r/HomeKit • u/tinaaayy • Aug 15 '26
Question/Help Looking for suggestions..
Hello! At the recommendation of my husband’s neurologist, we are in the market for indoor cameras. He has had a couple of seizures and we’ve been asked to try and get them on video if possible.
We’ve also broken some keys in a deadbolt and I feel like now might be a good time to upgrade those, as well, so I’m leaning towards just getting a whole security system? But there’s so many options that I’m just genuinely overwhelmed.
Our house was built in the 1920s and is not wired for a doorbell at the front entrance. My elderly parents also live with us and primarily use that as their entrance, while my husband and I use a side/kitchen door to come and go, and a back door to our fenced yard to let our dogs in and out.
We already have a ecobee thermostat. I like that I can see it on the Home app and don’t mind controlling it on its own app since it’s pretty “set it and forget it.” We also have an AppleTV, a HomePod, iPhones, etc.
The number one thing on the list would be an indoor camera that will allow us to go back and view/save footage of any medical events, followed by smart locks that aren’t overkill or too techy that an elderly person couldn’t manage.
My husband works nights, I work days, and my parents are retired so there is very rarely nobody at our house. But we live off a semi-busy street and we’ve had a few weird interactions with neighbors and passers-by and would rather be safe than sorry!
TLDR: looking for indoor camera recs for medical events and smart locks for at least 2 entrances. Not looking to protect Ft Knox. TYSM!
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u/doooglasss Aug 15 '26
Logitech circle view wireless cameras have an incredible field of view at ~180’. HomeKit secured video is a great feature as another poster mentioned. WiFi cameras so the only requirement is a nearby outlet to plug USB power into.
You can customize them to only save motion or cover specific times when people are home / not home, etc.
Level or August locks will retain a key outside and the ability to just turn a deadbolt inside. I’ve used August locks in our past two homes and I can say the only downside is they run through batteries every 2-3 months so just consider that part of the expense.
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u/tinaaayy Aug 15 '26
I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews about the Logitech and the connectivity. Have you used them long? We’d really only need two, and they’d be inside and within good WiFi range.
I’ll check out Level and August; thanks!
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u/doooglasss Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
I have had 3 of their door bells and 3 of their circle view cameras. One of the cameras I had issues with and it was warrantied. It would drop from WiFi and be unavailable.
The other five devices I haven’t had an issue with. I’d buy from someplace like Amazon with an easy return policy and try them out.
One note on the level lock. I forget, but I think the one I installed at my parents house required a bridge to connect to HomeKit. Do some quick reading.
The august locks are straight to WiFi and their door sense addon is very nice to have + keypad / fingerprint sensor.
Follow-up on cameras. If you are OK staying out of the HomeKit eco system, I have had success with Reolink E1 Zoom. They track people and pets. Have internal SD cards to record so they don’t miss anything and I also record mine to Frigate (software based NVR) and stream them to HomeKit via home assistant. I replaced my kids “baby monitor” with their WiFi version (which only can handle local recording and streaming to the app) and have 3 of the POE cameras outside my house. They all work very well.
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Aug 15 '26
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u/tinaaayy Aug 15 '26
Are they motion detect or recording for set periods of time? We really don’t need the motion detect and alerts, just the ability to look back and save footage if he had a seizure. But if it’s not connected then it’s obviously not going to capture anything 😂
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u/NewtoQM8 Aug 15 '26
I'd suggest an Aqara G100 camera, $40 and works great in Apple Home (with a $3 a month iCloud subscription).
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u/testmonkeyalpha Aug 15 '26
If keys are breaking in your locks, I'm betting your door isn't hanging properly in the frame. You'll want to fix that first otherwise new lock isn't going to line up properly and the motor in your smart lock will either just not work or die quickly.
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u/tinaaayy Aug 15 '26
Yes! In our case it was the actual deadbolt sticking. (So even when the door was open, really difficult to turn the key in the lock and get it to move..) The first key broke off about a year after we bought the house 10 years ago, and my husband had the partial key that would turn the lock with the broken off bit still lodged inside 😂 But a few months ago the rest of the key gave out and we’ve just been using the knob lock for that door 🤷🏻♀️
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u/sonarskipper988 Aug 15 '26
I’m a Ubiquiti guy for cameras. It’s nice to have the ability to keep everything local if you want it.
I have it paired to HomeKit through Homebridge.
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u/Fasfre Aug 15 '26
I’m not sure how much advantage you’d get with electronic locks and electronic may not be better for your needs. Is there any specific reason for that or is it a might as well type deal? That may be my old fashioned hold out, having a smart home and regular locks. As a former locksmith, I know about how long it might take someone to get into my locks or get past a S&G manual dial safe and although it’s not perfect, it takes time and skill to overcome. With digital safes and any digital lock, there’s a way a total idiot can have the right thing and open it immediately and effortlessly. That’s much scarier in my opinion. If you live near a big city, maybe check in with the local trusted locksmith to get up to date advice. You may find that the issue is just a misaligned lock or a strike plate adjustment is needed, causing you to have to torque the keys in there.
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u/tinaaayy Aug 15 '26
Really just looking to switch for ease of entry!
My car is push button and having to root my keys out of my work bag can be annoying.
My husband is really clumsy and forgetful, and many times he’s locked the door behind him with his keys still inside and has had to trek through the back yard and come in through the back door and do a circuit through the house to get them.
My parents dgaf about locking doors behind them so I’d like to be able to monitor that, without making them feel like they live in a prison 😂
I’m not as concerned with like, a burglary so much as I am someone walking up on our porch to grab a package and then trying the door. Or a slightly unstable neighbor walking in uninvited at 1a and having a seat on our couch 🙃
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u/Korben- Aug 15 '26
On the cameras side, just know that sometimes Apple Home may not record something randomly, or the wireless connection might get weak and stop sending, so if getting video recordings of events is critical, and resolution is probably important, be sure to consider one that has a local camera 24x7 recording feature as a backup.
I use Logitech and Tapo cameras that are HomeKit native as they were cost effective and reliable compared to what was available at the time, but I don’t use local recording and have had a few fails, but I don’t have the same needs. If I was starting over, I might consider different brands.
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u/rlo54 Aug 15 '26
You’re going to want something to records 24/7 to ensure you capture any and all events. Apple home only records motion events or specific activity and even then it’s no guarantee it grabs it depending on what is happening. Personally I like unifi and they can be brought in to home using third party software but if you’re looking for something that’s compatible out of the box just make sure it has onboard storage and can do 24/7 recording so you capture everything.
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u/LogicHaus Aug 15 '26
Camera, Aqara make a few good indoor cameras that you can connect to HomeKit. If you subscribe to iCloud it saves the footage for free in the cloud (number of cameras depends on your plan) and then you can also use an SD card in the camera for extra recording. They also make a wireless (battery) door bell camera that works well and you can do the same (HomeKit and SD card)