What is Apple HomeKit?
You might have seen the little “Home” app on your iPhone when you got it. But what does it do? What is Apple HomeKit?
Apple HomeKit is basically a smart home hub based on Siri, using the Apple Devices you already have (iPhone, iPad and Apple TV).
How Apple HomeKit Works
Apple HomeKit – Organized by Rooms
Apple attempted to put a Smart Home Hub in your pocket (full review coming soon). To make this easier, they organized all of your Smart Home Products by Room. Each room neatly displays all the Smart Devices in that room. You can quickly turn off the light, for example, but tapping the light in that room.
Home Automation with HomeKit
This is the weakest point of Apple HomeKit. There are very few rules you can set up. It pails in comparison to something like the Wink Robots you can set up.
HomeKit does have some pretty decent “scenes” or routines that it can run. For example, a “Good Night” routine could turn off the lights, lower the thermostat, and secure the doors.
Home Automation with HomeKit and Siri
This is actually where Apple’s HomeKit shines. You can simply tell Siri, via iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Apple TV or HomePod to run a scene, turn off a light or anything else you can do within the app.
Amazon Echo (read my full Amazon Echo Review) has got us used to speaking commands to a voice assistant. However, I simply find Amazon Echo is easier to use for these sort of commands. I typically ask Amazon Echo to play music (Apple Music doesn’t work with Echo, but Spotify does), set a timer or trigger a scene. I don’t, typically, think about asking Siri to do the same things. However, Siri can be triggered by saying, “Hey Siri.” However, it’s not as accurate or sensitive as Amazon Echo.
What Devices Work with HomeKit?
The products that work with Apple’s HomeKit are limited at this point. Apple is very strict about the products they allow to work with HomeKit. They are very careful with security and user experience. Here’s a full list of Apple HomeKit Compatible Devices.
Do you have any questions about Apple HomeKit? Let me know in the comments.