HomeKit Can HomeKit still 'win'?

[Brien]

Seems like Alexa has clearly won the smart home wars.

I feel like Apple needs to either open up Siri to third party devices or go buy Ecobee or something... but so so SO many devices are Alexa/Google only. It's very disheartening.

 

[StumpyBloke]

I suppose it depends on your definition of win. In my house it has won because all of my devices are HomeKit pretty much. But in the larger sense of the word, I don’t think they’ve got a chance in hell. Too restricted, too closed, not quick enough to adapt to new devices.

 

[waw74]

I really like the home app and homekit. But you have to use it for what it is, It shines at basic controls, and scene playback. Being able to control my house from anywhere by talking into my wrist is pretty cool. I mainly use this to start cooling the house down as I leave work (although not an issue these days)
the home app is also miles ahead as a dashboard.
Having a motion sensor being able to push a camera still as a notification to the lock screen your phone, even if they are from different manufacturers is nice.
And unlike in other areas, siri is pretty smart for homkit, She is able to exclude lights or rooms "Turn off all the lights except for the kitchen cabinets" and set relative levels, "dim the living room by 20%"

If you want to do any sort of involved automation or scripting though, homekit isn't the place for that. But Alexa and Google don't do well here either.

I use a home automation program called homeseer that has access to everything in my house. And then a program called Homebridge to get devices into homekit that don't support it natively.
Homebridge is a program that translates non-homekit devices into homekit. There are plugins for most smart devices, like TVs, cameras, smart vacs, thermostats.

My native homekit stuff like Hue is added to both homeseer and homekit independently.
my non-native things like Z-wave wall switches are added to homeseer, and then I use homebridge to get them into homekit.

Since everything is in homeseer, I can script things that need it there
I have a virtual thermostat for my bedroom ceiling fan, it uses a temp sensor, and will adjust the fan as the room warms or cools, That all happens in homeseer, but I can use Siri to control it, I can either set the fan speed directly, or set a target temp.


An option to homeseer is home assistant, which is another home automation software, but it basically has homebridge built in, so you can add devices to homekit directly from that software




Homekit not being included in devices, is squarely on the various manufacturers. The protocol is open to all, although my guess is the licensing fee per device is probably higher for homekit than it is for Alexa. Which is why you don't see homekit in lower cost products.
It's not that Apple hasn't put homekit in X device, it's that the people who make X device decided not to put homekit into it.

 

[JBaby]

I don’t have a lot of home automation. But  has won for me. The only Amazon device I own is a Kindle. I don’t own anything Google, although my tv, Vizio M558-G1, has Smartcast. It’s also HomeKit enabled. I’ve only used it once. I have a Hunter Symphony HomeKit Fan. For years Hunter said it worked with all 3 platforms. But from all reviews that wasn’t true. The Amazon and Google people complained about not even being able to set their fans up because the app didn’t work. The app was trash for so long. But it was never a problem for me because you can set up HomeKit devices without their company apps.  also won for me because I don’t trust all home automation. My Mom has a Sonos Beam, Alexa has never been activated.

 has never had a problem with being niche. They thrive there. When they want to open up more they will. Companies will support HomeKit. Frankly HomeKit needs to be renamed to  Home. The technology should be called HomeKit.

 

[TonyC28]

How do we define a win in this space? I’m hoping that Project Connected Home leads to some simplification. I’m someone who is neck-deep in Apple’s ecosystem so HomeKit kind of already won for me before it even began, but I also prefer Nest for my thermostat and cameras. 95ish% of my HomeKit devices operate on automations so in that regard I don’t care which app is doing the work since I don’t have to interact with it after it’s set up. And while I have them all running through HomeKit, I can’t deny that their native apps could handle most of my automations. Except maybe the “when I get home” stuff. This really has me thinking now: what would a win be here?

 

[inkahauts]

I try and make sure the stuff I get is both HomeKit and Alexa compatible... then I have no worries. And a lot of stuff out there is that these days... a lot more than used to be.

 

[dontwalkhand]

I do run a Windows Server 2019 server at home, mostly for our domain controller (because what geek doesn't run a domain controller at home), file server, etc. So I threw up HomeBridge on there, and now I have pretty much everything in my house inside of HomeKit, which is great. I can control everything form the Home app on the Mac or on our iOS devices. The Home app on the Mac is the best ever because it allows me to quickly drop the temp, or turn on a light while I am working without having to get up from the computer.

As for Alexa, I hate it, I only have one for a kitchen timer. The app is terrible, and the device doesn't always respond. I may get rid of it and get a HomePod instead. I also have Google Homes, but other than Philips Hue, it doesn't play well with the rest of my smart home accessories.

 

[Philpug]

Some of us are old enough to remember the Beta vs. VHS war in the 80's. At lease some of the products are compatible with both platforms. It would be nice if HomeKit wold work with all without needing an additional bridge.

 

[x-evil-x]

Seems like Alexa has clearly won the smart home wars.

I feel like Apple needs to either open up Siri to third party devices or go buy Ecobee or something... but so so SO many devices are Alexa/Google only. It's very disheartening.

Alexa has not won anything. The app is horrible. The layout of your devices is garbage. How you control the lights is garbage. Really Alexa is the entry level smart home device for people that don't care much.
Google home is also the same way but a little bit better than the Alexa as far as app goes. Still they have no competition with HomeKit IF you have HomeKit things, which you should.
Homekit is way better than any of those. All my lights are hue/lifx/lutron/ikea. All work with HomeKit. All my smart plugs work with HomeKit. My fan works with HomeKit. I can control everything in one app with Siri and its fast and simple. Theres always a lag with Alexa to control things for some reason.
The HomeKit app looks much better than both of those and performs better for scenes and quick controls for lighting. My HomeKit also connects to my harmony hub and I control my tv/receiver whatever with scenes and or motion sensors. All the ikea smart home stuff works with HomeKit. The hue accessories all work with HomeKit. I wake up walk past my hallway and the kitchen lights and my kitchen breakfast making scene turns on with the tv all without doing anything. Try setting that up in an Alexa and have it remembering. I have no idea why my Alexa app always adds multiples of devices and it always seems like there's issues.
Anyway, to me HomeKit is where its at. Start converting all your things and don't worry about anything else.

 

[Brien]

It doesn't matter if it works better if only a small percent of devices support it. I've found it quite limiting on which platforms exclude HomeKit. Nest, Ring etc. (Yes I know they're owned by competitors.)

 

[x-evil-x]

It doesn't matter if it works better if only a small percent of devices support it. I've found it quite limiting on which platforms exclude HomeKit. Nest, Ring etc. (Yes I know they're owned by competitors.)

yes small amount of devices don't support it. I own a nest and nest cam and thinking about selling to get all on HomeKit. But its not bad with my other google home and Alexa to control the nest. Id just like video being stored on my HomeKit/iCloud. Other than that there is tons of devices that support HomeKit.

 

[smf72]

One other issue that needs to be addressed is the 5 camera limit for HomeKit.

 

[inkahauts]

I have noticed it seems a lot more devices work with all platforms and are getting less expensive.

 

[JBaby]

I have noticed it seems a lot more devices work with all platforms and are getting less expensive.

This is what I’m finding too. I don’t have anything that’s just HomeKit only. But my home is solely a HomeKit home.

 

[boltjames]

Win? It’s a billion dollar annual business for Apple.

And it’s not a personal assistant. It’s an Apple Music audio system. The best sounding streaming speaker ever made.

 

[Applestock]

Win? It’s a billion dollar annual business for Apple.

And it’s not a personal assistant. It’s an Apple Music audio system. The best sounding streaming speaker ever made.

The question is about HomeKit, not HomePod.I think HomeKit will win when you can buy split AC units that supports HomeKit and homepod minis that have temp sensors and proximity/presence built in. No longer will you be limited to automating the whole house temp when you come and go. Instead, lights and temp are automatically managed on a per room basis as you move around your house.

 

[AustinIllini]

It doesn't matter if it works better if only a small percent of devices support it. I've found it quite limiting on which platforms exclude HomeKit. Nest, Ring etc. (Yes I know they're owned by competitors.)

Honestly, Homebridge is so easy, that's not even an issue for me. I have an old mac I leave on as a hub and my Ring devices all work with HomeKit