Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired) vs Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell

The Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired), for most buyers. It records locally with no subscription, supports native HomeKit Secure Video plus Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant, and shoots 2K in a taller frame. The Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell is the cheaper, wire-free option, but without an Arlo Secure plan it will not show live view or save a recording after the trial.

Not really. After the free trial, the Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell cannot show live view or save recordings without an Arlo Secure plan, and there is no microSD or local storage fallback. The Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired) is the opposite case: motion and person detection run on the device and 24/7 recording works to a microSD card of up to 512 GB with no plan.

It is 1080p HD, recording up to 1536 x 1536, not 2K. The Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired) shoots 2K at 1536 x 2048, so it captures more detail and, with its 3:4 frame, more of the visitor head to toe and the parcel at their feet.

The Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired) supports HomeKit Secure Video natively, so it works with Apple Home out of the box. The Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell can appear in Apple Home only when it is paired to an Arlo SmartHub or Base Station; a camera connected directly to the router cannot be added to the Home app.

Only the Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired). It records continuously to a microSD card of up to 512 GB and can back its recordings up to an SMB NAS server, with no subscription involved. The Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell has no internal storage and no card slot.

Someone who wants a low-cost, wire-free doorbell at a door with no wiring and who is ready to pay for Arlo Secure, since nothing is viewable or recordable without it. For a wired door and no monthly fee, the Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 (Wired) is the better fit.