Starting today, all of Netgear's existing Arlo Baby smart monitoring cameras are compatible with Apple HomeKit following the release of a HomeKit update for the Arlo app.
To connect the Arlo Baby camera to a HomeKit setup, Arlo Baby owners will need to download the update and then toggle on the HomeKit option in the Settings section of the Arlo app.
With HomeKit compatibility, Arlo Baby cameras can be viewed in the Home app on iOS devices right alongside other HomeKit-compatible cameras.
Using the Home app, parents can also view a live stream, access two-way audio controls, view the most recent screenshot recorded by the Arlo Baby, open up the camera live stream via Siri, and access live video remotely with an iPad, Apple TV, or HomePod as a home hub.
Netgear first announced HomeKit compatibility for Arlo Baby at CES in 2018, launching a new line of HomeKit-compatible Arlo Baby cameras. At the time, Netgear also promised to bring HomeKit to existing cameras, a promise that was fulfilled with today's update.
The Arlo Baby cameras will also continue to work with the Arlo app, which can be used for specific features like accessing footage stored in the cloud, tweaking settings, controlling the light, and more.
If you're unfamiliar with the Arlo Baby line, it's a camera that's designed to be used in an infant's room. It offers 1080p video recording and seven days of free cloud storage, along with infrared recording at night, ambient air quality sensors, a music player, and a built-in dimmable night light that can be set to one of several colors.
Netgear sells several Arlo Baby accessories to personalize the camera to fit into a child's room, such as bunny, kitten, and puppy suits. Arlo Baby can be purchased from Amazon.com for $200.
Top Rated Comments
Updated the app, found the HomeKit setting, granted access, but no Arlo Pro 2 yet.
Keep in mind that while the Arlo Baby is intended to be plugged in, the Arlo Pro and Arlo Pro 2 work with batteries, and plugging in is optional.
That said, the Arlo cameras work with IFTTT and Amazon Alexa: For example, you can ask a FireTV or an Echo with Screen 'show me front door camera' (as an example) and it works with any Arlo cameras. The Alexa skill is a cloud service (meaning it doesn't require an app on a phone), so maybe support is coming.
On the other hand, the Arlo service is pretty closed: The cameras only talk to a base station, and the base station is forwards the stream to the cloud. I like this for security. The base station has locally open ports and can only be accessed through their (free) cloud service.
They likely started bith Baby because it's always plugged in, but don't waste your time asking NetGears for updates