Round one of the Apple HomeKit product rollout (pictures)
With five brands releasing Homekit-friendly smart home devices, it's showtime for Apple's iOS-based smart-home platform.
Showtime for Apple HomeKit
A year ago, Apple announced its ambitions for the connected home, with plans for an iOS-based smart home platform called HomeKit. Now, the first batch of HomeKit-compatible products are finally making their way to consumers. Click through to see what's available.
Lutron Caseta Wireless Lighting Starter Kit
Smart lighting manufacturer Lutron has a couple of HomeKit-friendly starter kits you can order right now for $230. Plug your lamp into a smart outlet like this one, and you'll be able to control it, dim it, or automate it from your iOS device. You can also just tell Siri to turn the lights off.
Wall switches, too
Lutron also makes connected dimmer switches for hardwired lights -- expect these to get into the mix as well, along with automated window shade controls.
iHome Smart Plug
Plug this $40 iHome Smart Plug into the wall, then plug something else in behind it, and you'll be able to turn it on or off using your phone, or automate when it should turn on or off. That's a handy way to automate a space heater or an air conditioner -- and again, you can also tell Siri when to flip the switch.
Elgato Eve
Device maker Elgato has a system of smart home sensors designed to monitor ambient conditions in your home. That info can help put the connected home into context, and tell your devices when to do something automatically (a heater coming on when it gets too cold, for instance).
Comings and goings
Stick this two-part sensor on your door or window, and your system will know whenever something gets opened.
Ecobee3 Smart Thermostat
Ecobee's been in the connected thermostat business for years, but their newest model is a HomeKit-compatible unit with a sleek, minimalist touchscreen. With Apple's blessing, that could spell competition for the dominant Nest Learning Thermostat.
Extra sensors
With the Ecobee3, you can place additional temperature sensors in different rooms, so the thermostat can tell how hot or cold it is in more than one spot. Built in motion detectors can tell where you are -- the Ecobee will optimize its performance based on the specific room you're in.
Insteon's HomeKit Hub
Insteon's another smart home veteran tossing its hat into the HomeKit ring. A new, HomeKit-compatible version of its hub will act like a router for all of your smart home devices, and bring the huge number of Insteon sensors and gadgets into the Apple fold.
LEDs, too
Those other Insteon gadgets include the well reviewed Insteon LED, a bulb with a whopping 50,000-hour lifespan and built-in smarts. Just screw it wherever you like and start automating away.