Yes this post contains Affliate links that I may get paid for if you click/purchase…You think I’m writing this just because?
It’s been a while since Apple’s smart home tech was announced.
Back then, there wasn’t many smart home products/brands that were capable or willing to integrate with HomeKit.
A couple years have passed, and Apple has lightened up on 3rd-party restrictions. That means there are more products available. So now I think it’s finally time to replace and expand my smart home tech.
I do have several smart home gadgets around the house, but most of them are Alexa-compatible. I like that Apple is more secure than Amazon from a personal data perspective, and all of my family members have Apple devices. So I’m willing to swap out and upgrade my current devices to create a total Apple home/household.
I only have a late-model door lock from August and two late-model Ecobee thermostats that I can test with HomeKit now. Eventually they will have to be upgraded as well.
My only gripe with HomeKit as it stands is the setup is NOT intuitive AT ALL. It took me…ME a couple tries to understand how to set up my home, add users and add devices. All that to say, the user-interface still needs work.
The benefit of course is when everything is operational, we only have to use one interface (the Home app) to manage everything. Additionally, we can use Siri from any of our personal Apple devices or family HomePods to send commands to our home.
I’ll be sure to update the site with my Smart HomeKit progress.