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Apple Finalizes HomeKit Hardware Specifications, Adds HomeKit Support to Apple TV

This is definitely cool, but why can we still not automate more simple settings and tasks on the iPhone itself??

So far, the only semblance of any time and location based automation are Reminders and the do not disturb settings.
 
coder12 said:
I'd personally love to have a smoke alarm that I could monitor from afar. It'd be good for the peace of mind!
Click to expand...

I have this with my home alarm system. It isn't even the Nest one.

I'd really like to be able to set lights to an Away mode so I don't have to deal with timers when out of town. Also, adjust the thermostat an hour before getting home from the same.

I'd also like to have lights come on inside when I open the garage door. Maybe kill circuits/outlets with vampire electrical devices from my phone remotely.

The feature I'd like the most, make them affordable. If these cost too much, they will never get more early adopter support.
 
So now Apple gets to lock us out of our home if we're not running the latest version of iOS.
 
HomeKit run by AppleTV??? Apple ought to make a single unified Mac app to run all HomeKit appliances and then port it to iOS. And it could be designed to be very nifty. Imagine, for ex., a diagram of your yard marked off into the various zones of your artificial irrigation system, so that if you click on a certain zone you can set the run time for that particular one. And of course with timers built in, so you can do things like start your furnace a half hour before getting out of bed in the morning. There's plenty of room for ingenuity here, AppleTV is such an undersubscribed product that using it as the control device is sorta like banishing the whole scheme to Siberia.
 
I hope someone makes an app that works better than that POS Phillips hue with Apple's smart LED bulbs.
 
Can someone remind me what that big structure at the iPhone event was already ?

This whole HomeKit idea is rather interesting, since I'll be able to integrate all my products together (ultimately). This is the biggest lack nowadays.
 
PsykX said:
Can someone remind me what that big structure at the iPhone event was already ?

This whole HomeKit idea is rather interesting, since I'll be able to integrate all my products together (ultimately). This is the biggest lack nowadays.
Click to expand...

I think it was a showroom for all the apple products after the keynote. sort of a temp apple store.
 
AtomicDusk said:
I can't imagine using an :apple:TV to manage homekit or the connected devices, at least in its current iteration.

I remember my brother had on-screen notifications through his cable provider of some home automation stuff, it was odd and annoying.
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As far as I understand the the Apple TV is just an in between. If you're away and change something it is going through your iPhone comunicatuong to your Apple TV that then tells the object what to do.
 
Anonymous Freak said:
LED bulb for $19.99. (Requires $50 "gateway" unit, but that controls more than just one light bulb.)

Or the Starter kit with two bulbs plus the gateway for $70.
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The smarter move would be to just get a smart light switch, which already exist. Then it doesn't matter if your fixtures are recessed down lights, lamp, chandelier, fluorescent, whatever.
 
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"letting users easily control HomeKit-connected devices from their living rooms through the Apple TV dashboard"

Yep, super easy... "Hey, Honey, can you turn the lights off?" "Yeah, let me just head downstairs, turn the TV on, turn the Apple TV on, and turn the surround sound receiver on. Then after it loads, I'll fumble through the dashboard because the Apple TV remote buttons are too small... Wait. What did you want me to turn off again?"

Seriously. Even if you were already watching cable, you'd have to switch HDMI inputs to get to the Apple TV, then go through this process. Or even if you're watching a movie on Apple TV, you still have to leave that movie to access the HomeKit.

I would think using your phone or an iPad mini that controls the house is probably a bit easier.
 
tattooedyuppie said:
"letting users easily control HomeKit-connected devices from their living rooms through the Apple TV dashboard"

Yep, super easy... "Hey, Honey, can you turn the lights off?" "Yeah, let me just head downstairs, turn the TV on, turn the Apple TV on, and turn the surround sound receiver on. Then after it loads, I'll fumble through the dashboard because the Apple TV remote buttons are too small... Wait. What did you want me to turn off again?"

Seriously. Even if you were already watching cable, you'd have to switch HDMI inputs to get to the Apple TV, then go through this process. Or even if you're watching a movie on Apple TV, you still have to leave that movie to access the HomeKit.

I would think using your phone or an iPad mini that controls the house is probably a bit easier.
Click to expand...

Remember, Siri responds if plugged in...
 
tattooedyuppie said:
"letting users easily control HomeKit-connected devices from their living rooms through the Apple TV dashboard"

Yep, super easy... "Hey, Honey, can you turn the lights off?" "Yeah, let me just head downstairs, turn the TV on, turn the Apple TV on, and turn the surround sound receiver on. Then after it loads, I'll fumble through the dashboard because the Apple TV remote buttons are too small... Wait. What did you want me to turn off again?"

Seriously. Even if you were already watching cable, you'd have to switch HDMI inputs to get to the Apple TV, then go through this process. Or even if you're watching a movie on Apple TV, you still have to leave that movie to access the HomeKit.

I would think using your phone or an iPad mini that controls the house is probably a bit easier.
Click to expand...

You didnt get it. You dont have to use the Apple TV. Its just a hub. Think you are away and you want to turn the lights off. Take out your iphone and it sends a signal to the apple TV which is controlling the lights at your home to shut the light off. Your iphone isnt talking to the bulbs directly.
 
mw360 said:
Apple are done with the i
Click to expand...

Yeah, seems like it. The "i" everything reminds me more of knock-offs at mall kiosks than actual Apple products at this point. Seems very 2003.

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bennibeef said:
You didnt get it. You dont have to use the Apple TV. Its just a hub. Think you are away and you want to turn the lights off. Take out your iphone and it sends a signal to the apple TV which is controlling the lights at your home to shut the light off. Your iphone isnt talking to the bulbs directly.
Click to expand...

using Siri "from their living rooms" sounds like you have to be there.
 
tattooedyuppie said:
"letting users easily control HomeKit-connected devices from their living rooms through the Apple TV dashboard"

Yep, super easy... "Hey, Honey, can you turn the lights off?" "Yeah, let me just head downstairs, turn the TV on, turn the Apple TV on, and turn the surround sound receiver on. Then after it loads, I'll fumble through the dashboard because the Apple TV remote buttons are too small... Wait. What did you want me to turn off again?"

Seriously. Even if you were already watching cable, you'd have to switch HDMI inputs to get to the Apple TV, then go through this process. Or even if you're watching a movie on Apple TV, you still have to leave that movie to access the HomeKit.

I would think using your phone or an iPad mini that controls the house is probably a bit easier.
Click to expand...

The ATV would just be the hub that wrangles and keeps status of all of your devices, much like it does with all of your iTunes servers (computers).
 
bflowers said:
I have this with my home alarm system. It isn't even the Nest one.

I'd really like to be able to set lights to an Away mode so I don't have to deal with timers when out of town. Also, adjust the thermostat an hour before getting home from the same.

I'd also like to have lights come on inside when I open the garage door. Maybe kill circuits/outlets with vampire electrical devices from my phone remotely.

The feature I'd like the most, make them affordable. If these cost too much, they will never get more early adopter support.
Click to expand...

A lot of this is already out there and available. I'm in the middle of a home automation project using the Insteon line of products controlled by a central WIFI enabled hub and managed via iOS (iPhone and iPad). Exterior lights on/off at sunset and sunrise or on demand via the app, interior lighting controlled by schedule or on demand via the app, lighting on/off with wifi motion sensors (REALLY nice in the middle of the night when the need to hit the bathroom comes around at 2 A.M, no stumbling around), garage door control, wifi cameras, thermostat, leak detection, etc.

Fairly inexpensive, which is a huge plus.
 
tigres said:
You can bet Nest is never going to be incorporated.
Click to expand...

Yeah, because Nest was bought by Google about a year ago.

I pre-ordered Nest when it was first announced and now I will probably dump it once something better is on the market....because we know what Google likes to do with all of the info they have collected.
 
fedup flyer said:
Yeah, because Nest was bought by Google about a year ago.

I pre-ordered Nest when it was first announced and now I will probably dump it once something better is on the market....because we know what Google likes to do with all of the info they have collected.
Click to expand...

Yeah, make products better... those jerks!
 
mkruck said:
A lot of this is already out there and available. I'm in the middle of a home automation project using the Insteon line of products controlled by a central WIFI enabled hub and managed via iOS (iPhone and iPad). Exterior lights on/off at sunset and sunrise or on demand via the app, interior lighting controlled by schedule or on demand via the app, lighting on/off with wifi motion sensors (REALLY nice in the middle of the night when the need to hit the bathroom comes around at 2 A.M, no stumbling around), garage door control, wifi cameras, thermostat, leak detection, etc.

Fairly inexpensive, which is a huge plus.
Click to expand...

I'm doing similar with an ISY controller. As soon as HomeKit was announced at the Developers conference, someone posed the question about HomeKit support to Universal Devices (makers of the ISY). Will be interesting to see how SmartHome, UDI and others work to integrate with HomeKit.

I think the potential to be able to use different technologies (Insteon, Z-Wave, 1-wire, etc) all via HomeKit will be cool. We'll see how it all shapes up.

For some of those wondering why you'd need an AppleTV to do this sort of stuff, think about programs and timed events which you'd want to occur or be handled while your iDevices are away from home. My ISY handles outdoor house and landscape lighting, irrigation, and simulated "at-home" indoor lighting (when we're away from home) automatically. I have a bunch of 1-wire

The additional convenience of HomeKit for me would come from Siri integration and being able to control things via voice ("Hey, Siri" mode). This could well come via the iWatch (as others have mentioned). "Hey, Siri, turn on the Living Room lamps to 43% brightness." "Hey, Siri, prepare the Home Theatre room for watching a movie." "Hey, Siri, are the garage doors closed?"
 
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