Smart lighting specialist Philips Hue launches range of home security cameras

Philips Hue has long allowed its users remote control over their homes with potential security benefits – but until now that's been in the form of remotely turning lights on and off with a potential for deterrence. Now the company is launching three new smart security cameras and moving firmly into the competitive smart security space.

• Read our guide to the best indoor security cameras

Philips Hue Secure, a new part of the product line launching this fall, will include a wired security camera, a battery-powered security camera, a contact sensor (for doors or windows) and – in the quarter of 2024 – a floodlight camera.

The cameras announced so far are all 1080P and will report motion to users via alerts and push notifications from the Hue app. They will be controllable via the app's Home tab. Each camera will have black-out zones and they can be 'armed' or 'disarmed'. They will need a Hue Bridge (which users of Hue lighting products likely already have), though the cameras will use wi-fi, not zigbee, to send their feed.

In other exciting news for Hue fans, Philips indicated that Matter support will finally be coming along to the platform, potentially enabling more than 50 lights per home and quicker switching.

Apple Home users should dampen their enthusiasm about the cameras slightly; even though Philips Hue lights integrate well with Apple Home, there are no plans for the cameras to support HomeKit. Nor, on day one, will there be live video integration with Alexa or Google smart displays.

Instead, the Hue Secure system is one made familiar by brands like Ring, Blink, and Nest. Hue will ask owners to pay a dedicated subscription fee starting at $3.99 / €3.99 a month. As is the industry standard, users not paying won't get any kind of video history, though will be able to view events live through the app. All customers will also get a 30-day free trial of the Basic plan.

The expected prices for the products themselves are:

• Hue Secure wired camera (with magnetic wall mount): $199.99 (approx £160 / AU$310)
• Hue Secure wired camera (with desktop stand): $229.99 (approx £182 / AU$355)
• Hue Secure battery camera: $249.99 (approx £200 / AU$390)
• Hue Secure floodlight camera: $349.99 (approx £280 / AU$540)

While you wait for these products to become available, why not check out our guide to the best outdoor security cameras or think about the possibility of HomeKit security cameras (which use your iCloud subscription if you're an Apple fan).