CES 2016: iDevices Debuts Four New HomeKit Accessories

[MacRumors]

iDevices has announced four new connected home products at CES 2016 featuring Apple's HomeKit technology, including the iDevices Socket, Wall Switch, Dimmer Switch and Wall Outlet. The home automation accessories can be controlled with Siri and the free iDevices Connected app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

iDevices Socket - This socket allows homeowners to control their standard light bulbs from anywhere using the iDevices Connected app. The iDevices Socket features dimming functionality and a customizable LED nightlight for changing the light color and adjusting the brightness. The iDevices Socket launches in Q1 2016.
iDevices Wall Switch and Dimmer Switch - These connected wall switches enable users to control their home's lighting from anywhere using the iDevices Connected app. The accessory can function as both a standard on/off wall switch or as a dimmer switch, and each feature customizable LED night lights to locate them in the dark. The switches will be available in Q2 2016.
iDevices Wall Outlet - The iDevices Wall Outlet is a hard-wired version of the iDevices Switch, and provides users the ability to control, monitor and schedule power to both outlets individually using the iDevices Connected app. The iDevices Wall Outlet will be released for sale in Q3 2016.
iDevices Connected App - The free companion iDevices Connected app enables users to add iDevices products to their home network, securely pair them with their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, add them to a room, set dynamic schedules and add custom photos and names. The app also supports HomeKit-enabled products from other manufacturers like iGrill.The new HomeKit accessories will be released throughout 2016, but pricing was not disclosed. iDevices will provide live demos of these new products during CES 2016 at The Sands Expo booth 71525.

Article Link: CES 2016: iDevices Debuts Four New HomeKit Accessories

 

[aawil]

The dimmer switch is exactly what I've been waiting for.

 

[lincolntran]

I'm so sick of these smart devices being so unreasonably expensive. I want to replace every outlet and switches in my house but I'm not going to give out my arm and leg!

 

[parseckadet]

I don't want every switch and outlet in my house restricted to only being used with an iOS device. Where are the HomeKit to Z-Wave and/or ZigBee bridge devices/hubs? The industry has been talking about such things for two years now, and yet there's still nothing even being demoed right now.

 

[Wondercow]

I still prefer Insteon. I love the idea of HomeKit's voice control but it still doesn't come close to the power of a hardware or software controller and an Insteon (or Z-Wave) network.

 

[Peepo]

I have about 30 insteon wall switches. Some are in virtual 3 way for example a hallway where two switches can control a light. One is actually connected to the load and the other slave just links to it and can also control and all updates its led accordingly. Does anyone know how this will be handled with HomeKit switches ?

 

[olisones]

Would be great if they release a UK version of these.

 

[Peepo]

Hown

I still prefer Insteon. I love the idea of HomeKit's voice control but it still doesn't come close to the power of a hardware or software controller and an Insteon (or Z-Wave) network.

I disagree. I have ISY994i and 30+ Insteon Devices.

HomeKit is powerful but in different ways.

2 ways for automation:
One relies on yourself for the infrastructure with controller and programming/integrating yourself.
Other relies on open standard (eg. HomeKit) and you buy things and they just work with everything good enough.

I'm getting old and tired of jumping through hoops to get something to talk to my ISY that is not compatible. I have several different "helper" programs that integrate things together together and took me a long time to figure out. Now an average person can go and just buy something HomeKit compatible stuff and get it working. I was looking at a lock for my front door and thinking of getting ZWave module for my ISY but I think I'll just go with HomeKit now. Not investing a dime more in Insteon and won't support UDI anymore.

So far I have EcoBee 3 and am really impressed how all the HomeKit apps can just see each device. The integration and how it works is more powerful than I thought before I actually tried it.

 

[Tommyt74]

Would be great if they release a UK version of these.

Try lightwave rf, they have been out some years but are launching HomeKit devices sometime this year, work really well over 3G 4G networks.

 

[Dunk the Lunk]

I don't want every switch and outlet in my house restricted to only being used with an iOS device. Where are the HomeKit to Z-Wave and/or ZigBee bridge devices/hubs? The industry has been talking about such things for two years now, and yet there's still nothing even being demoed right now.

Isn't the new Hue bridge HomeKit and ZigBee compatible? Nest and Philips seem pretty cosy so wouldn't be surprised if it could do Weave too.

 

[laurim]

Just invested money on some WEMO devices. Belkin says they are working with Apple to get on the HomeKit protocol but it's not happening fast enough for me. I can't imagine what the hold-up could be. Really hoping I didn't pick the wrong horse to ride.

 

[robbyx]

Hown


I disagree. I have ISY994i and 30+ Insteon Devices.

HomeKit is powerful but in different ways.

2 ways for automation:
One relies on yourself for the infrastructure with controller and programming/integrating yourself.
Other relies on open standard (eg. HomeKit) and you buy things and they just work with everything good enough.

I'm getting old and tired of jumping through hoops to get something to talk to my ISY that is not compatible. I have several different "helper" programs that integrate things together together and took me a long time to figure out. Now an average person can go and just buy something HomeKit compatible stuff and get it working. I was looking at a lock for my front door and thinking of getting ZWave module for my ISY but I think I'll just go with HomeKit now. Not investing a dime more in Insteon and won't support UDI anymore.

So far I have EcoBee 3 and am really impressed how all the HomeKit apps can just see each device. The integration and how it works is more powerful than I thought before I actually tried it.

This. A few years ago I did a home model and this summer I will be adding on. When it came to electrical, I seriously considered Insteon, but after learning more about it and lurking on forums, I decided to skip it. It seemed needlessly complex, something ideal for geek and techie tinkering...but nowhere near "it just works". I really didn't find the idea of configuring and programming my smart home devices in any way appealing. I've been waiting for built-in plugs and switches to arrive. Now I might just consider HomeKit.

 

[Beerstalker]

I'm so sick of these smart devices being so unreasonably expensive. I want to replace every outlet and switches in my house but I'm not going to give out my arm and leg!

I can understand maybe wanting most of your switches changed out for homekit ones but all of them seems like overkill. No reason for a homekit switch on the light in my closet since the only time I need to turn it on is when I'm standing there looking in the closet. I suppose it might be ok to make sure that all the lights are off when you are gone or in bed, but still seems like overkill.

But why on earth would you want all of your outlets switched over? To me the only outlets that would make sense are ones that have lamps, fans, and possibly heaters plugged in. Maybe the outlet you use to charge your phones tablets, etc. with so the power bricks aren't creating vampire loads all the time but those are pretty minimal. Are you going to tell Siri to shut off your refrigerator, microwave, stove? I'm thinking no, so why would those outlets need swapped out? Well I plugged in the vacuum and turned it on but now I've got to find my phone and tell Siri to turn on this outlet. I don't want Siri turning off the power outlet my DVR is plugged into when I leave the house, as then it will miss my recordings, etc.

 

[lincolntran]

I can understand maybe wanting most of your switches changed out for homekit ones but all of them seems like overkill. No reason for a homekit switch on the light in my closet since the only time I need to turn it on is when I'm standing there looking in the closet. I suppose it might be ok to make sure that all the lights are off when you are gone or in bed, but still seems like overkill.

But why on earth would you want all of your outlets switched over? To me the only outlets that would make sense are ones that have lamps, fans, and possibly heaters plugged in. Maybe the outlet you use to charge your phones tablets, etc. with so the power bricks aren't creating vampire loads all the time but those are pretty minimal. Are you going to tell Siri to shut off your refrigerator, microwave, stove? I'm thinking no, so why would those outlets need swapped out? Well I plugged in the vacuum and turned it on but now I've got to find my phone and tell Siri to turn on this outlet. I don't want Siri turning off the power outlet my DVR is plugged into when I leave the house, as then it will miss my recordings, etc.

What I meant was that I wanted to have a smart house with smart outlet where I need them, smart lights almost everywhere, smart lock, smart thermostat, smart fridge, etc. I want a connected house. If you add all that up, it'll cost as much as the house....maybe a little less.

 

[Wondercow]

Hown
I disagree. I have ISY994i and 30+ Insteon Devices.

HomeKit is powerful but in different ways.

I'm getting old and tired of jumping through hoops to get something to talk to my ISY that is not compatible. I have several different "helper" programs that integrate things together together and took me a long time to figure out. Now an average person can go and just buy something HomeKit compatible stuff and get it working. I was looking at a lock for my front door and thinking of getting ZWave module for my ISY but I think I'll just go with HomeKit now. Not investing a dime more in Insteon and won't support UDI anymore.

So far I have EcoBee 3 and am really impressed how all the HomeKit apps can just see each device. The integration and how it works is more powerful than I thought before I actually tried it.

Yeah, I had an ISY 994i too--there's your mistake The Indigo software is much, much better for those wanting things to "just work"; it's also much easier to program and more powerful, too. And for those looking for even more simplicity, like you, the latest Insteon Hub is a HomeKit device, allowing Siri control of all Insteon devices.
[doublepost=1452051170][/doublepost]

It seemed needlessly complex, something ideal for geek and techie tinkering...but nowhere near "it just works". I really didn't find the idea of configuring and programming my smart home devices in any way appealing.

Insteon devices are no more complex than HomeKit and only require configuring and programming if the user wants to--just like HomeKit. If you want the living room lights to turn on when the front door is opened you'll need to program that no matter the system used.

 

[brianbunge]

Just invested money on some WEMO devices. Belkin says they are working with Apple to get on the HomeKit protocol but it's not happening fast enough for me. I can't imagine what the hold-up could be. Really hoping I didn't pick the wrong horse to ride.

I just ditched WeMo for Hue. I still have 2 WeMo light switches but I've removed all the bulbs. These new wall switches from iDevices will probably replace those as well.

 

[Peepo]

Yeah, I had an ISY 994i too--there's your mistake The Indigo software is much, much better for those wanting things to "just work"; it's also much easier to program and more powerful, too. And for those looking for even more simplicity, like you, the latest Insteon Hub is a HomeKit device, allowing Siri control of all Insteon devices.
[doublepost=1452051170][/doublepost]
Insteon devices are no more complex than HomeKit and only require configuring and programming if the user wants to--just like HomeKit. If you want the living room lights to turn on when the front door is opened you'll need to program that no matter the system used.

Here is ISY994i program set I wrote to check if Garage Door is open:

Yeah, I had an ISY 994i too--there's your mistake The Indigo software is much, much better for those wanting things to "just work"; it's also much easier to program and more powerful, too. And for those looking for even more simplicity, like you, the latest Insteon Hub is a HomeKit device, allowing Siri control of all Insteon devices.
[doublepost=1452051170][/doublepost]
Insteon devices are no more complex than HomeKit and only require configuring and programming if the user wants to--just like HomeKit. If you want the living room lights to turn on when the front door is opened you'll need to program that no matter the system used.

I disagree about complexity. It's not just like HomeKit.
And also Insteon is not really comparable to HomeKit. HomeKit is a standard of having devices that communicate with each other. Insteon can communicate using HomeKit with appropriate hub or interface.

More comparable would be an ISY994i controller vs. HomeKit. Here is example of a program I made to turn a garage light on with a motion sensor.

The program doesn't look predictable by looking at it. I have a bit of programming background and it took me a while to get my head around how the ISY calls and executes programs. The garage light program will keep the light on while it detects motion within 15 minutes over and over but it doesn't make sense how it would do that by looking at it. I doubt an average user could understand and write this stuff so it works with desirable and predictable results. The secret/answer is that every time a trigger (eg. Motion) calls a program, it kills the current program thread and starts over again. So if I was moving around the garage constantly, the program would keep restarting and never finish and shut off the lights after 15 minutes. It is only when I leave and not cause motion that it runs to its end and shuts off lights. Imagine trying to do more complicated things that depend on each other - whole bunch of fun with ISY.




Garage Motion - [ID 0021][Parent 0060]

If
Control 'Garage Motion-Sensor' is switched On
Or Status 'Garage Light' is 100%

Then
Set 'Garage Light' On
Wait 15 minutes
Set 'Garage Light' Off

Else
- No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

[CarlJ]

I'm so sick of these smart devices being so unreasonably expensive. I want to replace every outlet and switches in my house but I'm not going to give out my arm and leg!

Wait a few years. Every new field in technology starts out expensive, gets cheap after a while.
[doublepost=1452077680][/doublepost]

Isn't the new Hue bridge HomeKit and ZigBee compatible? Nest and Philips seem pretty cosy so wouldn't be surprised if it could do Weave too.

The Hue Bridge talks ZibBee to its bulbs, and has a native RESTful HTTP interface used by its apps and others. It also interfaces with HomeKit, though I'm certain of the mechanics - whether it just hands HomeKit a series of URLs to play back, or if it's more involved. My impression, having used it in my living room for a couple months, is that it works very well with apps using the native RESTful interface, and "mostly" with the HomeKit interface - don't know if the problems are on the Hue or Apple side, but sometimes Siri can't control the lights and I have to go tap things in the Hue app to re-sync the commands. Still, it's pretty awesome being able to say, "hey Siri, set movie mode" or "hey Siri, turn off the lights", and have it happen.
[doublepost=1452078164][/doublepost]The article is arranged a bit comfusingly. The headline says four new accessories. The article prominently presents four bullet points, three of which describe the four new products, and the fourth of which describes the existing control app. Makes it seem in first glance like the app is new.

 

[laurim]

I just ditched WeMo for Hue. I still have 2 WeMo light switches but I've removed all the bulbs. These new wall switches from iDevices will probably replace those as well.

FWIW- I just got a WEMO switch and WEMO maker and hooked them up to my projector and electric screen. Using IFTTT I can use my iPhone to trigger with one push my projector on/screen down/lights off and vice versa. With my X-10 system it was several buttons and two remotes. Big improvement! I'm just looking forward to being able to tell Siri it is "Movie Time!" and be even lazier. I think I could make the Echo do it if I still used IFTTT but I'm not sure I want to buy one yet. Disappointed Belkin didn't announce any HomeKit progress at CES. They keep saying in the forum they are working on it but don't say what exactly the holdup is.

 

[brianbunge]

FWIW- I just got a WEMO switch and WEMO maker and hooked them up to my projector and electric screen. Using IFTTT I can use my iPhone to trigger with one push my projector on/screen down/lights off and vice versa. With my X-10 system it was several buttons and two remotes. Big improvement! I'm just looking forward to being able to tell Siri it is "Movie Time!" and be even lazier. I think I could make the Echo do it if I still used IFTTT but I'm not sure I want to buy one yet. Disappointed Belkin didn't announce any HomeKit progress at CES. They keep saying in the forum they are working on it but don't say what exactly the holdup is.

Exactly why I gave up on them. They kept saying it was "in the works" on the forum. I decided there was more I wanted to do but wasn't willing to spend any more money on their system or wait any longer on them.

 

[parseckadet]

Isn't the new Hue bridge HomeKit and ZigBee compatible? Nest and Philips seem pretty cosy so wouldn't be surprised if it could do Weave too.

Yes, but ZigBee switches are less common than Z-Wave. GE finally released one in the last few monhs, but has had a Z-Wave switch for years. Besides, I'm looking for something more intelligent than the the Hue hub. I'm looking for something more like the SmartThings hub.

 

[Wondercow]

I disagree about complexity. It's not just like HomeKit.
And also Insteon is not really comparable to HomeKit. HomeKit is a standard of having devices that communicate with each other. Insteon can communicate using HomeKit with appropriate hub or interface.

More comparable would be an ISY994i controller vs. HomeKit. Here is example of a program I made to turn a garage light on with a motion sensor.

The program doesn't look predictable by looking at it. I have a bit of programming background and it took me a while to get my head around how the ISY calls and executes programs. The garage light program will keep the light on while it detects motion within 15 minutes over and over but it doesn't make sense how it would do that by looking at it. I doubt an average user could understand and write this stuff so it works with desirable and predictable results. The secret/answer is that every time a trigger (eg. Motion) calls a program, it kills the current program thread and starts over again. So if I was moving around the garage constantly, the program would keep restarting and never finish and shut off the lights after 15 minutes. It is only when I leave and not cause motion that it runs to its end and shuts off lights. Imagine trying to do more complicated things that depend on each other - whole bunch of fun with ISY.

Like I said, I had an ISY for two years--I get how unique the experience is You seem to be looking at it in isolation, though. There are other hubs and controllers that are much simpler than Universal Devices' offerings. (And let's not forget that one doesn't need to create programs for things to work--that's extra)

 

[laurim]

Exactly why I gave up on them. They kept saying it was "in the works" on the forum. I decided there was more I wanted to do but wasn't willing to spend any more money on their system or wait any longer on them.

What system is any better, though? When I looked into it, it seemed like WEMO had the most components to work with, the most reasonable pricing and I have had success with Belkin products in the past. That's why I went with them.

EDIT: Just got a survey request about WEMO that asked my opinion about the products I have, their app and what I would like to see in the future. They also asked if I wanted to participate in beta testing so I signed up. Good sign that they are still working on things.

 

[brianbunge]

What system is any better, though? When I looked into it, it seemed like WEMO had the most components to work with, the most reasonable pricing and I have had success with Belkin products in the past. That's why I went with them.

EDIT: Just got a survey request about WEMO that asked my opinion about the products I have, their app and what I would like to see in the future. They also asked if I wanted to participate in beta testing so I signed up. Good sign that they are still working on things.

It just seems they were one of the first ones out with inexpensive smart bulbs, and because they are a big company I expected them to get on board more quickly. I'll also say until the last firmware update the app has been a real PITA. I went months after the previous update where I constantly was resetting the devices because the app wouldn't recognize them. When they finally fixed it I had already had enough.

It is a good sign that they are wanting beta testers.

 

[steve knight]

I'm so sick of these smart devices being so unreasonably expensive. I want to replace every outlet and switches in my house but I'm not going to give out my arm and leg!

Is your wiring three wire? You need power to these.