First Apple HomeKit smart home products debut
The connected home products – which range from sensors to smart outlets, lights and thermostats – all use Apple’s HomeKit home automation framework for communicating with and controlling connected accessories in a user’s home. The products, listed below, can be controlled using Apple iDevices, either through apps or by voice control using Siri:
The ecobee3 Wi-Fi connected thermostat from Ecobee is designed for homes needing climate control in multiple rooms. It uses remote sensors to help it monitor temperature in multiple locations.
The Elgato Eve family of Bluetooth Smart sensors gathers data on air quality, temperature, humidity, air pressure, energy consumption, and even the open/closed state of doors and windows in a home. Users can then view the data on their iPhone or iPad and control any related accessories.
The Lutron Caséta Smart Bridge wireless lighting hub lets users control lights, shades and thermostats in specific areas, as well as check with Siri to see if lights are either on or off in specific areas of the house. Lights and shades can also be scheduled to adjust automatically.
The Insteon Hub lets users control the range of Insteon connected products from the company, including LED bulbs, plug-in lamps, thermostats, wall outlets, cameras, and door locks. In addition, a new version of the Insteon+ app is designed to be able to work with HomeKit-enabled devices from other manufacturers.
Finally, the iSP5 SmartPlug from accessory maker iHome is a Wi-Fi connected outlet that plugs into a standard wall outlet. It then lets users control plugged-in products such as lamps, fans, or humidifiers either while at home or remotely with their Apple iDevice.
More HomeKit-connected product announcements are expected at next week’s Apple developer conference. WWDC 2015 is scheduled to take place June 8-12 in San Francisco.
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