First Batch of Apple’s HomeKit Accessories now Available
By
True to their word, the first batch of Apple’s HomeKit compatible accessories has been released. Just last month we heard of the possibility of Apple releasing the much awaited HomeKit accessories in June and they have not disappointed.
For those of you who might be hearing of Apple’s HomeKit for the first time, then you need to know that this tech allows you to control any compatible connected sensors, plugs, thermostats, lights and many more functions using your iPhone or other iOS device.
Currently, there are 5 home automation accessories that work with HomeKit and we have discussed each of them below.
The Caséta Wireless Lighting Starter Kit by Lutron comes with a HomeKit-enabled Caséta Wireless Smart Bridge. The starter kit works in conjunction with the wireless Lutron lights giving you control of a specific lamp, room, or house. As such, you control the lighting on your house without leaving your couch. The starter kit will also control Lutron’s Serenea remote-controlled shades together with some select thermostats.
This kit is now available in select stores including Home Depot, Amazon, Staples, and Lowes, among others.
It is set to retail at $229.95.
The Elgato system includes Eve Weather, Eve Room, Eve Energy, Eve Door & Window sensors. Eve Weather keeps tracks of air pressure and outside temperature; Eve Room helps you monitor indoor temperature, humidity, and air quality that are measured using sensors that analyze volatile organic compounds; Eve Energy lets you know how much electricity your appliances are consuming; Eve Door & Window lets you know if your windows and/or doors are closed or open. All these functions can be controlled by Siri or with the Elgato app.
The system is available for pre-order at Walmart and Amazon and it will also be available at Apple Online Store in July.
The Insteon Hub allows you to quickly and easily add devices with a tap. You can create and control multiple zones, rooms and houses. You can as well quickly build scenes and control several devices at once and even get to schedule certain scenes to repeat on certain dates, weeks, or days. The hub uses a comprehensive dashboard view that allows you to easily control multiple devices/functions.
The hub is available for pre-order at Smarthome and Amazon. It will hit retail stores in July.
The iHome iSP5 SmartPlug lets you control fans, lights and virtually any other device/home appliance that has been plugged into the smart plug. You can use Siri to turn the smart plug on or off and you can as well command fans, lights and plugged appliances to also turn on or off. You can also control all plugged appliances in your house by grouping multiple plugs into a scene. Set a schedule for certain functions if you wish.
The iSP5 SmartPlug will be available for pre-order from iHome starting June 15 and will also hit the retail stores in July.
The ecobee3 Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat comes with remote sensors that not only allow you to measure the occupancy and temperature of the hallway or room your thermostat is in, but also for every other room with a sensor. As such, you will be treated to better energy efficiency, comfort and more granular control. You can control all these functions using Siri as long as you are using HomeKit-enabled ecobee3 hardware.
The smart thermostat will be available later in June and in Apple Stores sometime in July. A thermostat plus 1 sensor will cost $249, and you will part with an extra $79 for 2 additional sensors.
These are just the very first HomeKit-enabled products, there will be more soon.
caseta 
