Now that it’s fall here in the US, my family is spending a lot of time outdoors at night. After bracing through the 90 degree days of August and the first half of September, we’re undoubtedly enjoying the cooler 70 degree days. One of my favorite things to do at night is come out to the screened porch and read something from Apple Books, listen to an audiobook on Prologue, or even watch some TV. One of the recent addition to my HomeKit setup is the Eve Flare, and it’s been a perfect addition to our porch.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
Eve is one of the best manufacturers of HomeKit products. Some of my favorites include the Eve Button, the Eve Degree, and the Eve Water Guard. The Eve Flare was something I bought without researching a lot, but it’s been a pleasant addition, thanks to the versatility to be outdoors and being battery powered.
Like all of Eve’s products, you can add it straight to HomeKit without needing to add it to the Eve app. I should mention that the Eve app is well done, though. Since this product is on our screened-in porch, I made note of the HomeKit code if it wears off in the future. An app like HomePass is super useful here as you can store the HomeKit codes inside, and it’ll sync to iCloud.
The Eve Flare is IP65 water resistance and lasts for six hours on a single charge. While I have it outdoors, it would make for a perfect bedside lamp or fun lighting for a kid’s room. Once it’s inside the Home app, you can control its look like any HomeKit enabled lightbulb. It offers a wide range of colors, is dimmable, and can be connected to automations. I already have multiple outdoor lights on our back porch, so I have it included in my automation to come on when my back door is opened. I am controlling the door automation with my abode door sensor, but you could also use Eve’s door sensor if you don’t have a HomeKit alarm to trigger the automation.
HomeKit automation
If you’re just getting started with this product and HomeKit automations, an easy way to get started is to open the HomeKit, and then go to Automations. Then tap + to create a new one. For this sensor, you could try “A Time of Day Occurs.” For an outdoor light, you could use Sunset, and choose all seven days of the week. Then you’ll want to find your Eve Flare. You can set how long to leave the device on after the automaton is triggered on the final screen. In this scenario, it might be useful to turn it off after four hours. I am leaving my Eve Flare on the charger most of the time unless I take it to the uncovered part of our porch to sit on the table, so I don’t have to worry about the battery dying on me.
Final thoughts on Eve Flare
Eve Flare is a fun HomeKit product that providers outdoor lighting in a variety of colors. I love spending time outdoors in the fall, and I believe this product will be one I use almost daily to give some mood lighting outside when I am relaxing and enjoying the chilly weather.
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