Comparison

Lorex Ping 2 vs Controller for HomeKit

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Lorex Ping 2

Easily view and manage your LNC100 and LNC200 series wireless IP cameras from anywhere. Set up your camera, watch live feeds, record video, and configure motion detection settings. Supports multi-user access and a privacy mode.

Highlights
  • Remote camera viewing
  • Live video streaming
  • Video recording to mobile
  • Playback from mobile/microSD
  • Motion detection configuration
  • Multi-user access
  • Privacy mode
Features
Read full description

The newly redesigned Lorex Ping 2 allows you to view and access LNC100 and LNC200 series wireless IP cameras easily and intuitively from anywhere in the world. The Lorex Ping 2 app allows you to: - Set up the camera on your local Wi-Fi network. - View live video from your camera. - Record video and snapshots directly to your mobile device and other optional storage. - Play back video from your mobile device or from the camera¹s microSD card. - Configure camera motion detection and other settings. - Have multi-user access to view the same camera simultaneously. - Turn on Privacy mode to ensure your privacy. Notes: - Only applicable to iOS v6.0 and higher.

About

Controller for HomeKit

Enhance your smart home experience with advanced control and automation. Visualize your home with floor plans, track device performance with charts, and create complex automations tailored to your needs. Organize devices, store setup codes, and monitor your entire smart home ecosystem.

Highlights
  • Floor plan visualization with LiDAR
  • Device performance charts
  • Complex automations and workflows
  • Custom notifications
  • Smart folders and filters
  • Setup code storage
  • Device maintenance and logs
Features
Read full description

Get more out of your smart home. Your HomeKit and Matter devices can do more than on and off: Controller for HomeKit gives you dashboards you build yourself, workflows that run over several steps, months of history, and a floor plan you control directly. YOUR OWN DASHBOARD Your devices sit where you need them, instead of in a list. - Views you compose yourself from tiles: per home, per person, and if you want, per device. One for the iPad on the wall, one for the iPhone in your pocket. - More than 25 tile variants: devices, scenes, workflows, time, weather, calendar, charts, battery warnings. - Five standard sizes, or drag your own size on the grid. - Visibility conditions: a tile or a whole section appears only when you need it. - Plus widgets for your Home Screen and a view of your own on Apple Watch. CONTROLLER AI Describe what you need in plain language: a dashboard, a scene, an automation or a workflow. Controller builds it, and you adjust it however you like afterwards. MORE THAN A SCHEDULE Two devices become a sequence that thinks along. - Workflows: multiple steps, conditions and branches for sequences a single automation cannot express. - Automations with advanced triggers and conditions. - States: virtual switches that capture how your home currently stands and drive your workflows accordingly. - Custom notifications for anything you want to know about. - NFC tags: one tap and the workflow runs. YOUR SENSORS ARE ALREADY MEASURING Controller remembers the values and makes them readable. - Charts: see how temperature, humidity or battery level develop over weeks and months, across every device and brand. - Maintenance: which battery is empty, which device is unreachable, which automation is broken. - Logs: every activity and every change, traceable. - Smart folders: devices and automations grouped by filters you define. - Floor Plan: scan your home with the LiDAR sensor of your iPhone or iPad and control your devices right on the plan. - Controller Hub: a dedicated iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac runs your workflows automatically. Charts and States require Controller Hub. SHARE THE WORK, NOT JUST THE SWITCHES - Home Sharing: pass your entire setup to the people you live with. For each person you choose between the whole app or only the dashboards you share with them. - Setup codes: your HomeKit and Matter codes stay safe in the app and never get lost. - Backups: save your setup and restore it whenever you need to. Controller for HomeKit runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. You already own the devices. Controller for HomeKit brings out what is in them. More on our website: https://www.controllerforhomekit.com Privacy Policy: https://controllerforhomekit.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Lorex Ping 24 screens
Controller for HomeKit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Controller for HomeKit at 4.1 against Lorex Ping 2's 1.7. Controller for HomeKit also leads on ratings volume (2.8K vs 60) and review sentiment (27% vs 12%). Lorex Ping 2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 17.0). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Controller for HomeKit sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Lorex Ping 2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Controller for HomeKit holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Controller for HomeKit has 2.8K ratings behind it against 60, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of Lorex Ping 2's written reviews are positive against 27% of Controller for HomeKit's.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Lorex Ping 2 versus Controller for HomeKit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLorex Ping 2Controller for HomeKit
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.7 (60 ratings)4.1 (2.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews11.5% of reviews26.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings602.8K — better
Update frequency—Every 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS6.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB210 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLOREX TECHNOLOGY INC.acasa Software GmbH

Customer experience

Lorex Ping 2

All ratings60 ratings
Positive13.3%
Neutral5.0%
Negative81.7%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive11.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative80.8%

Controller for HomeKit

All ratings2,742 ratings
Positive75.9%
Neutral4.7%
Negative19.4%
Written reviews468 reviews
Positive26.7%
Neutral9.6%
Negative63.7%

User reviews

Lorex Ping 2

From 60 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works when on WiFi
  • 👍 Some users find it easy to use
  • 👍 Can record footage

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Does not work on cellular data
  • 🐛 Login errors and password issues
  • 🐛 Notifications not working
  • 🐛 Cameras stop working

Controller for HomeKit

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful automation features
  • 📚 Helpful backup and restore functionality
  • 🔍 Detailed logging and troubleshooting
  • 🧠 Advanced HomeKit control and customization

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crash-prone
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🤖 Poor customer support
  • 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive UI

Bugs and requests

Lorex Ping 2

Reported bugs

37 issues
  • App never recognizes Wi-Fi
  • App/camera works intermittently after update
  • App takes forever to load and freezes
  • App does not allow entering camera names
  • SD card date does not advance properly
Show 32 more
  • Alarm notification not working
  • Login errors after changing password
  • App notifies of movement but camera is disconnected
  • Does not work on iPhone 8 Plus
  • Unable to hold Wi-Fi in camera and app
  • Unable to view videos on phone internet
  • Cannot enter text mode to name camera
  • Won't work with recent iOS updates on cellular data
  • App no longer connects to cameras using cellular data
  • App does not work with the latest iOS
  • Notifications don't work
  • Inoperable on cellular
  • Calendar on app does not update
  • No keypad displayed when entering name or password
  • Does not automatically attempt to reconnect
  • Only monitor one camera at a time after forced update
  • Will not display notifications or video
  • No video unless on MY Wi-Fi
  • App keeps crashing randomly
  • Scheduling email is limited
  • Clunky app setup
  • Cannot manually input camera info
  • Connection issues
  • Notifications stopped working
  • Admin pw error
  • Cannot rearrange icons
  • Lost siren sound feature
  • Wrong password errors
  • Cannot log in
  • Password error messages
  • Does not accept input from touch screen
  • Not able to smart connect to Wi-Fi

Requested features

11 requests
  • Improve Wi-Fi recognition
  • Fix app updates
  • Restore siren sound feature
  • Improve UI design
  • Allow manual input of camera info
Show 6 more
  • Improve compatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Fix SD card calendar advancement
  • Allow custom notification sounds
  • Improve reconnection after internet loss
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve scheduling for alerts

Controller for HomeKit

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Backup and restore issues
  • Disappearing automations and accessories
  • Compatibility problems with iOS 16.2
  • Slow performance and unresponsiveness

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved documentation and tutorials
  • Better integration with Apple Home app
  • Support for more HomeKit device types
  • Ability to customize automation triggers

In-app purchases

None

Lorex Ping 2

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Controller for HomeKit

Subscriptions6
  • Controller Essentials2 variants$4.991 Month
  • Essentials Lifetime - Plus Addon$4.991 Month
  • Controller Plus$8.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Essentials Lifetime - Plus Addon3 Months trial$39.991 Year
  • Controller Essentials7 Days trial2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Controller Plus7 Days trial$79.991 Year
One-time2
  • Controller Essentials Lifetime$99.99
  • Controller Essentials Lifetime$139.99

Questions

Is Lorex Ping 2 free?
Lorex Ping 2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Controller for HomeKit free?
Controller for HomeKit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lorex Ping 2 or Controller for HomeKit?
Controller for HomeKit is rated higher. Lorex Ping 2 averages 1.7 out of 5 from 60 ratings, while Controller for HomeKit averages 4.1 from 2.8K ratings.
Do Lorex Ping 2 or Controller for HomeKit have ads?
Neither Lorex Ping 2 nor Controller for HomeKit shows ads.

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