Roku is making a bold move to further establish itself in the smart home ecosystem, unveiling a new line of battery-powered indoor and outdoor cameras that represent a notable evolution in its strategy. Unlike the company’s initial foray into smart home gear in 2022—which leaned heavily on rebranded Wyze hardware—these latest additions were developed independently, without Wyze’s involvement, as confirmed to me by a Roku company representative.
The upcoming 1080p Roku Battery Camera and Battery Camera Plus are supposedly designed for flexibility, catering to both indoor and outdoor surveillance needs. These devices integrate tightly with Roku’s ecosystem, allowing users to monitor live video feeds from their TVs or via the Roku Smart Home mobile app. Features like picture-in-picture support and a rotating camera carousel interface are aimed squarely at consumers looking for a seamless living room-to-smart home experience.
This pivot away from Wyze isn’t just about owning the hardware—it’s about control. Roku will have greater autonomy over software, updates, security policies, and user experience. And, as such, we similarly expect to see a significantly refreshed Roku Home app. This level of self-determination could allow Roku to iterate faster and compete more directly with smart home heavyweights like Google Nest and Amazon Ring.
Roku’s decision to go it alone—or so it seems—suggests larger ambitions. These cameras could be the beginning of a more expansive, Roku-native smart home platform—one where streaming and smart devices work hand-in-hand under a single, tightly integrated roof. Related, subscription revenue is likely a driving force behind Roku’s smart home push, as the company looks to build a recurring revenue stream via services like cloud storage, security features, or premium features — as empashized by this job opening.
Will Roku’s homegrown approach resonate with consumers? Time—and maybe your TV—will tell.
The Roku Battery Cams are expected to launch in the coming months at tbd pricing.
If Eufy and Arlo had a baby…
As with Wyze, I assume Roku is working closely with at least one manufacturing partner on their device lineup. Actually, no assumption required. Here’s a Roku PM role in Shenzhen, China to collaborate with ODM:
https://www.weareroku.com/jobs/senior-technical-program-manager-shenzhen-guangdong-china
I would have loved for Roku’s monitoring app to just work like an agnostic smart display that can connect with all the big players: ring, arlo, nest, eufy, etc, and of course their own cameras. I have Rokus at all the houses I frequent (mine, parents’, in-laws’). They all have different cameras setup. There’s just no way I’m going to switch all the cameras to Rokus now.