Elgato's 'Eve' Smart Home Accessories Are Useful, But Hampered by Buggy HomeKit Platform

[RogerWilco]

I've been using these gadgets since the days of X10 in the early '90s. My current house uses Insteon modules with a ISY control. Each generation of hardware improved the communications and reliability (good), but the trade off is always increased complexity. From what I see Apple is adding yet another layer of complexity with its insistence on encryption and Bluetooth. The system I have now is fine, with device security by obscurity and a proven, secure control platform easily administered via any browser. No way will I think about replacing any of it with this beta release hardware and software.

 

[jclo]

I really don't wanna be that guy, but really? Unless I'm missing something, surely the idea with something like Eve Door & Window is to buy it for all important, y'know, doors and windows. And you'll want to equip more than just one power outlet Eve Energy. So you're quickly way into the hundreds.

I get that it's still a fledgling market, and prices will come down — I just don't get how someone can call the current state "affordable".

Comparative to other HomeKit products on the market, some of the Eve prices are a relatively cheap way to give HomeKit a try. I agree that outfitting an entire house with Eve Energy or with Eve Door & Window sensors is not realistic, but the standalone pieces like the Eve Room and the Eve Weather are $80/$50 and that doesn't seem super expensive to me compared to the other systems that require a $100 bridge + other pieces to function.

Hopefully prices will come down, but with the amount of money that companies have to pay for licensing and to develop tech that meets Apple's standards, these could be the baseline prices for awhile.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

I raise my eyebrow at a company that names an accessory after the woman who committed the first sin and precipitated the downfall of mankind.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

This is dead on point. Airplay is a perfect example. I have yet to use a third party Airplay product that works consistently as it should. And the support of the hardware vendors when you have problems is abysmal (I'm looking at you, iHome). However, Airplay on my Macs, iPhones, iPad, Apple TV and Airport Express all work flawlessly.

Quite.

If Apple are serious about software, they need to make the hardware. This is why I am sceptical about the success of CarPlay, HomeKit and AirPlay.

 

[jclo]

I have the same -52 degree error as MacRumors. Ridiculous.

Taking the batteries out and removing the device/re-pairing it seems to temporarily fix the issue, but it keeps popping up for me. I didn't have this problem before I reset everything to try to fix the remote connection, so I may try reconfiguring again. Maybe that will help. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[entropys]

I am pondering why on earth anyone would spend more than a nanosecond considering purchasing a 'weather station' that does not include remotely measuring rainfall. A complete and utter fail.

 

[rdlink]

Quite.

If Apple are serious about software, they need to make the hardware. This is why I am sceptical about the success of CarPlay, HomeKit and AirPlay.

Carplay is a slightly different animal, IMO. I think it's a little different working with a company like Volvo, VW, etc., who have quite a customer satisfaction risk with bugginess in their dashboard. But a fly by night company like iHome, or some startup trying to build a door lock/thermostat/light switches might decide that shortcuts are worth the risk.

 

[usarioclave]

Home automation is theoretically in its second generation, but it's still clunky. Our division has been trying to productize an HA solution, and with the competing protocols, integration problems, and just plain funkiness of stuff means that it's a support nightmare - to the point where it's just not an economical business to be in yet.

There's great potential, but actualization requires integration at a level that's impossible given how the market is today.

Apple could do everyone a favor and string together an integrated HA solution.

 

[Alenore]

I raise my eyebrow at a company that names an accessory after the woman who committed the first sin and precipitated the downfall of mankind.

I raise my eyebrow at a company that names itself after the fruit the worman who commited the first sin and precipitated the downfall of mankind ate.

 

[displaced]

Just a quick note -- that's not a UK style plug, it's European.

Ours look like this:

 

[jclo]

Just a quick note -- that's not a UK style plug, it's European.

Duh. Thanks! I've fixed that error.

 

[macosxuser01]

I'm surprise no one uses the Alarm.com/2gig platform. It is by far the most reliable option out there as far home automation. Z-Wave continues to be the standard protocol. The biggest problem with these DIY smart home solutions is they all run on your internet wifi network which can be unreliable and not the safest way to secure your home. Not to mention Alarm.com beautiful UI design app

 

[avanpelt]

IIRC, all these technologies were announced during WWDC keynotes. If you're not going to tell developers about new protocols and product platforms, who ARE you going to tell? What's really holding it up? Red tape, or 3rd-party manufacturers?

The WWDC keynote is a public event even though developers are the audience in the auditorium. Apple could/should discuss new services that are nowhere near ready in the closed-door breakout sessions, not during the keynote.

 

[MacRumorUser78]

Is there any integration with OS X?

 

[Tech198]

do we need to even get out of bed anymore ?

If we have issues now, u ain't seen anything yet

I do mind when my iphone would go off every time i open/close a door...... am I the only one who fels this way.. or are we just blind to the fact "the cool tech oversees all the problems." ?

by 2020, we won't have to get out of bed..

 

[name99]

"The Eve Room uses a gas sensor that analyzes volatile organic compounds like alcohols, aldehydes, ketones"

Serious question, not a joke: If you are trying to follow Atkins, is it sensitive enough that you can blow on it and it will show a ketone spike (ie proof that you are eating few enough carbs that your body is being forced to burn fat reserves thereby generating ketones)?

Point is, if it IS sensitive enough to do that then, even though it's not officially medically rated, that's useful functionality that some people (like myself) would be willing to pay for if the price is OK and (of course) that the system actually works and works well, without perpetual pairing headaches.

 

[name99]

do we need to even get out of bed anymore ?

If we have issues now, u ain't seen anything yet

I do mind when my iphone would go off every time i open/close a door...... am I the only one who fels this way.. or are we just blind to the fact "the cool tech oversees all the problems." ?

by 2020, we won't have to get out of bed..

"The serum Electronics amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great; bad becomes worse."...
If your natural state is to lie in bed doing nothing, electronics will allow you to do more of that.
If your natural state is to engage with the world, electronics will allow you to do more of THAT...

 

[name99]

Bluetooth is FAR better for battery operated things. HomeKit's issues are mainly because of Apple's huge and in my opinion ridiculous security requirements.

It's easy to mock the security requirements as stupid (who CARES is someone passing by can read what my room temperature meter is broadcasting), but what choice does Apple have?
I think we all agree that we want heavy duty security on SOME of these items? I don't want my BT lock to be easily controllable, or my cameras, or the motion and window/door sensors. I may not care if the power outlets and thermostat can be read, but I certainly don't want them writable (and maybe readable allows outsiders to detect if I am on vacation...) etc
So what do you? Do you have someone at Apple making the decision for each individual product: "only needs this level of security because I can't imagine a scenario of abuse"? Or do you just lay down a certain level of security that you insist everyone follows?

And these things tend to work themselves out in time. The first round of products frequently suck because the vendors refuse to take some of these issues seriously (eg they try to save a buck by buying the cheap micro-controller without the crypto instructions sure they can write that code themselves, then find it's not as easy as they thought). These are not essential flaws in the concept, they are part of the learning process.
People who have not been engineers just have unrealistic expectations about how long it takes to do anything well.

 

[name99]

In my mind the solution is obvious. Apple has to produce home automation hardware. Why do Apple customers love Apple? Because we love well-integrated products from the same manufacturer that "just work". Apple cannot rely on third parties to build first rate devices. Some might. But many won't. And incompatibilities and unforeseen consequences will abound. Apple either needs to start producing HomeKit plugs and switches and other such devices or it must contract with a few major players in the industry and ensure 100% compatibility between devices. Otherwise HomeKit is another Insteon, etc. Not knocking Insteon either, but none of those systems are made for mere mortals.

IMHO this is how Beats should expand. Beats should rename themselves something like Beats Design (a good vague name that gives them license to do anything) and manufacture not just music equipment but smart-scales, home-kit equipment, basically all these small (not completely trivial, but not nearly as complex as a phone or a watch) devices.
The point of this exercise is that they may cost 15% more than the competition but you can trust that they will actually work properly with Apple equipment, can be EASILY updated, and WILL be updated for years to come.
(Of course this also only works if Apple/Beats take their brand seriously and don't slap their name on any random crap, the way Sony and then Samsung destroyed their brands.)

 

[NogbadTheBad]

Just a quick note -- that's not a UK style plug, it's European.

Ours look like this:

Best plugs ever, till you stand on one.

 

[dwsolberg]

I really wanted to buy HomeKit stuff because I have an iPhone, iPad, Macboook Pro, and Watch. However, given my recent experience with Apple's reliability when it comes to anything networked (calendar syncing, Siri stalls, iMessage quicks, Mail issues, and on and on), I decided to go with the Nest products. They just look so much better than the competition, and so far (it's only been a couple of weeks), they are reliable. It reminds me of the Apple experience a few years ago — not a lot of features, but easy and pleasant to use. I know that Google is a privacy concern, but at some point I want sometime that just works, and unfortunately that's not Apple right now (at least when it comes to networking).

 

[chucker23n1]

Comparative to other HomeKit products on the market, some of the Eve prices are a relatively cheap way to give HomeKit a try.

That's like saying "compared to other Mercedes cars, the C-Class is affordable". Arguing that way kind of fits into the "Macs are a monopoly" narrative; no, the market Macs are in is personal computers, and the market segment Eve is in is home automation products. And, much like smartphones are a segment of phones, surely home automation products are ultimately a segment of the electric home devices market.

Right now, it's a given that automation is in the very high end of that, and that HomeKit, being from Apple, is in the premium area of that segment. Surely that's not what we're aiming for in the long run, though.

 

[casperes1996]

This was a pretty good review. Well written, quite balanced, considering both current value and future potential of the parts involved, with fairly good photography to compliment, although perhaps a bit too many pictures. More like this please.
I wouldn't even consider buying anything like that at this point, but I read the review anyway, because it's a god read, and that's how reviews should be. Capture attention, even of those who don't really care.

 

[BandH]

Interesting new information - I was not aware that the Apple TV could act as a remote gateway for bluetooth connected devices. Until now, have only seen it described as a remote gateway for WiFi devices.
(My own testing has been with WiFi-only devices). Of course, the fact that you could not get it to work casts some doubt, but since El Gato tried to help you, one must assume it at least works in their lab or for other people.

Right now, HomeKit is in its' infancy. The primary benefits -- devices security with end-to-end encryption, standardized device database, multi-vendor interoperability (theoretically), and Siri voice control, are unique -- no other home automation platform or product is attempting to provide all of these capabilities.

Unfortunately, at this time, HomeKit-integrated products are far inferior to the existing vendor-provided solutions or established/mature solutions (Indigo software or ISY controllers). This will change as the technology matures.

It will certainly be interesting to see what, if any, additional HomeKit features will be introduced by Apple when the new/improved Apple TV, widely rumored, is introduced in a few months.

Will Apple offer it's own home automation user interface/control software? Will Apple offer any home automation sensors or control modules? I think that's the billion (with a "B") dollar question for the future home automation market and the level of Apple's participation.

 

[robogobo]

"It's bizarre to me that Apple launched a service that feels clunky and unpolished - it seems out of character for a company that typically prides itself on getting even the small details right."

You haven't been around very long, have you.