Wemo Introduce Their First HomeKit Exclusive Video Doorbell
Wemo today unveiled the first of many alleged new products that will work with HomeKit, as well as Matter, once that becomes official. Of these, possibly the most interesting and surprising is the new Wemo Smart Video Doorbell.
This new product, given the scarcity of HomeKit compatible doorbells, may well be popular, with only Netatmo and Logitech offerings being the other two serious contenders at this stage*. Add to this the fact that the Wemo is also compatible with HomeKit Secure Video (HSV), and that means the Netatmo drops out of this race, with only Logitech also offering this option.
* The Yobi B3 doesn’t support any form of recording, the Robin Proline is both expensive and low-res (only 720p), and the Arlo Essentials requires an Arlo hub.
The Wemo does also bring possibly the widest field of view offered by a video doorbell to date, at 178º vertically, whilst also offering dual-band WiFi connectivity (2.4 & 5.0GHz), as well as ‘enhanced night vision’ and motion detection via the camera’s 5mp sensor. The complete field of view is 178º (Vertical), 140º (Horizontal), 223º (Diagonal).
As you can see from the image above, the camera’s depth may appear quite large, although this image also features the angle mount provided. In reality, the camera’s depth is only 35.5mm/1.4in, with a 43.2mm/1.7in width, and 124.5mm/4.9in in height.
The camera, like the other two products mentioned, needs wired power (16-24v AC), so there’s no battery option as such. It doesn’t come with a light that only the Logitech offers, but because it is compatible with HSV, you do get face recognition, parcel detection, and smart notifications.
The Wemo Smart Video Doorbell is available to pre-order now, via Wemo’s website, priced at US$249.99.
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