HomeKit Secure Video - homebridge-plugins/homebridge-eufy-security GitHub Wiki

HomeKit Secure Video

HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV) allows your Eufy cameras to record motion events directly to iCloud, with on-device analysis for people, animals, and vehicles.

Requirements

Before enabling HKSV, make sure you meet these requirements:

  • iCloud+: You need an iCloud+ subscription (any tier) to store HKSV recordings.
  • Home Hub: An Apple TV or HomePod must be set up as a Home Hub on your network.
  • Hardware: Your Homebridge host needs enough processing power to encode both the livestream and the HKSV recording simultaneously. Low-end hardware (Raspberry Pi, NAS) may struggle.
  • Node.js: You must be on a Node.js version that supports streaming. See the Node.js Compatibility page.

Setup

  1. Enable camera mode for your device if not already done (see Enabling Cameras).
  2. Open the device settings in the Homebridge UI and enable HomeKit Secure Video.
  3. Restart Homebridge.
  4. In the Apple Home app, go to your camera's settings and configure the HKSV recording options (e.g., when to record, what to detect).

Important Notes

  • Stream configuration matters: Apple's servers are strict about the stream parameters. If no timeline appears in the Home app, the recording may have been discarded due to incompatible encoding settings. You may need to adjust the Advanced Video Config.
  • Battery-powered devices: HKSV causes significantly higher battery drain, since the camera needs to stream video for recording on every motion event.
  • RTSP and HKSV: There are known issues when using RTSP streaming together with HKSV. If you experience problems, try switching to Local Livestream (P2P) mode.
  • Motion detection: Make sure push notifications are enabled for your device in the Eufy app. The plugin relies on push notifications to detect motion events and trigger recordings. See Devices get no updates.

Troubleshooting

  • No recordings appear in the Home app timeline: Check that your stream encoding settings match what HomeKit expects. Try the default preset (no preset) first. Also ensure your Home Hub is online and on the same network.
  • Recordings are choppy or low quality: Your hardware may not be powerful enough. Try reducing the stream quality in the Eufy app or use the Performance preset.
  • High battery drain: This is expected with HKSV on battery-powered cameras. Consider limiting recording to specific detection types (e.g., people only) in the Home app settings.

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