Using Blink cameras with Apple HomeKit: Is it possible?

• There is no native support for Apple’s HomeKit from Blink.
• A workaround you can use is Homebridge.
• With this and the corresponding plugin you can connect your Blink camera to HomeKit and control it that way.

Many people who have already successfully set up a well-functioning smart home system with Apple’s HomeKit environment are always looking for new and better products for their smart home. You often come across the surveillance cameras from Blink, an Amazon subsidiary. But are these actually compatible with HomeKit? You can find that out here.

Blink does not natively support HomeKit

Unfortunately, Apple fans will be disappointed: Blink’s surveillance cameras unfortunately do not offer native support for Apple’s HomeKit. Native means that this support is not available with the included software that Amazon provides.

That’s because Amazon wants to bind its customers to its own ecosystem – a legitimate interest for the company given that HomeKit represents direct competition. So there is no way for you to use the cameras like this – at least not directly.

Homebridge: Workaround brings HomeKit support

Because while the Blink cameras do not come with HomeKit support out of the box, there is a way to get around this limitation. This can be done with the free, open-source program Homebridge. This allows you to connect over two thousand IoT devices that do not natively support HomeKit to the service via a small detour and with a little technical skill.

The two thousand devices also include cameras from Blink. The linked website and the documentation describe in detail what you have to do to use Homebridge. Homebridge can be installed on macOS as well as Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi and even Docker and Synology DSM. The prerequisite, however, is that the device on which Homebridge is running is always booted – so this solution is particularly interesting for people with a home server.