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HomeKit With changes to HomeKit coming, I'm needing some advice

jd1988

jd1988

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 11, 2018
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I just bought a house. I am looking to add more smart technology into home but I'm not sure where to start. Apple announcing they're getting involved more with Cloud video with security systems, I'm even more confused.

I currently have two HomePods, an iPad, an iMac, two iPhones and and old-school Apple TV . I have lots of Philips Hue lights. I unfortunately have two Alexa devices: the Amazon Fire Cube and a regular dot.

Things I'm wanting to add to my house:
  1. A doorbell camera
  2. 1-3 cameras inside the home
  3. A smart thermostat (or two)
  4. Censors for windows/doors
Any recommendations on the first 2 now that Apple is doing Cloud video? And would you recommended anything for #3-4 based on your recommendations for #1-2?

Thanks!
 
jd1988 said:
I just bought a house. I am looking to add more smart technology into home but I'm not sure where to start. Apple announcing they're getting involved more with Cloud video with security systems, I'm even more confused.

I currently have two HomePods, an iPad, an iMac, two iPhones and and old-school Apple TV . I have lots of Philips Hue lights. I unfortunately have two Alexa devices: the Amazon Fire Cube and a regular dot.

Things I'm wanting to add to my house:
  1. A doorbell camera
  2. 1-3 cameras inside the home
  3. A smart thermostat (or two)
  4. Censors for windows/doors
Any recommendations on the first 2 now that Apple is doing Cloud video? And would you recommended anything for #3-4 based on your recommendations for #1-2?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Well, you do have a lot of options. If you're planning on going the HomeKit route (I'm assuming you are) then for #2 & #3, you'll want to stick to devices that support HomeKit.

For #3....Ecobee is a pretty popular choice. It works with HomeKit & it comes with sensors that actually measure the temperature where the sensor / people might be (vs the traditional way of measuring the temp in what hall / area the thermostat might be located at.

There's a few versions of Ecobee. The newest is 4 & there's even a "Lite" version. You can always buy / add addition sensors.

For #2....There's only a few cameras that support HomeKit. The best reviews is the Circle 2 by Logitech (the wired version) The cool thing with circle 2 is that it works indoor / outdoor (weather resistant) and it's adaptable with accessories. Meaning you can attach it to a window, etc. The only caveat is that because of the new announcement, there's been questions about whether the current Circle 2 will receive & firmware update to support the new Secure function or will new hardware be required.

For #1...Ring seems to be the most popular choice.
 
From my personal experience this very day, I can no longer recommend the Logitech circle 2. I would’ve done but I, along with seemingly many other users, cannot get them to work outside of the network i.e. remote viewing. They just time out when going fullscreen.

And as noted in the previous post, we don’t know if these will work with the new secure camera set up from Apple and HomeKit. So, personally, I would wait for the cameras. Hope this helps.
 
StumpyBloke said:
From my personal experience this very day, I can no longer recommend the Logitech circle 2. I would’ve done but I, along with seemingly many other users, cannot get them to work outside of the network i.e. remote viewing. They just time out when going fullscreen.

And as noted in the previous post, we don’t know if these will work with the new secure camera set up from Apple and HomeKit. So, personally, I would wait for the cameras. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I currently have two Logitech Circle 2’s, one inside my garage and one viewing my driveway, and I can say that I am consistently able to view a 1080p video feed remotely through the HomeKit app. (I hope I didn’t jinx this lol). Usually takes between 2-3 seconds for the feed to come up.

When I first got them, it was an issue. First thing I did was change my Cellular service provider from T-Mobile to Verizon since a good internet connection is required on both sides. (I found T-Mobile to be insufficient in my area). Also of note, I have Gigabit internet through Verizon FiOS. Next I got a Mesh wireless network running in my house. Went with the Eero Pro (3 pack) and two beacons and I have one of the routers in my garage about a foot away from the camera. This one is on a wireless backhaul. Tested the network speed down there and it’s usually about 180-200 down/200-250 up. With the Eero, or any mesh network for that matter, you can’t force a client to the 5ghz connection nor can you force it to a specific router/beacon but it does have band steering which I clicked on and the clients that are compatible with 5ghz usually stick to that.

What I think the biggest key on getting this to work is to make sure the camera is connected to 5ghz. Didn’t work very well on 2.4

The only issues I have with the Logitech Circle 2’s is the low 2 way audio and the inability to set time based motion notifications.

With a little money and determination, I’m pleased thus far and was going to get a few more but I might hold off and see if new hardware is required for the new Apple cloud service since it seems that was suggested by Apple.
 
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It’s good you got yours working. I’ve given up. Mine were connected to both 5 and 2.4 networks, and through HomeKit they just weren’t viewable remotely. They were through the Logitech app tho!

As extra info, it’s when tapping the camera thumbnail to go full screen in the Home app that I had the issue. The thumbnails were fine and would update. This issue seems to affect a lot of people.

I’m hanging on now to see what’s coming up with the new secure cameras set up.
 
StumpyBloke said:
It’s good you got yours working. I’ve given up. Mine were connected to both 5 and 2.4 networks, and through HomeKit they just weren’t viewable remotely. They were through the Logitech app tho!

As extra info, it’s when tapping the camera thumbnail to go full screen in the Home app that I had the issue. The thumbnails were fine and would update. This issue seems to affect a lot of people.

I’m hanging on now to see what’s coming up with the new secure cameras set up.
Click to expand...

Damn, sorry to hear that. Was hoping I had the solution for all to try. I do heavily advocate mesh networks though. Seemed to help substantially but also waiting to see what the market brings. Shouldn’t have to climb through hoops for this to work. Hopefully with this new announcement, more companies will get on board. Arlo and Ring are two that I’m hoping for and they both made announcements in the past. Lost hope for Nest once Google got their hands on it.

If you haven’t already, can you try shutting off recording in the Logi app for a few minutes and the. turning back on. I believe I read somewhere that Logitech said it was an issue with the recording. I did this also and changed from 1080 to 720 and then back to 1080
 
I even tried without having them set up in the Logitech app just to rule that out...sadly all with the same result. There is no-sure fix for this issue unfortunately.
 
Itinj24 said:
I currently have two Logitech Circle 2’s, one inside my garage and one viewing my driveway, and I can say that I am consistently able to view a 1080p video feed remotely through the HomeKit app. (I hope I didn’t jinx this lol). Usually takes between 2-3 seconds for the feed to come up.

When I first got them, it was an issue. First thing I did was change my Cellular service provider from T-Mobile to Verizon since a good internet connection is required on both sides. (I found T-Mobile to be insufficient in my area). Also of note, I have Gigabit internet through Verizon FiOS. Next I got a Mesh wireless network running in my house. Went with the Eero Pro (3 pack) and two beacons and I have one of the routers in my garage about a foot away from the camera. This one is on a wireless backhaul. Tested the network speed down there and it’s usually about 180-200 down/200-250 up. With the Eero, or any mesh network for that matter, you can’t force a client to the 5ghz connection nor can you force it to a specific router/beacon but it does have band steering which I clicked on and the clients that are compatible with 5ghz usually stick to that.

What I think the biggest key on getting this to work is to make sure the camera is connected to 5ghz. Didn’t work very well on 2.4

The only issues I have with the Logitech Circle 2’s is the low 2 way audio and the inability to set time based motion notifications.

With a little money and determination, I’m pleased thus far and was going to get a few more but I might hold off and see if new hardware is required for the new Apple cloud service since it seems that was suggested by Apple.
Click to expand...

I also have a Circle 2, and have had it for about 1 year. i bought it basically to be a dog sitter, and for reasons unrelated to the camera didn't end up using it that way. It looks over my living room, and it works both with the Logictech app and Homekit, but I don't spend a lot of time viewing it and I don't record video at all, as its intended purpose was not home security. I didn't buy/use the Logitech Cloud option or try to use iCloud at all, so I'm no help there. But the camera works fine every time I access it.


Edit: Its been a few days, so I just opened Home and the camera is working fine. If the problems others are having are recording video related then listen to them and not me, as I have never used the recording functions.
 
so from the sounds of it, I'm best holding off on cameras for now?

I think I'll start with the Ring Doorbell and a thermostat for now.
 
Never had an issue with the wired Circle 2 working remotely across both the native app and Homekit. It works on my iPhone, Ipad and AW4. Had it for over a year and its performance has been flawless. I wouldn't discount t it too quickly.
 
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Bazooka-joe said:
Never had an issue with the wired Circle 2 working remotely across both the native app and Homekit. It works on my iPhone, Ipad and AW4. Had it for over a year and its performance has been flawless. I wouldn't discount t it too quickly.
Click to expand...

I do wonder why mine just wouldn’t work. And they exhibited the exact same issues that others reported. If they did work then they were absolutely perfect and I would’ve kept them. Anyway they’re on the way back now to Amazon. And I’ll wait till the new ones come out later in the year.
 
Mine have been working too but StumpyBloke is correct. There have been numerous accounts of people not getting it to work, according to reviews, and it was actually an issue that Logitech acknowledged. FWIW, mine didn’t work straight away either. I upgraded my WiFi router and did some playing around with it. Wished it worked for everyone. Being that Logitech is one of the very few companies that give us a camera option and pretty decent and versatile one at that, I like to support them when others gave nothing more than empty promises.
 
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This was posted on Logitech's community site from the Circle Team.

Circle 2 Wired Cameras will support HomeKit Secure Video with a free firmware update later this year - stay tuned for more details.

Glad to hear this! No need to purchase new hardware!
 
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Coffee50 said:
This was posted on Logitech's community site from the Circle Team.

Circle 2 Wired Cameras will support HomeKit Secure Video with a free firmware update later this year - stay tuned for more details.

Glad to hear this! No need to purchase new hardware!
Click to expand...
Yes its really good news and there is a post on 9to5Mac about it. It means using iCloud storage for up to 10 days of recorded video storage.
https://9to5mac.com/2019/06/14/logitech-homekit-secure-video/
 
Get the Ecobee 3, WITHOUT Alexa anything, you don't want that in your home. Toss those Alexa devices too. You'll save yourself some money and it's better than Nest's offerings.
 
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Coffee50 said:
What?? Really?? This keeps sounding better & better!
Click to expand...
Yeah, if you go into the Logi Circle app and review a video recording, on the lower left of the screen is the share sheet icon and this is capable now. Just tap on it and hit save video. Goes right to your photo gallery and creates a folder called Logi Circle. That little camera icon lets you take still images that can save to your album too.
I used it when I caught my sprinkler guy stealing a bunch of latex gloves from my garage.

I only have the free plan and the video been sitting in photo gallery for about 3 weeks as of now.

3F79D4FC-EF66-46FC-96E6-B293FEA1967A.jpeg 3110BC8F-6A9E-4835-B355-BFA6F5B2D9ED.jpeg
[doublepost=1560810089][/doublepost]Edit***

Only the pictures automatically save to the Logi Circle created album. Just realized I had to manually move the video to that album using the share sheet in the photo gallery.
 
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Seemingly out of nowhere, I can’t get a live video feed of the Logitech 2 cameras through HomeKit. I ordered three more last week and I’m pretty upset about this. Was working flawlessly until last night. This should be fixed before touting how they’re gonna be involved in the Apple secure video storage. Unsat!
 
I've had 3 x Dlink Omna 180's running for in excess of years with no issues. (the record to sd card only)

One is even outside under a car port exposed to the elements (apart from rain) and apart from removing cob webs it works faultlessly. I have a LED spotlight next to it which I then automate the movement sensor to trigger the light at night, as the night vision range outside is poor. (indoor it's amazing)

I also have a Netatmo Welcome cam which records to sd and also can upload to dropbox.

The Welcome has superior night vision to the Omna (not that the Omna has bad night vision).



As for sensors, I use the Eve door/window sensors.
 
Itinj24 said:
Seemingly out of nowhere, I can’t get a live video feed of the Logitech 2 cameras through HomeKit. I ordered three more last week and I’m pretty upset about this. Was working flawlessly until last night. This should be fixed before touting how they’re gonna be involved in the Apple secure video storage. Unsat!
Click to expand...

Update on this...

I reset my Eero mesh network and the Logitech 2 cameras are streaming again via HomeKit at 1080. Makes no sense since they were working through the Logi App, along with all my other devices, but I’m not gonna complain.
 
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