HomeKit–friendly household
As more products are getting HomeKit– friendly, here’s how to set things up
A device–controlled home is no longer limited to science fiction, as these HomeKit–compatible devices are equipped to automate your living space.
Every manufacturer worth its salt seems to create its own unique way of addressing its own cabal of smart kit, whether it makes sense to do so or not. We’re given an unending stream of apps, each of which works slightly differently from the other. Apple’s HomeKit tech (which debuted in iOS 8) and companion Home app (iOS 10) are, in many ways, a solution to that mess, specifically made for Apple device owners.
It’s a consistent way for a wide range of smart kit to connect to a single common ecosystem. HomeKit compatibility means multiple accessories from multiple manufacturers can be administered in one place, while still being accessible from their usual control apps. That could mean Apple’s own Home app, recently ported to macOS Mojave, or a third–party app like Eve for HomeKit or HomeRun for Apple Watch. Setting up a network of HomeKit accessories means your smart home is controllable with Siri, too. HomeKit also allows you to cook up a certain degree of interaction between those devices that wasn’t there before. A HomeKit–compatible motion sensor from one manufacturer can trigger a light from another. A light being switched on can cause a whole host of other lights to activate at the same time. A HomeKit door sensor, opened at a certain time of day, can switch off your heating, trigger a fan, and send a push notification to your phone or watch. It’s up to you — and HomeKit acts far faster than some other smart automation systems. HomeKit can also act as a platform in its own right. Certain smart accessories utilize HomeKit (and only HomeKit) as their method of
communicating with your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac, although this isn’t outrageously common — most pull double duty.
The downsides So that’s what HomeKit is; transparently, it's only fair that we should also talk about what HomeKit is not. It is not, by any means, universal. A HomeKit– only accessory is inherently incompatible with any controlling hardware that doesn’t come from Apple. You can’t toggle an Eve Energy smart plug, for example, with an Android phone or an online automation service like IFTTT.
In addition, not every smart device supports HomeKit, and not everything can. The initial HomeKit specification required manufacturers to build their devices including a special authentication chip, although as of iOS 11 this was revised to support a software encryption layer. This means more modern smart devices can potentially introduce HomeKit support with a straight firmware update — it’s not tremendously common for older hardware to include HomeKit support, so we’re forced to presume that this isn’t an easy addition for manufacturers, although the number of newer accessories carrying the HomeKit badge is definitely trending upwards on the graph. For now, we'll have to take a 'wait and see' approach.
That said, it’s technically possible (and perhaps more feasible) for non–HomeKit devices to be brought on board if they work with a hub or bridge that’s designed to work with HomeKit. Philips Hue bulbs (unlike competitor LIFX’s) don’t directly work as HomeKit accessories, but the Hue Bridge they talk to does; Belkin’s Wemo range recently got an upgrade in the form of the Wemo Bridge, bringing
HomeKit support to a wide range of older devices in one fell swoop. Tak ing control HomeKit doesn’t do away with the apps that come with smart hardware. You’ll use them less, certainly, but HomeKit apps usually present a limited set of options, so you may need to fall back on them from time to time. But high–level device configuration isn’t really the point. HomeKit is about making everything work together. And it does the best job of that if you have the right device at the center of your home; without a home hub (see Best HomeKit Controllers for your options), the range of automations available to you is limited to reacting to timers or HomeKit scene triggers like the Logitech Pop button.
Realistically, you may already have the hardware you need to make the most of your HomeKit setup. Configuring a home hub (or using an Apple TV 3rd generation or later) is also the only way you’ll be able to control your HomeKit accessories remotely, at least without resorting to their default apps. You don’t absolutely need one, but that’s a powerful feature to miss out on.
Once you’ve got your HomeKit setup all worked out, installed your accessories, and customized your rooms and scenes, you can share it with the rest of the members of your household — and they won’t be able to mess with it, beyond taking direct control of your devices. That means no spurious automations or alterations to any specific customizations you've elected to make, just quick and easy visitor access to your devices. That’s something you’ll rarely find with other smart apps, at least in as easy a way as the Home app presents it, and it’s something which really makes HomeKit worth using, even if you only end up doing so as a secondary platform.