HomeKit External HomeKit cameras

[nzh999]

Hi,

Looking for recommendations for external HomeKit compatible external security cameras - ideally battery/solar powered.

Thanks,
Neil.

 

[flynz4]

I’m also looking for recommendations for moving to HomeKit.

I started this journey purchasing a Nest thermostat many years ago. I then added Nest door locks years later. Finally, I added Nest cameras. Then Google bought Nest. 😧. I don’t care for Google business practices.

We will be moving and thinking of going 100% HomeKit. I’m not thrilled with what I see.

I am thinking of an Eve outdoor camera above the garage door. It will detect motion and turn on a light, which might scare off someone doing car break-ins. I’ve read mixed messages on Eve.

Logitec Circle can be used indoors and out. They also have a doorbell. I’ve read lots of reviews of the doorbell disconnecting if it gets hot, and Logitech warns that direct sunlight can cause it to overheat even in cold weather. That does not sound like a great design. My front door is quite recessed and probably is ok, but still, I’d like something better. The regular cams seem to also disconnect a lot for many which scares me away.

Perhaps I’ll stick with Google Which has been solid. I suspect if I restrict it to the outside of the house, the privacy issues become manageable.

 

[phillyman]

Hi,

So I have the Eve outdoor camera, very well constructed and I like the company. The execution though on the homekit front has been a bad experience. I had trouble getting it added to home network. They do say you have to turn off 5GHz network while setting it up and just run 2.4 GHz wifi. Afterwards you can run a mixed wifi signal. But it needs an extremely strong signal with zero interference. I've had outages on picture or live picture but no notifications when there is movement etc. etc. This after I upgraded my wifi mesh system and have a node less than 40 feet away. Again I don't think it is the camera (though I would have liked a 5GHz option).

From what I've seen online it seems to be more related to homekit and the processing on the home hub. So good luck. I also looked at some NAS surveillance options (Synology). Those were more involved than I wanted but they could be more powerful and versatile.

Another option would be the Netatmo camera that seems similar to the Eve.

Philly

 

[btrach144]

I just want a HKSV system that has a doorbell and outdoor/indoor rated stand alone cameras. WPA3 support and 2.4/5 GHz support.

5 GHz support is needed because even though IoT devices don’t require that bandwidth, there are serious bugs with HomeKit not being able to handle 2.4 GHz only devices.

There are some nice WPA3 indoor cameras but they aren’t rated for outdoor use. The latest security standards should be a no brainer on a security device.

And ideally not a Chinese owned company (CCP owned) or Eero due to their security breach/poor coding/inability to apologize.

 

[flynz4]

Hi,

So I have the Eve outdoor camera, very well constructed and I like the company. The execution though on the homekit front has been a bad experience. I had trouble getting it added to home network. They do say you have to turn off 5GHz network while setting it up and just run 2.4 GHz wifi. Afterwards you can run a mixed wifi signal. But it needs an extremely strong signal with zero interference. I've had outages on picture or live picture but no notifications when there is movement etc. etc. This after I upgraded my wifi mesh system and have a node less than 40 feet away. Again I don't think it is the camera (though I would have liked a 5GHz option).

From what I've seen online it seems to be more related to homekit and the processing on the home hub. So good luck. I also looked at some NAS surveillance options (Synology). Those were more involved than I wanted but they could be more powerful and versatile.

Another option would be the Netatmo camera that seems similar to the Eve.

Philly

Your experience with HKSV is not encouraging. Given that I have pre-existing experience with Google Nest, would you suggest that I just stick with the known product even thought I do not particularly like Google's privacy practices?

I do not think I really need the outdoor cameras to be part of any home automation, and not even the doorbell. My privacy concerns decrease if google/nest are completely outside the home.

/Jim

 

[btrach144]

Your experience with HKSV is not encouraging. Given that I have pre-existing experience with Google Nest, would you suggest that I just stick with the known product even thought I do not particularly like Google's privacy practices?

I do not think I really need the outdoor cameras to be part of any home automation, and not even the doorbell. My privacy concerns decrease if google/nest are completely outside the home.

/Jim

See my post above. We really need a second generation of cameras that hopefully resolve a lot of the teething pains from the current cameras.

As a result, I would suggest waiting.

 

[phillyman]

Your experience with HKSV is not encouraging. Given that I have pre-existing experience with Google Nest, would you suggest that I just stick with the known product even thought I do not particularly like Google's privacy practices?

I do not think I really need the outdoor cameras to be part of any home automation, and not even the doorbell. My privacy concerns decrease if google/nest are completely outside the home.

/Jim

I’d probably wait. depending on your needs/wants, you might consider a simple door sensor? I have a couple of the eve ones. They notify me when the door opens and have automations attached to them for starting routines.

Overkill but something that works reliably would be a homekit lock. Again doesn’t give you the feed you probably are looking for, but does allow for automations when soemone unlocks the door.

Yes I avoid google products because of my privacy concerns, plus the HomeKit setup process for the most part is very straightforward.

philly