Fortify Your Home: Apple Home’s Advanced Security Camera Subscription for $60/Month

Apple has recently introduced new features to its HomeKit Secure Video service, but at what cost? To access these features, users will need to subscribe to the 2TB iCloud Plus plan for $9.99 a month or opt for the Apple One Premier subscription at $39.95 a month. However, these prices are per camera, with additional charges for each camera added.

The pricing tiers escalate quickly, with a $29.99 per month charge for the 6TB plan to add Apple Intelligence to a second camera, and a hefty $59.99 a month for the 12TB plan to support up to five cameras. It is unclear if more than five cameras can be added, but recordings from HomeKit-connected cameras do not impact the storage quota.

Many users find these prices unreasonable, especially considering that the enhanced video features, while impressive, do not justify the significant price increase. HomeKit Secure Video used to start at a much more affordable $1 per month for the 50GB iCloud Plus plan, offering recorded footage from one camera along with smart alerts and facial recognition.

Currently, some users pay $40 a month for the Apple One Premier subscription, which includes 2TB of iCloud storage and support for five cameras. With the new pricing structure, additional charges for Apple Intelligence features can amount to a total of $720 per year per camera, or $1,200 for five cameras.

Comparatively, Amazon’s Ring and Google Nest offer subscription tiers with similar AI-powered features for around $20 a month, providing more features than Apple currently does. While Apple’s iCloud Plus plans include storage for photos, files, and device backups, details about Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features remain undisclosed.

Despite the exorbitant pricing, the core HomeKit Secure Video service remains unchanged, with recent software updates enhancing speed, reliability, and adding support for 4K video resolution. However, the value proposition of Apple Intelligence features at their current prices may not be compelling enough for many users.

Screenshots by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge