HomeKit Weekly

In the past few months of using the Level Lock+, my mind has been doing a lot of thinking about the role of hardware in the future of the smart home. Sure, software (even voice) is great for interacting with devices, but there’s something I’ve found magical about Home Key. My smartphone is hardware device that interacts with my hardware lock through software. The software is invisible. It’s been so wonderful just tapping my iPhone on the lock and having it open. It’s also led me to believe that Apple should continue pulling at that string going forward. Of course, all this will apply to the recently released Aqara smart lock with Home Key support.

After using the Level Lock+ with Home Key support for a few months, I can honestly say that Home Key is now table stakes for all smart locks. It’s no longer enough to just support HomeKit. HomeKit is a software layer for door locks. Home Key support is a game changer in terms of day-to-day functionality. There are no apps to open or Bluetooth connections to wait on. With Home Key, it’s tap and go. I’ve spent the last week with the Aqara Door Lock U100 with Home Key support, so let’s dive into how it works, my thoughts on it compared to Level Lock+, and the installation process.

When you strip away home automation to its essence, it’s about taking something you normally would buy manually and automating it. That might be turning lights on based on motion, time of day, etc. It might be able automatically raising or lowering blinds based on smart blinds based on when the sun sets. It’s about streamlining how you interact with your home. There’s no more mundane task that should be integrated into HomeKit than smart vacuums, and it’s time for Apple to support it as a HomeKit device. Read on to learn about a few smart vacuums I’ve been testing this year, and how I’d love to take the experience further with HomeKit.

Matter is the new solution to all our smart home compatibility problems, right? That’s what we’ve been told, and that’s what we want to happen, right? Open stands on everything related to technology are preferable, but sometimes, new standards take years to mature. That’s what we’re seeing with Matter. We’re even seeing brands like Wemo back away from Matter support as well. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been testing a product called Homey Bridge, and it’s one of the most interesting smart home concepts I’ve tried in some time.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago when looking at the Onvis Thread-Enabled door sensor, HomeKit door and window sensors are some of the most underrated devices that most people aren’t thinking about. There are so many use cases that HomeKit door sensors unlock, that they might even be more versatile than HomeKit motion sensors. This week, I am looking at the Meross MS200 door and window sensor.

Since early 2020, I’ve used abode as my primary security system. I’ve discussed it a number of times in past editions of HomeKit Weekly, but I continue to get emails asking if I am still using it, etc. I wanted to take an opportunity to update my review, discuss how I am using it in my new house, and where I’d like it to go in the future.

One of the biggest challenges with a smart home is knowing…when you’ve gone too far with your gear purchases and your home is so heavily tied to a smart home platform that without access to Wi-Fi, your home is fundamentally useless. For this week’s edition of HomeKit Weekly, I want to explain how I’ve tackled this problem and how to know when too much HomeKit is just too much.

With air pollution becoming an increasingly prevalent issue in many urban areas, finding ways to improve indoor air quality has become a top priority for many homeowners. Fortunately, with the advent of smart home technology, we now have access to a range of high-tech air purifiers that not only helps to remove harmful pollutants from the air but can also be controlled remotely using our smartphones or voice assistants. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the top HomeKit air purifier options on the market today, and explore how they can help you breathe easier and stay healthy in your own home.

Aqara is one of the best value brands for HomeKit products today. You can add its M2 hub as your starter kit, and then start layering on devices like the low-cost water leak sensor, motion sensor, and door sensors. Aqara continues to innovate with products that work great with HomeKit, and today, they’ve released a brand new product. The Aqara Presence Sensor FP2 is a new millimeter wave motion sensor that is taking smart home automation to the next level. This new motion sensor device is loaded with features that make it one of the most versatile and precise sensors on the market today. It does require an Aqara hub, but thankfully, there are plenty of options like the M2 I listed above or the M1S hub.

Back in November 2022, Meross announced the Meross MSS115. It was one of the first smart plugs with Matter support that was available to purchase. After a few months at the preorder stage, I finally got my hands on the product and was able to spend some time with it. Is it better than other products that focus on HomeKit only? Let’s dive in.

As smart home technology continues to evolve and grow in popularity, manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to make their products more versatile and convenient for users. One such company is Switchbot, known for its innovative Button pusher devices that allow users to automate non-smart home devices with ease. Until recently, Switchbot products were not compatible with Apple’s HomeKit without the use of a Homebridge setup. However, with the emergence of Matter, a new smart home connectivity standard, that’s all about to change with SwitchBot Hub 2.

One of the industries I have some prior experience with is home and business security systems. In my first job out of college, I helped an independent telephone company launch a new business line offering installation and monitoring services. It’s been an industry I’ve followed since then. In my home, I currently use the abode alarm system, and I love it. It offers HomeKit compatibility as well. What if you invested in a Nest Secure system or are using the Nest Smoke Alarms and want HomeKit compatibility and 24/7 monitoring? Google discontinued support on the Nest Secure in favor of the new ADT partnership, and there is no stand-alone smoke detector monitoring offered by Google. That’s the bridge the new service from the Starling Home Hub manufacturer aims to offer with Starling Protect.

Smart doorbells have become a popular option for homeowners who want to keep an eye on their front door while also triggering some HomeKit automation as well. Battery-powered doorbells are easy to install and offer a range of features that make them an excellent alternative to traditional wired doorbells. In this week’s HomeKit Weekly, we’ll look at the benefits of battery-powered doorbells and review the Aqara G4 video doorbell, a wireless smart doorbell that offers a range of features and benefits for folks looking for an easy-to-install HomeKit doorbell.

I’ve always been paranoid about water damage in my home. We have hardwood floors throughout our home. If you’re a homeowner, you know the cost of repairing them if you have water damage. A slow drip from a leaky sink can turn into thousands of dollars in repair costs. Thankfully, with a HomeKit-enabled flood sensor from FIBARO, you can easily know when there’s water where there shouldn’t be before it turns into a major issue. Read on to learn why the FIBARO water leak sensor is the ideal option to use under all of your sinks.

Onvis has recently updated its door/window contact sensor, the CT3, to incorporate Thread technology. With this update, the Onvis CT3 contact sensor is now able to seamlessly integrate with HomeKit Over Thread for a more reliable experience via Siri and the home app. This contact sensor is designed to keep you informed of when doors and windows open and close as well as trigger automations.

I’ve tried a number of smart locks over the years. I’ve typically always landed on the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock as my go-to recommendation because it was easy to install, didn’t require you to use a new key, and also let the outside deadbolt remain the same to fit in with the exterior of your home. I recently installed the Level Lock+ with Home Key support – keep reading to learn if it’s the best smart lock on the market.

Homebridge is an open-source platform that allows you to control and automate your home using Apple’s HomeKit technology, even if the devices don’t support it natively. While it can be run on countless devices for free, there are times when you want a plug-and-play solution that’s low-powered and can be tucked out of the way. This problem is exactly what the IONEXX XOME Homebridge for HomeKit aims to solve.

One of the hardest things to balance when it comes to technology in the home is striking the happy medium between stylish and functional. Shades are a perfect example of that. Every technology person wants the latest bells and whistles, while someone who cares about design wants something that looks like it contains no technology. I recently installed a couple of the HomeKit-compatible SmartWings shades, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite smart home products. In this week’s HomeKit Weekly, we will be taking a closer look at the SmartWing HomeKit shade, diving into its features, benefits, and why they are designer-approved.

As I was building my new house, I found myself struggling with the decision of which doorbell to go with. I have always been a fan of the privacy and security offered by HomeKit Secure Video, but I was also looking for a doorbell with 24/7 recording. I found myself torn between my love for the privacy of HomeKit and the need for 24/7 recording. After much research, I ended up on Google’s Nest Doorbell. It offered the 24/7 recording feature I was looking for, but I was hesitant about the lack of end-to-end encryption. But ultimately, I decided to go with the Nest doorbell because it’s not a camera inside my home, and the benefits of the 24/7 recording feature outweighed the concern about the encryption.

VOCOlinc, a highly underrated HomeKit manufacturer, released a new addition to its portfolio in 2022 that I am excited to review: a smart LED floor lamp. This lamp is not just any ordinary floor lamp, it comes with HomeKit integration, making it a powerful tool for enhancing your smart home setup. In this post, I’ll take a closer look at the design and features of the VOCOlinc Smart LED Floor Lamp, how to add it to HomeKit, and potential use cases.

TP-Link is one of those brands that when you run across one of their product lines, you know you can count on it. I’ve used their switches in my home for as long as I can remember, and it’s as rock solid as you’d imagine. They’ve quietly been building out the Kasa product line, and in my experience, they’ve followed the same dependability as the networking hardware. The brand-new Kasa EP40A brings robust HomeKit control to outdoor outlets, giving you more control over how you use your outdoor lights and appliances than ever before.