Nearly a year after HomeKit was announced, devices compatible with Apple's smart home platform have finally arrived on the market.
A number of third-party manufacturers have revealed devices that can be controlled via your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. HomeKit also works with Siri, so voice commands like "Siri, turn off the lights," will allow you to control these devices in your home.
Lutron, iHome, Elgato, Insteon and Ecobee have all debuted devices on the market ranging from smart lights to more complete smart hub systems in a variety of price ranges.
The Lutron Caséta Wireless Smart Bridge allows users to control lights, shades and thermostats via your Apple device of choice. It also features geofencing so that lights automatically turn on when you enter the room. The Smart Bridge costs $120 and then you'll need to add light dimmers controls, which start at $60. The app you can download for free. Geofencing is a software feature that uses GPS or RFID to define geographical boundaries and set zones.
Elgato's Eve HomeKit-compatible sensors are also available on preorder starting Tuesday, June 2. The sensors can detect temperature, humidity, energy use, motion, air quality and even whether your windows and doors are open or shut. All the data is fed directly to an app on your iOS device. There's also an Eve smartplug but it's initially only available for European sockets. The weather and window detection sensors cost $50 whereas the Eve room, which detects indoor humidity and air quality, is priced at $79.95.
Ecobee is releasing the first HomeKit-compatible smart thermostat, which will be available in stores in July for $249. The ecobee3 can measure temperature and occupancy in multiple rooms of the house to adjust cooling and heating when a person is home and when away.
iHome has a Wi-Fi enabled SmartPlug, which allows you make any of your electrical devices "smart." The iSP5 fits into a standard wall socket and allows you to control any device connected to it via HomeKit. It will be available for preorder on June 15 and the company has promised more compatible devices in the near future.
Insteon is offering a wider solution with a smart home Hub that controls its full suite of products including cameras, alarms and smart bulbs, but has yet to release pricing details.
Apple's HomeKit was first announced at the 2014 Worldwide Developer Conference but it has taken manufacturers a full year to complete Apple's certification process and get products ready for store shelves. We can expect to see more detail on these devices at WWDC 2015, which runs from June 8-15 in San Francisco.
