HomeKit Weekly

I’ve been watching Twinkly as a product for the past year after learning about them through Shane Whatley’s YouTube channel. Previously, to work with HomeKit, you’d need to bridge them using a product like HOOBS. Late last year, however, native HomeKit support was added. You might think these items are only for Christmas, but they will be useful in all sorts of situations – not just Christmas lights.

Now that winter is setting where I am located in the southern US, I began to brainstorm on ways I could automate the heating of my home using HomeKit. I already have smart thermostats (one from ecobee and one Nest bridged to HomeKit with Starling Home Hub). I like to use a space heater in my living room as we have vaulted ceilings, so we lose a lot of heating from the floor vents. While there are a handful of Wi-Fi-based space heaters, there were none native to HomeKit. As with anything HomeKit related, there’s usually a way through Homebridge, so that’s what I did.

Air filters are something that I believe should be in every home. Even in my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the air is generally clean, there is a lot of pollen in the air at various points in the year. If you live in an area that’s seen consistent wildfires, you need a healthy supply of air filters even more than I do. There haven’t been many options for HomeKit-enabled air filters, though. Until recently, the only option was the VOCOlinc air filter. While I love this product, it has a large footprint, so it’s impractical for apartments or smaller bedrooms. I recently picked up the Meross HomeKit air filter for our bedroom, and it’s a great option if you need to filter the air in a smaller area.

A few weeks ago, 9to5Mac announced that the Aqara G3 camera was now available in the US. Sporting a 2K resolution, a low profile design, and HomeKit Secure Video, it can create the foundation for your smart home if you’re just getting started with HomeKit.

I’ve tested more HomeKit cameras over the years than I can likely remember. However, I recently had the opportunity to start using the Homam camera with HomeKit Secure Video support, and I can say without a doubt that it’s the best option if you want premium hardware with robust software outside of the Home app.

If you’re looking for gift ideas for Apple fans in your life, HomeKit accessories make one of the best options because of how it natively works with your products, low cost, and multiple use options. So as you go shopping for the Apple fans in your life, here’s my round-up of the best HomeKit accessories for Christmas.

It seems like just yesterday we were all relishing the end of 2020 and looking ahead to 2021. Now, 2021 is nearing its end, and many of us are preparing to enjoy the Christmas season. Adding HomeKit support to my Christmas decorations was my first introduction to HomeKit, so it’s only fitting that we kick off the season with my official guide to automating your Christmas decorations.

eufy has been a popular HomeKit vendor for a long time now, and its outdoor wireless cameras have been installed at my house for a few years. Before we had a few options for HomeKit doorbells, I installed the eufy wired doorbell and have been happy with it ever since. It lacked one thing, though: HomeKit access. I’ve finally solved that problem, thanks to HOOBS and the eufy Homebridge plugin. Read on to learn more about connecting a eufy doorbell and HomeKit.

If someone asked why I prefer HomeKit over smart home platforms, it would be for the ease of creating automations in the Home app that can then be used with Siri over the HomePod. The second favorite reason would be to create automations that happen based on the use of sensors. This week, I want to look at Eve Door/Window sensor with thread support.

My Kids have become quite used to using HomeKit in our home as the years have gone by. A HomeKit smart plug controls their white noise machines, we run HomeKit compatible air filters in their rooms, and we’ve recently been experimenting with fun lighting options for “night lights.” I’ve discovered one of the best HomeKit night light options, and it’s the Cololight Hexagon Light Works.

Aqara, one of the best ways to build a HomeKit powered smart home for low cost has a new way to get started for even less upfront expense. The new Aqara E1 hub features a compact design with high installation flexibility and can be bridged to HomeKit.

There is no shortage of HomeKit lamps on the market, and they’ve been a big hit at my house with my family. My kids love the multi-colored lights, I love the ability to turn them off from Siri using HomePods, and they are fairly inexpensive. My new favorite lamp is the YEELight HomeKit Lamp, which is the perfect size and shape for a bedside table.

My wife and I have recently finalized the plans for our new home, so I am now able to think through how the HomeKit setup will work thoroughly. I plan to completely rebuild the “Home” to eliminate any software “crud” accumulated over the years. The first aspect I’ve been thinking through is what kind of cameras I want to use. I’ve debated using Nest cameras for outdoor use and bridging them to HomeKit using the Starling Home Hub. For indoor use, I am having a hard look at the ONVIS HomeKit Security Indoor Camera in my current home to see how it will work in my new home.

Halloween is almost here, and HomeKit provides a lot of fun ways to automate your Halloween decorations to offer a little “cyber spooking” to trick or treaters as they come knocking.

Onvis has been a long-time HomeKit device manufacturer, but I’ve just recently started using its products. One of the easiest ways to build out a smart home is by adding motion sensors in your home to automate lightning based on if someone is in the room or not. This week, I am looking at the Onvis HomeKit Motion Sensor.

A few months ago, I reviewed Qingping’s e-ink temperature tracking device. I loved the look of it, as it didn’t follow the trend of high-resolution screens. For the past few weeks, I’ve had Qingping’s Air Monitor Lite, and it brings another unique style to HomeKit.

I’ve written about a handful of HomeKit compatible light strips in the past few months, but a new model looks to be the best yet. The Onvis Kameleon Smart Light Strips bring some unique features to HomeKit that are worth checking out.

The August Lock is one of my favorite HomeKit devices I own, so when I came across the Yale Smart Cabinet Lock, it was something I was immediately curious to try to see how it worked with HomeKit, as I’ve not used an indoor lock before.

Since I’ve started working from home full-time as the Senior Digital Web and Marketing Manager for Cribl, I’ve had to rethink my desk set up in the short term. My wife and I are currently in the home building process, so this setup isn’t permanent, but it’s what I have for now. A few weeks ago, I added the HomeKit compatible Meross Smart LED Floor Lamp to my home office, and it’s become the perfect way to brighten up my video calls.

About a year ago, I did a review of HOOBS, which is an out-of-the-box solution for running a Homebridge environment. Homebridge has become the centralized platform for connecting devices that don’t natively support HomeKit to Apple’s platform. There are countless other projects going to make all of your smart home products HomeKit compatible. HOOBS 4 is a recently released software update that makes it an even better place to run Homebridge

I frequently review Eve products for HomeKit because I’ve grown to appreciate their support for Thread and being very privacy-focused. One of their products I am just getting around to using is the Eve Aqua with Thread support.