HomeKit

Ring promised HomeKit support many years ago but hasn’t come through with that promise. At this point, it looks less and less likely that it’ll ever happen. If you’re firmly in the Ring ecosystem, but want to enjoy some of the benefits of HomeKit. All you’ll need to add is a computer running Homebridge, and you can integrate Ring into HomeKit for free. My favorite way to use Homebridge is HOOBS. Let’s dive into how to add Ring devices to HomeKit.

Leviton is out today with five new smart home products under its Decora line. Headlining the release is a neat way to bring HomeKit-enabled smart lighting to older homes with the Decora Smart No-Neutral Switch, Dimmer, and required WiFi Bridge.

Aqara products have been an integral part of my HomeKit setup for nearly two years. With a competitive entry price and a range of accessories that are compatible with HomeKit, it’s the ideal way to start your smart home journey without breaking the beak. A new Aqara motion sensor is now available, and I’ve had the opportunity to spend a few weeks testing it in my home.

HomeKit’s ecosystem is fantastic, but the directly compatible devices can get expensive – especially if you already have incompatible devices at home that you need to replace. $25 for a smart plug, $40 for a door sensor – it really adds up quickly. There are plenty of other smart home devices available on Amazon, from $6 smart plugs to $25 cameras, outside the HomeKit ecosystem. Thankfully, many of these otherwise unsupported devices can be brought into HomeKit with the use of Homebridge software.

Last fall Nanoleaf launched its latest HomeKit smart lights, the modular Lines. They feature an all-new form factor that makes it easy to create a custom aesthetic for your home, office, or any other space. Now the company has released slick matte black skin covers (matte pink too) to easily transform the white exterior of the lights.

Making it easier to work to control my HomeKit accessories is something I am always thinking about. As easy as using the Home app on my iPhone is or turning items off and on with Siri, sometimes you want to make it even easier – especially for guests and non-smart home fans. You could certainly use the Brilliant panel, but what if you want something a bit easier to install? For example, have you considered an old iPad mounted on the wall? Read on to see how easier it is to configure so it can only work in the Home app.

If you told me that you were going to buy one type of HomeKit product, I would recommend one that detects water leaks. Water damage in a home can cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage. One of my favorite products is the Eve Water Guard, and the new version that adds Thread support is now an even better value. So let’s dive in on how to set it up to protect one of your most significant investments best.

Tying together accessories across manufacturers is a key reason I love building around a smart home platform vs. picking manufacturers. One of the most underrated accessory types for HomeKit is motion sensors, and this week for HomeKit Weekly, I want to dive into it to look at the best options and how to make the best use of them.

As we previously covered on 9to5Mac, Home Widget for HomeKit is a powerful iOS app that enhances your experience with HomeKit-enabled accessories – and now it’s even better. The latest version of the app, which was released on Wednesday, adds support for cameras, sensors battery level, thermostats, and more.

Last year, I wrote an edition of HomeKit Weekly that talked about building a new house and the smart home decisions that would go into that process. We’ve now broken ground, so I felt like it was time to update readers on what products I am leaning towards as I build out a new home and smart home from the ground up.

As first announced at WWDC 2021, iOS 15 evolves Apple Wallet to store keys for hotels, homes, and even cars. The Schlage Encode Plus is the first such consumer lock solution to take advantage of the NFC-powered Apple home key support. Schlage’s smart lock is finally widely available at Home Depot in its modern Century style in matte black and satin nickel.

As you’ll see in my hands-on video, home key is a great way to access your home with your iPhone or Apple Watch via just a tap. Let’s take a closer look at what the Schlage Encode Plus and Apple’s home key technology have to offer!

I get to test many HomeKit devices, and my family is used to new devices coming in and out of the Home app. Still, the reviewer’s kit for the Eve Motion Blinds gives me insights into a high-end HomeKit future with custom integrators.

The launch of the universal smart home standard Matter has been delayed yet again. This is the third delay since the standard – backed by Apple, Google, Samsung, Amazon, and others – was originally set to debut back in 2020.

The standards organization behind Matter claims that this latest delay is caused by the unexpected popularity of the protocol …

There could soon be another option on the market for HomeKit blinds, this time courtesy of IKEA. While companies like Eve and Lutron have released high-end HomeKit-compatible smart shades, IKEA is expanding its lineup in an effort to better compete…

When it comes to oil diffusers, some people think they’ll solve the world’s problems and others believe they are humidifiers that smell nice. I fall in the latter category, but we still have multiple products around our house. We’ve tried several HomeKit options in the past, and while they technically worked well the overall appearance of them left a bit to be desired. The new Meross Smart Wi-Fi essential oil diffuser brings a much better-looking option to this category of products. Let’s dive into how it works.

Today, Aqara has announced the US release of its new G2H Pro camera designed as an Aqara hub and supporting HomeKit Secure Video. Aqara’s product lineups allow end users to build out a HomeKit setup at the lowest cost possible. Read on to learn more about the G2H Pro and its comparison to the original.

Smart home products provider Aqara on Monday announced its new Smart Door Lock A100 Zigbee, which features advanced authentication technologies and support for leading home automation protocols. For Apple users, it works with HomeKit and Home Keys in the Wallet app.

Lutron is out today with a new release for its veteran smart shade lineup. The Serena Smart Architectural Honeycomb Shades with HomeKit support bring over 40 fabrics and an updated modern aesthetic to create the perfect custom design for your space.

One of the challenges of going ‘all in’ with HomeKit and other smart home platforms is it creates challenges when guests come to your home, as they need to turn on lights, etc. However, the Wemo Stage Smart Scene Controller is so simple yet powerful when simplifying daily usage of HomeKit. With its mountable frame to match a light switch, it might be one of my most recommended HomeKit products in the future.