Aqara Camera G100 vs Arlo Pro 5S 2K

The Aqara Camera G100 comes out ahead. It records to a microSD card, streams over RTSP to NVRs and Home Assistant setups, and costs less, while the Arlo Pro 5S 2K keeps every recording in the cloud behind an Arlo subscription.

Power and storage. The Aqara Camera G100 is a wired camera with local microSD recording, while the Arlo Pro 5S 2K is a wire-free battery camera (about 8 months per charge) whose recordings require a cloud subscription.

The Aqara Camera G100 works with Apple HomeKit directly, as well as Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant. The Arlo Pro 5S 2K covers Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant too, but it needs an Arlo SmartHub to reach HomeKit.

Buyers who need a camera where no power cable reaches, want HDR for high-contrast scenes and dual-band Wi-Fi, and are fine paying for an Arlo plan to unlock recordings and smart alerts should pick the Arlo Pro 5S 2K.

Anyone who wants an affordable IP65 camera with 2K video, subscription-free microSD recording, RTSP for third-party recorders and native HomeKit support should pick the Aqara Camera G100.