topic Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit in Partner Integrations

Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

DanP76 — Sun, 07 May 2023 07:28:13 GMT

Hiya!

I bought the 4-camera kit with the new Arlo Pro 5 and a separate Arlo Ultra SmartHub, because the description said that the cameras require a basestation in order to work with Apple HomeKit.

Now when I try to add the hub from the Arlo app to HomeKit, it just keeps saying "Connecting to Accessory" without actually ever connecting. And if I try the same directly from the HomeKit app, it says "This accessory cannot be used with HomeKit".

My iPhone has the latest iOS version, all my Arlo cameras and the hub have the latest firmware and the Arlo app is also up to date.

What am I doing wrong?

Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

StephenB — Sun, 07 May 2023 10:52:19 GMT

@DanP76 wrote:

What am I doing wrong?

You need a token reset for the smarthub. I'm tagging the mods ( @JamesC and @ShayneS ) to call their attention to your post - they can do the reset for you (and will reply when they've done that).

Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

DanP76 — Sun, 07 May 2023 17:50:40 GMT

@StephenB Great, thanks for the tip!

Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

JamesC — Mon, 08 May 2023 16:23:14 GMT

Pro 5S 2K cameras are not yet compatible with apple HomeKit. Stay tuned for announcements and updates. You can read more about this here: https://kb.arlo.com/000062279/How-do-I-connect-my-Arlo-camera-to-Apple-HomeKit

JamesC

Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

DanP76 — Mon, 08 May 2023 19:30:17 GMT

@JamesC Thanks for your feedback.

Can I ask why this isn't mentioned anywhere on the Arlo Pro 5 page? It clearly says there that it works with Apple HomeKit, which for me that was the the main reason why I decided to spend € 1,000 on four cameras and a basestation. Is there an ETA for this?

Also, is there a difference between the Arlo Pro 5 cameras I ordered and the Pro 5S I apparently received? The added letter S in the product name is also not mentioned on the page. It only showed up in the app and then here when I created the post.

Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

JamesC — Mon, 08 May 2023 19:43:11 GMT

Arlo Pro 5S 2K is the official full name for the Arlo Pro 5 camera. They are the same product.

Arlo HomeKit support will be available in a future firmware update, but is not available today for Arlo Pro 5 cameras.

JamesC

Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

DanP76 — Mon, 08 May 2023 20:17:49 GMT

@JamesC Thanks for clarification regarding the product name.

You didn't answer my question regarding the misleading information on your company's website and ETA though. Surely you will understand that this is an absolutely valid question. Arlo is selling a product as compatible with HomeKit when it is actually not, and referring to a future firmware update without even a tentative date is not a satisfactory response.

Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

JamesC — Mon, 08 May 2023 21:38:36 GMT

DanP76,

I've passed this feedback along to the marketing team and it was confirmed that the inclusion of the "works with HomeKit" badge was mistakenly added to the product description. This is being updated to prevent future confusion.

While we do plan to include HomeKit support for Pro 5 cameras, I do not have a definitive date available for it's release. Once more information is available, an announcement will be made.

JamesC

Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

DanP76 — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:00:13 GMT

Hi @JamesC ,

Is there an ETA yet for the compatibility of the Arlo Pro 5S cameras with Apple HomeKit? It's been five months since I first posted about this.

If there is still no ETA at this point, kindly let me know if I can still return the products I purchased for a refund. Without the compatibility that was originally promised to me, I have no use for the cameras.

Thanks,

Daniel

Re: Unable to connect Arlo Ultra SmartHub to Apple HomeKit

JamesC — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 15:52:35 GMT

DanP76,

While I do not have an exact date, certification efforts are currently underway and we expect the integration to be available before the end of 2023. I will provide another update as soon as I have more information available to share.

JamesC