HomeKit Weekly

Winter in the southern US is coming to a close, so it’s almost time to break out the sprinklers as warm weather arrives. Meross has been steadily expanding its lineup of HomeKit-compatible products, and its latest addition brings another option for smart outdoor watering to HomeKit.

Aqara keeps on a hot srreak in 2025 with a host of new products. After its new HomeKit Secure Video camera, the Aqara LED Bulb T2 is the company’s latest smart lighting option, bringing a nice combination of Thread and Zigbee support. Matter support, Zigbee Adaptive Lighting, and ultra-wide color tuning make it a solid addition to any HomeKit environment.

HomeKit has changed how I interact with many of the rooms in my house. While lighting and cameras tend to have the spotlight for most people as they can easily see the impact, environment monitoring is an equally important factor for me. The Aqara Temperature and Humidity Sensor is a low-cost, simple, yet useful device that can enhance your HomeKit setup significantly. Here’s why you might want to install one in every room.

eufy cameras have long been some of the best options for outdoor HomeKit cameras. I had the original model of the eufyCam 2 in my old house, and I loved them. They were a breeze to install, and the battery life was fantastic. They worked great with HomeKit Secure Video, but they also worked great as HomeKit motion sensors and recording back to the eufy base station. Overall, I had zero complaints. I recently picked up the eufy E30, and it’s a fantastic HomeKit camera if you’re looking for an indoor camera that supports HomeKit Secure Video.

Smart thermostats are one of the best ways to elevate your home’s energy efficiency while staying comfortable year-round and gaining access to some great automations. Meross has just released a Matter-enabled smart thermostat that promises broad compatibility across major smart home platforms, including Apple HomeKit. Here’s why the new Meross thermostat is a great option for HomeKit fans.

Internally at 9to5Mac, there have been a few conversations about the lack of releases in new HomeKit cameras in recent years. The challenge with HomeKit Secure Video is that the manufacturer sees no option for recurring revenue, so I suspect that might be part of it. The wait for something new is over, though. Today, Aqara has released the new Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro with HomeKit Secure Video support. I’ve had my hands on one for the last two weeks, so I am excited to share my experience.

For years, the smart home conversation has revolved around making things easier and more convenient around the home. We’ve focused on products that let us turn on lights with our voice, unlock our door with our iPhone, or set the control temperature without getting up the couch. As awesome as those things are, I’d like to see a new generation of HomeKit focused on home maintenance. I recently picked up Ting, and while it doesn’t support HomeKit, it’s giving me so many ideas on how I’d like to see the smart home of the future evolve.

Motion sensors have long been one of my favorite HomeKit devices for many years. However, the durability and speed of alerts are incredibly important when it comes to outdoor motion sensors. The Onvis outdoor motion sensor, built with Thread technology and an IP66 rating, is made to work great in both areas. If you want to trigger HomeKit devices based on motion outside, read on to learn more.

Smart locks have made our homes more secure and easy to access in recent years. For a long time, the market felt stagnant, but in the past few years, we’ve seen a few vendors hop on board in a major way. The Ultraloq Bolt is a great option with Apple HomeKit integration, built-in Wi-Fi, and versatile ways to lock and unlock your door. Whether you’re looking for advanced features like fingerprint ID or simple convenience with Siri voice control, the Ultraloq Bolt delivers it all (almost).

Temperature sensors are an important yet often overlooked part of a HomeKit setup. Even working as a passive tracking device, I want to add them to every room to understand more about what’s happening in the air. The aree Temperature Sensor is a great option for HomeKit fans with its compact size and detailed monitoring options. Let’s have a look.

As the colder months settle in, maintaining the humidity level becomes extremely important for me, as I have natural gas heat. Dry air can wreak havoc on my sinuses, so I am always hyper-aware of this during the coldest part of winter. That’s where the SwitchBot Evaporative Humidifier comes in. It delivers efficient, mist-free humidification while easily fitting into your HomeKit setup via Matter support from SwitchBot Hub 2.

When it comes to smart home lighting, you have two main options: smart lightbulbs or smart outlet adapters paired with traditional lamps. Both have their place, but for me, smart bulbs offer more flexibility and control. Unlike outlet adapters, which toggle power on and off, smart bulbs give you control over brightness, color, and even dynamic scenes. If you want to take the next step in building your smart home in 2025, a set of Matter-compatible lightbulbs might be the perfect place to start. This week, I am looking at the Linkind Matter Smart Bulb.

Smart home products have come a long way, but one area often overlooked is water management. Aqara’s newly launched Valve Controller T1 is changing that by turning your existing water valves into smart components of your home. Originally announced at IFA 2024, this retrofit device pairs with water leak sensors and integrates seamlessly into HomeKit

Lockly recently released its latest Zeno Series smart door locks, which include some fantastic features that Apple fans will love. Unveiled at CES 2024 and now available at The Home Depot, the new series features a redesigned, smaller footprint and state-of-the-art technology, including built-in Wi-Fi for streamlined connectivity and, most importantly, compatibility with HomeKit and Home Key.

It feels like the year has flown by—just yesterday, we were looking forward to 2024, and now, we are gearing up for the holiday season. For many of us, Christmas brings a chance to add extra magic to our homes. My first foray into HomeKit was automating my Christmas decorations, so it feels only right to usher in the season with my updated guide to creating a smarter, more festive Christmas display.

With Christmas shopping hitting its peak, time’s running out to get those online orders in before the rush pushes you into the last-minute store scramble. HomeKit accessories make great gifts for any Apple fans—they’re always in demand and add value to any smart home setup. For this week’s HomeKit Weekly, I’ve compiled a 2024 HomeKit gift guide to help you find the perfect addition for your favorite Apple fan.

As everyone turns to Thanksgiving, I am already starting to see retail stores slowly bring out some Christmas items, and there’s one thing you need to have ready to go ahead of time – an outdoor smart plug. For outdoor Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, etc. – smart plugs that can handle moisture and cold weather are a must-have. Leviton has an excellent option for outdoor decorations with a Matter-enabled smart plug that works perfectly with HomeKit.

Level has long been known for its unique “invisible” design philosophy, creating smart home locks that blend seamlessly into your home while delivering robust security with deep Apple integration on the software side. Today, Level announced the new Level Lock+ with Matter. This updated model introduces support for Apple Home Key, Bluetooth compatibility, and Matter support in a single product, making it compatible with HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings. If you’re an existing Level Lock+ customer, read on for details on how to get the limited-time free Matter firmware upgrade.

Keeping tabs on battery-powered HomeKit accessories like the Eve Weather can be challenging. From smart locks to motion sensors, battery status is often out of sight, out of mind—until the moment a device fails to respond. Enter HomeBatteries, an app designed to solve this problem by giving you an easy place to monitor HomeKit battery and ensuring you lose access to one of your devices.

If you’re deep into HomeKit like me, you know how convenient it can be for home automation. One of the most exciting smart home security additions for me in the past few years is Home Key from Apple, which lets you unlock your door using just your iPhone or Apple Watch. There is no need for apps or Bluetooth connection—tap your device, and you’re in.

In this blog, I will break down the top HomeKit-compatible locks with Home Key support, highlighting what makes them stand out and why they should be at the top of your smart home wishlist for Christmas.

The ideal HomeKit accessories run themselves. Turning off and on lights from an app is a nice feature, but it’s a similar level of effort to using a light switch. The real magic is when you can “set it and forget it.” The THIRDREALITY Smart Color Night Light is the perfect example of this reality when you need a night light for a kid’s room or to light up a hallway/stairwell at night. Once installed, you can turn on an automation and never think about it again.