Image credit: Apple
Apple has announced Apple Home Collection, a lineup of cameras, a video doorbell, a deadbolt, two thermostats, and room sensors that LG Electronics and Schneider Electric built together with Apple. The lineup will start going on sale in December at apple.com and Apple Stores, with "select accessories" delayed to early 2027, although Apple hasn't said which ones those are. The nifty part is that the setup starts with single tap of your iPhone against the accessory and you're stepped through the rest. You'll be able to manage everything in the Home app with no separate app or account needed.
The lock is the one I'd buy first
LG's Smart Deadbolt Lock ($349.95) uses Ultra Wideband, the same short-range radio that lets your iPhone point you toward a lost AirTag, to tell how close you are to the door. If you have a home key set up on your iPhone or Apple Watch, the door will unlock as you walk up to it, with no tapping needed. There's a keypad and a hidden backup key slot as well. I think a door that unlocks itself as you walk up is excellent, and I trust Apple's UWB to be accurate enough to pull it off.
In comparison, a Schlage Encode Plus ($329 on Amazon) also supports Apple home key, but it needs a tap of your phone or watch. Apple says the lock works with Matter and keeps working locally when your internet is down.
Image credit: Apple
The cameras and the subscription
LG's four cameras range from the $199.95 Indoor Cam Plug-In to the $399.95 Floodlight Cam, with the Video Doorbell Wired at $249.95 in between. All four can record video at up to 2.5K resolution and recognize people, familiar faces, pets, vehicles, and packages, and the doorbell has a second camera pointing down at the step to watch packages.
Apple says there's no separate camera subscription. Instead, recordings will rely on a paid iCloud+ account instead, which will give you 10 days of event history. The 50GB tier ($0.99 a month) covers one camera, 200GB ($2.99) covers five, and 2TB ($9.99) covers as many as you want. You may already be paying for iCloud+, but it's still a subscription, which you should factor in when buying one of these. Live view and alerts work without a plan, though the cameras do need a HomePod, Apple TV 4K, or the new HomeView in the house as a hub.
There are also two thermostats, both $199.95
LG and Schneider Electric each are making a Matter-compatible Smart Thermostat at $199.95, plus a $39.95 room sensor. The Home app will adjust them on its own based on whether anyone is home, winding down for the night, or away, which is nifty. In comparison, Ecobee's Smart Thermostat Premium is $237.50 on Amazon, so Apple's options aren't undercutting anyone by much.
If you'd rather not do the install yourself, Apple is adding ADT installation through its US retail stores this fall, for a charge it hasn't disclosed yet. Apple says camera footage and personal data in the Home app are end-to-end encrypted, so neither LG, Schneider Electric, nor Apple can see your footage. The Apple badge does make me want these over the usual suspects, and I expect them to be good, but I'll want to see how they work before recommending any of them.
