Design and Build

The Aqara G100 comes in black or white and can be freestanding or mounted with a screw. Its small, rounded camera body can be twisted on the stand, which can be adjusted to achieve any angle. I have one mounted vertically facing the outdoor cat flap and another upside down over the litter tray.

The only minor design downside is that the Aqara and Apple Home QR codes are on the bottom of the camera base, so pairing should be done before mounting. Taking photos of the QR codes is recommended if placing the camera outdoors.

• One side has a waterproof cover housing a MicroSD card slot and reset button.
• The USB-C port also has a waterproof cover.
• Both color options look sleek and unobtrusive.

Compatibility and Features

The Aqara G100 has built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, pairing easily with networks like Eero. It is IP65 rated, supports up to 2K resolution (though Apple Home limits it to 1080p), and offers a 140-degree diagonal field of view.

• Built-in spotlight and infrared night vision
• Two-way audio support
• Compatible with Matter, Apple Home, Alexa, Google Assistant, Home Assistant, SmartThings, and IFTTT
• AI detection for humans, animals, packages, vehicles, and beta fire detection
• Motion sensor exposed to Apple Home
• Supports microSD cards up to 512GB, enabling 24-hour recording and NAS storage

Subscription options via Aqara Home Guardian are available but optional. Most users will not need one for single-camera use, though unlimited plans are among the best value on the market.

Setup

Setting up the Aqara G100 is straightforward. Simply plug in the camera (power brick not included), open the Aqara app, scan the QR code, name the device, and add it to Apple Home. Mounting is simple and flexible.

Using the Aqara G100

There are two main ways to use the Aqara G100: through the Aqara app and Apple Home.

Aqara App

• Activate digital privacy mode, take snapshots, record, and speak through the camera
• Adjust storage options and update firmware
• Modify camera and detection settings, including sensitivity and notification preferences
• Facial recognition setup available

Apple Home App

• Camera feed loads quickly with scrubbing and saving capabilities
• Settings allow custom notifications based on presence, item detection, and recording preferences
• Apple Home notifications include thumbnails
• Two-way audio support
• Day and night video quality is excellent, with the spotlight and motion sensor usable to trigger other smart home devices

It’s important to note the Apple Home app limits video to 1080p, which is not a fault of the Aqara G100 itself. All HomeKit-compatible cameras have this limitation.

Verdict

For just £35, the Aqara G100 is an outstanding value. The compact design, solid performance, and Apple Home compatibility make it the best budget smart home camera available for indoor or outdoor use. Most users won’t require a subscription or extra hub, making this an absolute bargain.

The post Aqara G100: The Best Budget Smart Home Camera for Apple Users appeared first on Mark's Tech Blogs.

What is Matter?

Matter is a new smart home standard which has been agreed on by a huge amount of companies including Apple, Google and Amazon (plus key players such as TUYA, Switchbot and Philips Hue). Matter will aim to create a core way in which smart home devices interact with each other which will allow you to use them across a variety of platforms and will illuminate the need to lots of hubs around your home.

To put it simply, Matter means that compatible smart home products will play nicely with each other. This will be the end of consumers looking for ‘comparable with Alexa’ or ‘HomeKit Compatible’ devices as Matter support will ensure this. You can read more about Matter here.

Does Matter mean I’ll need to upgrade my smart home products?

No. Some products will gain support for Matter via software updates whereas other will just continue to work as they did which means if you’re happy with your smart home setup you don’t need to do anything.

Switchbot Matter Support

Today, Switchbot announced the introduction of Matter. Their existing devices will become compatible with Matter throughout the year thanks to the new Hub 2 (more on that below) starting with their Curtain 2 device from March and then rolling out across their other devices.

This is great news as it will improve speed, make setup simpler and make Switchbot’s products compatible with a bigger range of smartphone platforms including native Apple Home support.

What is the Switchbot Hub 2?

The new Switchbot Hub 2 combines matter over wifi support for their existing devices alongside a display showing the temperature and humidity which will also display in your Apple and Google Home apps. In addition to this the Hub 2 will continue to have the IR remote feature found in the Switchbot Hub Mini which allows you to control remote controls via your phone.

When will the Switchbot Hub 2 be released?

We don’t yet have a release date for the Switchbot Hub 2 but their website talks about March matter certification so we should expect it around March-May time.

Exciting News!

The matter announcement signifies the first of a whole host of announcements we think we’ll be getting about matter compatible products this year. Matter is going to bring in a whole new season for the smart home and here at Mark’s Tech Blogs we just can’t wait!

The post Switchbot Announces Hub 2 & Matter Support appeared first on Mark's Tech Blogs.

Why use HomeBridge?

The Home app from Apple is on every iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch and has a clear, easy to use interface, interacts well with Siri and has shortcuts available from Control Centre which makes it the perfect way to control your smart home devices. However, the downfall is that often HomeKit compatible devices are at the more expensive end of the smartphone market (with the exception of Meross who are catering for the budget end really well). This is where HomeBridge comes in, allowing you to add your non-homekit devices to your Apple Home app.

Getting this up and running is relatively simple but is probably more for advanced users.

What is HomeBridge?

HomeBridge is a free operating system that is built on top of Raspbian that brings HomeKit support for non-HomeKit devices including those by ring, Nest, TUYA/Smart Life and Eufy. There are a range of official and non-official plugins for HomeBridge.

This allows you to then see your non-HomeKit compatible devices in your Home app and create automations or just turn things on or off.

Getting Started with HomeBridge

Getting started with HomeBridge requires you to have a Raspberry Pi. I run mine on a Raspberry Pi Zero which costs around £35. From there you just follow the instructions on the HomeBridge GitHub to install their Raspberry Pi image and set up your devices.

From that point onwards you just need to add any extra devices and plugins to your HomeBridge setup by visiting the web browser interface.

All Your Smart Home Devices in One Place

Once that’s all set up you will find all your non-HomeKit devices in your Apple home app. You can then use them with automations or just turn them on or off, for example, I have my SONOFF Mini’s hooked up with an automation with my Hue lights via my Home app. This is great because it works every time thanks to my Apple TV acting as the Apple Home Hub.

There are of course, other options out there compared to HomeBridge, the most popular one being Home Assistant which offers many more features however, for the simple task of adding devices to the Home app and doing the rest in that app I’ve found that HomeBridge is brilliant, it’s simple, works well and is reliable. There’s also a great developer network out there which means I’ve successfully got products from Eufy, TUYA, SONOFF, Ring and SwitchBot to work with no problems at all.

If you’ve got any questions about HomeBridge or want to know more about my set up then drop a comment below. You might also like to read our other posts about smart homes.

The post HomeBridge – Adding HomeKit Support for Non-HomeKit Devices appeared first on Mark's Tech Blogs.

Affordability

One of the most attractive things about SwitchBot’s products is their affordability and their new arrivals keep this trend up. All three of these devices retail at £30 each which makes them great value and when they regularly have deals on their Amazon store you’re likely to be able to pick these up even cheaper.

So, let’s dive deeper into each of SwitchBot’s new products.

The SwitchBot Camera

The SwitchBot Camera is an indoor camera which supports both day and night modes and has a stand and wall mount. It’s a great way of keeping an eye on your home when you’re away or even using it as a baby monitoring camera. The camera itself has a super-wide 130 degree lens and shoots 1080p HD video that streams straight to your phone.

The camera also boasts some smart modes including ‘human only’ detection meaning that your cat or dog won’t set off your camera and you’ll only be alerted by the important details. You can even combine the camera with Alexa to announce things like ‘Get out of my home’ to deter thieves.

The SwitchBot Camera also has a built in microphone and speaker allowing for two way communication and it has the ability to work with Alexa devices such as the Echo Show. There’s also cloud storage with the camera.

The SwitchBot Contact Sensor

Next up is the new Contact Sensor which continues SwitchBot’s dive into the home security market. The contact sensor is a two-piece white sensor that can be attached to a door or window and sends you notifications when contact is broken, allowing you to know when someone has entered your home.

Much like SwitchBot’s other products it also pairs with their Hub Mini for Alexa support and can cause Alexa to start an alarm to scare off a burglar.

The contact sensor also can tell when the user is leaving or entering the home with it’s built in motion sensor and will automatically start scenes you configure in the app which allows you to automate other things around your home such as your curtains or smart lighting.

The SwitchBot Motion Sensor

The final new product (and continuing the home security theme) is the SwitchBot motion sensor, which, much like the camera can be wall mounted or free standing. It has a 110 degree horizontal detection range and 55 degree vertical detection range and can detect movements over a wide area.

The motion sensor can be configured in the SwitchBot app so you’re not bombarded with notification and can be set up to alert you to motion or even turn on devices when light/dark situations are detected.

Finally, it can send you motion detections through Alexa so you’ll know when motion is detected.

Our Thoughts on the SwitchBot Camera, Motion and Contact Sensors

It’s great to see SwitchBot expanding their product range and, much like all their other products, you’ll get far more out of these by adding a SwitchBot Hub mini to the setup. Initial impressions are that these look like great, affordable options and welcome additions to the smart home/home security market.

The post New from SwitchBot – SwitchBot Camera, Motion Sensor & Contact Sensor appeared first on Mark's Tech Blogs.