Vocolinc’s First HomeKit Camera Now Available in the EU and Canada [U]

Vocolinc, the smart home manufacturer known for their smart humidifier (MistFlow), diffusers (Flowerbud, and Ripple) and Air Purifier (PureFlow), have released their third product in the security category, namely the Opto Smart Indoor Camera (VC1), following on from the recently upgraded T-Guard Smart Lock, and the VS1 contact sensor. The new camera is exclusively compatible with Apple HomeKit and is also compatible with HomeKit Secure Video (HSV).

The camera records in 1080p at 30 frames per second, using a 3mp lens, and sports pan and tilt functionality, allowing the camera (which has a 107º Field of vision) to rotate for 350º in the horizontal plane and 117º in the vertical plane. The camera can be mounted on the ceiling with the provided adaptor and uses a USB-C port for power.

One peculiarity of the Opto compared to pretty much all other HomeKit cameras, is that the LED indicators you tend to see with HSV compatible cameras – Red when recording, or Blue when just streaming – are located on the rear of the camera. Some might see this as an odd choice, but in many ways, it makes sense, as some people prefer not to have an LED glaring at them all the time, with some finding that the red light can be disconcerting, especially if they’re aware that red means you are being recorded.

The ‘Opto’ is currently only available to EU and Canadian customers via the company’s EU store, or Bestbuy.ca respectively, although we’re told that the camera will arrive in the US sometime in the following month. We’ve been lucky enough to have been testing the camera since the beginning of the year, so our video and written reviews will be dropping shortly after.