Nanoleaf HomeKit lights are great for decorating and entertaining all year — long after the Christmas tree is taken down and the holiday lights are all boxed up. Nanoleaf now makes two styles of smart lights that illuminate your walls: Light Panels and Canvas. Here’s how they compare:

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HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.

Upgrading your Christmas tree and holiday lights to work with HomeKit, Siri, and Apple’s Home app is easier than ever this year. There’s no need to go out and buy new lights or special decorations either, and there are solutions for under $50 that work both indoors and outdoors.

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HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework. 

If you’re investing in smart home technology and want to stay in the HomeKit ecosystem, there are currently four home security cameras on the market that work with the Home app. This week we’ll look at what options are on the market, how the hardware and supporting services differ, and how you can improve the HomeKit security camera experience.

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HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework. 

HomeKit speakers have an interesting place in the Home app. They’re primarily there so you can name a speaker and assign it to a room in your home. Then you can stream audio to it over AirPlay 2 and control audio playback with Siri. There’s not much more to HomeKit speakers than that yet.

Libratone Zipp is a portable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speaker that retroactively gained AirPlay 2 support this month through a free software update. The portable speaker now has a place in the Home app with other HomeKit accessories like HomePod and newer Sonos speakers, and it plays nice with these speakers with AirPlay 2.

The combination of Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, and a built-in battery makes it a versatile option for HomePod-like audio without always being anchored to a power outlet.

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HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.

HomeKit Weekly started earlier this year with an overview of how the Home app works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch (and Apple TV with Siri), and the Home app has since found its way to the Mac with macOS Mojave. Along the way we’ve recommended smart locks, shades, fans, garage door openers, security cameras, and more.

This week I want to use my HomeKit experience to create a smart home starter pack. If you’ve never tried HomeKit before or you want new ways to expand your smart home, these picks from each category should be useful.

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HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.

This column is typically used to share recommendations and advice around using HomeKit, but this week I want to zoom out and talk specifically about why you should choose HomeKit.

There are a lot of “smart home” platforms on the market and plenty of connected accessories with iPhone apps, but I actively avoid products that don’t work with Siri. If you’re deep in the Apple product ecosystem, non-HomeKit smart home products can be a serious frustration.

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