This is information that will delight all users of the Xiaomi home automation ecosystem: the Aqara G3 hub camera is officially launched in France today, but also in the United States and Canada.
Much more than a simple evolution of the excellent Aqara G2H, this camera with integrated ZigBee 3.0 hub offers better resolution and uses theartificial intelligence to better secure our connected homes. Add to that a compatibility with the main voice assistants market and the brand promises us a full box ...
Launch of the Aqara G3 hub camera in Europe
Unveiled last May in China, the new Aqara G3 hub camera It was not long before it finally crossed the oceans, the most prominent Chinese manufacturer in the sector today announcing its launch in France, the United States and Canada.
On the menu, we will first note an increased image quality with a 3MP sensor offering a 2K resolution of 2304 x 1296 pixels. Being a “pan & tilt” type camera, the new Aqara G3 is also capable of shooting at 360 degrés to leave no dead zone out of its field of action and ensure optimal protection of goods and people.
A dual ZigBee 3.0 and IR hub for the connected home
As the name implies, the Aqara G3 hub camera is not only a camera, but also a real control center for the home. Able to connect up to 128 devices using ZigBee 3.0 protocol (and more if you add routers and repeaters), it can also drive IR devices and control them through automations.
Another good point, all IR automations are managed locally and work even in the absence of an Internet connection. As announced earlier this year, Aqara will take charge of Matter as soon as the new universal home automation standard comes out, everything suggests that this will also be the case for this G3.
AI facial and gesture recognition
The most notable evolution of this Aqara G3 is however to be found on the side of theartificial intelligence. A feature still not widely used on the market, AI here brings both a facial recognition as on the Netatmo Welcome, but also domestic animals, and especially a gesture recognition.
Indeed, and this is a real innovation on this type of device, it is possible to perform gestures to control your connected home. Do an ok with your hand in front of the camera lens and your security system will arm! Show him three fingers and your living room will light up. Enough to create new and very interesting automations in the Aqara Home application.
The Aqara G3 camera plays the security card
Able to recognize up to 20 different faces, the system is obviously highly secure with a encryption of its communications to the cloud. A free cloud, it should be noted, and whose servers located in Europe are respectful of GDPR. In addition, the images are saved locally on a micro-SD card whose location you can observe in privacy mode ...
Indeed, the G3 has a functionality of Protection of private life which can be activated manually or automatically. A mode easily identifiable by a pretty sleeping face which testifies to the stopping of the camera. Finally, Aqara has implemented the latest WPA3 Wi-Fi security standard for increased security.
Compatibility with voice assistants
If you don't trust Chinese companies too much in this matter, you will probably be reassured by its certifications. Apple HomeKit Secure Video, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
We also asked the brand about voice assistants and learned that "At the moment, the Aqara G3 camera supports streaming and two-way audio on screens. Alexa and Google. We are currently developing a new feature that allows users to trigger preset scenes on the Aqara Home app on Alexa and Google, including the IR controller feature, but we don't have the exact ETA for this new feature yet. »
