Signify CEO Eric Rondolat has announced that Philips Hue is planning to enter the smart home camera market. The details here are still sparse, and one of the biggest unknowns is whether or not the Philips Hue smart home camera will support integration with HomeKit.
Speaking during an investor earnings call last week, Rondolat explained that Philips Hue will combine its ecosystem of smart lighting with a smart camera for improved home security.
As reported by Hueblog.com:
“The idea here is also to use security for lighting and lighting for security,” Rondolat looks ahead to the future fusion of cameras and lighting. He also immediately provides a practical example: a burglar in the house triggers the alarm and all the lights flash red.
“Why is that interesting? Because sound alarms cannot be heard from a distance as they are really kept inside the house. But, the light can be seen from a long distance.”
Rondolat went on to tout Philips Hue’s plans for data protection. “Our cameras will be the first with end-to-end encryption,” he explained.
As HomeKit users are likely aware, there are multiple cameras already on the market that support end-to-end encryption when using HomeKit Secure Video. In fact, any camera that records footage via HomeKit Secure Video supports end-to-end encryption.
For example, one of my all-time favorite HomeKit accessories is Eufy’s Indoor Cam C120, which costs under $40 and supports HomeKit Secure Video.
As of right now, there aren’t any further details on what Philips Hue has planned for its foray into smart home cameras. Given that the company is years late to this market, however, there’s a high bar for what customers expect – and one of the must-haves for many users is HomeKit Secure Video integration; whether or not Philips Hue delivers on that remains to be seen.
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