A year after HomeKit was announced at WWDC 2014, the first HomeKit enabled products are today beginning to go on sale from five initial device manufacturers. HomeKit enabled devices, which can range from lights, thermostats and door locks, can be controlled through Siri, and the HomeKit framework enables developers to more easily create apps for home automation.
Insteon and Lutron have devices shipping from today, whilst ecobee, Elgato and iHome will have devices shipping by the end of July. For some details about their initial HomeKit products, jump the break.
Sources: MacRumors, The Verge, Re/code
Insteon
The Insteon Hub, shipping today for $149, is HomeKit enabled and can control various devices in your home that have been connected to an Insteon adapter such as ceiling fans, switches and your thermostat.
Lutron
Lutron announced that its new Caséta Wireless Lighting Starter Kit, shipping from today for $229.95, will support HomeKit.
The Caséta Wireless Smart Bridge with HomeKit support allows homeowners to control lights in specific rooms or areas. For example, just before bed, tell Siri “turn the lights off” and the Caséta Wireless Smart Bridge will turn off lights throughout the house. Unsure if the basement light is still on? Ask Siri to check and if so, turn it off.
ecobee
From July 7, ecobee will begin shipping the HomeKit enabled ecobee3 wireless thermostat for $249. Pre-orders will begin June 23.
Elgato
Elgato has four different accessories, under the Eve brand name which connect to HomeKit and offer different pieces of information. Available for preorder now, they include:
- $79.95 - Eve Room (air quality, temperature, humidity)
- $49.95 - Eve Weather (air pressure, temperature, humidity)
- $39.95 - Eve Door (open/closed state, time & duration)
- €49.95 - Eve Energy (consumption, switch on/off)
iHome
MacRumors reports that iHome will soon begin selling a HomeKit enabled power plug.
iHome’s iSP5 SmartPlug fits into a standard wall socket and can use Siri or the iHome Control app to control lamps, fans, and other devices that are plugged in to the SmartPlug. The SmartPlugs support different “scenes” to control multiple connected devices within the home, and the app will allow multiple SmartPlugs to be grouped and controlled with a single command.
Up to two SmartPlugs are able to fit into a single wall socket and a Wi-Fi connection is required for the plugs to communicate with iOS devices. According to iHome, today’s iSP5 SmartPlug is just one of several products that will include HomeKit support, with other accessories in the iHome Control line coming in the future.
