The Camera E1, Aqara’s latest smart home security camera, is the company’s least-cost camera while still packing high-end functionality.
The $60 interior camera, which was first displayed at the IFA 2023 tech expo, is now available for purchase in the United States and Europe. It offers remarkable specs for its pricing point, including 2K video, a wide-angle lens, a 360-degree pan and tilt view, local storage, and on-device smart alert processing.
The camera also extends Aqara’s support for Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV), making it one of the most affordable solutions for working with Apple’s end-to-end encrypted video storage service. There are various low-cost cameras that enable Apple HomeKit, but few also support the HKSV service. Eufy’s $55 E220, which also offers pan and tilt, and the static C120 for $43 are two other comparable possibilities.
The Camera E1 is Alexa and Google Home compatible, and Aqara has stated that its cameras will support Matter when the smart home standard adds video to the specification. The E1 is the company’s first device to support Wi-Fi 6, which should improve network speed, as well as Bluetooth 5.2 for setup and offline control.
The E1 is less expensive than Aqara’s G camera range, which starts at $110 for 2K footage and includes a Zigbee hub for integrating Aqara’s Zigbee-based devices like motion and contact sensors.
Earlier this year, Aqara debuted the Camera E1 at the IFA 2023 electronics trade event in Berlin. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy for The Verge Video recordings can be saved locally on a microSD card (up to 512GB) or NAS, in the cloud via Aqara, or via Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video service. This is Apple’s end-to-end secured storage option in your personal iCloud for recorded videos. It analyzes footage locally and provides smart notifications for people, deliveries, pets, and cars using an Apple Home hub like as an Apple TV or HomePod.
Other HKSV features include a tight connection with Apple Home, which allows you to do things like turn your cameras off when someone in your Apple Home arrives home and tune your camera’s capabilities to allow for streaming only, streaming and recording, or only detect activity with no video. Many other camera businesses charge monthly subscription fees for these capabilities, but HKSV requires a paid iCloud plan, which starts at $1 per month.
The disadvantage of using a camera like the E1 in HKSV is that the service only supports 1080p video, therefore the 2K quality is lost. Apple’s Home app also does not support the camera’s pan and tilt capabilities.
Aqara’s proprietary software provides additional security features for the Camera E1. Aqara is an image.
Even when utilizing HKSV, the camera must be configured in Aqara’s own app. Here, you can benefit from higher video quality as well as pan and tilt. When other Aqara devices, such as contact sensors, are triggered, the camera can be programmed to turn to face a predefined angle, such as the front door.
A new privacy mode disables the camera and turns the lens away from an activity zone. The E1 can process smart notifications for persons and sounds such as barking and crying on-device. (Aqara says sound notifications will be supported in a firmware update.)
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