HomeKit

Nearly two years ago, I installed the iSmartGate garage door opener. During that time, we used it a decent amount, but never daily. Since we still have RF-based remotes, they were often faster to use vs. opening the Home app, waiting on it to connect, and then opening the garage door. Since I finally added CarPlay to my car through the IntelliDash CarPlay Unit, having access to my garage doors in HomeKit has become a daily use.

Home Widget for HomeKit is probably one of the coolest apps for improving your experience with HomeKit-enabled accessories on iOS. It offers quick access to Home automation directly from your home screen. The app was updated on Wednesday with great new features, including sensor support, different panel sizes, and more.

In my never-ending quest to craft the perfect HomeKit smart home, I’ve realized that one key is a combination of smart controls and physical controls. One of the most recent additions to my setup for this is the Wemo Stage Scene Controller, which was announced last April, but recently much more reliable thanks to its adoption of Thread.

The Starling Home Hub is a core part of my HomeKit experience, as it bridges my Nest Thermostat and Google Home Mini to HomeKit and AirPlay, respectively. One notable feature that’s been a wishlist item for many Starling customers is Nest support for Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video. Now, with the latest 11.0 firmware update, a handful of Google Nest cameras are now compatible with HKSV.

There are many ways to interact with HomeKit. You can use the Home app on iOS or macOS, you can use Siri on a HomePod or Apple Watch, but another way is with NFC tags, and it’s surprisingly easy and can be done for less than $1 per NFC automation you want to build. Since learning how to use it, it’s been an ideal way to use HomeKit in a way that’s faster than using the Home app but more reliable than Siri. Let’s dive in on how it works and how to configure it.

Sometimes, it’s good to take a step back and build on foundations with a new year. I think about HomeKit every day, so many of the terms I throw around, like Automations, Home Hub, Homebridge, etc., might be known to experts. Still, I wanted to compile a go-to list of HomeKit terms and definitions for newcomers over the next few weeks. So this week, I want to look in-depth at HomeKit Automations.

I’ve joked that if I were “super-rich,” that I’d love to hire someone whose only job would be to hand me a large cup of coffee as soon as I walked out of my bedroom. HomeKit hasn’t let me do that, but it’s getting me close. Read on to learn how I automated my morning coffee based on when motion is detected by my bedroom door using HomeKit, HOOBS, and Switchbot. Read on to learn how to implement, what gear you’ll need, and how to configure in HomeKit.

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.

Apple has officially released iOS 15.2.1 and iPadOS 15.2.1, bringing bug fixes for CarPlay and Messages. In addition to those bug fixes, the update also includes a notable security update to patch a HomeKit vulnerability that could cause your iPhone or iPad to repeatedly crash.

A new Netatmo Security Sensor aims to provide maximum compatibility in terms of both hardware and software.

On the hardware side, the device is two sensors in one, combining a door/window contact sensor with a motion detector …

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.

Belkin is taking the next step with its Wemo portfolio of smart home accessories. At CES 2022 this week, the company has announced a new Wemo Smart Video Doorbell that is designed to work exclusively with HomeKit Secure Video. This marks the first time that Wemo has expanded its smart home lineup to include a home security accessory.

Alongside the new Wemo HomeKit Smart Video Doorbell, Belkin has unveiled that its Wemo Smart Plug, Smart Light Switch, and Smart Dimmer will be seeing an upgrade this year with Matter over Thread support. That will mean faster and more reliable connections with greater range for the HomeKit devices.

Accessory maker TP-Link is expanding its lineup of smart home gadgets at CES 2022 to include an array of new HomeKit options. The company has announced multiple new HomeKit options under its Tapo brand, including smart lights, smart plugs, and a smart switch.

As usual, HomeKit announcements are expected to be one of the biggest trends at CES this year. Today, home security company Schlage has announced an all-new Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt, and the company is going all in on Apple’s ecosystem with support for both HomeKit and home keys in the Apple Wallet application.

A security researcher has exposed a vulnerability in Apple’s HomeKit platform that could lead to your iPhone (or anyone else with access to your Apple Home setup) becoming unusable. The bug was reported by security researcher Trevor Spiniolas, who detailed in a blog post that name of a HomeKit device being changed to something around 500,000 characters long is what causes the issues…

Eve, one of the top HomeKit product manufacturers, is kicking off 2022 with multiple new product announcements. One of the new products is a new Eve Floodlight Outdoor Cam designed for Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video.

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.

Apple Wallet evolved with iOS 15 to include the ability to store keys for homes and hotels, with upgraded U1 support for the car key standard too. Now it looks like one of the first HomeKit smart locks to feature the NFC Apple home key support could be on the way.