if you want more advanced AI features. Aqara’s HomeGuardian service unlocks cloud-based facial recognition, package detection, pet detection, vehicle detection, flame alerts, AI search tools, and 90-day cloud storage.

It is slightly annoying that some of those advanced detections sit behind a paywall, especially when HomeKit Secure Video already offers strong AI detection features for Apple users.

Still, at least the core functionality remains fully usable without paying monthly fees.

The Aqara app itself is familiar territory if you have used the brand’s cameras before.

Live view loads quickly, snapshots are clear, and the controls are all laid out logically. It is practical and no-nonsense.

And yes, Aqara has once again included the slightly silly voice-changing effects for two-way conversations so, if you are answering the door remotely, you can switch your voice around for a bit of “fun”.

• Clean daylight images
• Basic night vision

For day-to-day use, the G400 performs impressively well given its price. The daytime image quality is sharp, detailed, and well balanced. Faces are clear, package labels are readable, and the wider field of view does a good job covering the entire front doorway.

The new vertical 3:4 framing is genuinely one of the best upgrades here.

Compared to older widescreen doorbells, it simply gives you a much more useful perspective of what is happening at your doorstep.

PoE also makes a noticeable difference with live view loading extremely quickly, notifications arriving promptly, and throughout my testing period I experienced none of the connection instability that can sometimes plague battery-powered or weaker Wi-Fi-based doorbells.

If you already have Ethernet wiring nearby, this feels like the ideal way to run the G400.

The low-light performance is not quite as strong. While daytime quality is a clear step up over the older G4, nighttime footage can appear noticeably darker and there’s no colour night vision.

It is not unusable by any stretch, but this is one area where pricier premium doorbells still hold an advantage. The infrared night vision itself uses subtle 940nm IR LEDs, which means there is no obvious glowing red ring visible at night.

As with Aqara’s other cameras, Apple HomeKit Secure Video users should also remember that Apple still limits video resolution.

While the G400 records at full 2K resolution inside the Aqara app, HomeKit streams are reduced to 1200 x 1600.

The image still looks crisp, but you only get the full-quality experience through Aqara’s own app.