Apple and LG Bring Connected Cameras To Your Home

At its “Welcome Home” event today, Apple announced its new “Apple Home Collection,” including smart door locks, thermostats, temperature sensors, and cameras.

For imaging enthusiasts, the smart cameras are by far the most interesting part of Apple’s announcement. Apple is teaming with South Korean electronics giant LG on a series of four connected cameras that sync easily with Apple’s Home app.

Here on PetaPixel, so-called “doorbell cameras” get quite a bit of attention for the wild things they capture on camera, including mountain lions, giant snakes, and even meteorites. However, video doorbell cameras are not just useful for documenting life’s oddities, they are also increasingly popular for much more practical reasons. A survey earlier this year determined that, as of April, 39% of American homes had a video doorbell. It’s little surprise Apple wants to get in on the fun.

The Apple Home Collection includes four new LG cameras, each offering 2.5K video resolution and recognition features that identify familiar people, pets, vehicles, and packages. Video recording history is stored securely as part of an iCloud+ plan, and cameras can deliver alerts to connected Apple devices, including Apple’s new HomeView product, plus Apple HomePod and Apple TV.

The LG Video Doorbell has dual cameras that capture separate views of people and packages on the ground. There’s a built-in spotlight and chime that plays through HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini. The front camera has the aforementioned 2.5K resolution, while the bottom camera for looking at packages is Full HD.

The LG Floodlight Cam promises powerful perimeter monitoring with a pair of adaptive floodlights and low-light color night vision. The LG Outdoor Cam also has night vision, but it lacks floodlights.

Finally, there’s the LG Indoor Cam. As its name suggests, it’s designed for indoor use and lets users remotely monitor their home’s interior. It can be set up to automatically tilt down and out of view when a family member returns home. Users can remotely control the camera through the Home app at any time.

As mentioned, users can store video history in their iCloud+ plan. Users can access up to 10 days of history and search for specific footage using natural language and Apple Intelligence. Built-in storage keeps cameras recording even if Wi-Fi goes down.

The LG Indoor Cam starts at $199.95, while the Video Doorbell is $249.95. Outdoor Cam and Floodlight Cam are $299.95 and $399.95, respectively. Apple and LG say that the cameras will begin shipping early next year.

Image creditsApple, LG