Acara G4 Video Doorbell Review Notes

Introduction

• Announced at CES 2023.
• Excited about features and expected Acara quality.
• Received for review (not sponsored).
• Used for 6-7 weeks.

Design

• Square flat design in matte gunmetal gray plastic with black accent ring.
• 162-degree field of view, 1080p camera with night vision.
• Large push button and LED ring for visibility in the dark.
• Captive security screw to secure unit to the mount.

Power Options

• Runs on 6 AA batteries (up to 4 months battery life) or can be hardwired (8-24 volt AC/DC).
• Preference for AA batteries over rechargeable USB-C, but acknowledges trade-offs.

Price

• Priced at £120, competitive for brand name devices.

Chime Unit

• Chime handles doorbell chimes and has an SD card slot for recording.
• No internal SD storage in the doorbell for security reasons.
• Chime unit connects wirelessly to the doorbell and has Wi-Fi for phone communication.

App and Recording Features

• Acara app allows viewing camera playback and motion events.
• Limitations in app features: can't download clips, lack of pinning for important clips, monitor tab lag.
• Options for continuous recording or motion-triggered recording.
• Supports up to 512GB SD card, can overwrite older footage.
• Future plans for NAS recording feature announced.

Responsiveness

• Excellent push notifications and live stream access.
• Little to no lag in communication.

Image Quality

• Daytime: good detail and dynamic range for face recognition.
• Nighttime: faces can appear washed out, poor detail.

Mounting Options

• Comes with a 30-degree wedge.
• Suggestion for additional wedges (e.g., 45-degree) for better visibility.

Microphone Quality

• Adequate for conversations with visitors.

Compatibility

• Supports Google Assistant, Alexa, and HomeKit.
• HomeKit integration works well but has limitations with third-party home automation (Home Assistant).
• RTSP stream is not available, which is a downside.

Face Detection and Recognition

• Local processing for face detection; can tag individuals and color-code the timeline.
• Notable delay in notifications despite quick detection.
• Nighttime detection struggles due to poor image quality.

Missing Features

• Lacks motion zone settings for defining sensitivity in different areas.
• Cannot integrate with existing chime systems (unlike some competitors).

Conclusion

• Overall, a solid video doorbell for the price, especially for Acara and HomeKit users.
• If RTSP and ONVIF added, would recommend immediately.
• Encouragement for community feedback on desired features.