Logitech Circle View Doorbell is an Apple HomeKit exclusive

By Patrick Hearn December 8, 2020

Logitech has entered the smart doorbell market with the Circle View Doorbell, an Apple HomeKit-exclusive device that utilizes facial recognition to send more informative and useful notifications.

The Circle View Doorbell has a sleek design and a modern look. It makes use of your existing doorbell’s wiring for power so that you never have to worry about changing batteries. The Circle View Doorbell also utilizes Face Recognition and Logitech TrueView video to provide users with a full head-to-toe portrait from just two feet away. The TrueView video uses HDR to provide a clear, crisp view no matter the lighting conditions, and also features color night vision up to six feet away.

The Circle View Doorbell is the first video doorbell made exclusively for HomeKit, and as a result it makes use of HomeKit Secure Video. This is a powerful, secure smart home platform that performs intelligent detection securely and privately on the device. Face Recognition identifies people based on recent visitors, as well as people you have tagged in your Photos library. When someone comes to the door, Face Recognition will send you a notification identifying the visitor if they are known. You can receive these notifications on any Apple device.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

All recorded footage is uploaded to iCloud and end-to-end encryption transmit its directly to the Home app. It’s worth noting that these recordings do not count against your iCloud storage limit for other media. The Circle View Doorbell uses a 160-degree field of view with a 3:4 portrait ratio to give the best possible image. This means that you can see the entire body of your visitor, whether they are short or tall — and it also means you can see boxes left at your door by delivery services. Finally, it is compatible with two-way audio so you can provide instructions to visitors.

The Logitech Circle View Doorbell is available for $200 if you plan to install it yourself, but if you aren’t confident you can do it, you can purchase the doorbell camera for $300 with professional installation included. The good news is that the doorbell is slim enough to fit a 2-inch doorframe, so it is compatible with almost any door and most existing wiring systems.

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Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…

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