Smart home tech is one of the most exciting areas of consumer electronics, as the market continues to grow each year. HomeKit in particular has had a particularly strong 2017 with a record number of new products released.
I feel it is a good time to gather up the best, and most affordable HomeKit tech whether it is for your own home, or as a gift. Everything we've included, barring maybe one exception, comes in under $50.
The device categories that HomeKit supports has grown in the past few years, but not all categories see the love from manufacturers. One of the most underrated categories (in my opinion) is fans. Hunter makes the only HomeKit-enabled fans that are currently available, and it slides perfectly into the HomeKit ecosystem.
Apple followed up on today's release of iOS 11.2.1 with the tvOS 11.2.1 update for Apple TV.
Apple today released iOS 11.2.1, a small bug-fix update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Apple added support for HomeKit cameras with iOS 10, yet to date, only two cameras have hit the market with the feature. The first camera to bring support, was the D-Link Omna, and while it had a rocky start, iOS 11 brings several welcome enhancements.
Whether you have some ambiance lighting on your patio, or an entire holiday light showcase on your house, iDevices outdoor HomeKit switch allows you to control them with ease. The weatherproof box allows you to schedule, automate, gather energy insights, and use Siri from your phone to manage all of your outdoor lighting.
LIFX added support to their Wi-Fi connected bulbs, making them one of the most enticing options in the smart home lightning market. The LIFX Mini requires no hub, supports HomeKit, and a variety of special effects within the LIFX app.
A new vulnerability has been found in Apple's HomeKit platform, allowing a hacker the ability to control your lights, thermostats, garage door, or even your lock. Fortunately, a temporary fix has already been implemented by Apple.
HomeKit support continues to grow in the industry as Honeywell adds support for Apple's framework for the connected home to its Lyric Controller home security system.
Roughly a month after the last major Apple Watch software update, Apple has released watchOS 4.2, bringing support for Apple Pay Cash, among other changes.
Among all the other changes that iOS 11 brought to HomeKit, it completely reworked the way Bluetooth accessories communicated. Elgato updated the firmware on a trio of their popular HomeKit accessories to take advantage of these new changes and they now operate nearly instantly.
Today, iHome announced the latest edition to their smart home lineup, dubbed the iSP100 SmartPlug, just in time as people start decorating their homes for the holidays.