Camera Bridge

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HomeKit Basics ​

Camera Bridge brings your cameras into Apple Home by acting as a HomeKit accessory bridge — it translates your camera's stream into a format Home understands, then advertises it over your local network.

How It Works ​

  1. Camera Bridge reads your camera's RTSP stream on your local network
  2. HomeKit protocol encrypts the stream and sends it to Home on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
  3. Apple Home app displays the live view and motion notifications
  4. Your Mac must stay on and awake for cameras to be available

All video stays on your local network — it never goes to Apple's servers or to Camera Bridge's servers.

Adding a Camera to Home ​

Requirements ​

  • Camera already added to Camera Bridge and optimized (see Adding Cameras)
  • Home app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac
  • Devices on the same local network

Steps ​

  1. Open Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
  2. Tap + button (top left) and choose Add Accessory
  3. Tap Don't Have a Code or Can't Scan? if the code isn't showing
  4. In Camera Bridge, click your camera
  5. Scroll to the HomeKit Setup Code section
  6. In Home, either:
    • Scan the QR code with your iPhone/iPad camera
    • Enter the setup code shown on the camera's page
  7. Follow the prompts to add the camera to a room
  8. When asked about an uncertified accessory, tap Add Anyway (this is normal — Camera Bridge is a software bridge, not Apple-certified hardware)

Your camera will now appear as a tile in Home.

Multiple Homes or Homes ​

If you have more than one Home set up in Apple Home:

  1. Camera Bridge advertises cameras to your local network
  2. Any Home on the same network can add them
  3. A camera can only be added to one Home at a time
  4. To move a camera to a different Home, remove it from the first and re-add it to the second

Free Plan vs. Pro Plan ​

  • Free plan: One camera appears in Home (you choose which one). Others keep working in Camera Bridge but don't appear in Home
  • Camera Bridge Pro: All your cameras appear in Home

See Pricing for upgrade options.

Viewing Live Video ​

In the Home app:

  • Live view tile: Tap to see full-screen live video
  • Recording tile (if recording is on): Shows the latest clip
  • HomeKit Secure Video detection: Shows if people, animals, or vehicles are detected

Live View Speed ​

Live view quality depends on:

  • Camera's sub stream: Camera Bridge uses the sub stream (usually lower quality, faster) for Home's live view tiles
  • Network quality: Wi-Fi signal between your Mac and viewing device affects playback smoothness
  • Mac performance: Older Macs may take longer to encode video for Home
  • Codec: H.264 streams are fastest; H.265 requires more CPU conversion

Automation and Controls ​

Depending on your cameras, Home might offer:

  • Motion notifications: When a camera detects motion, or when HomeKit Secure Video detects people, animals, or vehicles
  • Scenes: Trigger automations when motion is detected (e.g., "turn on lights")
  • Status in Control Center: See camera status in iOS Control Center

Camera Bridge doesn't directly control lights or other HomeKit accessories — it's only for the cameras themselves.

Troubleshooting ​

Can't add a camera to Home?

  • Make sure it's on the same network as your viewing device
  • Check that Camera Bridge is running and the camera shows as "Connected"
  • See Network & Permissions

Live view is slow or won't play?

Camera dropped from Home?

  • This usually means Camera Bridge crashed or your Mac lost network access
  • Restart Camera Bridge to reconnect the camera to Home
  • See Common Issues

Learn More ​