HomeKit Secure Video

I mentioned a few months ago that I planned to use the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight at my new house because it offered 24/7 recording. For my outdoor cameras, it’s something I really wanted going forward. We’ve been in the house a few weeks, so I wanted to report what I’ve learned about the devices, how it compares to HomeKit cameras, and how it works with Starling Home Hub for bridging it to HomeKit. 

The Christmas shopping season has officially begun, and since it’s time for HomeKit Weekly, I thought I’d take the time to provide an update on my top HomeKit devices that would be the perfect gift under the Christmas tree for a smart home enthusiast. I’ve been doing these articles for a few years now, and in that time I’ve seen so many great HomeKit products from a variety of manufacturers. With the rollout of Matter and Thread, it’s never been a better time to start building your perfect smart home on the foundation of HomeKit!

HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV) is Apple’s answer for bringing privacy to indoor and outdoor cameras by processing footage locally for person and animal detection and features end-to-end encryption. However, the capability has a number of technical requirements that can make it a challenge to implement. After planning to bring HKSV to its existing Smart Video Doorbell via a software update, Netatmo has made the difficult decision to skip the feature, here’s why.

I’ve written about the home-building process a few times in the past. There’s something refreshing about “starting from scratch” with your home and deciding everything fresh. There’s also a benefit to rethinking the role of smart home technology in your life. How much is too much? Would it be easier to use a light switch here vs. a smart bulb? Do I really need that many cameras? For the next iteration of my smart home diary section of HomeKit Weekly, I want to explain why I picked a brand of cameras I never thought I’d go with a few months back. Let’s look at how I ended up choosing the Nest Cam with Floodlight for my outdoor cameras.

Eve’s HomeKit products have been some of my favorites for many years. Between products like the Eve Water Guard and the popular Thread enabled Eve Energy, its commitment to HomeKit has made it a fan favorite for people building a smart home around HomeKit. Today, Eve brings the Eve Outdoor Cam to the market with the first-ever floodlight with HomeKit Secure Video support.

Today, Aqara has announced the US release of its new G2H Pro camera designed as an Aqara hub and supporting HomeKit Secure Video. Aqara’s product lineups allow end users to build out a HomeKit setup at the lowest cost possible. Read on to learn more about the G2H Pro and its comparison to the original.

The Starling Home Hub is a core part of my HomeKit experience, as it bridges my Nest Thermostat and Google Home Mini to HomeKit and AirPlay, respectively. One notable feature that’s been a wishlist item for many Starling customers is Nest support for Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video. Now, with the latest 11.0 firmware update, a handful of Google Nest cameras are now compatible with HKSV.

Eve, one of the top HomeKit product manufacturers, is kicking off 2022 with multiple new product announcements. One of the new products is a new Eve Floodlight Outdoor Cam designed for Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video.

Netatmo HomeKit Secure Video (HSV) support is now arriving for the company’s Smart Outdoor Cameras, following an update back in February for the Smart Indoor Cameras. The camera is designed to replace an existing outdoor light fitting, and is available with or without a siren.

As promised, existing Outdoor Cameras will get the update within the next few days …

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, my wife and I purchased some land that I am starting to think through what some of the HomeKit setup I will end up having as I’ll install everything during construction instead of having to retrofit it. One of the things I am thinking through is cameras. There are several ways I could go. Part of me thinks I should stick with the eufyCam setup I have now, but then part of me wants to look at something hardwired to power like the Logi Circle View. To better prepare my decision-making, I am attempting to test all of the HomeKit cameras on the market to see what I want to include in our new house. This week, I am taking a look at the Eve Cam.

Integrating your cameras into HomeKit is one of the best ways to build up your smart home environment, but which cameras are the best? This week, I will give you all the information about the best HomeKit cameras for securing the outdoors of your home in 2021.

There are multiple types of HomeKit cameras, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I’ve previously reviewed the eufy outdoor cameras, and while I love them, they have to be charged once a year or so. If the opportunity to wire a camera is available, that’s a great option. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been testing the Logitech Circle View to cover part of my side yard, and it’s a fantastic HomeKit camera. Let’s dive into how it works with HomeKit.

HomeKit cameras, for the longest time, were like Bigfoot. We heard all about them, but they were nowhere to be found. Now, there are countless options for integrating cameras into your HomeKit experience. One of the simplest options is the new Aqara G2H camera.

After years of not much news around HomeKit cameras, it seems like we’re getting new cameras regularly now, and it’s great to see the products begin to finally mature. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been testing the new eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam Pan and Tilt camera. I also have been testing the eufy Security 2K Indoor Cam and recommend you check out Chance Miller’s review of the product as well to decide which one is best for you.
Expand
Expanding
Close

I’ve written about my eufyCam setup in the past when considering HomeKit Secure Video. I have multiple outdoor cameras, the wired Eufy doorbell, and I am testing various indoor eufy cameras for an upcoming review. As you can see, I am all in on Eufy as my camera manufacturer. They are low cost, reliable, and work well with HomeKit. For my smart home needs, that is all I am looking for in a camera. I recently picked up a eufyCam 2 Pro to compare the quality to my existing cameras and expand my outdoor coverage.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Update: Preorders are now open.

Eve Cam is available for pre-order from the Eve Store at a price of USD $149.95 and will start shipping on June 23rd. It will be available at apple.com and Amazon starting July.

Eve Systems has announced the Eve Cam, which it describes as “the first-ever indoor camera made exclusively for Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video, built from the ground up to keep your data secure”…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Eufy has made a brief post explaining the HomeKit delay with the affordable Indoor Cam it launched back in April.

The company promised at the time that it would get HomeKit support, but this has not yet happened. The post says there will be a further delay, but for a very good reason …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Logitech has officially unveiled its new Circle View smart camera that works exclusively with Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video platform. The Circle View is similar to the wired Circle 2, but with a focus on privacy and a new black design.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Logitech appears to be preparing a new HomeKit-capable smart video camera called the Logitech Circle View. As spotted on Reddit, Logitech briefly published details on the new Circle View camera on its website, but has since taken the webpage down.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Earlier this week, Eufy started rolling out HomeKit Secure Video support for the eufyCam 2, and it now seems there is a new pan-and-tilt Eufy camera on the way.

If accurate, this would be the first non-static camera from the budget-focused smart home company…

Expand
Expanding
Close

There’s good news if you own Anker’s eufyCam 2: the long-awaited support for HomeKit Secure Video (HSV) is now rolling out in the latest firmware update.

Apple first listed the eufyCam 2 as one of the security cameras due to get HSV back in November of last year …

Expand
Expanding
Close