HomeKit Is video motion detection useless in HomeKit ?

[FilthyMuppetInnuendo]

Sorry to bump the thread, but I didn’t want to create a brand new one for a one line question and I literally can’t find an answer to it anywhere else on the entire Internet or by searching here.

Is the creation of activity zones in the Home app a feature exclusive to HomeKit Secure Video? Can activity zones be set up on a camera in Home without paying, or is that then restricted to using the manufacturer’s own app? And is paying for HomeKit Secure Video the only way to view cameras (and their notifications) in the Home app when you’re not at home (aside from using the manufacturer’s app)?

Thanks to anyone who knows.

 

[goro123]

Sorry to bump the thread, but I didn’t want to create a brand new one for a one line question and I literally can’t find an answer to it anywhere else on the entire Internet or by searching here.

Is the creation of activity zones in the Home app a feature exclusive to HomeKit Secure Video? Can activity zones be set up on a camera in Home without paying, or is that then restricted to using the manufacturer’s own app? And is paying for HomeKit Secure Video the only way to view cameras (and their notifications) in the Home app when you’re not at home (aside from using the manufacturer’s app)?

Thanks to anyone who knows.

According to chatGPT :

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Yes, the creation of activity zones in the Home app is a feature that is exclusive to HomeKit Secure Video (HSV).​

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Activity zones allow users to define specific areas in the camera’s view where they want to focus on detecting motion or activity, such as a driveway or front door area, while ignoring motion outside of these zones. This feature is part of the advanced video analysis and privacy features provided by HomeKit Secure Video.​

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HomeKit Secure Video is a premium feature requiring:​

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• A HomeKit-enabled camera.​

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• An iCloud+ subscription plan with sufficient storage (starting from the 50GB plan for one camera).​

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• A Home Hub (e.g., Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad configured as a hub).​

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Without HomeKit Secure Video, the Home app does not support features like activity zones, and the camera’s motion detection and recording capabilities would depend on the manufacturer’s app and ecosystem instead.​

 

[goro123]

I would say HomeKit has greatly improved in video detection and that works really well now.

(I received a notification that an animal was detected inside my home the other day, although I don't have any animal (anymore 😔), and indeed there was a cat inside my home wandering around, that managed to sneak through the bathroom window that was left open).

Another plus is you don't need to install the manufacturer's app. And that for me is a blessing. I don't trust many companies with the handling of such personal data. You do lose some specific aspects (such as zooming for example) but me, I just want a video stream that send an alert if necessary ; and HomeKit does that well.

I have to admit that the HomeKit app is a huge mess though.

HomeKit Secure Video is available with 50GB: €0.99 per month and 200GB: €2.99 per month. I think the price is fair (although apple should include at least 20GB of iCloud data free).

 

[andyw715]

I would say the glaring negative about the activity zones is the setup itself. The video preview is very small and its tedious to create the zones, especially when using a iPhone to do it.

 

[tdastle]

I use a Aqara G4 Doorbell. The motion detection sensitivity is set to low. I have a smart bulb at the entrance named “Front outside LED bulb”. I use a raspberry pi to run homebridge. I use homebridge to create a dummy switch named “Doorbell motion detected” to be used by HomeKit.

When motion is detected at night, the following HomeKit automation script shortcut is executed:

If Doorbell motion detected is off
Set Doorbell motion detected to on
Set Front outside LED bulb is on 50%
Wait 30 sec
Set Front outside LED bulb is on 10%
Wait 5 sec
Set Doorbell motion detected is off
End if

The 5 second delay before turning off the switch “Doorbell motion detected” keeps the motion detection, triggered by the lighting change, from turning of the bulb brightness.