A smart home camera allows you to check in on your home when you’re not there. You can access a live feed whenever you want, but the camera can also send you smart notifications in real-time when it detects motion. This can come in handy for checking that your kids made it home on time, making sure that packages were delivered and just generally seeing what went on in your house. It can also be used as a security measure to identify thieves or deter them away.
Apple doesn’t make its own smart home camera — in fact, it doesn’t make many smart home gadgets in general — but it does make the platform, HomeKit, and the gadgets (such as your iPhone, iPad or Mac) for controlling third-party gadgets, including smart home cameras.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best smart home cameras that work with Apple’s HomeKit.
Products in the Guide
What to Look for
Resolution: The better the resolution, the better the image you’re going to see. Most smart home cameras are able to deliver a 1080p (or HD) picture, but there are high-end options that can deliver 4K (as well as some advanced tracking features), but they can be significantly more expensive.
Field of view (FOV): This is how much area the smart home camera is able to capture and keep in frame. The wider the FOV, the more you’re going to be able to see, which is what you want.