Transform your home into a futuristic wonderland with these HomeKit gadgets

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HomeKit
HomeKit is all about letting your things talk to your other things.
Photo: Apple

Almost a year since Apple unveiled its home-automation platform HomeKit, the first compatible products were officially announced today — allowing you to start building that Jetsons-style smart home you’ve always dreamed about, operated via Siri using your iPhone, iPad or even Apple Watch.

Among the first wave of HomeKit offerings are smart lights, thermostats, and home sensors for tracking air quality, temperature, smoke, humidity, air pressure, energy, and water consumption in your house.

Check out the full list below.

Lutron Caséta Smart Bridge

And then there was light!
And then there was light!
Photo: Caseta

A wireless lighting hub, HomeKit will allow users of the Caséta Smart Bridge not only to control lighting in different parts to their home, but also to ask Siri if certain lights are switched on or off when you’re unable to see them; making it useful as well as flashy.

The Starter Kit includes two dimmers, two remotes, and a pair of pedestals. Unlike every other item on this list, it’s available from Apple Stores today — priced $229.95 — with an extra dimmer/remote pack costing an additional $59.95.

Elgato Eve

Start turning your house into a futuristic wonderland with these smart sensors.
Start turning your house into a futuristic wonderland with these smart sensors.
Photo: Elgato

A series of connected wireless sensors, Elgato Eve is designed to monitor both indoor and outdoor conditions such as air quality, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. It can also tell you whether doors and windows or closed, and whether there’s a device plugged in which is consuming large amounts of power — then allowing you to shut it off remotely.

While it’s not available to buy today, pre-orders for Elgato’s sensors have now started — with the plan being for the devices to hit Apple Store shelves sometimes in July. Sensors cost between $39.95 for Eve Door & Window and $79.99 for Eve Room.

ecobee3

The world's first HomeKit-enabled thermostat.
The world’s first HomeKit-enabled thermostat.
Photo: ecobee3

A Nest-style smart thermostat, the HomeKit-compatible Wi-Fi ecobee3 uses remote sensors to measure temperature and occupancy in multiple locations. Company literature suggests that owners tend to save an average of 23 percent on their heating and cooling costs.

It is expected to arrive in Apple Stores among other retail outlets in July, with a price tag of $249. Additional remote sensors will set you back $79 per pair.

Insteon Hub

Your one-stop-shop for the smart home.
Your one-stop-shop for the smart home.
Photo: Insteon

The Insteon Hub lets users control any connected Insteon products — including LED bulbs, thermostats, wall outlets, plug-in lamps, cameras, garage door openers, and more — plus any other HomeKit-enabled devices from one central hub.

“HomeKit streamlines home automation for consumers, brings together multiple manufacturers and offers advanced features like remote control and voice control through integrations with Siri,” says Insteon CEO Joe Dada.

The Hub lets you group different devices and functions together, making this something of a one-stop-shop for your connected home. It retails for $149.99, and is available today from Amazon.com and Smarthome.com, with plans for it to land in brick-and-mortar stores from early July.

iHome iSP5 SmartPlug

The iSP5 SmartPlug turns everything you plug into it into a smart device.
The iSP5 SmartPlug turns everything you plug into it into a smart device.
Photo: iHome

The last product on this list, you won’t be able to pre-order the iSP5 SmartPlug until June 15 — and there’s no pricing information available until then — but it’s expected to arrive in Apple Stores around the same time as other items on this list.

Simply put, the SmartPlug turns everything you plug into it into a quasi-intelligent device, which you can turn on or off by controlling its power. It’s also possible to create what are known as “scenes,” meaning that you’ll be able to group different items together for controlling at once. Neat!

Via: TechCrunch

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