HomeKit Accessories Worth Checking Out
Every so often, MacRumors videographer Dan rounds up some of his favorite home products that he's been using. We have another installment of our HomeKit series, this time featuring devices from Lutron, Belkin, Sonos, and more.
You can see everything in action in the video, and we have links and a short description for the HomeKit products below.
- Lutron Caseta Light Switches ($195 for a set) - It can be expensive to swap out bulbs for all of the lighting in your home, but with Lutron's Caseta Smart Lighting Switch and Dimmer Switch, you can wire up your house for HomeKit with minimal effort. You need a bridge for the Caseta devices, so it's best to buy them in a kit if you're replacing more than one light switch.
- Lutron Serena Smart Shades ($600) - Though not inexpensive, if you want a HomeKit house, Lutron makes a series of Serena Smart Shades that can be controlled using HomeKit. You'll need to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $600 per window, so this is pricey home improvement.
- Wemo Stage Scene Controller ($50) - The multi-button Wemo Stage Scene Controller can be used to control any HomeKit accessory with its assignable buttons.
- Hunter Ceiling Fan ($180) - Hunter's HomeKit-enabled ceiling fans are surprisingly affordable and can be controlled with Siri, making this a useful smart home addition. Pricing starts at $180 for the Aerodyne, but there are also higher-end models available.
- Sonos Beam Sound Bar - ($449) Sonos recently released its second-generation Beam, which is designed to work with a TV. It's AirPlay 2-enabled, so it shows up in the Home app and can be used with other AirPlay 2 speakers like the HomePod.
- HomePod mini ($99) - A HomePod mini is an essential component for a HomeKit setup as it can serve as a Home Hub, it works with Thread devices, and it supports Siri commands. Apple just released the HomePod mini in a selection of new colors, so it's a good time to buy.
Have a favorite HomeKit device that we left out? Let us know in the comments and we may highlight it in a future HomeKit video.
Related Stories
Belkin's Wemo brand today announced the launch of the Wemo Stage Scene Controller, a wireless remote control that allows HomeKit users to manage and control their various HomeKit scenes.
The Wemo Stage works with up to six HomeKit scenes, with each scene activated through long and short press functions. HomeKit scenes can be set up to activate multiple HomeKit products, and are useful for...
Apple released iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 on Wednesday with several security fixes, and we have since learned that the software updates also resolve an issue with HomeKit camera thumbnails failing to refresh for some users in the Home app.
HomeKit Secure Video cameras added to the Home app each have a thumbnail that provides a still view of recent footage, and normally these thumbnails...
Apple today announced a range of new smart home features for HomePod mini, Apple TV, and Apple Watch, as well as third-party Siri integration on accessories for the first time.
Siri on the HomePod now supports making commands to control content on an Apple TV. The HomePod mini can also be set as a default output for an Apple TV.
SharePlay will work with the Apple TV through FaceTime on...
Over the weekend, it was reported that Apple has been testing Swedish language support for Siri on the HomePod mini for at least two months, and now further reports claim that testing is also underway for Danish and Norwegian. Based on these reports, it's likely that Apple is planning to launch the HomePod mini in several Nordic countries this year, including Sweden, Denmark, and Norway....
Apple has been testing Swedish language support for Siri on the HomePod mini for at least two months, according to Macradion, suggesting that the HomePod mini will be released in Sweden at some point this year.
In addition to Sweden, the HomePod mini will likely launch in at least four more countries in 2022, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Russia, as the speaker gained...
Eero today released an iOS app update that includes new firmware for its Eero 6 and Pro 6 routers, introducing HomeKit support.
HomeKit support for the Eero 6 allows the routers to be managed through the Home app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. In the Home app, there are options to define how routers are able to communicate within the home and via the internet.
With HomeKit integration, Eero...
TP-Link today at CES 2022 announced that it will be expanding its Tapo line of smart home accessories from Europe to the United States, and some of the accessories will also be gaining support for Apple's smart home platform HomeKit, allowing the accessories to be controlled with Siri or the Home app on Apple devices.
Some of the HomeKit-enabled accessories will include the Tapo P125 Mini...
Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit features have been rolling out to a number of smart TVs, and as of today, the functionality is available on 2020 Toshiba and Insignia 4K UHD Smart Fire TVs.
AirPlay 2 is designed to allow iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to stream content to an AirPlay-compatible device, and with built-in support in Toshiba and Insignia TVs, an Apple TV is not required to use AirPlay ...
Popular Stories
While past rumors have indicated the upcoming second-generation AirPods Pro will feature a built-in heart rate and body temperature sensor, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has cast doubt on those rumors turning out to be true, saying instead such a feature is unlikely to come anytime soon.
"Over the past few months, there have been rumors about this year's model gaining the ability to determine a...
The M2 MacBook Pro has started making its way into customers' hands and we're learning more about how it performs in a variety of situations, but all eyes are really on the upcoming M2 MacBook Air which has seen a complete redesign and should be arriving in a couple of weeks.
Other top stories this week included a host of product rumors including additional M2 and even M3 Macs, an updated...
Apple is working on an Apple Watch Series 8 model with a larger display, according to DSCC's Ross Young and Haitong International Securities's Jeff Pu.
In October last year, Young suggested that the Apple Watch Series 8 could come in three display sizes. Now, responding to a query about the rumor on Twitter, Young claims that the additional display size joining the Apple Watch lineup will be ...
The upcoming launch of Apple's redesigned MacBook Air with the M2 chip has some Windows laptop manufacturers "worried" that sales of Intel-based laptops will be negatively affected, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes.
"A Wintel brand vendor pointed out that at a price point of US$1,000-$1,500, the MacBook Air will crowd out other high-end notebooks," the report claims, with...
The upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 will be able to tell a wearer if it believes they have a fever due to a higher than normal body temperature thanks to a new built-in sensor, according to Bloomberg's reliable Mark Gurman.
Writing in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman says that the Apple Watch Series 8 will feature a new body temperature sensor, given that the sensor passes ...
The redesigned MacBook Air with the all-new M2 Apple silicon chip will be available for customers starting Friday, July 15, MacRumors has learned from a retail source. The new MacBook Air was announced and previewed during WWDC earlier this month, with Apple stating availability will begin in July. The MacBook Air features a redesigned body that is thinner and lighter than the previous...
European Union lawmakers have approved landmark legislation to heavily regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other big tech firms.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) were proposed by the European Commission in December 2020. Now, collected in a "Digital Services Package," the legislation has been formally adopted by the European Parliament and seeks to address...
Top Rated Comments
I remember watching someone pushing a remote control button, and the glass went opaque. Loved it... Is that technology out there somewhere? It wouldn't be 'darkout' type shading, but is a start...
There are also versions that are like Transitions lenses that change tint from clear to grey/smokey