Reconsider HomeKit for Wired Video Doorbell

[tharais]

I have five Arlo Pro 2 cameras on a VMB4000 base all set up in HomeKit.  I also have a wireless, video doorbell set up on wifi but am not able to have in HomeKit.  I have a single camera subscription for the doorbell, so I can use package detection, etc.

I was really excited Tuesday when I received an email entitled "Apple HomeKit is now compatible with Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired!".   Wow.  I could now integrate my video doorbell into HomeKit and achieve nirvana....so I thought.

So, this morning, I went through the frustrating process of removing my doorbell from my account and resetting up on my Arlo hub.

Well, it turns out things aren't so great and now I need to go back to the way it was.

So, before anyone makes the same mistake I did, I'll share the things I LOST by switching my doorbell from Wifi to my Arlo hub and maybe help you avoid the same mistakes.

First, as always seems to be the case, the process of removing the doorbell from wifi over to the hub was difficult and took multiple tries.   Heck, just getting my Arlo Video Doorbell off the mount to reset proved trying.  Wrong hole I guess.  Plus, I had to read and try multiple instructions on the Arlo website multiple times before all the links were established and the doorbell properly installed on my hub.

But more importantly, after I had it all jubilantly set up on my Arlo hub as a device and then, added to HomeKit, I realized some issues:

1) All the video recordings from my doorbell on my Arlo account were no longer accessible.  They in effect, disappeared because I had removed the device, even if just the wifi connection.

2) I had a one camera subscription for the video doorbell on wifi for which my credit card was charged monthly.  Now, that was inaccessible and seemed to have disappeared from my Arlo account as well.   

3) I had always had the doorbell set up as on 24/7 so I was notified when anyone was on my front porch, whether they rang the doorbell or not.  I only turned the video doorbell off when I was working within it's range outside or going in and out of the front doors frequently, such as loading the car and didn't want the constant notifications on my phone. 

On the other hand, I had a schedule for the hub connected cameras so that they weren't constantly being triggered by the neighbor's lawnmower, people walking their dogs on my sidewalk or my doing yardwork.

But now, the doorbell would have to be on the same schedule or, I would have to leave the five cameras on 24/7.  Neither is acceptable.

I do really wish that Arlo would enhance their software for individual on/off/schedule control of devices attached to the hub.  I might even be willing to up my subscription coverage if they did.

So, I'm now removing my doorbell from the hub and from HomeKit and putting it back on wifi.  And then I'll try and re-establish my Arlo subscription for it.

You've been warned.