Owners of Logitech’s Circle 2 security camera will be among the first to test out one of the latest Apple HomeKit features: the ability to store their recorded video clips securely in iCloud.
Logitech is rolling out a beta firmware update to the Circle 2 that enables HomeKit Secure Video, a feature that Apple first announced during its WWDC conference back in June.
An alternative to the cloud-based storage offered by third-party device manufacturers, HomeKit Secure Video is designed to analyze video from your security camera locally on an iPad, HomePod, or Apple TV, rather than having them uploaded to the cloud for analysis.
Once your security video has been analyzed, your recorded clips are then encrypted and uploaded to iCloud, where they can only be accessed by the user who uploaded them. You can then review recorded clips or check your live feed directly from the iOS Home app.
Apple
Users with HomeKit Secure Video-enabled cameras can review their stored clips or live feeds from the iOS Home app.
Logitech’s Circle 2 camera marks the first security camera to get HomeKit Secure Video support. The recently announced EufyCam 2 from Anker is set to support HomeKit Secure Video before the year is out, while Netatmo cameras and video doorbells are also slated to support the feature.
The Circle 2 security camera (which comes in both wired and wireless versions) added HomeKit support shortly after its original release in 2017. In our review of the Circle 2, we called it a “a bona fide security camera that can go toe to toe with the strongest models in the class.”
In order to use HomeKit Secure Video, you’ll need an Apple “home hub” device such as an iPad, a HomePod, or an Apple TV. You’ll also be able to store recorded video in iCloud for up to 10 days if you have a 200MB iCloud storage plan (for one camera) or a 2TB plan (for up to five cameras).