Best PoE cameras for Home Assistant
The best PoE cameras for Home Assistant: local RTSP/ONVIF picks from Reolink and Amcrest, UniFi Protect for pro setups, and when Wi-Fi is the better call.
Read it →What changed, and whether it changes what to buy
All updates → Apple's Home camera AI: one camera on the $9.99 plan, five on the $59.99 plan iOS 27 gives the Home app AI video descriptions and natural-language clip search, capped by iCloud+ tier: one camera on 2TB, two on 6TB, five on 12TB. What it costs and what it means for a local camera stack. Hue's IFA 2026 launch: what's new, what stays local, and whether to wait Hue's September 2026 launch: Screen Sync, a cheaper gradient strip, a Nanoleaf module, Bridge Pro AI. What stays local, what needs the cloud, and buy, wait or ignore. Shelly at IFA 2026: ThreadLink, a Matter wall panel, and a EUR 39.90 camera Shelly's IFA 2026 announcements: ThreadLink turns the Gen4 Thread radio into a full IP network, firmware 2.8.0 makes the Wall Display a Matter controller, and a EUR 39.90 camera does RTSP. What is local, what is not.
Owned and reviewed
Bought with my own money, running in my house. 33 so far.
Apple TV 4K (2nd Generation) ★★★★★ “My household favorite, with one Plex overheating workaround” 
Aqara Presence Sensor FP1E 4.5/5 “It just works; price is the only downside” 
Aqara Presence Sensor FP300 4.5/5 “It just works; price is the only downside” 
Aqara Smart Lock U300 3.5/5 “The keypad saves it from a lower rating” 
Everything Presence One 4.5/5 “A joint favorite, but cost adds up in long rooms” 
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 ★★★★★ “No complaints; I'd buy it again” Recently checked
Prices and availability re-verified this week| Product | Category | HA fit | Offline | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple TV 4K (2nd Generation) | media player | yes | — | |
| NVIDIA Shield TV | media player | — | — | |
| Philips Hue Bridge | smart home hub | yes | $52.79 | |
| Philips Hue Gradient Lightstrip | light | yes | $89.99 | |
| Philips Hue Lily Outdoor Spotlight | light | yes | $388.043-pack | |
| Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 | light | yes | $49.97 |
Local first
Every pick is judged on whether it keeps working with the internet unplugged.
Home Assistant first
"Works with" and "works well with" are different answers, and the product pages say which.
No paid placements
403 products from 142 brands. Affiliate links pay for the hosting; they never change a ranking.