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D-Link debuts its first IFTTT-compatible security camera and commits to supporting Apple’s HomeKit in another

The DCS-8200LH boasts a 180-degree field of view and can be integrated with existing smart-home platforms. The company plans to develop HomeKit-compatible cameras down the road.
By Ed Oswald
Jun 17, 2016 3:00 am PDT

D-Link continues to move away from the exclusively walled-garden approach it took when it entered the smart-home market in 2014. In addition to boasting a 180-degree field of view, ts latest wireless home security camera—the DCS-8200LH—includes IFTTT support, enabling it to interact with connected-home devices from other manufacturers. D-Link has also pledged to introduce future cameras that will support Apple’s HomeKit platform. 

The DCS-8200LH captures video in 720p resolution and stores it on a local microSD card (up to 128GB capacity, but there is currently no cloud-storage option). De-warping technology will reduce the visual distortion you’d otherwise get from such a wide-angle lens, while h.264 and MJPEG compression will shrink the size of its video-capture files. Infrared LEDs enable the camera to see objects in the dark up to 16 feet away.

Buyers will also be able to incorporate the camera into D-Link’s own MyDlink smart-home platform, along with the company’s motion sensor, leak sensor, smart plug, and siren that also offer IFTTT support.

In separate news, D-Link announced Thursday that it has committed to support Apple’s HomeKit platform, starting with a new wireless home security camera that will ship later this year. Apple unveiled a new centralized connected-home app called Home at its recent developers’ conference, aiming to bring together what so far has been a decentralized and disparate platform.

HomeKit’s integration with Siri will allow for voice control of this upcoming camera, and for the first time among any D-Link connected home product, allow customers to directly control a D-Link device outside of the MyDlink app. 

Why this matters: It looks as though D-Link has concluded that most customers don’t want smart-home products that are restricted to operating exclusively in one vendor’s ecosystem. While the consistency of a single user interface and one tech-support site is comforting to some, the enthusiasts and early adopters who are key to growing this market chafe at such restrictions.