Logitech has introduced the smart doorbell Circle View Doorbell in the USA. At $199 for the chime, or $299 for the chime and install included, the Circle View comes with HomeKit Secure Video, HDR, and color night video.
The bell is connected to the existing bell wire and supports voltages between 8 and 24 V. The bell is then integrated into the network via 2.4 or 5 GHz WiFi and delivers portrait format video with a resolution of 1200 × 1600 pixels.
The ringer looks very much like a direct competitor to Netatmo smart doorbell. According to the packaging, it also has an HDR image and is said to be able to deliver up to 1080p portrait format video; I haven’t been able to get more than 720p out of the Netatmo bell so far, and unfortunately the picture doesn’t look like HDR either. The first pictures of the HDR function of the Logitech Circle View Doorbell that are circulating on the net look much more promising.
With the HomeKit Secure Video function, the video data can be synced via iCloud (assuming a corresponding paid tariff) and Apple’s face and zone recognition can be used. The processing then takes place on the HomeKit center of your choice locally in your network and sends a notification with the name of the person, if any. Netatmo has also announced HomeKit Secure Video, albeit without a release date so far.
The night vision function with the color image also looks very promising.
As for the appearance of the hardware: the entire front is made of glass and the lower half functions as a bell button. Everything is included to mount it flat on the wall or at an angle, and apparently a small device needs to be mounted on your doorbell in the house to ensure the right flow of electricity. However, you can deactivate the classic ringing. Only Home Pods that you have in the house will then ring the bell.
The Logitech Circle View Doorbell is available now from the US Apple Store or the version with Logitech circle installationfrom the Logitech website. In 2021, the international start is also planned. As soon as the bell finds its way to us, I’ll have a go at it too. I’m very excited to see how it performs for $100 less than the Netatmo camera and – at least for now – it even offers better integration into the Apple ecosystem. Even if I still prefer the Netatmo in terms of optics.
