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Agara is a high-end HomeKit smart home device manufacturer. Window/door, temperature, motion and vibration sensors are among the items you can get from them, but when you throw a device like the Camera Hub G2H Pro into the mix, you can connect everything without needing a separate hub. This and some powerful privacy and security features make this indoor security camera worth a close look.
Agara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Price and Availability
The Camera Hub G2H Pro is currently available on Amazon in the US for $69.99 and any color you want, as long as it’s white.
Agara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Features and specifications
What I like about Agara and this camera hub is their focus on privacy features and ease of use. By logging into the Agara Home app, you can access the video settings and set the privacy blocking field. Let’s say you live in a condominium and your children’s bedroom windows are on the first floor. You want to place a camera, but you don’t want them to record, only the window. Tap the privacy occlusion area feature and you can drag up to three areas using the grid to place black bars over your posts on the screen. No image or motion/movement will be recorded in the blocked area. You can even turn off the recording to give more privacy.
Video is pretty good for a 1080P camera. There are better ones out there, but ultimately HomeKit Secure Video captures all those 2k and 4k cameras and records in 1080P. Mounted in front of a large sliding glass door, the light coming in from it washes out some of the details across the room, but you’ll deal with this to varying degrees from multiple cameras. Details like letters and faces on a wall in videos are easy to spot from about 20 feet away from the camera, but they lose fine detail the farther you go.
Supporting Siri, Alexa, and Google Home makes this a great camera for someone like me who mostly uses iOS, but whose wife prefers Google and Alexa. Using Ark 2.0 makes this a unique choice for secure automation use.
In short, Ark 2.0 allows some of your devices to connect to others via a mesh network and trigger local automation even if the internet connection is down. This is a critical security feature, as there are those with malicious intent who use Wi-Fi jammers to hijack internet-connected cameras before entering the home. And these gags are pretty easy to find for those interested in committing property crimes.
In terms of connectivity, the G2H is 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only, with a built-in Zigbee 3.0 hub. It comes with an outdated microUSB to USB-A cable.
Agara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Install and see
The Camera Hub G2H Pro is a plastic affair, but I haven’t seen many negative reviews or Reddit posts complaining about long-term durability. It’s smaller than Agara’s G3 and E1, measuring 3.24 inches tall and 2 inches wide, unless you mount it on an expandable base.
The bottom of the G2H Pro has a magnet strong enough to stick to many metal or iron surfaces. I mounted mine on the iron apron hook thing in my kitchen/dining room and it feels pretty solid there. Also, on the bottom, you’ll find a microSD slot that supports up to 512GB of storage, and a reset button next to it.
Agara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Ease of use
Agara’s Camera Hub G2H Pro is easy to install and use. Unboxing, you’ll find a micro USB to USB A cable, but no power adapter, 3M patch for mounting on various surfaces, instruction manual, ejector tool, and metal plate. I didn’t use metal plate or 3M stickers for mounting; Instead, I used a strong magnet to attach it to an apron hook mounted on the wall between my kitchen and dining room. Mounting it there felt pretty secure and gave me a view of the dining area, living room and part of my kitchen.
Connecting the camera to the Agara app and HomeKit was as easy as scanning some QR codes and following the instructions, which took less than 10 minutes.
Once connected to Wi-Fi, you can go through the Agara app and configure all the privacy and security, automation, motion/abnormal sound detection and custom ringtone settings. Since the Hub G2H Pro now supports Apple HomeKit Security, you can access the Apple Home app and set up automation and alerts based on the four alarm modes supported in that app. With these alarm modes and any motion or sound detection configured, you can use up to 512GB of available onboard storage via microSD to keep your video going 24/7 or per alarm event. If you run it 24/7, you’ll get about a week’s worth of video.
Agara Camera Hub G2H Pro: The Competition
At $69.99, the Camera Hub G2H Pro doesn’t really have a direct competitor, as it includes a Zigbee 3.0 hub. That said, for $40 more, you should take a look at Agara’s Camera Hub G3.
The Hub G3 also supports connection to up to 128 Agara smart home devices, but it improves on every feature the G2H Pro has except for image blocking. The G3 also adds pan and tilt to the equation. If the $40 difference seems drastic, a quick look at historical pricing shows that the G3 has sold twice in the past four months for $87.49, a difference of just ~$15.
Agara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Should You Buy It?
You should buy this if…
- You are investing in the Agara ecosystem
- You want a camera with great mounting options
- You want a camera with great privacy options
You should not buy it if…
- You want pan/tilt/zoom functionality
- You want a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection
Agara Camera Hub G2H Pro: Verdict
A built-in Zigbee 3.0 hub, flexible setup options, excellent privacy controls, and good video make the Agara Camera Hub G2H Pro a great choice for those looking to fill their homes with Agara’s wallet-friendly sensors and camera options. And the $69.99 price point for all of this isn’t bad either. Add to that HomeKit Security and Ark 2.0 support, and you’ve got a solid hub, camera, and basic security system to help you monitor and protect what’s precious to you.
If you’re just getting into the market, I’d suggest looking at the newer Camera Hub G3, but you may not need everything on offer. Either way, G2H Pro is a good buy to secure your smart home.
Bottom line:
The Agara Camera Hub G2H Pro is packed with smart privacy features, looks good in daylight and dimming, and can control up to 128 Agara devices. You won’t find anything better at this price!
