The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro is two devices in one: a serious outdoor security camera and a full smart home hub. Reviewers at Tom’s Guide, Macworld and MacStories rate it among the best outdoor cameras of 2026 — especially for Apple households.
Camera quality
The G5 Pro records at 4MP resolution with True Color Night Vision, so night footage keeps its colour instead of dropping to grainy infrared. Detection of people, animals and packages has proven consistently accurate in long-term testing, and events load almost instantly when scrubbing back through footage.
The hub inside
This is what makes the G5 Pro special: it doubles as a Zigbee and Thread hub and a Matter controller. Mount one outside and you have extended your smart home network to the garden — it works with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, Home Assistant, Homey and SmartThings.
Installation and connectivity
It supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) — one cable for power and data — plus dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) for flexible placement. Reviewers report it never dropped off the network across weeks of use.
The downsides
The Aqara app is less polished than rivals, and the camera delivers its full value mainly inside an Apple HomeKit household, where HomeKit Secure Video integration shines.
Price and verdict
At $159–189, the G5 Pro undercuts most premium outdoor cameras while doing more. 9/10 — the best outdoor camera for HomeKit users in 2026, and a clever network extender for everyone else.
Buy it if: you use Apple Home or want camera + hub in one device.
Skip it if: app polish matters more to you than hardware capability.