Last year, we shared a list of some of the best HomeKit products you can buy, which was quite popular with MacRumors readers, so we thought we'd follow it up.

In our 2019 HomeKit video, we're featuring some more great ‌HomeKit‌ products, and we've added in some AirPlay 2 accessories as well.

  • Vizio TVs - ‌HomeKit‌ and ‌AirPlay‌ 2 support is coming to a bunch of TVs from Sony, LG, Vizio, and Samsung later this year, but Vizio has already rolled out support on some of its TVs in a beta capacity. If you have a recent M-Series or P-Series Vizio TV, you can try it out. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 lets you ‌AirPlay‌ content from your Apple devices right to the TV, and your TV will also show up in ‌HomeKit‌. You can use the Home app and Siri commands to do things like change the volume, switch inputs, or turn the TV on or off.
  • Sonos Beam ($400) - The Sonos Beam is an ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled soundbar that's meant to be used with your TV, offering up impressive sound and allowing the same music to be played through other ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled speakers in your home, like the Sonos One or the HomePod.
  • BlueSound Pulse Flex 2i Speakers ($300) - BlueSound's Pulse Flex 2i Speakers are ‌AirPlay‌ 2 enabled, so you can use them alongside other ‌AirPlay‌ 2 devices. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 lets you play music on multiple speakers throughout the home, for a whole home audio experience. These are more expensive than some other competing products like the Sonos One, but BlueSound promises superior sound.
  • Chamberlain myQ Garage Door Opener and Home Bridge ($142) - Chamberlain's MyQ Garage Door Opener is compatible with ‌HomeKit‌, though depending on your setup, you may need an extra accessory. With ‌HomeKit‌ compatibility, you can ask ‌Siri‌ to open or close your garage door, and you can check to make sure it's closed for peace of mind. You can also use the MyQ app.
  • Hue Outdoor Light Strip ($70) - Hue recently introduced a whole range of outdoor lighting, including the Hue Outdoor Light Strip. It's similar to the indoor version, but with a great diffuse light and waterproofing so it can stay outside. It's flexible enough to go anywhere, but you can't cut this version. Hue lights can be turned millions of colors either with the Hue app, the Home app, or via ‌Siri‌.
  • Hue Signe ($160 to $240) - Hue also makes other unique lighting products, like the Hue Signe table and lamps. They're ‌HomeKit‌ enabled like other Hue lights, and while they're really expensive for lamps, they're cool and can fit just about anywhere because they're basically upright LED bars with aluminum stands. We have the table lamp, and it's a nifty accent light.

Have you used any of these ‌HomeKit‌ products, or have favorite ‌HomeKit‌ device we didn't mention? Let us know in the comments.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Top Rated Comments

Beerstalker Avatar
64 months ago
I've been very happy with the Leviton Homekit switches I have installed, I'm surprised they aren't mentioned here more.

I hadn't seen the Insignia garage door control, that has me very interested since I have a Genie opener that came out before MyQ. Should work fine for the attached garage in my house, but I'm guessing it won't work in my shed where the opener has separate open/close/stop buttons?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PastaPrimav Avatar
64 months ago
Those Hue light strips are just insane. $70 for 7 feet. Outrageous. You’re much better off buying some normal lights and connecting them to 1 HomeKit outlet.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mike MA Avatar
64 months ago
Reasonable points.

For what it's worth here's my experience / thoughts -- take it for what you will, just posting for sake of discussion and info sharing -- it is not my intention to argue or convince.

I've had a SkybellHD for a couple years now, bought it before I ever started messing with HomeKit. I find my interaction with it to be nearly always reactive -- I respond to a popup alert that someone's at the door (either button press or motion-detect) which then opens the app and prompts to watch live. On the occasions where I want to view live or view an earlier captures, "Hey Siri Open Skybell" brings up the app directly, so I can keep it out of the way in an app folder.

I haven't yet thought of any ways in which I would cause the SkybellHD to perform some sort of action like I do with unlocking my Schlage deadbolt or turning on/off a light. Though I guess it could be useful to have the SkybellHD trigger something like turning on a light or something, but have only just thought of that scenario so I guess it's not a big deal (to me). :)

I see there's a homekit capable video doorbell supposed to come out this year, though the article is light on information. The one feature it mentions (Siri command to instantly stream live video) doesn't seem much different from what I can already do using Siri to open the SkybellHD app and tapping the prominent "Watch live" on-screen button. *shrug* We shall see. https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/08/hands-on-netatmo-homekit-video-doorbell/
As a bottom line, HomeKit support is just an added value to your already made day by day user experience which you get for free - namely a deeper integration and security. That’s my main point.

What is of interest for me, can any of the mentioned doorbells also unlock doors remotely when you are on a different floor or cannot answer the door personally? I’m seeking this information quite some while now.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Volusia Avatar
64 months ago
I’ve been researching the garage door thing. It seems as if Insignia has departed both the Apple Store AND Amazon. The recent reviews on BestBuy.com MAY be an indication that Insignia has had real issues pushing out a promised firmware upgrade to solve numerous problems.
I have the MyQ system and use it a Siri Shortcut that allows me to open or close via Siri. Works well for me.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mike MA Avatar
64 months ago
Desperately waiting for a HomeKit video doorbell to arrive. Enough Hue and HomePods for us currently...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
64 months ago
This whole Home automation is still very much fragmented and few make it easy and stable.
I am looking for a reliable system that integrates just about everything around the house without becoming too geeky, or having to put code in to a program.
Integration into the switches I have is also a problem, here in Europe there are a few big brands of switches but few of them have Homekit support, the ones that have are ugly-not my taste.
Looked into Z-wave, seems like one of the best ones, sadly to take full advantage of all features you have to be able to code, right now I have little time to do this.
States to me is also important, by this I mean if there's a power outage (very rare here) it should not automatically return to on like the Philips Hue did before, I don't want it to be awakened by a full blast at night time.
There's another problem with hue, switches, the regular in wall ones, they do not communicate and that's the whole issue with Hue, switch it of and turning it on turns it to full on, Z-wave does not have this problem, it's also better and more stable than Zigbee.

I have a Nest Thermostat because I like the style of it, sadly it's now owned by Google for several reasons, one major issue is, there's no Homekit support, I think I know the reason....!!
I also dislike the thing it operates on battery, thought it could survive a substantial time without being on a charger, it barely survives minutes, do I have a faulty one...?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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