Eve Outdoor Cam is a sleek outdoor video camera for HomeKit, with integrated LED floodlight ideally designed to light up your driveway at night. I’ve been a fan of the Eve Indoor camera for a while, and my experience with the Outdoor Cam is similarly positive. HomeKit cameras are better than ever, thanks to significant user interface upgrades to the Apple Home app in iOS 16.
And HomeKit Secure Video support means clips are saved to your iCloud account in an end-to-end encrypted manner. To make things even more compelling, this set up requires no additional monthly subscription to use, assuming you pay for some iCloud storage. So how does Eve Outdoor Cam and the state of HomeKit Secure Video fare? Very well, for the most part …
Hardware design of Eve Outdoor Cam
The Eve Outdoor Cam feels solid and well built. I had someone help me install it, and even they remarked on the premium manufacturing of all the parts as they were putting it together. Build quality of the unit is high.
The simple black and white plastic appearance will fit in well with the decor of most home exteriors. It is not discreet but it is not meant to be, as it of course serves double duty as an outside light. Most of the front fascia is taken up by the white light window, although the actual physical LEDs stop just above the black camera bezel cutout.
Situated above the camera is a small status light. By default, it illuminates blue when the camera is on, and red when it is recording. I found the feeble blue/red glow detracted from the otherwise minimal design of the housing; thankfully, the status light can be turned off in the accessory settings.
Hardwired installation and simple software setup
Eve Outdoor Camera uses Wi-Fi for connectivity and is hardwired for power. This is nice because it means the camera can have a permanent network connection, with no need for battery saver sleep states … and you don’t have to worry about swapping batteries every few months.
Installation difficulty will vary based on your individual circumstances. I fortunately had an outside “dumb” motion-activated light near the front door already; it was a matter of removing that and rewiring the camera in its place. If you aren’t comfortable with wiring it yourself, it will be a quick job for an electrician, assuming you have an existing light fitting available to use. If you don’t have the wiring already in the wall, the endeavor will be much more complicated and possibly not worth the effort.
Once physically installed, set up could not be easier. Open the Home app, scan the HomeKit QR code on the sticker and the phone will find the camera, bring it on the network, add it to your home, and you’re basically done. Remember, a HomeKit hub (Apple TV or HomePod) is a prerequisite to be able to access the camera when away from your home network, and to use the HomeKit Secure Video recording features.
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