Bringing Blink Cameras and SmartRent Devices to Apple HomeKit with Homebridge

Røb — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:21:25 +0000

If you've ever wished your Blink security cameras or SmartRent apartment devices showed up in Apple Home, you're not alone. I built two Homebridge plugins to solve exactly that, and both are now verified by Homebridge.

The Problem

Blink cameras are affordable and reliable, but Amazon has no interest in HomeKit support. The existing Homebridge plugins were either abandoned or missing critical features like live streaming.

SmartRent devices are common in managed apartments and rental properties. You get smart locks, thermostats, and sensors installed by your property manager, but no way to control them through HomeKit. The SmartRent app works, but it's an island disconnected from the rest of your smart home.

homebridge-blink-security

GitHub | npm

This plugin exposes your entire Blink ecosystem to HomeKit:

What you get

Live view streaming (IMMI) - real-time camera feeds with automatic keepalive, so streams don't randomly drop
Security system integration - per-network arm/disarm mapped to HomeKit's security system accessory
Motion detection - configurable polling intervals with HomeKit motion sensor triggers
Doorbell notifications - Blink Video Doorbell press events show up as native HomeKit doorbell notifications
Snapshots and thumbnails - camera feeds refresh automatically
Battery and temperature sensors - exposed as HomeKit sensors for monitoring
Privacy mode and night vision - toggle controls via HomeKit switches
Clip recording triggers - start recording from HomeKit automations

Device support

Blink Outdoor, Indoor, Mini, Mini 2, Wired Floodlight, Video Doorbell, and Siren are all supported.

Authentication

The plugin uses OAuth 2.0 with PKCE and supports two-factor authentication, matching Blink's current auth flow.

homebridge-smartrent

GitHub | npm

This plugin connects SmartRent-managed devices to HomeKit through a real-time WebSocket connection. No polling, no delays.

Supported devices

Device Type	HomeKit Features
Smart Locks	Lock/unlock, battery status, jam detection, auto-lock
Thermostats	Heat/cool/auto modes, humidity, target temperature
Leak Sensors	Leak detection, battery monitoring, low-battery alerts
Motion Sensors	Motion detection with battery status
Switches	On/off control
Dimmers	Brightness control

Why WebSocket matters

Most Homebridge plugins poll an API on a timer. That means there's always a delay between a real-world event (someone unlocking your door) and HomeKit knowing about it. This plugin maintains a persistent WebSocket connection to SmartRent's servers, so state changes appear in HomeKit within seconds.

Configuration

The plugin supports 2FA via TOTP and lets you toggle which device types to expose, so you can exclude devices you don't want cluttering your Home app.

Installation

Both plugins install through the Homebridge UI (search for the package name) or via npm:

npm install @jackietreeh0rn/homebridge-blink-security
npm install @jackietreeh0rn/homebridge-smartrent

Both include a Plugin Settings GUI for configuration, so no manual JSON editing required.

Links

Feedback, issues, and feature requests are welcome on GitHub. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

DEV Community: Røb