The Best HomeKit Products You Can Buy

[MacRumors]

Apple's smart home platform, HomeKit, has grown significantly since its 2015 launch, and there are now dozens of HomeKit products on the market that include everything from lights and smart outlets to thermostats, fans, cameras, and locks.

There are so many HomeKit products available that you can essentially outfit an entire house with smart accessories, but it can be tough to figure out the best HomeKit products if you're new to the ecosystem. In our latest YouTube video, we've rounded up several of our favorite HomeKit products.

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Our video encompasses several product categories, including smart locks, connected lights, smart outlets for adding HomeKit functionality to any appliance or device, thermostats, buttons for easier control, and more. Products mentioned in the video are listed below with prices and purchase links:

[*]August Smart Lock Pro ($220)
[*]Yale Assure Lock with iM1 Network Module ($200)
[*]Philips Hue Lights and Hue Tap ($134 for a Hue White Starter Kit, $49 for Hue Tap)
[*]LIFX (Starting at $25 for LIFX Mini White)
[*]Nanoleaf Light Panels ($230)
[*]Sensi Touch Thermostat ($150)
[*]Ecobee4 Thermostat ($250)
[*]iDevices Switch ($30)
[*]Logitech Pop Smart Button ($60)
[*]Elgato Eve Button ($50)

HomeKit products are designed to allow all of your devices to be controlled via the Home app and through Siri commands. The platform includes scenes, automations, triggers, and more, allowing for you to automate the smart home products you own.

You can control HomeKit devices using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, but we wanted to give a special shoutout to the HomePod, Apple's smart speaker. The $349 HomePod speaker has built-in Siri capabilities and an exceptional microphone, plus it serves as a Home hub, making it a great method of control for your HomeKit devices.

HomeKit functionality may expand significantly in the near future, thanks to iOS 11.3, which introduces software authentication so existing products can be updated with HomeKit support. Prior to iOS 11.3, special hardware was required, with companies required to add a chip to an accessory to introduce HomeKit support. With that limitation lifted, HomeKit adoption may see rapid growth.

Do you have favorite HomeKit products we didn't mention in the video? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: The Best HomeKit Products You Can Buy

 

[SlaunchaMan]

I’ve been outfitting my house with Leviton Decora Smart light switches and dimmers. I think it’s a lot more convenient to do light switches instead of the lights themselves; you don’t need to use an app if you don’t want to as the physical switch still works, you can replace the light bulbs at will, and they’re easy to wire in as you replace existing light switches. The only downside is that they can be hard to fit inside the wall box; if you’re putting a new one in, do yourself a favor and get the extra-deep boxes.

 

[DocMultimedia]

Best HomeKit product = HomePod.

 

[green94]

Interesting. What kind of software authentication is required? Can all be products be updated to be HomeKit compatible (doubt it, but thought i’d ask).

 

[jclo]

Interesting. What kind of software authentication is required? Can all be products be updated to be HomeKit compatible (doubt it, but thought i’d ask).

I'm not entirely sure, honestly. I don't know the nitty gritty details of how it works, just that companies who are interested in implementing support for HomeKit no longer necessarily need to use the physical chip.

 

[cdavis11]

Do you have favorite HomeKit products we didn't mention in the video? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: The Best HomeKit Products You Can Buy

Schlage Sense deadbolt is outstanding.

Lutron Caseta switches have been rock solid for me.

The Logi Circle 2 (wired) camera is also very good.

 

[green94]

I'm not entirely sure, honestly. I don't know the nitty gritty details of how it works, just that companies who are interested in implementing support for HomeKit no longer necessarily need to use the physical chip.

Really wish Nest would integrate although I’m not holding my breath.

 

[nyctravis]

Schlage Sense deadbolt is outstanding.

Ditto! Love mine.

 

[avanpelt]

As is the case with most Apple products I own, Siri is the weakest link. Trying to control HomeKit stuff with Siri is a mediocre experience, at best; and it can be downright infuriating if I've already been having a bad day.

Trying to control HomeKit devices with Siri on my Apple Watch (Series 2) is often an exercise in futility. Usually at least once a day, I'll summon Siri only to feel my wrist vibrate while I'm in the middle of the command and the screen will say, "Sorry, I didn't get that." Last night, Siri interrupted me on the watch no fewer than three times while I was saying 'Good night' to tell me that it 'didn't get that'. Usually at least once a week, Siri on my watch will say that some or all of the HomeKit devices I've issued the command for aren't responding. Meanwhile, I'll take my iPhone out of my pocket, summon Siri on it, and it will "magically" be able to control my HomeKit devices on the first try.

The issue with Siri's seeming lack of HomeKit connectivity isn't only related to the watch, but I experience it most on the watch. I've also experienced the same issue on my iPhone, though, where it will say that my devices aren't responding the first time, but if I simply summon Siri again and repeat the same command, it works the second time. All that to say, I hope Apple improves HomeKit reliability and Siri reliability in iOS 12/watchOS 5.

 

[Nunyabinez]

I love the ecobee 4.

But my most used accessory is the Chamberlain myQ Garage Door Opener. You need a bridge, but it also works both with HomeKit and Alexa or Google.
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The issue with Siri's seeming lack of HomeKit connectivity isn't only related to the watch, but I experience it most on the watch. I've also experienced the same issue on my iPhone, though, where it will say that my devices aren't responding the first time, but if I simply summon Siri again and repeat the same command, it works the second time. All that to say, I hope Apple improves HomeKit reliability and Siri reliability in iOS 12/watchOS 5.

I do get weird things with my Apple Watch. It used to be SUPER bad when I had a series 0, but some still persist on my series 3. I have similar issues to yours, but others as well.

For example, I say "Open the Garage Door," the garage door opens and my watch says "Sorry, the device doesn't seem to be responding." Or, I'll say "Close the Garage Door." The garage door starts to close, but Siri says "Your garage door reports that it is still closing, you can check back in a minute."

These may be anomalies because the door takes awhile to register that it is opened or closed, but it definitely makes it feel amateurish.

 

[gmanWA]

Schlage Sense deadbolt is outstanding.

Lutron Caseta switches have been rock solid for me.

The Logi Circle 2 (wired) camera is also very good.

+1 on Lutron Caseta. Never unresponsive in home app. Schedules work reliably.

Nothing but problems with Hue. Constantly unresponsive, especially when the wife tried to use it. Just sold all my Hue stuff on CL.

 

[Nunyabinez]

I’ve been outfitting my house with Leviton Decora Smart light switches and dimmers. I think it’s a lot more convenient to do light switches instead of the lights themselves; you don’t need to use an app if you don’t want to as the physical switch still works, you can replace the light bulbs at will, and they’re easy to wire in as you replace existing light switches. The only downside is that they can be hard to fit inside the wall box; if you’re putting a new one in, do yourself a favor and get the extra-deep boxes.

I have had trouble with switches because I have an older home (nicely remodeled), but the original electrical took short cuts so few of my switches have a neutral wire witch is required.

I found some very cheap wifi only switches that you can wire directly into the light fixture, but of course they are non HomeKit compatible so I have to use Alexa to control them.

 

[jimthing]

The marketplace is still generally expensive. Until prices are more realistic, the general public are unlikely to buy into the functionality these IOT devices sometimes offer.

I mean when a standard touch LED dimmer switch (where each one can be placed at two points to dim the same lamp, eg. top & bottom of stairs) costs £30 each, yet IOT version costs £100, there's a distint cost implication for most households. If you have 10 of them (5 sets: 5 master + 5 slaves) that's £300, vs. IOT versions at £1000.

Until they're more like £50-60 each, the viability is somewhat diminished.

 

[Aidyn's X]

Schlage Sense deadbolt is outstanding.

Lutron Caseta switches have been rock solid for me.

The Logi Circle 2 (wired) camera is also very good.

+1 on the Caseta switches. I am three switches away from having my entire house done. Way less expensive than if I had to buy a light bulb for each of my light fixtures.

I also have the MyQ garage door opener. I rarely use it to actually open or close the garage door but instead to give me the status in case I have forgotten to close it at night.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Why no love for the Schlage Sense? https://www.schlage.com/en/home/keyless-deadbolt-locks/sense.html

It works very well in my home, and seems better than any other HomeKit compatible doorlock. Also, it's very easy to get it keyed to match the keys of all the other non-smart Schlage locks.

 

[jimthing]

LED lamps with LED switches (aka regulators) are a complete mine field of incompatibilities. And that's without the extra bother of IOT versions on top.

Until there's greater standards for these things, most are not going to bother with them.

I just put in new decent (non-IOT) LED compatible dimmers, and had to try *four* types of LED GU10 lamps from the ones Varilight said they test with (Philips). One brand alone took F O U R attempts to get ones that dimmed properly, and I had a UK high-level ('Level 3') trained electrician trying to fit them, too.
Add IOT functionality to those dimmers, and I hate to think how many I'd have had to try.

 

[Dydegu]

LIFX lights are amazing.

 

[Ateam043]

Does anyone know if there is any HomeKit products for garage door openers that are not MYQ?

My garage door opener does not have that stamp marked anywhere and I would be happy to get some after market product to make it HomeKit compatible.

 

[SlaunchaMan]

I have had trouble with switches because I have an older home (nicely remodeled), but the original electrical took short cuts so few of my switches have a neutral wire witch is required.

I found some very cheap wifi only switches that you can wire directly into the light fixture, but of course they are non HomeKit compatible so I have to use Alexa to control them.

Ah, that’s too bad. None of my switches used the neutral wire, but it was there, so I was able to buy a spool of white wire to tie in to the neutral wires that were there.

 

[Stryder541]

The Netatmo Presence Outdoor Camera and Floodlight is very nice. I bought a second one for the backyard. It can differentiate people, animals, cars and general motion in its notifications. Alerts Show up with a photo on my S3 watch.

 

[jimthing]

Sorry to add another downer.
I think if companies like Ring are going to ask for too expensive subscriptions to record snippets of video, instead of allowing users to choose our own service, the less people are going to want expensive IOT cameras, too. AppleKit or otherwise.

 

[Gsmaniac]

I have a schalge sense. I love it. So handy. My only complaint is that there is no setting to completely fully lock the door so that even pin codes etc can unlock it from the outside. I would love to go to bed at night knowing that I could lock the door and if a burgler happened to know the code they couldn’t get in.

I have hue bulbs with no issues at all. I also have an OMNA security camera and it’s been a nightmare since day one. I really should contact them for a replacement.

 

[camarograna2]

For a huge house no lock should be recommended. Not until a lock comes out with Bluetooth 5.0 will I purchase another one. All returned due to communication issues to the hub. I have 3 Apple tvs and i still faced issues. Not purposely going to buy another hub just to have it by front door.

 

[jclo]

I have a schalge sense. I love it. So handy. My only complaint is that there is no setting to completely fully lock the door so that even pin codes etc can unlock it from the outside. I would love to go to bed at night knowing that I could lock the door and if a burgler happened to know the code they couldn’t get in.

I have hue bulbs with no issues at all. I also have an OMNA security camera and it’s been a nightmare since day one. I really should contact them for a replacement.

Yeah, the Omna app is just terrible. I feel like the Logi Circle 2 is the only HomeKit-compatible camera worth buying right now.

 

[chinito77]

Phillip's motion detector has my win for the most responsive homekit device. Homekit, however, has been a real pain to use. Even though I have an iPad Mini dedicated to being the Homekit hub, it will sometimes lose connection to my devices. Even worse, my iPad Pro and iPhone tend to fight over control. This ends up in my apartment becoming a light show for all as lights turn off and on because they think I "Arrive home" and "Left home". So I removed Homekit from my iPad Pro and guess what? It removed ALL my Homekit devices and settings from every device! I wish that the Philips Hue app could control my other LIFX lights so i wouldn't have to deal with siri or Homekit.