HomePod [DELETED]

[onFIRE]

I'm looking for outdoor security cameras that integrate well with the Apple ecosystem. Ideally I'd like something near my front door like a Ring and a general security camera like a Nest Cam with floodlight. Do these products play well with Apple? If not, what are the best alternatives and are they worth buying, or is it better to just be out of the Apple ecosystem on this? Thanks in advance!

 

[TorbenIbsen]

I use Arlo. I get small 10-30 seconds of video from all movements. And an alert with a photo on my Apple watch. We have an Apple only home. I don't use homekit. No need to. - Two way audio. Remote control of sirene for each camera. Cameras can be set to give alerts for persons, cars, animals and "other movements" or any combination. Has worked perfectly for a couple of years.

 

[digitalfx]

Nest Cameras works great on HomeKit if you add a Starling Home Hub

 

[Itinj24]

+1 for Google/Nest and Starling. Video feeds load much faster than native HomeKit cameras do. Just installed the 2nd Gen Google wired doorbell and it’s phenomenal.

Not many options out there for outdoor HomeKit cameras, especially with integrated flood light (Netatmo and Eve are the only ones i believe) but I have good experiences with the Logitech Circle 2 (Circle View is the latest version), unlike many reports. They just need a strong Wi-Fi connection and since moving to an eero mesh, they’ve been solid for me. They’re indoor/outdoor cameras.

 

[uller6]

I have three Eufy 2k indoor cams pointed outdoors through my windows and they work great. Solid and fast Wi-Fi connection. I also use my Ring wired doorbell cam with Homebridge and HomeKit. It’s a bit slower but still works fine.

 

[Lorenzo F]

I have three Eufy 2k indoor cams pointed outdoors through my windows and they work great. Solid and fast Wi-Fi connection. I also use my Ring wired doorbell cam with Homebridge and HomeKit. It’s a bit slower but still works fine.

Do you have any issue with the cameras with motion detection not triggering a recording, as described in this article:

Why We Don’t Trust Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video—and You Shouldn’t Either

Apple’s cloud service for security cameras has so many great features (including the price)—but we don’t recommend it for most people.

www.nytimes.com

 

[uller6]

Do you have any issue with the cameras with motion detection not triggering a recording, as described in this article:

Why We Don’t Trust Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video—and You Shouldn’t Either

Apple’s cloud service for security cameras has so many great features (including the price)—but we don’t recommend it for most people.

www.nytimes.com

Yes, HomeKit secure video is completely broken. I can’t even access recordings 3 hours ago because the timeline jumps around so much. I use them for streaming and have given up on HomeKit recordings.

 

[Lorenzo F]

Sad to hear. I was hoping iOS 16 and new implementation of HomeKit would fix this issue.

Can anyone else corroborate @uller6 ‘s experience?

 

[JSteele]

I have used Home Bridge and Scrypted to bridge non homekit cameras into homekit. Works well enough

 

[DeepIn2U]

I use Arlo. I get small 10-30 seconds of video from all movements. And an alert with a photo on my Apple watch. We have an Apple only home. I don't use homekit. No need to. - Two way audio. Remote control of sirene for each camera. Cameras can be set to give alerts for persons, cars, animals and "other movements" or any combination. Has worked perfectly for a couple of years.

Hi. I'm curious ... in the event of a home invasion where their camera's are disabled/destroyed what do you do for historical videos taken prior and during such an event without iCloud/HomeKit video?

 

[DeepIn2U]

I have used Home Bridge and Scrypted to bridge non homekit cameras into homekit. Works well enough

By chance do you have a guide on how to use this please?
Thanks in advance.