Arlo smart home security cameras get Apple HomeKit support
Netgear-owned Arlo has finally brought Apple HomeKit support to some of its smart home security camera systems. The move brings more flexibility for smart home owners with Arlo cameras and an iPhone, Apple TV or Mac.
Announced at the CES technology show back in January, HomeKit support was due to arrive in the first quarter of the year but instead has arrived now, in early August.
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HomeKit support isn't available for all Arlo systems, however, and the company's flagship Ultra 4K camera misses out for now. But owners of the Arlo Base Stations version VMB4000 and VMB4500 should now see a software update available to them.
Install this, and the Arlo app will show an access code for adding your Pro or Pro 2 cameras to HomeKit. We expect that going forward, Arlo will include these QR codes on the boxes of its HomeKit-compatible devices. These are scanned by the camera of an iPhone, which automatically adds the device to the Home app and your existing HomeKit system.
Once you have done this, you'll be able to assign the cameras to rooms or locations in the Home app, which works on iOS and Mac. This means you can now watch video feeds from the cameras through the Home app, where you control your other smart home devices, instead of going to the Arlo app.
It isn't known yet if the update means Arlo cameras will work with Apple's new HomeKit Secure Video system, which is a part of the iOS 13 software update arriving in the fall. This analyzes footage recorded by your smart home cameras locally using the processing power of an iPad, Apple TV or HomePod smart speaker, then encrypts the video and uploads it to iCloud.
So far, Apple has said HomeKit Secure Video works with cameras from Logitech, Eufy, Netatmo and Robin. This list might well grow once iOS 13 is taken out of beta and rolled out to everyone, which will likely happen in late-September.
