Apple has supported an ecosystem of smart home devices for well over a decade through the HomeKit framework, and now it’s expanding on that. The company is working with LG and Schneider on devices that fall under an umbrella called Apple Home Collection. The initiative speaks to Apple stamping its own branding more prominently on smart home devices.
The lineup includes indoor and outdoor cameras, a video doorbell, smart door lock, thermostats and temperature sensors. Some will be available in December and others will begin to arrive early next year.
They can all be set up with a tap and managed through the Home app on an iPhone. You’ll be able to manage them using Siri and devices like HomeView as well, of course. You’ll be able to set up scenes for your smart home devices that can, for instance, change the thermostat, tilt an indoor camera down as you’re getting dressed and play music.
All of products support Thread, so they should remain connected if your Wi-Fi network conks out. The devices will also automatically connect to your new Wi-Fi network if, for instance, you change routers or move home.
Data is encrypted, meaning neither Apple, LG nor Schneider can access it. Apple says you’ll need to be running the latest version of iOS to use NFC pairing. It adds that some features require a hub like the Apple HomeView, Apple TV or a HomePod.
AppleLG’s cameras support up to 2.5K video capture and can recognize people, familiar faces, pets, vehicles and packages. Video is stored using iCloud, so you won’t need a separate subscription. Event video history is saved for up to 10 days. On certain iCloud+ plans, Apple Intelligence can generate video descriptions and allow you to search clips using natural language. The cameras have built-in storage too.
The $250 Video Doorbell Wired has two cameras and a built-in spotlight. You can switch between the top view (which offers 2.5K resolution) and the full HD camera on the bottom. Its chime can play over HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini.
LG’s $400 Floodlight Cam has dual adaptive floodlights that switch on when the device detects motion and low-light color night vision. The Outdoor Cam ($300) supports low-light color night vision as well. As for the $200 Indoor Cam, that can automatically tilt up and down when you access the camera remotely and tilt back down when someone comes home. You can tilt the camera as you wish via the Home app too.
The $350 Smart Deadbolt Lock can connect to the Ultra Wideband chip on your iPhone or Apple Watch, so it can unlock automatically as you approach the door. If you’d rather tap your iPhone or Apple Watch, use a PIN or unlock the door with an actual key, you can do that too. You can also open the door via the Home app. If you have the doorbell and smart lock, you can speak to a visitor who buzzes you and unlock the door for them if you wish. If your Wi-Fi network goes down, the lock will still work locally thanks to Matter and Aliro compatibility.
LG and Schneider will each offer smart thermostats ($200 each) that can automatically adjust the temperature depending on whether someone’s home, getting ready for bed or out somewhere. They can tap into sensors from LG and Schneider that monitor temperature and humidity ($40 each) and as well as those built into HomeView, HomePod and HomePod mini. These thermostats and dedicated sensors are Matter compatible and work with several HVAC systems, Apple says.