HomeKit I Need 2 Indoor Cameras & 1 Outdoor Camera. All HomeKit; Help Me Decide

[DigitalAR]

My home security system contract is up in 30 days and figured id get HomeKit cameras instead.

1 camera for the front yard/front door
1 outdoor doorbell camera (everyone recommends that Logitech one so ill probably go with that)

1 indoor camera for living room
1 indoor camera for finished basement and basement entrance

I keep seeing the same usual suspects. Im sure the particulars are only known only to some of you so figured id ask here. My goal is for all to reside in Apple's native Home app and for all family members to have access to all the cameras all the time (4 of us)

 

[TorbenIbsen]

I use Arlo Pro 3 outdoor and indoor in our All-Apple home. They have worked perfectly for a couple of years now both in 30 degrees (C) and -10 degrees (C). I use those without any contract with any security provider. (They might use Arlo anyway). I get alerts (and a photo) on my Apple Watch 6 and a small video recording everytime there is movement. (Configurable).

Now there are newer models which goes directly into the wifi and can probably do more than mine. So have a look at them. - We do not use the Apple Homekit only one device at a time can look. Change of device requires login on that device. Perhaps this is not so on newer models.

About Homekit: As we currently see the Apple Homekit is a mess. So using precisely Apple Homekit as the "hub" for security cameras do not seem to be a good idea to me. My security cameras needs to work also when there are trouble with MacOS, Homekit and such.

I live in Denmark. You probably live somewhere else so things may be different for you.

 

[DigitalAR]

I use Arlo Pro 3 outdoor and indoor in our All-Apple home. They have worked perfectly for a couple of years now both in 30 degrees (C) and -10 degrees (C). I use those without any contract with any security provider. (They might use Arlo anyway). I get alerts (and a photo) on my Apple Watch 6 and a small video recording everytime there is movement. (Configurable).

Now there are newer models which goes directly into the wifi and can probably do more than mine. So have a look at them. - We do not use the Apple Homekit only one device at a time can look. Change of device requires login on that device. Perhaps this is not so on newer models.

About Homekit: As we currently see the Apple Homekit is a mess. So using precisely Apple Homekit as the "hub" for security cameras do not seem to be a good idea to me. My security cameras needs to work also when there are trouble with MacOS, Homekit and such.

I live in Denmark. You probably live somewhere else so things may be different for you.

Thank you.

I’ll look at the Arlo products.

Considering I was planning on having HomeKit be my home base I was considering getting cameras from different brands. But perhaps I should stick with one brand.

 

[Ifti]

I also have Arlo Pro cameras - I got in there early so have a plan that gives me free storage for the past 30 days. Now with new subscriptions you have to pay for anything more then storing video for a few days I think, hence why I haven’t bothered upgrading my system. All works well.

In hindsite I may sell my Arlo units and replace with Ring cameras. Not saying they are any better, but they tie in with my Ring alarm system - for instance they will activate when my Alarm system is active, and deactivate and not record when we are home, and so on - just provides more flexibility in the one ecosystem. The only thing I like about Arlo is that you can via a simultaneous live feed from all cameras at the same time - with Ring you can only view back one camera at a time.

 

[Itinj24]

Thank you.

I’ll look at the Arlo products.

Considering I was planning on having HomeKit be my home base I was considering getting cameras from different brands. But perhaps I should stick with one brand.

If HomeKit Secure Video matters to you, just know that Arlo doesn’t support it and you’d need a separate subscription plan through Arlo.

 

[DigitalAR]

If HomeKit Secure Video matters to you, just know that Arlo doesn’t support it and you’d need a separate subscription plan through Arlo.

Yes HomeKit secure video does matter to me so guess I’ll be moving on then

 

[Itinj24]

Yes HomeKit secure video does matter to me so guess I’ll be moving on then

Not much options out there for outdoor HKSV cameras. I do have very good experiences with the Logitech Circle 2. Those are discontinued though. The newest model is the Circle View. Don’t have any of those but can’t see it being bad. They do require a strong Wi-Fi connection. Eufy is another option but they just got caught with all sorts of privacy issues. I personally prefer a wired power connection.

 

[marklemac]

I've got 2 x Circle 2, 2 x Circle View, and 2 x Eufy 2C outside, Eufy indoor cams inside.

Circle 2 works just fine, although a few previous ones died.

Circle Views works great, night vision is good, simple setup.

Now I thought I'd give the wireless Eufy 2C a go when Amazon did a massive discount for black friday.

I have to say, I am very impressed with them. Night vision BLOWS away the Logitech stuff. I did configure them to work with HKSV alongside the local recording, but to save battery life I undid the HKSV and just left them recording to the local HUB. Remote playback is just fine, no delays at all. You still get alerts saying it's seen a human, but no face recognition. I love the fact you can mount them anywhere and not worry about cables. I did invest in a Eufy solar panel for one of them, just to see how it went (again it was on a black friday deal)

The Eufy indoor cams are excellent too. Shame HKSV doesn't take advantage of the 2k.

I run an Eero Pro mesh network, occasionally the cams drop offline and reconnect, but this has become less as the months go by, I figure this is down to the updates that Eero do, I try and give them feedback as to how the cams behave after an update.

 

[rayward]

I have two Aqara indoor cameras and they're great. Importantly, they support HomeKit Secure Video. They're also Aqara hubs, so you can use them to run any number of Aqara's sensors and switches and you don't need a separate hub to expose the accessories to HomeKit.

For an outdoor camera, I have a WeMo doorbell. It's great...when it's working, but it needs to be reset too frequently for my liking (every couple of weeks). On the plus side, it works directly with HomeKit, supports HKSV and installation is very simple, including wiring the chime remote into the existing chime box.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Not much options out there for outdoor HKSV cameras. I do have very good experiences with the Logitech Circle 2. Those are discontinued though. The newest model is the Circle View. Don’t have any of those but can’t see it being bad. They do require a strong Wi-Fi connection. Eufy is another option but they just got caught with all sorts of privacy issues. I personally prefer a wired power connection.

I have Eufy doorbell cameras and one outdoor "Pro" camera. Their doorbell cameras do not support HKSV and only certain models of their others do. And of course there's that pesky privacy issue they just got busted over. I like their cameras and software, but I can't say I'd choose them again just for the privacy gaff and spotty HKSV support.

 

[Itinj24]

I have Eufy doorbell cameras and one outdoor "Pro" camera. Their doorbell cameras do not support HKSV and only certain models of their others do. And of course there's that pesky privacy issue they just got busted over. I like their cameras and software, but I can't say I'd choose them again just for the privacy gaff and spotty HKSV support.

I bought a crap load of their indoor cameras when they first came out on presale a few years back. They were like 20 bux or so apiece. I sold them as soon as I received them for the fact that they didn’t support 2-way audio in HomeKit. I use the cameras a lot to communicate and this was a deal breaker. Too bad since I heard great things about them otherwise.

 

[Topfry]

I bought a crap load of their indoor cameras when they first came out on presale a few years back. They were like 20 bux or so apiece. I sold them as soon as I received them for the fact that they didn’t support 2-way audio in HomeKit. I use the cameras a lot to communicate and this was a deal breaker. Too bad since I heard great things about them otherwise.

I’d buy cheap, but functional, and replace when there’s something better released. Preferably with full matter/thread and HomeKit secure support. That’s where I currently am… foolishly wishing and waiting for Apple branded homeware… almost dare not admit it but I bought nest cameras (on sale) and keep that whole network separate to my Apple kit. They are fine, but waiting for the holy grail of HomeKit compatibility. Surprsied nothing exciting came out of CES this year…

 

[stocklen]

Theres not a huge choice out there

But I have a Logitech Circle View for outside.

HOWEVER..... it loses connection literally daily and I have to restart the camera to get it to connect again. I have resorted to plugging it in via a smart plug so that I can turn it off and on again remotely which is a daily chore.

Seems dependant on iOS software - the current iteration is appalling.

If I had $1 for every time i get the message 'your circle view is offline' id be a rich man.

 

[iStorm]

I bought a crap load of their indoor cameras when they first came out on presale a few years back. They were like 20 bux or so apiece. I sold them as soon as I received them for the fact that they didn’t support 2-way audio in HomeKit. I use the cameras a lot to communicate and this was a deal breaker. Too bad since I heard great things about them otherwise.

You may already know this, but you can still do 2-way audio through the Eufy app. Just wanted to point out that the feature isn't gone or disabled for good if it's added to HomeKit.

I have some Eufy cams and use them in both HomeKit (HKSV) and in the Eufy app simultaneously. I like the simplicity of HomeKit, but sometimes wish it could do a little more. That's where the Eufy app comes into play for me. Even though they're connected to HomeKit, the Eufy app can still do 24/7 continuous recording (HKSV only records events it detects), pan & tilt, 2-way audio, and alarm.

 

[Itinj24]

You may already know this, but you can still do 2-way audio through the Eufy app. Just wanted to point out that the feature isn't gone or disabled for good if it's added to HomeKit.

I have some Eufy cams and use them in both HomeKit (HKSV) and in the Eufy app simultaneously. I like the simplicity of HomeKit, but sometimes wish it could do a little more. That's where the Eufy app comes into play for me. Even though they're connected to HomeKit, the Eufy app can still do 24/7 continuous recording (HKSV only records events it detects), pan & tilt, 2-way audio, and alarm.

Yes, I’m aware but wanted a one stop shop for my devices. I get it, the manufacturers app have more and often better features than the Home app but want to stray from the Home app as little as possible.

I just can’t believe after all this time they haven’t integrated it yet. I don’t believe there’s another camera manufacturer for HomeKit that doesn’t support two way audio in the Home app. I’m just curious what the reasoning is for this.

A feature in the Home app that’s not talked about often and I think is really underrated is the ability to control other devices directly from the Camera streaming view. Just want that all inclusive control without having to jump back and forth between apps. Then you get the buffering all over again when switching so it’s not a smooth transition.

Side note, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple releases 24 hour recording for HomeKit cams as early as iOS 17. I feel it’s just around the corner. They seem to be adding useful features year by year, even though they ignore old bugs that need squashing.

 

[steve123]

Have a look at the Ubiquiti cameras. Their equipment is pretty good and integrates well with their NVR for which you do not require a paid subscription. They are not supported directly by Homekit but there is a plugin available for Homebridge that brings them into Homekit.

Incidentally, I have now moved all of my Wemo, Ecoplug and a few other home automation accessories to Homebridge. I have found this to be a much more reliable way of getting them connected to Homekit than relying on the problematic process of adopting these devices with vendor apps and Homekit. Homebridge also opens the door to connecting any device to Homekit that can publish MQTT messages. Now my lightshow controller can tell Homekit to turn off the exterior lights of my home when my lightshow is playing.

 

[Alfie]

Theres not a huge choice out there

But I have a Logitech Circle View for outside.

HOWEVER..... it loses connection literally daily and I have to restart the camera to get it to connect again. I have resorted to plugging it in via a smart plug so that I can turn it off and on again remotely which is a daily chore.

Seems dependant on iOS software - the current iteration is appalling.

If I had $1 for every time i get the message 'your circle view is offline' id be a rich man.

I'm glad you shared this. Glad it's not just me. I have two of the Circle Views and have those daily drops just like you. I have also given up and plugged them in with smart plugs just so I could restart them remotely. Frustrating because I love their direct integration into the Home app as well as their form factor and ruggedness. I was hoping for a firmware update that would fix the connection issues, but haven't seen anything.

 

[stocklen]

I'm glad you shared this. Glad it's not just me. I have two of the Circle Views and have those daily drops just like you. I have also given up and plugged them in with smart plugs just so I could restart them remotely. Frustrating because I love their direct integration into the Home app as well as their form factor and ruggedness. I was hoping for a firmware update that would fix the connection issues, but haven't seen anything.

Me too.

I wanted a HomeKit outside camera that fully integrated into Home and iCloud storage and certainly in the Uk here, theres very little choice outside of the Logitech.

... thats fine - the camera is OK - there was a huge issue with the mounting plate not actually fitting when I got it - but that aside its rugged enough and the PQ is good enough.

But, very surprisingly ropey connection - would you believe that it's now been connected for more than 24 hours and thats a first for a while but I fully expect to have to restart it again soon enough. The smart plug is an essential accessory for this camera!

I hold out hope that the software will be updated - but given this is a HomeKit exclusive and there is no Logitech app - I wonder how and where the firmware updates will be delivered as we can only access the camera and rudimentary settings via the home app.

 

[DeepIn2U]

So it seems for iCloud and HomeKit indoor camera's the choices are slim pickings. I picked up a cheap camera that uses MicroSD to record and a VERY limited and expensive (after trial) camera for my apartment and I'm appalled at the weak feature set.

Having a look into iCloud storage options such as Eufy 2C is listed just $5 more on Amazon so I'll be going with this option.

What I've found shady was the explicit and incentivized request from the vendor that I purchased a tiny spy cam from Amazon sent me an email asking for a 5 star review and that a $20 Amazon gift card or 1 year camera subscription would be sent after completing such review and sent to them. wow!

Security Camera,Wireless Indoor Camera,Upgraded 2K Security Nanny Camera,WiFi Surveillance Mini Camera,Cloud & SD Storage,AI Motion Detection,Clear Night Vision,100 Days Standby Battery Life

Indoor security camera Video frame rate: 30fps

www.amazon.ca

So yeah I'll be looking into Eufy 2C series for indoor Camera with HomeKit and iCloud storage support. doesn't make any sense to have a camera which can be taken or destroyed during a break-in if the storage content will be unretrievable and while providing a free 128GB MicroSD card to the thief now does it? Nope.

Hoping for more solutions and wish these HomeKit security cameras can get smaller and less obvious while allowing the same build quality and feature set.

 

[marklemac]

I'm glad you shared this. Glad it's not just me. I have two of the Circle Views and have those daily drops just like you. I have also given up and plugged them in with smart plugs just so I could restart them remotely. Frustrating because I love their direct integration into the Home app as well as their form factor and ruggedness. I was hoping for a firmware update that would fix the connection issues, but haven't seen anything.

Yep, join the club. 2 x Circle Views, constantly going offline. I have now also put a smart switch on them so I can remotely reboot them.

I even installed a wifi 2.4ghz box to separate them from my Eero mesh as I thought that was the issue and the problem still remains. I would simply not recommend these cameras to anyone.

On the other hand, my Eufy 2C's running natively and via HKSV are running smooth as silk, even have them running solely via their solar panels outside. Very impressed, especially with the deals amazon do on them.