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Logitech Announces 'Circle 2' Home Security Camera With HomeKit Compatibility

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Logitech today announced a follow-up to its popular Circle home camera, debuting the Circle 2. The Circle 2 builds on the features built into the original Circle camera, with Logitech introducing HomeKit support and two separate models, both wired and wire-free for different uses around the house.

For those unfamiliar with the Logitech Circle, it is an in-home camera designed to let you keep an eye on what's going on in your house when you're not there. It's great for keeping an eye on pets and kids, with cloud storage, two-way communication, and more. In our review of the Circle, we questioned its usefulness compared to other home security solutions on the market, and that's a specific area Logitech addressed in the Circle 2.

logitechcircle2wirefree-800x542.jpg
Wire-Free Circle 2​

Logitech found that many people who purchased the original Circle camera were interested in it for home security, and the company has doubled down on those features in the second-generation version. Along with wired and wire-free models that offer more options for in-home placement, Logitech is also shipping the Circle 2 with a variety of mounting accessories. There's also more granular control over things like motion zones and person detection in the revamped app that will be offered alongside Circle 2, so you can choose what your camera records and doesn't record, and when and how it alerts you.

logitechcircle2wired-800x609.jpg
Wired Circle 2 ​

The wired Circle 2 model is meant to be plugged in all the time and offers continuous recording, while the wire-free model runs on a battery and records video when motion is detected, allowing the battery to last for weeks or months at a time. Both models feature the same camera hardware, offering high-quality 180-degree video, night vision support, and a ball joint so it can be adjusted to any angle. Both models are weatherproof and can be placed outside for outdoor use.

Multiple accessories, priced from $29.99 to $49.99, expand the range of places where the Circle 2 can be placed. Accessory options are outlined below:

- Circle 2 Window Mount - The window mount allows the Circle 2 to be attached directly to a window pane with an adhesive ring.

- Circle 2 Plug Mount - With the Plug Mount, the Circle 2 can be plugged directly into and powered by any home wall outlet, which is ideal for kitchen or garage placement.

- Circle 2 Weatherproof Extension - The Weatherproof Extension is designed for the Circle 2 Wired Camera and protects cables from outside weather conditions.

- Circle 2 Rechargeable Battery - Designed for the Circle 2 Wire-Free Camera, the backup battery allows you to swap out batteries and keep one charged at all times.

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Plug Mount left, Window Mount right​

With HomeKit support, the Circle 2 video feed will be available in the Home app, and it will also be able to integrate and work with other HomeKit-connected products. Logitech plans to enable HomeKit compatibility to the Wired version through a software update following the launch of the Circle 2. Circle 2 also works with Amazon Alexa and the Logitech POP Smart Button.

logitechcircle2outdoors-800x520.jpg
"People want the peace of mind that comes with a simple security solution," said Vincent Borel, director of new ventures at Logitech. "Circle 2 gives people just that - you can place the camera wherever you need it, inside or out, and rest assured that you'll be alerted of any changes in your home while you're away."
Click to expand...
Like the original Circle, Circle 2 will offer 24 hours of free encrypted cloud storage. Logitech also offers Circle Safe plans for a fee, which offer 14 to 31 days of storage.

Circle 2 is available for pre-order from the Logitech website starting today. The wired version of the Circle 2 is available for $179.99, while the wire-free version is available for $199.99. A range of mounts and accessories can also be purchased for $29.99 to $49.99.

Logitech plans to begin shipping Circle 2 orders to customers in July.

Article Link: Logitech Announces 'Circle 2' Home Security Camera With HomeKit Compatibility
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/06/13/logitech-announces-circle-2/
These are interesting but at the prices they want to charge for them is bonkers. Then to make it worse you need to pay them to keep extended storage.
 
I'll take this one over the Nest cam, on sheer principle. Long story short: We emailed a package from the UK back to the states, and our Nest Cam was in it. The package was lost...all avenues exhausted to find it. Months later, Nest Cam sends me an emailing saying that my account has been changed. Someone either found, bought, or stole our Nest Cam and is, to this day, using it. Nest Cam would do absolutely nothing about it, even though I had previously registered the serial number and had used the camera for two years! To add insult to injury, they wouldn't even disable the camera because I did not "have a photograph of the back of the camera showing the serial number" from when I owned it. To top it all off, they won't even send an email to the new "owner" politely asking how they acquired it. This was important to us because personal, irreplaceable items were in that same box with the Nest cam. Shame on Nest...I will never buy another product from them.
 
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I have two Circle cameras in my home. One monitoring the baby cot and the other in our lounge as a security camera. I hope Logitech can add HomeKit support to the older generation models. (They are hardly old), however I think this is unlikely.
 
If I'm reading their website correctly, you can't set motion zones unless you pay $10/month for the top tier cloud storage option? That would definitely be a deal breaker, please correct me if I'm wrong. Saw it on the chart describing the cloud plans

Edit: confirmed on their support page you have to have the premium subscription in order to set motion zones. Bummer. Battery life will greatly suffer without this ability.
 
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Are there any cameras that meet these criteria.

1. HomeKit compatible
2. Offer local storage options (either to SD card or home computer)
3. Has good reviews

Seems like most of these companies want to sell you cloud storage to make their device useable. No thanks.
 
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grinny11 said:
they were supposed to make the Circle v1 HomeKit compatible. never happened.
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Are you suprised? Logitech always blows bunch of smoke. They don't stand behind their products. Look what happened to Logitech Alert. When my $279 camera broke after a year, they refused to service it even for a fee. I would never buy their product again not because of the tech but the level of support I experienced.
 
interconnect said:
Really interesting, but I want onboard storage, not Cloud storage. I don't want to pay a monthly fee to store video.
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There are a few reasons why they do cloud storage vs. onboard storage. First of all, a thief could just take all of your cameras and have all of the footage. It's not like they are difficult to remove. Second of all, the cloud storage probably helps subsidize the cost of the device. Lastly, you would need a recording station hidden somewhere in the house if you were to feed them all in locally, and that adds a lot of complexity in setup for users, as well as cost. It's a lot easier for a company to develop, manufacture and deploy a compact piece of hardware with software installed that connects directly to servers they can maintain themselves.

I'm not saying there aren't merits to having a local solution. I don't really like the idea of videos from inside and around my house going out to some server. But I think my explanation above explains why we so often see this, especially in mass-market devices, which is what these things are. My grandpa has a home video system that cost thousands of dollars that wirelessly routes video signals to a central hub and stores them on high capacity SD cards which he can access remotely while they're on vacation for months at a time. That is not a mass-market device.
 
interconnect said:
Really interesting, but I want onboard storage, not Cloud storage. I don't want to pay a monthly fee to store video.
Click to expand...

Onboard storage? Maybe that should be an option, but if you're really using it for security that's probably a bad idea since a good thief might steal the camera. I want the ability to use network storage of my choosing, e.g., on my home file server that would be a lot harder for someone to steal. I have yet to find any IP cameras that do this well (10-second clips in a format nothing besides VLC will open is not ideal).

I understand that "cloud storage" makes remote viewing easier, but I don't mind needing to (and in fact probably rather would) VPN into my home network and manipulate it that way. Having something that "just works" is cool, but having something that people who know what they're doing and want to make it work better for them can also use would be great as well and seems to be missing from this type of product.
 
oneMadRssn said:
What is your nvr setup? Do you record to a standalone nvr, or do you have nvr software running on your computer?
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Synology NAS running Surveillance Station app. Works with a number of wifi cameras from the 'cheaper' bin. Can easily setup to backup videos automatically to Dropbox, Amazon, etc..
 
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RMo said:
Onboard storage? Maybe that should be an option, but if you're really using it for security that's probably a bad idea since a good thief might steal the camera. I want the ability to use network storage of my choosing, e.g., on my home file server that would be a lot harder for someone to steal. I have yet to find any IP cameras that do this well (10-second clips in a format nothing besides VLC will open is not ideal).

I understand that "cloud storage" makes remote viewing easier, but I don't mind needing to (and in fact probably rather would) VPN into my home network and manipulate it that way. Having something that "just works" is cool, but having something that people who know what they're doing and want to make it work better for them can also use would be great as well and seems to be missing from this type of product.
Click to expand...

I think the main issue is pricing. $10/month/camera, or $100/year/camera is really expensive. It's not hard to imagine having four cameras for five years, and the end cost is $2720 and still growing annually. ( $180 camera + $100/yr x 5 yrs ) x 4 cameras = $2720

I agree having the storage literally on the camera is silly, but I would want to select the storage myself. For example, there are multiple hosting companies that will provide you with many GB of storage via FTP or whatever protocol you want for a pretty low cost. Or I could trade backups with a friend in a neighboring town - I set up a NAS for them to backup to, and they set up a NAS for me to backup to.

I would love a system that supports person detection and 2-4 cameras that can upload to a file server of my choosing. I would happily pay $200 for each camera, and even $200 for the software.
 
interconnect said:
Really interesting, but I want onboard storage, not Cloud storage. I don't want to pay a monthly fee to store video.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Cloud storage fees are a dealbreaker. Give me software where I can have it record to a path on my network. This is why I am looking at Ubiquiti Unifi cameras.
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vipergts2207 said:
Are there any cameras that meet these criteria.

1. HomeKit compatible
2. Offer local storage options (either to SD card or home computer)
3. Has good reviews

Seems like most of these companies want to sell you cloud storage to make their device useable. No thanks.
Click to expand...

Take a look at Ubiquiti Unifi cameras. They do everything except support Homekit (maybe in the future?). You run software on a local computer and store to a local hard drive. That is the direction I will likely go.
 
vipergts2207 said:
Seems like most of these companies want to sell you cloud storage to make their device useable. No thanks.
Click to expand...

A lot of webcams, even many of the cheap ones, will drop files to any FTP site. So you could install a free FTP server on your computer and point the camera there.
 
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Nice. I've been looking for a HomeKit camera that offers cloud storage for security reasons. Now that HomeKit will support triggers based on family members' locations this looks like it might fit my needs.
 
Passed on the first one because of no HomeKit support. Now that this one has HomeKit, I'm sold.
 
Be careful Logitech confirmed on their official community that only the WIRED Circle 2 is Homekit compatible. The wireless version won't have Homekit. They say it's an Homekit restriction...
 
vipergts2207 said:
Are there any cameras that meet these criteria.

1. HomeKit compatible
2. Offer local storage options (either to SD card or home computer)
3. Has good reviews

Seems like most of these companies want to sell you cloud storage to make their device useable. No thanks.
Click to expand...


I have the D-link Omna and like it. It has okay reviews but most of the negative reviews are from missing features, not actual performance.
 
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