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These are my favorite HomeKit accessories this holiday season

HomeKit accessories are always near the top of my holiday wishlist every year. I love making my home as smart as possible, but it’s often hard to justify spending my own money on these types of accessories.

Here are some of my go-to smart home recommendations for holiday shopping this year … and they all integrate with Apple’s HomeKit platform.

Lutron Caséta

Lutron Caseta auto-off timer HomeKit lights

There’s no better option for smart lighting solutions than the Lutron Caséta system. Lutron’s smart lighting switches replace the existing switches in your walls, which means they work via smart control solutions, and you can just flip the switches on and off.

Home Key Smart Locks

One of my favorite HomeKit features is Home Key. This lets you lock and unlock your door by tapping your iPhone or Apple Watch.

Home Key-enabled smart locks can vary widely in pricing. My go-to recommendation is the Aqara Smart Lock U50, but here are a few different options:

Smart Plugs

HomeKit-enabled smart plugs are an excellent stocking stuffer. They can turn almost anything into a smart-enabled accessory, such as lamps, light strips, Christmas trees, and more. I’m a big fan of the Merros Smart Plug Mini, which you can buy in a pack of four on Amazon.

Door and Window Sensors

Eve Door

I just moved from the suburbs to the city, and it’s more important than ever that I ensure my doors are fully latched and my windows are closed. Luckily, there’s a HomeKit solution for that.

Smart Thermostat

One of the absolute best quality-of-life upgrades you can make is a smart thermostat. My favorite product in this category is the Ecobee Smart Thermostat, which integrates with HomeKit and Siri with a sleek and easy-to-install design. It’s the gold standard of smart thermostats.

Water sensor

If you’re a homeowner, you know that water is the number one enemy of your home. Using a HomeKit water leak sensor means you’ll know immediately if you’ve sprung a leak. I recommend getting a few of these to place around your house.

Eve Flare

Eve Flare

One of my favorite HomeKit accessories is the Eve Flare for accent lighting. It features a portable design and charges wirelessly, so you can easily take it around your house and place it where you want some extra light.

HomePod or Apple TV

If you’re starting a HomeKit setup from scratch, you’ll need a home hub to control your accessories while you’re away from home. You can use an Apple TV or HomePod as your hub. In my testing, I’ve found the Apple TV to be the most reliable solution.

Wrap up

These are just some of my favorite HomeKit accessories that would make great gifts this holiday season. There are plenty more on the market, and I’ll point you to a few of them below.

What are your go-to HomeKit products? What’s on your wishlist this year? Let us know down in the comments.

More HomeKit gift ideas:

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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