How Apple can make your home smarter. How much does it cost to bring HomeKit into your home?

In the summer of 2014 at WWDC 2014 Apple company presented its service for " smart home" Apple HomeKit, which is designed to simplify communication between your smart devices from different manufacturers, combining their control into one “remote control” - your Iphone, Ipad, Apple Watch or Apple TV.

"What is this even for?" - you ask, and the answer is as simple as possible: let’s say you have smart light bulbs, which are controlled by an application for IOS, but what if you have not only light bulbs, but also blinds, a thermostat and smart sockets? Each device, of course, will have its own application, and they will not be able to interact with each other, nor can they create any script. collaboration. To correct this situation, Apple HomeKit was created, which allows you to control all devices of an automated (yes, not smart, but automated) home using a single interface, as well as create work scenarios in which, for example, at 10 pm the blinds automatically close , the floor heating is turned on and the light brightness is reduced to 25%.
Responsible for HomeKit control Siri, which receives a command from you and sends it to one or more devices at once. For example, by saying “Good night” to Siri, you can trigger many actions related to this phrase: the blinds will close, the main light will turn off, and the bedside night light will turn on. At the same time, Siri does not send you to the lighting application, everything happens in familiar interface assistant

HomeKit immediately attracted the attention of hundreds of developers and manufacturers who are now producing devices for the system." House"from Apple. Any manufacturer can make their device compatible with this platform, Apple only has to approve the device and certify it with the mark " Works with Apple HomeKit", after which it can be controlled using iOS devices or Apple TV.

For an automated home Apple has already There are a huge number of accessories, such as lighting, locks, thermostats, blinds, alarms, sockets, weather stations, cameras, doorbells, sensors, air purifiers and many more.
Some interesting devices for Apple HomeKit, which seem to me to be one of the best are demonstrated below:

Ecobee3

Ecobee 3 is a smart and automated thermostat, a number of functions of which can be seen below:

• Installation temperature regime in each individual room.
• Setting the humidity level and operation of ventilation systems.
• Current weather forecast up to 4 days in advance with recommendations for calibrating the entire system.
• Flexible configuration of the operating schedule for each circuit and individual module. But don't say you weren't warned not to go where you shouldn't.
• You left the apartment - Ecobee3 switched the climate control to a state of “anabiosis” so as not to heat empty rooms in vain. And it will maintain the given regime even until the children arrive from school, even for the entire vacation period, regardless of how far the owner has gone.

Smart lock August. In addition to it, you can buy an August Doorbell Cam, which will make it possible, even when you are away from home, to see who came to you, and the device will record the date and time.

Withings Aura

An intelligent system that monitors and improves sleep quality. Aura collects data about your sleep (phases, duration), and also analyzes the external environment: air temperature, noise level, lighting. Works as a smart alarm clock - will wake you up during REM sleep.

Elgato Eve

Elgato Eve– a family of devices and sensors that interact with the HomeKit system.
Eve Door & Window. The sensor determines whether a window or door is closed or not. Of course, the sensor is more responsible for home safety than for comfort.
Eve Room– indoor wireless sensor climate, which records data such as air quality, temperature and humidity.
Elgato Eve Energy- smart sockets, sockets that estimate the energy consumption of devices have been on the market for quite some time. This is precisely the task that the Eve Energy socket is designed to perform, in in this case data is sent via HomeKit, available for further analysis.
The last component of the Eve line is a weather station. lgato Eve Weather collects weather data such as air pressure, temperature and humidity. The sensor is housed in an IPX3 waterproof housing, which is necessary for a weather station, since the Eve Weather housing will be exposed to adverse environmental influences, including wind and moisture.

Nanoleaf Aurora

This is a smart lighting system. You can assemble anything from “triangles”; the kit comes with only 9 “cells”, but generally up to 30 are supported.

Philips Hue

With these bulbs you can create your own intelligent system lighting, combining up to 50 lamps. Accordingly, with using Siri you can control the lighting throughout the house and garage, create scenarios, adjust the color of the lamps, and so on.

Home app

“Home” groups accessories by room, so you can control all the equipment in one room. For example, tell Siri: “Turn on the bedroom lights” or “Set the temperature to 24 degrees.” You can also perform more complex tasks - dimming the lights or adjusting the thermostat.

Set up your own scripts to manage a group of devices with a single command. For example, create a “Leaving the House” scenario that simultaneously turns off the lights, locks the door, and reduces the temperature.

Using Apple TV, you can close the doors, turn on the picture from the CCTV camera front door or, for example, run the script - remotely with iOS devices. As if you were at home.

What's the result?
In my opinion, Apple is moving in the right direction. After the company presentation at WWDC-2016 There is now an understanding of how Apple sees a smart home, and it is already clear that it is going to make the interaction between the user and devices as comfortable as possible. After release iOS 10 The work and capabilities of “Home” have become more extensive and better thought out.

On at this stage development of “smart” homes, everyone has everything they need to build their own smart home. And such a system will cost much less than analogues existing on the market.
Apple promises complete safety systems and provides a truly comfortable and convenient service and thoughtful service, however, as always with the guys from Cupertino.

Apple wants to put smart home automation on stream.

In other words: it wants to simplify communication between your smart devices from different manufacturers (for example, Philips Hue Lights smart bulbs, speakers, thermostats, curtains, locks and others touch devices). And Apple Homekit is a platform for connecting all these devices.

Apple first talked about HomeKit at the WWDC 2014 conference, which is when it presented the concept of its platform. All HomeKit-enabled devices are secure, simple, and work with multiple Apple gadgets (including including iPhone and Apple TV).

For example, the new Home app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch allows you to control all HomeKit-enabled devices. There's only a little time left to wait for the release of iOS 10. In the meantime, we're waiting for the release new iOS, let's figure out what you can do now.

HomeKit: What's the point?

Let's figure it out, for example, you already have smart lamps that you control using own applications for iOS. Why do you need HomeKit? What would happen if you also had “smart curtains”?

Without HomeKit, your smart lamps cannot communicate with your curtains, i.e. you can't control them from a single interface, you can't make them work together in certain time(for example, turn off the lights and close the curtains at the same time at 9 pm every day). In place of this you are manually, in individual programs, set the desired action for a certain time. This is not very convenient, to put it mildly.

And HomeKit-enabled devices can “talk” to each other, and even more, you can give them voice commands using the Siri voice assistant. Imagine you tell Siri: “turn on the garage lights” or “good morning” and a whole chain of commands automatically starts: coffee is brewed, curtains are opened, and so on.

All HomeKit-enabled devices automatically work with Siri; you only need to set them up once through the HomeKit app. Siri in this case only serves as an interface to all the applications that you install for your smart devices; the applications themselves are still needed to control them. So, everything is still not fully automated, but I think this is not far off.

And lastly, the HomeKit application encrypts all data transferred between Apple devices and gadgets. This means that attackers won't be able to steal your information or hack your automation controls.

HomeKit: Already available?

That's right, manufacturers are already releasing HomeKit-enabled devices. To do this, they receive special approval from Apple. So, we are waiting for even more devices to appear on store shelves.

HomeKit: WhichApple devices supportHomeKit?

HomeKit works with any iPhone, iPad and iPod touch under iOS control 8.1 or higher. You can also control smart devices using Apple Watch running WatchOS2 and Apple TV (3rd generation and higher) - to control devices using Siri commands when you are not at home.

HomeKit: Which smart devices already available?

All manufacturers who plan to release HomeKit-enabled devices must participate in Apple's Made for iPhone (MFI) certification program.

Apple reviews their APIs written for devices to make sure they meet the requirements App Store and after this verification, either allows or prohibits their production. Devices that have passed this certification have a special MFI logo on the packaging; only devices with this logo can be considered verified and safe.

During the HomeKit presentation in 2014, Apple announced partnerships with many manufacturers such as iHome, Haier, Withings, Philips, iDevices, Belkin, Honeywell and Kwisket. So, among the first wave of HomeKit-enabled devices were:

Smart plug from iHome

On June 15, they will begin accepting pre-orders for smart plug with HomeKit support from Home. We will be able to control the power of our devices using Siri. If you liked this accessory, follow manufacturer's website.

Insteon Hub

This smart hub will allow you to control not only HomeKit-compatible devices, but also devices from Insteon, of which there are many. The device will be available in July for $150. You can find a list of everything that is compatible with it at manufacturer's website.

Ecobee smart thermostat

This thermostat will be available on July 7th for $249. It features Wi-Fi to work with HomeKit and Siri and smart application, allowing you to find out more about the situation around you.

Elgato Device Set

Elgato Eve Room ($79.95) analyzes the air condition in your room, Elgato Eve Weather ($49.95) will tell you details about the situation outside the window, Elgato Eve Door & Window ($39.95) will allow you to remotely check whether the windows are open and doors throughout your home, and the Elgato Eve Energy ($49.95) is another smart plug. All devices from Elgato HomeKit compatible and controlled by Siri.

HomeKit-enabled devices are labeled as such on the packaging and have been available since June 2015. If you had previous versions smart home devices, they do not have native support and you need to buy new versions. But there is a way around this limitation; you need to buy an Insteon Hub or iHome SmartPlug and use the support for these devices to control unsupported devices connected to them, such as Phillips Hue lights.

HomeKit: Where to start?

HomeKit: Alternatives?

Apple HomeKit is not the only application on the market, Samsung recently introduced a platform called Samsung Smart Home, the SmartThings app turns your phone into a remote control for your smart devices. Samsung bought this company (SmartThings) in 2015.

In addition to Samsung, Apple should also worry about the giant Google, which is also showing interest in the field of smart homes. Thus, Google bought Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in January 2014.

At the same time, Google announced a program for developers called “Works with Nest”, the program offered developers their API interface to integrate devices with Google app. But the fact is that you are unlikely to hear anything about Google or Android in combination with the words “smart home automation”. The point is that Google company did not merge brands and Nest is developing separately.

The new iOS 10 introduces the HomeKit application for managing your smart home. I decided to check how it works using the Elgato smart plug.

At one time, I made myself a fairly advanced smart home with power management, leakage protection, CCTV camera control and GSM alarm system. Everything is controlled via a small panel computer or remotely via smartphone or tablet. Of course, I had to tinker. Mastered several programs for creating user interface for panel computer and smartphone. I spent a long time understanding the settings of the Modbus/TCP protocol and setting up I/O modules discrete signals, because I immediately decided to make a normal, expandable, industrial-level system using an open protocol. But all the time I had the feeling that all this should be done somehow easier and faster. Of course there are different ready-made systems smart home, but they are all proprietary from small companies, which personally does not inspire much confidence in me. And finally, Apple itself announced support for a smart home and HomeKit appeared. After reading the description, I realized that Apple was moving in the right direction and it was time to try it out.

I took it for testing iPad Air with freshly installed iOS 10 and bought an Elgato eve energy smart plug.

Externally, it looks like an adapter for a regular outlet. Judging by the sound, a relay is installed inside (the declared load power is 2500 W), and on the side there is a button with an indicator for manual on/off.

I must say, there were really no difficulties, everything was intuitive. The only thing is that the program immediately asked me to update the socket firmware, for this I downloaded native app from Elgato and updated directly from the iPad. In the same application, in the “Name for Siri” menu, I entered the name “Socket”.

You can click on the “Outlet” icon and turn the outlet on or off. But this is not the most interesting thing, because HomeKit is integrated with voice assistant Siri. After some more fiddling, I turned on and configured Siri. Now all you have to do is say “Hey Siri” and “Turn on the socket” and the socket turns on! Everything works!

True, this works as long as the iPad is connected to charging; if charging is turned off, then to activate Siri you need to press the “Home” button. Obviously, permanent job microphone and processor waiting voice command greatly drains the battery. Here's how it's described in the iPad settings:

Since the connection between the iPad and the outlet is via bluetooth, the range is small. For remote control it is proposed to use as a hub Apple console TV or the same iPad.

Unfortunately, I don't currently have an Apple TV or a second device with iOS 10, so this function I couldn't test it.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Apple HomeKit seems like a very promising technology. I hope the list of supported devices will expand (the list is on the Apple website).

Addition:
Activated the iPad as a smart home hub. The following window appeared:

For testing, I created the “Good Night” script (working on a timer).

Everything works, the socket turned off at the specified time.

Smart light bulbs, thermostats, door locks - they've all been around for a long time. Each device has its own application with which it can be controlled. Apple's task is to make it all work together, and as simply and safely as possible for the user.

This is why the platform was created. With its help you can connect, combine and control all smart technology in the house, with an iOS device or Apple TV at hand. HomeKit was presented at WWDC 2014, over two years the number of accessories has grown, and Apple has improved the technology. I'll tell you how it all works and whether you can assemble it yourself from Apple.

HomeKit: what is it?

So you bought several smart light bulbs, everything works great, they can be controlled using an application for iOS. “Why do I need this HomeKit?” - you ask.

What if you not only have light bulbs, but also blinds and a thermostat, for example? Without HomeKit, it will be just a set of pieces of hardware that cannot be controlled using a single interface. They will not be able to interact with each other, which means they will not be able to be configured for a specific operating scenario. For example, every day at 9 pm the lights should be turned on and the blinds closed. Instead, you'll have to go into each device's app and manually turn everything on and off from there. And okay, if there are a couple of such devices, but what if there are six of them in each room? This is inconvenient to say the least. With HomeKit, all devices can easily communicate with each other.

It's great that Siri is involved in device management. The assistant can be asked to turn on the lights in the garage or by saying “Good morning” to start performing many actions related to this phrase. The blinds will open, the coffee will start brewing, and so on. At the same time, Siri does not send you to the coffee maker application; everything happens in the familiar assistant interface. It is important that the protocol by which smart things are connected is automatically encrypted, which means that no one will be able to get to your data and gain control over smart equipment in the house.

It's already working

More than 50 brands are already releasing HomeKit-enabled gadgets. Now any manufacturer can make their device compatible with this platform. Apple must approve the device, after which it can be controlled using iOS devices and Apple TV.

The company showed a more advanced smart home control system; a new “Home” application appeared in iOS 10 (more on that later). Now the capabilities of HomeKit have become closer to both users and developers, so we should expect more smart devices before the release of the new iOS.

Which Apple products work with HomeKit

HomeKit works with iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 8.1 or later. You can also control your smart home from your Apple Watch, starting with watchOS 2. Having an Apple TV 3rd generation or newer model, you can control all devices from a distance using Siri. You just need to sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID.

What smart devices can you buy right now?

Officially supporting HomeKit devices went on sale in June 2015. Their packaging should display this icon.

There are already many devices available; a separate page is dedicated to them on the Apple website. I have selected the most interesting ones, in my opinion.

August Doorbell Cam

Smart call with built-in camera. Even when you are away from home, you will see who came to you, and the device will record the date and time.

Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt

A door lock, which, in addition to the key we are used to, opens with using iPhone or code. In addition, the lock can be controlled using Siri, asking, for example, to lock the door every evening.

Withings Aura

An intelligent system that monitors and improves sleep quality. The device collects data about your sleep (phases, duration), and also analyzes the external environment: air temperature, noise level, lighting. Works as a smart alarm clock - will wake you up during REM sleep.

Philips Hue

With these bulbs you can create your own smart lighting system by combining up to 50 bulbs. Accordingly, with the help of Siri, you can control the lighting throughout the house and garage, create scenarios, adjust the color of lamps, and so on.

Eve Energy

Eve Energy itself is not a smart device, but it turns an outlet into such a device. Firstly, it allows you to save money by monitoring your electricity consumption and sending detailed statistics to your iPhone. Secondly, you can remotely stop current consumption. That is, if you forgot to turn off the iron, this can be done even from a distance.

Why do you need the Home app?

WITH iOS release 10, managing a smart home will become even easier and more convenient. At WWDC 2016, Apple did what HomeKit fans had been waiting for a long time - it introduced the Home application. This is a hub that allows you to connect and control all smart devices in your home.

In the application, you can manage both one device and a group, set up scenarios and much more. For example, the scenario "I'm home" opens the door, and "Good night" turns off the lights and closes the blinds. Moreover, it is not necessary to even launch the application or ask Siri: the script can be activated depending on your geolocation: the door will open as soon as you approach it.

Branded applications are no longer needed; Home and Siri take control. HomeKit has evolved from an interesting but obscure platform to a system that anyone can use.

What's next

In my opinion, Apple is moving in the right direction. After the company’s presentation at WWDC-2016, an understanding emerged of how Apple sees a smart home, and it is already clear that it is going to make the interaction between the user and devices as comfortable as possible. Currently, only the first beta of iOS 10 is available, so it is difficult to evaluate the capabilities of the Home application. However, there are only two months left to wait until the release: let's see what happens as a result.

In any case, now everyone has everything they need to build their own smart home. And such a system will cost much less than analogues existing on the market.

Each of us thinks about the safety and improvement of the comfort of our own home. We make sure the doors and windows are closed when we leave so as not to become a victim of burglars. We monitor the temperature and humidity in the rooms. We return regularly to turn off the lights, iron and heaters. We worry about possible unpleasant situations, such as water leaks or gas leaks.

The smart home system performs everyday routine actions for a person, and Apple HomeKit will help simplify the process of control and management.

Apple HomeKit simplifies smart home management

Smart sockets, controllers for opening and closing doors and windows, sensors for water leaks, smoke, gas leaks, surveillance cameras, thermostats, and so on - these devices, which promise to turn an ordinary home into a smart one, have been around for years.

But previously it was difficult to use them. Each manufacturer did separate application for iPhone to control certain processes. It took a lot of time to find what I needed on the device, so there was no need to talk about convenience.

Apple saw the problem and introduced HomeKit back at WWDC 2014.

This universal system smart home, which can be controlled from iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and even Apple TV. The Home application became its center - it was immediately installed on these devices.

Apple solved the problem of multiple devices from different manufacturers working together and simplified the management of a smart home, replacing a dozen different applications with one universal one.

Using the system, you can create scenarios from several actions and conditions. And also simply, quickly and safely control any supported devices - including remotely via the Internet, as well as by voice using Siri.

No renovations needed to make your home smart

To install a smart home system, you won’t need to knock out walls, redo renovations in your apartment or office, call in specialists, or spend a long time learning how to use some complex applications.

To move to a new level of comfort, you just need to place the devices around the house and spend a minimum of time setting up.

Today, gadgets with HomeKit support are produced by more than five dozen companies - any manufacturer that has passed Apple certification can make their device compatible with the system. And it can be controlled from iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.

Among Russian systems, supporting HomeKit, Rubetek stands out. By the way, it recently received the National Award in the field of consumer electronics in Russia PRODUCT OF THE YEAR.

Set “Smart Apartment”

Compared to Western analogues, Rubetek's solutions stand out for their high quality, a full range of necessary capabilities and low price.

Now the whole house will be in mobile phone. You can manage devices, watch online videos, communicate with loved ones, and control access to your apartment using one free mobile application, which is entirely in Russian and has a user-friendly interface.

The system will allow the house to adapt to you, eliminating the need for regular routine actions. Thanks to it, you will be aware of all the events happening in your home.

Just think, in total, from January to May 2016, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation registered 100,000 home thefts. On average, 657 apartments per day are robbed in Russia, or 27 apartments per hour.

In the event of uninvited guests, opening of windows, cabinets and doors, or unpleasant situations (smoke, water leaks, gas leaks), you will immediately receive a notification and will be able to quickly fix the problem.

Using the system, you use energy resources rationally, save your time and money, and reduce the risk of unforeseen situations.

• instantly learn about all events in the house
• turn on and off the lights in the room remotely, control underfloor heating and other heating devices, monitor electricity consumption and turn off devices
• control blinds and curtains on windows, automatically open gates and roller shutters from a smartphone
• control the closing and opening of doors and windows, monitor movement in the room and record what is happening on video
• communicate with loved ones at a distance through mobile application
• control any indoor activities using your voice
• create scenarios with the sequence of actions of devices in the house and the conditions for turning devices on and off
• receive push notifications to your phone about all events in the house

Thanks to the system, you can do several actions at once using one command. For example, you say “left for work,” and all electrical appliances, lighting and heated floors in your house turn off.

It will also be possible to configure automatic switching on light in the apartment when the doors are opened, activation of heating devices when the temperature drops, and even opening of the blinds on the windows immediately after the alarm goes off.

What devices will help make your home smart?

Control Center

The Control Center allows you to remotely manage devices, create interaction scenarios between them, add third-party gadgets to an open ecosystem, and much more.

Do you already have smart devices? Great. Simply include them in the open Rubetek ecosystem and create new scenarios.

Sensors

Leak sensor

With the help of special sensors, you can avoid water leaks and prevent flooding of your apartment and neighbors below. As experience shows, it is much easier to install one small device than to insure an apartment and then fight for payments.

Sensors will protect the house from strangers, fire and gas leaks. Using them, you can automatically turn on the heating when the temperature drops or the air conditioning when the temperature rises.

Thanks to opening sensors, you can see the time when children come home from school and make sure that everything is okay with them.

Cameras

Miniature PTZ camera

Using miniature and PTZ cameras, you can find out what children are doing at home while parents are at work. And also see with your own eyes the pampering of bored pets without their owners on your smartphone.

But street cameras will be useful to motorists who want to be sure that everything is in perfect order with the car in the parking lot - they will also be needed to find out who is responsible for damaging property.

When connecting cameras to the Control Center, the system keeps an event log, which can be viewed through the mobile application, and saves the recordings on Google Drive and Yandex Disk.

You can control the rotation of the video camera directly from your smartphone through the Rubetek mobile application.

Sockets

Smart plug

Smart sockets will be a real boon for anyone who constantly forgets whether they turned off the iron or TV. Using the system, you can send a command and immediately turn off the power to connected devices.

Technique

Smart air conditioner

Smart air conditioners are usually used in conjunction with temperature and humidity sensors. With their help you can embed household appliance in a scenario - for example, when it gets hot, you need to turn on.