I've made quite a few similar comments around the submarine a few times, but I thought that with the end of CES and the announcement of the Belkin ringtone, I would make a post with my personal opinions / understanding of the different options for the HomeKit ringtone. , to proactively answer some frequently asked questions that people may have when trying to decide on a ringtone. Again, this is only from what I personally understand, so if you disagree or did something wrong, please let me know in the comments. Current native HomeKit ringtones are: * [Logitech Circle View](https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/cameras/circle-view-video-doorbell.html) * ** Pro **: supports HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV), no third party application involved everything is done directly in HomeKit / Home application), beautiful design, good price, night view in colors, WiFi at both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz, vertical FOV (could be a disappointment depending on the appearance of your property, but it looks good on your mobile) specs, no IR for night vision (uses white light from the bell which is quite bright and / or just a porch light), no dedicated motion sensor (uses the camera lens), the physical button is a bit weird (circle with LED, but the circle is not a button, the entire lower half of the ringer clicks) * [Belkin Wemo](https://www.belkin.com/us/smart-home/wemo/wemo-smart-video-doorbell/p/p-wdc010/) * ** Pro **: Supports HKSV, no third party application involved ( same as Logitech), both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz WiFi, better physical security (long frame screws, torx screw to fix the bell in the case), good FOV, IR night view, quite attractive design (minus volume) * ** Cons * *: Very thick (the thickest of all) and even more so with sloping support, poor HDR, Belkin Wemo does not have the best reputation for reliability in HomeKit ( but that remains to be seen with the bell because it is still new) * [Netatmo](https://www.netatmo.com/en-us/security/doorbell) * ** Pro **: attractive design, offers more storage options (local, FTP, Dropbox, etc.), night view IR, HKSV should come to you (but don't buy on promise) * ** Disadvantages **: higher price, no current HKSV support, third party application available (could be a pros or cons), only WiFi 2.4 Ghz * [Arlo Essential (Wired)](https://www.arlo.com/en-us/doorbell/video/arlo-wired-video-doorbell.html) * ** Pro **: great price (lowest of all), very nice design, siren, (maybe others, but I'm not very familiar with it) * ** Cons **: No HKSV support (and I'm unlikely to receive it in the future), subscription fee for cloud storage and activity areas), WiFi 2.4 Ghz only, (maybe others) * [Robin ProLine](https://www.robin.nl/en/products.html) * ** Pro **: Supports HKSV, feature-rich, Ethernet-powered (PoE), multiple color options (compact only), aluminum case , high temperature range operation, 2 different size options * ** Cons: Requires PoE (WiFi and other power options are not supported), low resolution (720p), large industrial / intercom design but again this is subjective), high price, no night vision * [Yobi B3](https://www.meetyobi.com/yobi-b3/) * ** Pro **: IR night vision, real motion sensors * ** Disadvantages **: ugly design (subjective), no HKSV support , no cloud recording options, limited availability (not sure if / where to get another one), only 2.4 Ghz WiFi All these ringtones are compatible with your existing ringtone (including Robin) and most of them (with Robin) Robin being the only exception) Also use the ringer wiring for power supply using a transformer. Each has its own power rating of the transformer, so check the specifications for this, but they are also relatively inexpensive and not terribly difficult to replace. If you need other power options, plug-in transformers can be a great choice, otherwise some of these ringtones (and many other non-HomeKits) can be powered via micro-usb, although in terms of security and reliability, it is may not be the best option. There are also a number of battery-powered ringtones (Eufy, Arlo, Ring, etc.) that are rechargeable, but none that currently support HomeKit natively. There are also some ringtones that support Power over Ethernet (PoE) Robin, Ring Elite, DoorBird, UniFi G4 Pro (with an adapter); however, the only one who supports HomeKit natively is Robin. UniFi is (unsurprisingly) quite popular with UniFi users when combined with Homebridge or Scrypted, but requires running UniFi Protect, so there is a small barrier to entry there. All of these ringtones (which apply to any HomeKit ringtone, whether it's native or introduced through Homebridge), also support things like sound on one or more HomePods and pop-up alerts on AppleTV. The only features that are currently unique to HKSV are the registration and detection of the person / package / vehicle / animals. Beyond the native options, / r / Homebridge is a great option that can add HomeKit compatibility to * most * ringtones that would not otherwise support it. HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV) is another beast, and although it was previously thought impossible to add something like Homebridge, now it seems possible (Scrypted has started this, and now there are plugins starting to launch for Homebridge). The [Starling Hub](https://www.starlinghome.io) is a paid solution that is based on Homebridge, but is more specifically targeted at Google Nest devices and, as such, is loved by many when paired with the Google Nest Hello ringtone. There is also the problem [Matter standard](https://buildwithmatter.com) (hardy har har), which is an alliance between all the important players in the smart home scene (Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung etc.) that aims to create a more unified, interoperable standard environment for smart device manufacturers to follow and thus reach a wider market. There is no official "launch" for the standard or what it will actually mean, but ideally it should allow more ringing options (and other smart devices) that will support HomeKit in the near future. Completely anecdotal, I had a Logitech ringtone since its launch and had no problems with it (I have a very solid network configuration, a door that faces north and doesn't get much sun and a covered porch) and would recommend it trust everyone is not sitting in direct sunlight. I also have the Netatmo outdoor camera / projector which I really like; however, it suffers from connectivity issues, despite the fact that it has a pretty good signal. I also think that Netatmo will add HKSV support to the ringtone at some point, but you shouldn't buy it with that expectation. I've also had consistently bad experiences with Belkin and especially with Wemo stuff, but I hope that's not the case with the bell.