Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem may be uncharted territory if you’re new to buying some smart home products, but thankfully there isn’t much involved in using and setting up the platform. In this article we explain what HomeKit is and what you can do with it.
What is HomeKit
HomeKit is a platform from Apple that allows you to control smart home devices via your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. The aim is to bring equipment from different manufacturers together in a central location. This way you can easily determine the temperature in your home, turn on the lights or close the curtains from your mobile device. But you can also connect televisions, routers, speakers, cameras, air fresheners and doorbells to the HomeKit. In short: you can’t think of it that crazy.
HomeKit is therefore not so much a product or software, but rather a framework that connects all your smart devices via the internet. The goal is to make life at home even easier: you no longer have to get out of your easy chair to switch on the lights.
Home app
With the Home app you can connect your smart devices to the HomeKit platform. To establish a connection with an accessory, all you need to do is scan the unique code on that product with the app on your iPhone or iPad. Once you’ve set up that app, you can also immediately use Siri to control devices.
It becomes interesting if you have many devices at home that are supported by the HomeKit. You can then create various scenarios in the Home app. Does the sun go down? Then you can set the lights to turn on automatically and the front door to be locked. You no longer have to doubt whether the door is locked or the thermostat is still on when you go to bed.
Supported Products
You can make the scenarios as complex or simple as you want. HomeKit has been around for several years now and during that period the range of supported products has grown considerably. It is smart to check in advance whether a device is supported by Apple’s platform. The accessories must meet technical standards and support the HomeKit API to be certified. Logitech, IKEA, Netatmo and Philips, among others, make products that you can link to HomeKit. So you do not necessarily end up with products from Apple itself. apple loves here a list of all products that work with HomeKit.
In short: with some time (and money) you can automate your entire house thanks to Apple’s platform.
