Apple’s HomeKit home automation feature can be super convenient when you have the right accessories in place, but finding compatible hardware isn’t always the easiest.That finally started to change last year with the introduction of lotsof new HomeKit-enabled smart home products.
That trend appears to be continuing based on new HomeKit accessories we saw at CES 2017 last week. HomeKit works best in my experience when you have lots of accessories like bulbs, plugs, thermostats and locks, and there is plenty of new hardware on the rise.
These are the best new HomeKit productshitting the market this year:
Augustalready offers one of the easiest connectedlocks to install and start using with the $229 HomeKit-enabled Smart Lock (review), and now the company is introducingthe $99Mortise Kitfor mortise style locks.
Certified locksmiths, property developers and managers can purchase the Mortise Kit directly from August with bulk discounts available now.
Carrieris launching its first HomeKit-compatible smart thermostat this year with a new model initsCr line. The company says its upcoming HomeKit HVAC controller will ship for $249 in early 2017.
Current Cr thermostats from Carrier won’t be compatible with HomeKit so you’ll want to wait for the new model or check out some of the current options like ecobee3 (review) and ecobee3 Lite , Honeywell Lyric Round (review) and Lyric T5 (review), and iDevices Thermostat .
Chamberlainis delivering the first-ever HomeKit solution for garage door openers in the first half of this year. MyQ Home Bridge will bring HomeKit support to current Chamberlain MyQ garage door openers and be priced at $69.99 after a special $49.99 introductory price in April.
Separately,Smart Garage Hub will retrofit any modern garage door opener with HomeKit control and be available in July. Pricing for Smart Garage Hub is not yet known.Both solutions will enable users to open, close, and check the garage door status remotely, as well as include garage door control in scenes and automations.
D-Linkwill be shipping one of the first HomeKit-compatible home security cameras this year after iOS 10 added support for video in Apple’s new Home app.
Omna 180 Cam HD will offer a “full 180-degree field of view for whole-room viewing, 1080p resolution, night vision, motion-detection, two-way audio and a microSD card slot with support for 128GB cards.”Pricing and availability aren’t yet known but we’re getting closer after commitments to ship werefirst made last summer.
Elgatohad an impressive showing of HomeKit hardware at CES this year with current and upcoming accessories on display.
Eve Extend is a battery-poweredBluetooth range extender that makes using outside accessories possible or more reliable. Pricing and availability will be coming in the future.
Elgato’s Eve line will also include a new smoke detector and wireless irrigation controller, although HomeKit compatibility isn’t known for the pre-released hardware. Elgato offers a wide range of HomeKit hardware ( light switches , motion sensors , plugs , climate sensors , and more ), however, so it’s possible HomeKit support will be included.
Focalcresthas promised an upcomingMixtile Hub that claims to be able to make smart home accessories that rely onZigBee, Z-Wave, and other protocols compatible with HomeKit. Ubisys has a similar solution in the works for later this year.
Koogeekis expanding its HomeKit lineup with $34.99 Smart Plugs and $50.99 Smart Sockets that work over Wi-Fi and will launch this year.
Honeywellcurrentlyoffers two HomeKit thermostats mentioned above, and soon the company will introduce two newWi-Fi indoor cameras with HomeKit support . The L