Keeping an eye on your home shouldn’t mean wrestling with clunky software or giving up your privacy. That’s exactly what HomeKit Secure Video (HSV) aims to fix. Built into Apple’s Home app, it offers encrypted storage, private viewing, and smooth control from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac.
If you already live in Apple’s ecosystem, HSV is a tempting choice. But is it really worth it? In this guide, we’ll break down what it does, highlight its key features, weigh the pros and cons, and share the best cameras that work with it.
What Is HomeKit Secure Video?
HomeKit Secure Video (HSV or HKSV) is Apple’s built-in way of handling home security cameras inside the Home app. It has privacy and smarts at the core.
Instead of relying on third-party apps and cloud services, HSV encrypts your clips and stores them securely in iCloud. You can watch live feeds, review past events, and get motion alerts straight from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac.
To use it, you need a compatible camera, a Home hub such as a HomePod or Apple TV, and an iCloud+ plan. Because it’s part of the Apple ecosystem, it feels natural to set up and control. You can check in on your home without juggling extra apps.
Key Features of HomeKit Secure Video
When you dig into HomeKit Secure Video, a few core features stand out. These are the tools that shape how it protects your home and how easy it is to use day to day.
- End-to-end encryption and smart on-device analysis:When a HomeKit camera detects motion, your home hub processes the footage locally to identify people, pets, vehicles, and packages. Only then is the video encrypted and stored in iCloud. This means your clips stay private and visible only to the people you’ve chosen to share them with.
- Event-based recording:Instead of recording nonstop, HSV captures what matters: motion, people, pets, vehicles, or packages. You can scroll through up to ten days of clips in the Home app.
- Flexible iCloud+ plans:Recording is tied to your iCloud+ subscription. The number of cameras you can use depends on your plan tier, but event clips don’t eat into your storage space.
- Activity Zones:Draw boundaries to focus on the spots that matter most, like your front porch or driveway, and filter out busy areas such as sidewalks or streets.
- Smart notifications:Get alerts when an event happens and see a snapshot in the notification. You can also choose when alerts appear, whether you’re home or away.
- Familiar face recognition:When enabled, HSV can recognize familiar faces using your Photos library and recent visitors, then label alerts accordingly. You control who’s tagged and what’s saved.
- Full Home app integration:All camera feeds sit inside the Home app alongside your lights, locks, and sensors. You can share access with family members and check cameras on Apple TV.
Pros and Cons of Using HomeKit Secure Video
Before you dive in, it helps to weigh what HomeKit Secure Video does well and where it falls short. Here’s a clear look at the trade-offs.
Pros
- Privacy built in: Clips are encrypted end-to-end, and motion is processed on your Home hub, so only you and the people you invite can see them.
- All in one place: Live feeds, recordings, and alerts from the HomeKit Secure Video camerashow up right inside the Home app, alongside your lights, locks, and sensors.
- Smart detection: HSV can tell the difference between people (familiar faces vs strangers), animals, vehicles, and packages. Activity Zones help you cut out distractions like sidewalk traffic.
- 10 days of “free” event history: You can scroll back through ten days of recordings without worrying about cloud storage space.
- Clear plan tiers: iCloud+ makes it simple: one camera with 50 GB, up to five with 200 GB, and unlimited with 2 TB or more.
Cons
- Apple-only system: HSV works only with Apple devices. You’ll also need a Home hub and an iCloud+ plan, so there’s some setup cost.
- Shorter storage window: Ten days of history may feel tight compared to rivals that offer 30 days or more.
- Resolution cap: HomeKit Secure Video records and plays back clips at up to 1080p, even if your camera supports higher resolutions like 2K or 4K.
- Event-based only: Continuous 24/7 recording isn’t an option. HSV captures motion-triggered events instead.
- Motion detection may miss events: In some cases, HSV’s motion detection can glitch and fail to trigger recordings. That means activity you expected captured might slip through unnoticed.
- Advanced camera features don’t carry over: If your camera has a built-in siren or pan/tilt controls, those won’t work through HomeKit Secure Video. Also, you can’t schedule cameras to turn on or off on a timer within HSV. You lose that kind of flexibility.
How to Set Up HomeKit Secure Video
Getting HSV up and running doesn’t take long, but you do need the right pieces in place. Here’s what you’ll need and how to set it up.
What you need
- A HomeKit Secure Video–compatible camera or doorbell. eufy offers some of the best HomeKit cameras.
- An Apple Home hub(HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV).
- An active iCloud+ plan(50 GB, 200 GB, or 2 TB and up) that matches the number of cameras you plan to use.
Make sure your iPhone, Mac, or iPad and your Home hub are signed into the same Apple ID, with two-factor authentication turned on. Keep your devices up to date for the smoothest setup.
Step-by-step setup process
- Turn on “Home” in your iCloud settings.
- Add your camera to the Home app: Open the Home app, tap the +, choose Add Accessory, and scan the HomeKit code on your camera. Place it in a room or outdoors and give it a name.
- Turn on recording: In camera settings, adjust Streaming & Recordingfor Home and Away For example, you might record only when you’re away. Make sure iCloud+ recording is enabled.
- Set up detection zones: Pick what you want to capture: people, pets, vehicles, or packages. Draw Activity Zonesto focus on areas that matter, like your porch.
- Fine-tune notifications: Decide when you want alerts, at home, away, or both, and whether they show a snapshot preview.
- (Optional) Enable face recognition: Turn on Recognize Familiar Facesif you’d like HSV to tag people it knows from your Photos library. You control who gets labeled.
- Share with your household: Add family members in the Home app so they can view live feeds and past events, with permissions you set.
- Test your setup: Walk into view of the camera. Check that the event shows up in the timeline and that alerts come through the way you expect.
Best HomeKit Secure Video Cameras from eufy
If you’re looking for security cameras that work well with Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video, eufy has a few strong options. Each brings something different to the table. Here’s a closer look at where each shines:
Best flexible outdoor coverage: eufyCam S4
The eufyCam S4 takes a creative approach to outdoor security with its three-in-one design. A fixed 4K wide-angle lens handles general monitoring, while two 2K lenses in the PTZ module below zoom and track motion automatically for extra detail.
Motion sensing combines radar and PIR to improve accuracy, while the built-in spotlights give you full-color night vision. Power is handled with solar assist, and storage can live on board, on a microSD card, or expand further with the HomeBase S380.
Best for: Wide outdoor spaces like large yards or driveways where you need flexible angles and long-term local storage.
What’s good:
- Tri-camera setup for both broader coverage and zoom tracking
- The PTZ unit moves 360° and tilts 70° to follow activity, achieving full rotation
- Auto-framing allows it to zoom in on a person up to 50m away, and zoom out if more people appear
- Radar + PIR motion sensing for more accurate alerts
- Solar assist plus expandable local storage options
Best 4K bullet cam: eufyCam S3 Pro 4-Cam
The eufyCam S3 Pro 4-Cam kit includes four 4K outdoor cameras and the HomeBase S380. These cameras support Apple Home and HomeKit Secure Video, though like all HSV cameras, recordings in the Home app max out at 1080p.
Local storage is handled by the HomeBase with 16 GB built in and expansion available up to 16 TB, no subscription required. Motion detection uses both radar and PIR sensors to cut down on false alerts, and MaxColor Vision brings bright, detailed footage even at night.
With integrated solar panels keeping the batteries charged, the system is designed to be low-maintenance once installed.
Best for: Apple users who want a 4K-capable system that integrates cleanly with HSV while keeping recordings local and subscription-free.
What’s good:
- Apple Home + HSV support (recording up to 1080p in Home app)
- 4K image capture with MaxColor Vision for better night detail
- HomeBase S380 with expandable local storage up to 16 TB
- Built-in solar charging for less battery upkeep
Best indoor cam: eufy Indoor Cam E30
The eufy Indoor Cam E30 is a compact 4K pan-tilt camera designed for inside the home. It can rotate 360° horizontally and tilt 75° vertically, giving it full-room coverage.
Built-in AI helps it detect people, pets, and even baby cries, while the spotlight enables color night vision. It also offers two-way audio so you can talk through the camera.
For storage, you can use a microSD card or connect it to the HomeBase S380 for more space. When paired with Apple Home, the E30 supports HomeKit Secure Video, though recordings in the Home app, as with all HSV cameras, are limited to 1080p.
Best for: Indoor spaces where you want smooth pan-tilt coverage, HSV integration, and the option to keep 4K recordings locally in the eufy app.
What’s good:
- HSV support (1080p in Apple Home) plus 4K local recording in the eufy app
- Pan-tilt movement with smart subject tracking for full-room coverage
- Spotlight for color night vision
- Local storage via microSD or expandable through HomeBase S380
Conclusion
HomeKit Secure Video offers a straightforward way to keep your home secure while keeping your data private. It integrates seamlessly with Apple devices, provides smart motion alerts, and stores clips safely in iCloud. The trade-offs, like the 1080p cap and a 10-day history, are worth weighing against the convenience and privacy benefits. Paired with the right eufy cameras, HSV can give you reliable coverage indoors and out, all managed from the Home app. For Apple households, it’s one of the most natural and privacy-conscious options available today.
FAQs
What is Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video?
HomeKit Secure Video, often called HSV, is Apple’s way of helping you keep an eye on your home while protecting your privacy. With a compatible camera, clips are analyzed right on your home hub, then encrypted and securely stored in iCloud+. You can watch up to 10 days of recordings in the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. The best part? These recordings don’t use up your iCloud storage space.
Is HomeKit Secure Video actually secure?
Yes, security is its main focus. Your home hub (like a HomePod or Apple TV) does all the motion analysis locally, so your footage isn’t sent out for processing. Every clip is encrypted before it’s uploaded to iCloud, and only your personal devices (and people you choose to share with) can unlock and view it. Apple can’t see your recordings, and live streams are also protected with strong encryption, whether you’re at home or away.
Is HomeKit Secure Video free?
HomeKit Secure Video isn’t a separate paid service, but you do need an iCloud+ plan to use it. The good news is that video clips don’t count toward your storage limit. The number of cameras you can connect depends on your plan: one camera with 50 GB, up to five with 200 GB, and unlimited with 2 TB or higher. All plans include 10 days of secure video history.
What devices are compatible with HomeKit secure video?
To use HSV, you’ll need a compatible camera or doorbell, an iCloud+ plan, and a home hub like a HomePod or Apple TV. The hub is required for encryption, storage, and remote access. Only devices made for HSV, such as certain eufy security cameras or smart locks, can handle this securely and automatically upload footage to iCloud. You can view recordings on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV using the Home app.
