The Robin team today announced that its ProLine Compact Video Doorbell now support HomeKit Secure Video, having received certification sign-off from Apple earlier this week. Secure Video integration allows motion clips to be automatically saved to the user’s iCloud account.
Robin has been leading the charge in the HomeKit doorbell space, being the first company to ship a HomeKit compatible doorbell of any kind last year. However, the doorbells come at a (literal) cost.
The ProLine range is designed for business and enterprise office environments and is priced to match, with RRP around $500-$700 depending on model. However, for unknown reasons and despite promises and teasers, other HomeKit accessory manufacturers are yet to ship a video doorbell, leaving Robin as the only option for the time being.
With HomeKit Secure Video integration, a HomeKit hub detects motion events (like pets or people) from the doorbell’s video feed and can automatically save those clips to the user’s iCloud account. HomeKit Secure Video requires a premium iCloud storage plan; the 200 GB iCloud plan supports one camera, whereas the 2 TB plan supports up to five active HomeKit Secure Video devices.
Video recordings are stored using end-to-encryption and all motion analysis happens locally, on the HomeKit hub.
Whilst Robin may be the only doorbell available, several companies have rolled out HomeKit Secure Video cameras including the Logitech Circle 2. eufyCam 2 and eufyCam 2C, Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera and Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera.
Check out our hands-on coverage of the HomeKit Secure Video experience for an in-depth look at the advantages and pitfalls of the feature.
