Apple launches Apple Home collection of smart devices, including cameras, thermostats and door locks
Apple’s highly anticipated smart home launch event is taking place here, and it’s got a whole range of new hardware to show off. In addition to the new HomeView smart display and updated Apple TV and HomePod mini, the company also announced an ecosystem of accessories that it designed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. These include home security cameras, video doorbells, thermostats and sensors, with an entire ecosystem the company calls Apple Home Collection.
To be clear, these aren’t just existing products that LG and Schneider repurposed to meet a set of specifications in order to qualify for a program. They were designed in collaboration with Apple and are intended to be reliable, private and easy to configure. Currently, the bulk of the devices that make up the collection are built by LG, including an indoor camera, an outdoor camera, a door lock, a video doorbell and a thermostat. Schneider Electric is behind a thermostat in the selection.
These are fairly simple gadgets with simple, almost minimalist designs. An indoor camera is there to help you track your belongings or pets at home when you’re away, for example, while the outdoor camera lets you see what’s going on around your house. The LG outdoor camera that is part of the collection has a spotlight option that can gradually activate when it detects movement, which is probably nice for your retinas. It can also recognize faces, pets, and deliveries, and your video history will be automatically saved using your existing iCloud+ storage.
A similar product is the Video Doorbell, which not only shows you who is visiting, but also alerts you of their presence via a chime on your HomePod (if you have one). It has a downward-facing camera in addition to a forward-facing one to show you items that might be on the ground in front of your driveway, making it easier to track deliveries. It also has a light for easier viewing at night.
Oddly enough, the LG door lock can detect your iPhone or Apple Watch via ultra-wide band and unlock as you get closer, so you don’t have to dig through your purse or pockets to find a key. You won’t even need to press anything, which could be very convenient. And if your watch or phone isn’t with you, it appears there’s a nine-digit keypad so you can enter a PIN for entry.
Finally, LG and Schneider made thermostats and sensors as part of the Apple Home Collection. Like many other connected thermostats like, for example, Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat, these can adjust your home’s temperature systems throughout the day to help you save energy.
Setting up these devices seems as easy as pairing other Apple accessories with your phone. You should see on-screen guidance appear when you bring your iPhone closer to the device you’re installing, then follow the prompts. This will add them to your Home app, where you can see more details. It’s pretty much the same as setting up a HomePod mini.
Apple
Of course, since this is an Apple collection, privacy is a priority. New products can be managed and controlled by your Apple devices, and your communication is end-to-end encrypted.
The good news is that besides cameras, you can use Apple Home Collection devices with other Matter-enabled platforms. This means you can control the LG thermostat with an Echo speaker or an Android phone, for example. But with cameras and doorbell, Apple has its own processes involving local buffering and encrypted downloads that are not currently supported by Matter, so these devices will only work with Apple products.
The indoor cameras and thermostats will cost $199, while the outdoor camera starts at $329. With the projector, that rises to $399. The door lock costs $249 and the video doorbell costs $349. All will be available in the US and Canada, and the cameras will also come to the UK. You can get them first from the Apple Store, with arrival scheduled for December. Eventually, the Apple Home Collection should be more widely available across retail channels.
