Apple Homekit doorbells

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RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#284082 30-Mar-2021 11:08

Does anyone here have experience with video doorbells and Homekit?

According to Apple, the list of Homekit enabled doorbells is this:

Logitech Circle View Doorbell
Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell
Robin ProLine Doorbell
Yobi Video Doorbell B3

However, this (dated 21 Jan 21) says Arlo works, and this (16 March 21) recommends Eufy 2k wireless as the best Homekit doorbell. Obviously, neither the Eufy nor Arlo appear on Apple's officially supported list, and the websites of those products don't seem much help either way. Can anyone confirm if Eufy and/or Arlo will work with Homekit?

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963 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2684041 30-Mar-2021 12:43

I understand the Logitech / Netatmo both have issues with overheating. The Robin one is designed for European apartment style living. The Yobi one is fairly uncommon and I haven't seen much on it.

In my house I use a Ring doorbell with Homebridge with 0 issues.

dfnt

1511 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2684046 30-Mar-2021 13:10

The Arlo requires a base station to make it homekit compatible

So the list probably reflects native support

tgpharding

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2917596 23-May-2022 12:09

After reading some of the horror security stories about the Ring doorbells / Chinese devices I ended up getting the Logitech Circle View Doorbell as it has native HKSV support.

I know this device gets a lot of hate for it's overheating issues but I believe that with the right power supply and the latest firmware, these are largely in the past (I'll update after next summer). Once you get over the setup issues, it really is an incredible device.

The process as a whole took quite a bit of figuring out so I figured I'd share some notes for others looking to do the same thing.

Importing the device

You can't currently purchase one directly from Apple NZ so I had to purchase from the US store. I used a mail forwarding service as my address and then imported to NZ.

Power Supply

While the device accepts a range on power inputs, it's pretty clear that you want to be aiming for the upper band of the voltage and VA range to avoid any of the mentioned overheating issues.

I ended up using this transformer and it has been flawless so far: https://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?itemID=592259

Chime Setup

I already had a HomePod and so didn't want to have to add a whole extra chime kit for the sake of it. On top of this, the device itself already makes quite a loud noise.

Thankfully, with the power supply above wired directly in, you do not need to add a chime kit.

Device Setup

The NFC chip in mine didn't seem to work but it's simple enough to scan the Homekit code on the back to get around this. It's pretty straight forward and there's plenty of other guides out on this particular step there so I won't go into detail on this.

The main thing I would say is that you will want to use a 2.4Ghz network. I split my SSID's out into two separate networks so that I could force devices to use this band. Again, plenty of guides out there for this.

Firmware Update

Before the device will work with the above transformer, you need to make sure it's Firmware has been updated to at least 8.12.15 (this provides better 24V support specifically).

You can't force a firmware update on the device so you'll need to leave it plugged in over night using a micro USB cable and charger that provides at least 2A. If it doesn't update like this you will need to contact logitech.

After the above you should be good to go! I'll update again later if I run into any other issues.

rabba

82 posts

Master Geek

ID Verified

Subscriber

#2917651 23-May-2022 15:03

Have had a Logitech one installed for the last 6 months. Never had issues with overheating granted it is not in direct sunlight.

RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#2917693 23-May-2022 17:29

The most recent to market is the Wemo from Belkin. Similar functionality to Logitech.

tgpharding

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2917700 23-May-2022 17:55

Oh I hadn't spotted this one! It looks like it stacks up well against the Logitech, though for my money I'd take Logitech for the cleaner look.

ShockProof

31 posts

Geek

#2923172 6-Jun-2022 12:02

I have recently installed the Netatmo smart video doorbell. Chose this one because it is on sale in NZ and overseas reviews were saying it was good. It doesn’t have Apple Secure Video support, but it does a lot without this. There is no subscription, images are stored on the internal micro SD (no storage on Netatmo servers) and the app is fairly versatile. Netatmo has stated that it will implement Apple secure video in the future which is good if it happens, but I am not expecting it to ever arrive.

The Logitech Circle View would be my first choice, but not sold in NZ. I had trouble with my first Netatmo unit and after a lot of trial and error, eventually exchanged at the shop (PB Tech) it for a replacement which worked immediately. If I had bought this by import, what is my exchange and repair rights? Reason I almost never buy anything from oveseas, except maybe Australia.

I have it installed with a chime which was specially installed to support the doorbell, wired up in new home build. It is currently operating into a dumb electromechanical chime unit (i.e. just goes ding-dong). I intended it to work into an electronic chime which has programmable tones and volume control. But due to the trouble I was having with the first video doorbell that was faulty, I have currently used the dumb chime which eliminated one area of questions. I have to try it on the electronic one now that it works, and will do when I have time. According to Netatmo list of supported chimes, the electronic one I have should work. The electronic chime has an auxiliary 230 Vac power supply (always on) and the 12 Vac circuit from the bell that tells it when to chime

I still have to get it working nicely. I got a bit bored with the not working issues and moved on to other things around the house. But it rings the chime, announces on the two HomePods in the house, and announces on the two iPhones we have. Then we get video images coming through to the iPhones, but this part seems a bit slow to me – I need to check what it is supposed to be like. Old images are stored well, no issues there.

Also need to install the angled support under the doorbell unit to angle it into the entrance better, another job for the future.

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RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#2923266 6-Jun-2022 16:25

@Shockproof what's the vertical field of view like? How far away do you have to stand to see a person head to toe, or see a package on the ground?

ShockProof

31 posts

Geek

#2931053 17-Jun-2022 18:24

Hello RunningMan,

someone who is directly in front of the camera (video doorbell) is still in full view, head to toe, at around 1.0 m away. My video doorbell is mounted around 1.5 m above ground which seemed to be slightly high at first, but actually is about right for someone who wants to get their face in front of the camera. I think the field of view is good, and stays in focus a long way out.

Parcels on the ground at the door and not in the picture yet unless they are directly in front of the camera and as with a person, need to be at that 1m limit to see the whole parcel. I have to put the angle plate under the unit to turn it in towards the door and house wall. Should see parcels then where couriers tend to leave them which is not directly in front of the video doorbell, but can't be sure how it look until I make that change.

RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#3025676 23-Jan-2023 09:22

Aqara have announced a Homekit doorbell:

Video Doorbell G4 is complementary to Aqara’s indoor home cameras, and together these cameras help users to keep an eye on their homes, families and visitors anytime, anywhere. This doorbell allows highly flexible installation as it can be battery-powered or wired for continuous power. It not only supports HomeKit Secure Video and local streaming to Amazon and Google smart displays, but it will also work with Matter after the Matter specification for cameras is ready. The G4 features local, AI-enabled facial recognition, which can trigger different automations depending on the person, and the device also includes both the 7-day free cloud storage and the optional local storage via a microSD card.

https://www.aqara.com/us/news/article/1610997530217459712

RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#3036137 13-Feb-2023 19:26

AU$239 for the Aqara G4 at JB HIFi Australia, so could be a well priced option here soon.

ShockProof

31 posts

Geek

#3101722 9-Jul-2023 17:51

Here’s an update on my Netatmo video door bell. Unfortunately it stopped working recently and I discovered that it had water inside the terminal area. This VDB is rated as IP44 so you would expect that it would survive being rained on. Well, it didn’t and I suspect that I know the reason why. The base plate is screwed onto the house wall which is slightly rough and would allow water to run down the back of the base plate. This base plate is not sealed to the wall, no gaskets were provided. The main unit connects onto the base plate and there is a wiring enclosure which has a gasket to the base plate so this all seal up nicely. But now there is a requirement to get wires into the sealed area and to fix the body with the attachment screw.

For the two wires, there are two stretchy membrane covered access ports. When the base is first installed, the wires penetrate these membranes and water proofing relies on a good seal from the membrane to the wire. Secondly, the mounting screw comes up from underneath and penetrates into the sealed wiring cavity at the back of the main unit, not sealed by the body gasket or anything else, possibly relying on being at the bottom to prevent water access.

I suspect that the water has gained access from the two wires. This was a perfect failure by our electrician who deided the best wiring for a doorbell was ethernet cable; that’s eight wires in four twisted pairs of a rediculouly thin wire expected to work well on a 12 volt circuit across a two level house; meaning it has to use multiple wires to get a reasonably low resistance. What was required was a suitable bell wire, two wires at maybe 1.5 mm-square would have been fantastic. The seal membrane was copromised by multiple wires going through each membrane. It is a system which I preume works well if there is only one wire per membrane, able to seal nicely, but it cannot seal against two or more wires going through the same membrane. Fundementally useless and unfortunately I didn’t see it coming otherwise I would have told our sparkie to change it.

The answer for me now is to lift the unit off the wall via a terminal box, connect the ethernet wires into terminals and convert to two single wires and pass those though the membrane. I think that using the angle frame provided with the VDB will help that water running down the back to stay away from the main unit.

But first I am thinking that I have to buy the unit again as it is not working correctly now, won’t go into setup mode. An expensive mistake.

tgpharding

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#3101811 10-Jul-2023 09:01

Quick update on the Logitech Circle View after 12+ months of operation:

We have never once experienced the overheating problem that many people describe.
The only issue we have experienced is the device randomly going offline a few times, with the audio going strange after one of these (which was fixed with another reset).
Picture quality and field of view have been ample for our needs.
The package detection is pretty hit or miss but not really a biggie for us as long as it captures correctly.
It's nice having the backups automatically saved to the cloud but I am effectively now paying $5/month for the service.
Face/person detection is more of a gimmick/ is a bit creepy and got turned off immediately.
Overall very happy with the purchase and peace of mind having the device installed.

ShockProof

31 posts

Geek

#3101888 10-Jul-2023 10:40

tgpharding:

Quick update on the Logitech Circle View after 12+ months of operation:

Hi tgpharding. Is your CV unit located where is can get rained on? My Netatmo unit started failing randomly and coming back on again depending maybe on what the water inside the unit was doing. I'm not sure if it drained out occassionally and refilled at other times, but that would help explain the working again and coming back to failed at least until some real damage was caused, corrosion eventually and bad power contacts.

I would expect an overheating issue is realted to hotter climates than typical NZ, and being installed where the sun can hit the unit.

boosacnoodle

963 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3102044 10-Jul-2023 11:35

ShockProof:

Hi tgpharding. Is your CV unit located where is can get rained on? My Netatmo unit started failing randomly and coming back on again depending maybe on what the water inside the unit was doing. I'm not sure if it drained out occassionally and refilled at other times, but that would help explain the working again and coming back to failed at least until some real damage was caused, corrosion eventually and bad power contacts.

I would expect an overheating issue is realted to hotter climates than typical NZ, and being installed where the sun can hit the unit.

I didn't think that the Netatmo was waterproof? My outdoor floodlight had an issue with the IR lamps failing, among other things. After some debate I managed to get it replaced under CGA with a different brand.

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