Originally published at: Apple Home Collection Introduces New Cameras, Doorbell, Lock, and Thermostats - TidBITS
Alongside last week’s HomeView, HomePod mini 2, and fourth-generation Apple TV 4K announcements, Apple also announced the Apple Home Collection, a lineup of smart home accessories—security cameras, thermostats, and a door lock—that were “designed in collaboration” with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. The products feature one-tap iPhone setup, are controlled entirely through the Home app and using Siri with no separate apps or accounts, and store all data with end-to-end encryption.
The approach is unusual for Apple, and the company has not said who did what. Phrases like “working closely” and “a true collaboration” abound in the press release. The products wouldn’t seem out of place in an Apple-intensive home—look at the Siri Remote, which Apple designed entirely in-house, and you can see the same aesthetic sensibility at work here.
The implication is that Apple guided the design and integration while letting its partners handle manufacturing and support. This gives Apple a way to ensure a curated smart home experience without entering the low-margin hardware business of cameras, locks, and thermostats directly. Whether these devices offer anything technically beyond what existing HomeKit accessories can do remains unclear; the main appeal seems to be Apple’s stamp of approval in a market full of inconsistent products. Apple also tends to stick with products for a long time, and the company may not have wanted to commit to maintaining these product lines indefinitely.
Home Monitoring Cameras
The home monitoring products include the following devices:
- LG Video Doorbell ($249.95): Provides dual cameras to capture separate views of visitors and packages, plus a built-in spotlight and a chime that plays through a HomeView or any HomePod. The front camera captures 2.5K resolution video, and the bottom camera, which doesn’t need as much detail, captures HD resolution.
- LG Floodlight Cam ($399.95): This triple-headed device provides two adaptive floodlights that activate automatically when motion is detected and a camera that captures 2.5K video with low-light night vision.
- LG Outdoor Cam ($299.95): If you don’t need the floodlights, this camera provides low-light color night vision for $100 less.
- LG Indoor Cam ($199.95): For indoor security, this camera automatically tilts to adjust the view when the user checks in on the home from afar, but automatically faces down when the first member of the household returns. Users can also tilt it manually or in the Home app at any time.
The cameras store their content in iCloud+, providing 10 days of event history, and with eligible iCloud+ plans, Apple Intelligence can provide automatic video descriptions of what’s happening, along with the ability to search footage using natural language queries. The cameras also feature built-in storage, so they can record even if Wi-Fi goes down. Live footage can be viewed in the Home app at any time.
That “eligible iCloud+ plans” phrase is doing a lot. A simple 200 GB ($2.99 per month) iCloud+ plan is enough for basic HomeKit Secure Video recording for up to five cameras, but adding Apple Intelligence features gets expensive fast. You need a 2 TB ($9.99) plan for one camera, a 6 TB ($29.99) plan for two cameras, and a 12 TB ($59.99) plan for up to five cameras. In contrast, The Verge says (gift link) that Amazon and Google charge about $20 per month for similar capabilities.
Home Access
If you’re installing an LG Video Doorbell, you might want to add an LG Smart Deadbolt Lock ($349.95) next to it. It uses Ultra Wideband technology to unlock automatically when someone with a home key on a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch walks up. If that doesn’t work for some reason, you can also tap to unlock with an iPhone or Apple Watch, enter a code on the integrated PIN pad, or use the hidden physical backup key slot. You can also grant guest access through the Home app, making it easy to give a visitor or house sitter access.
The LG Video Doorbell and Smart Deadbolt Lock can work together, so when someone rings the doorbell, you can see who’s at the door, speak to the visitor, and unlock the door. Apple says this lock is Matter-compatible and supports Aliro, so it can work entirely locally without an Internet connection. Aliro is a new standard that lets iPhones and Apple Watches act as keys directly at the lock, while Matter provides local smart home control, so neither the lock nor the Home app’s in-home control depends on an Internet connection.
Home Climate Control
The Apple Home Collection includes two smart thermostats, one from Schneider Electric (left) and another from LG (right). It’s unclear why Apple chose to work with two companies in this space, since the thermostats cost the same ($199.95) and offer the same basic features—even an HVAC newsletter isn’t clear on the differences. Perhaps they don’t work with the same set of heating and cooling systems?
In terms of features, both support Adaptive Temperature in the Home app, which automatically adjusts the thermostat based on time of day and whether someone is home. In the contiguous US, Clean Energy Guidance can shift heating and cooling to cleaner, lower-cost times of day for users whose utility plan supports it. Both thermostats support standalone temperature and humidity sensors ($39.95), or they can rely on the sensors built into the HomeView and Apple’s current HomePods.
Apple says that the Apple Home Collection will be available starting in December 2026 at apple.com and Apple Stores, with select accessories arriving in early 2027. Geographic availability varies: the cameras will be sold in the US, Canada, and the UK; locks, thermostats, and sensors will be available only in the US and Canada. For customers in the US who don’t want to install these items themselves, Apple Retail offers third-party installation from ADT for an additional charge.
