CES 2021: Arlo Highlights Touchless Video Doorbell and Essential Indoor Camera, Adds HomeKit to Wired Doorbell - MacRumors
Skip to Content

CES 2021: Arlo Highlights Touchless Video Doorbell and Essential Indoor Camera, Adds HomeKit to Wired Doorbell

Home security company Arlo highlighted two upcoming products at CES this year, both of which received Smart Home awards at the event. The Essential Indoor camera and the Touchless Video Doorbell are both new product offerings that will be released in the coming months.

arlo video doorbell
The Essential Indoor camera is designed to let families choose when the camera monitors and records video through a "disarm mode." In disarm mode, recording, motion, and audio detection is disabled and won't be re-enabled until manually done through the Arlo app. Video recording resumes when the camera is placed into arm mode.

arlo camera ces
The Touchless Video Doorbell is a new entry in Arlo's camera-equipped doorbell lineup. It uses Proximity Sensing Technology to gauge a visitor's distance, and when it sees someone approaching, it gives off an audible chime and lights up to let guests know that the doorbell has been virtually "pressed" and that the homeowner has been alerted.

Arlo says that it designed the Touchless Video Doorbell to allow for interaction with limited communal contact, while also keeping the homeowner's front entry secured. Additional details on the Essential Indoor Camera and Touchless Video Doorbell will be provided closer to their launch date, which has yet to be shared.

Along with these announcements, Arlo today appears to have quietly added HomeKit support to the Essential Video Doorbell Wired, based on an updated support document.

The support page lists the Essential Video Doorbell Wired as a HomeKit-compatible device alongside the Arlo Ultra, Pro 3, Pro 3 Floodlight Camera, Pro 2, and more. Enabling ‌HomeKit‌ compatibility requires an Arlo SmartHub or base station with the latest firmware, with Arlo providing instructions on adding ‌HomeKit‌ connectivity.

Tags: Arlo, CES 2021

Popular Stories

Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Introduces New Perk for Apple Customers

Monday June 15, 2026 12:07 pm PDT by
Chase this week announced new perks for its Sapphire Preferred credit card, and one of them is a complimentary one-year Apple TV streaming subscription. To get the free year of Apple TV, which typically costs $12.99 per month in the U.S., you must activate the card by December 31, 2026. If you are already subscribed to Apple TV directly through Apple, the complimentary subscription from...
Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

New 'Apple One' Perk Extends to Chase's Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

Tuesday June 16, 2026 6:26 am PDT by
Yesterday, we reported that Chase's Sapphire Preferred credit card ($95 annual fee) now offers a complimentary one-year Apple TV streaming subscription, or a $7.50/month discount on an active Apple One subscription instead. It turns out that the Apple One discount now extends to Chase's premium Sapphire Reserve credit card too ($795 annual fee). The Sapphire Reserve has offered free...
iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 This Year, Apple Supplier Comments Seemingly Confirm

Monday June 15, 2026 10:51 am PDT by
Apple's standard iPhone 18 model will launch in early 2027, based on comments from a partner in the company's supply chain that appear to corroborate rumors of a delayed spring release for the base model. Apple typically works on an annual smartphone launch cycle where it releases the entirety of its latest flagship iPhone series in the fall, usually around mid-September. That appears set to ...

Top Rated Comments

71 months ago
I have Arlo products.They are absolute rubbish.. just Google them.. Rubbish Hardware, Rubbish architecture, rubbish platform. Rubbish solution.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
71 months ago

Just HomeKit from what I'm seeing. Arlo would *never* give up an opportunity to charge you a monthly subscription fee!

Arlo Ultra vs Logitech Circle, in homekit, there is no comparison - event recording, notifications, and time to load a video stream with Logitech is WAY better. Often times Arlo doorbell would ring, it would take 20 seconds to connect, by that time the person was gone or door was already answered.

Arlo is merely adding low hanging features they should've had for years as a publicity stunt at CES.
Yeah - unfortunately Logitech decided to not sell the circle doorbell in Canada.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brien Avatar
71 months ago

Just HomeKit from what I'm seeing. Arlo would *never* give up an opportunity to charge you a monthly subscription fee!

Arlo Ultra vs Logitech Circle, in homekit, there is no comparison - event recording, notifications, and time to load a video stream with Logitech is WAY better. Often times Arlo doorbell would ring, it would take 20 seconds to connect, by that time the person was gone or door was already answered.

Arlo is merely adding low hanging features they should've had for years as a publicity stunt at CES.
I guess this is why there are only two that support HSV. They don't get that sweet sweet subscription money.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
71 months ago
I have a ton of Arlo cameras, and if I wasn’t already invested AND grandfathered into their 10 camera plan I’d drop them (I have 2 Arlo Pro 2 and 8 Arlo Pro cameras). They significantly raised their prices while cutting # of supported cameras in the plans.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
purpleparrotuk Avatar
71 months ago
What’s the point of the touch free one. Isn’t it going to keep sending alerts and chime when a leaflet person puts something through your door. Not everyone who comes to your house needs to speak with the owner. Seems silly.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
71 months ago

So many companies with their €200 doorbell button with a camera on it. I already have a HomeKit camera covering the front of my house and a camera on my doorbell would have a bad view and interfere with my neighbours privacy.

Why has not one company just done a doorbell button with maybe some chime boxes for inside the house, chime boxes wich also monitor temperature and air quality? Can that not be done? Hope someone makes money from my idea 😂
They do, it's called the Arlo Audio Doorbell.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)