Philips Hue Secure Camera [left], and the iOS app leak for its doorbell – Image Credit: HueBlog
Signify is seemingly close to launching its own Philips Hue video doorbell, following a leak in the company’s own iOS app.
Signify’s Philips Hue collection covers a lot of smart home devices, with the list chiefly consisting of lights and security cameras. While it doesn’t currently have a video doorbell in its imaging collection, that could change within a matter of months.
Revealed by HueBlog, the Hue app for iOS was updated in March to include an option to register devices by QR code, with there also an option to add hardware without the QR code too. It’s this latter option that confirmed the existence of the device.
Going through the “No QR code” menu brings up a list of device types, including a “Hue secure doorbell.” The app asks users to make sure they physically install the doorbell, but attempting to continue brings up a warning that it can’t find the doorbell due to a lack of power.
It is very likely that the doorbell will have video capabilities, with the doorbell requiring both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for setup.
Though there is no mention of the specifications of the doorbell, it is probably going to match the capabilities of the Hue Secure Camera line, which goes up to 1080p. The ability to talk to whomever rang the doorbell is probable, given the existing Camera features, as are smart alerts and the use of end-to-end encryption.
The appearance of a device in an app is usually a good sign that a new product is on the way, or at least being tested for a future release. As for when that could be, report sources expect it will arrive sometime in the fall.
Probably not on HomeKit
While the appearance of the doorbell in a settings menu in the official iOS app is a good sign that it will work with the iPhone, there is still one catch that Apple ecosystem users may find irksome. Namely, the likely lack of HomeKit support.
The existing Philips Hue Secure Camera lineup do not have HomeKit support, and they do not work with HomeKit Secure Video. Though the doorbell will probably connect to the app securely with encryption, it’s unlikely to do so with Apple’s smart home platform.
Philips Hue does support Matter, the standard to help devices from different producers to connect with various smart home frameworks, such as HomeKit. However, while it covers a lot of hardware, Matter’s support for security or smart cameras is somewhat lacking at the moment, though that can change in the future.
With a lack of HomeKit Secure Video support in the security cameras in their current state, the situation is unlikely to change until Matter makes its update.
