This was well worth watching and I encourage everyone who’s attempting to get into the smart home arena to watch this video. Great job Eric!!

Another absolutely brilliant video from Eric. The "go to guy" with immense knowledge and experience. This is such a helpful site. I can't overstate that! Five star advice and information.

Nicely done. Some solid advice, especially around buying super cheap gear.

Props for the 5:30 time stamp slide. I’m very new to HomeKit, and the only real area I’ve been doing research for the past couple of weeks is in home security cameras, and I think it’s cool (and validating) to see Arlo make it in!

Leviton is in the HomeKit game now. I have a no neutral dimmer and switch, using with their plugin bridge, has been very stable for over a month.

I watch so many HomeKit channels / videos but this is the first time I've commented, This video is so atypical of what I usually see on HomeKit channels, and I loved it! I You gave me great perspective on the role of HomeKit / apple in the smart home landscape. As apple fans, I think we fixate too much on necessity of thread, on not having hubs, and everything in our home from our TVs to routers to bidets needing native HomeKit., we're pretty used to fencing ourselves in within the apple ecosystem perhaps. I have since realized that finding products that work for YOUR needs, and work reliably (whether through Zigbee, thread, or otherwise) is the most important thing. I have ring security, Luton lights, Aqara motion sensors, nest wifi, even an an Alexa for controlling certain accessories / running routines. Everything works flawlessly and I couldn't be happier with my setup. Thank you for putting into words something I think I've vaguely felt about HomeKit but could never explain myself. I would love to see more content like this!

The newly built house I recently moved in was totally equipped from the start with the Loxone system. We are five parties in that house. 2 of them have integrated Alexa in their apartment but I want Apple. With the Loxone system already installed it is not really necessary but I was thrilled when Loxone just recently confirmed that they are now totally compatible with Apple HomeKit! So now I want to get into that and I’m excited. But I will wait a little longer because I heard that there might come a new Homepod this year? Do you know anything about this?

Seriously, very helpful video and Solid insight about the HomeKit integration (software), operating systems and devices as well as, to clarify a Lot of misinformation…

This video should be posted to the subreddit /HomeKit. This explains perfectly what I always try to convey when people complain that “HomeKit sucks”. They but 20 dollar Meross crap and complain about HomeKit. Keep up the great work.

I am trying to figure out if there is a quality weather station out there that is homekit compatible. One that measures wind, rain (actual) etc. I cannot find it. do you have a recommendation?

Great video! Question, Since you use Ubiquity home networking why don’t you use Ubiquity protect as your surveillance/camera?

Fantastic quick educational video for anyone looking to get into creating a smart home…long over due, thank you!

Thank for elaborating this.

The huge positive HomeKit brings is local integration. Don’t need to rely on servers handling the load. Arlo app for example is terrible compared to home app when viewing cameras on Wi-Fi. If the smart device is HomeKit compatible, you’re guaranteed a fast local connection to that device even if it’s native app won’t allow it. Quite surprised you didn’t touch on this.

Excellent points! After many wins and losses in the past year or so on my HomeKit journey, I feel like a certified, card carrying member of the club represented by this video. Hoping that the reviews of products by yourself and some of the other great folks out there continue to zoom in on this aspect too. HomeKit compatibility means it 'can' connect but you typically get what you pay for so what about user friendliness, reliability, security, privacy.... Great video, thank you!

Great points for people to consider. Nice job.

Thanks, Eric, for the very informative video!

True true true. Theres many brands out there that are on cheaper side and equal amounts of channels suffering the growing pains of testing them. Take your time when buying. Not only in HK ecosystem mixing and matching different brands generally results in global issues, so I don’t get why some think HK would be the exception. But to me at least, easier interactions like smart plugs, I’m married with Meross and idc if theres cheaper brands. I’ve seen their updates, and they work to fix things. Next phase / experiment will be brands with integrated hubs. I’d like to see how far can these bluetooth like protocols can work inside concrete homes (I live in the Caribbean). Great video as always 👍🏻

so with home kit if my isp is down I can still turn on the lights? Meaning no internet connection just connect locally via wifi.

I was thinking if you have devices in homekit, it can drain your battery since it runs always on the background specially on schedule

Thanks a bunch for sharing!

@Eric Welander - Does iOS 16 include ability to create “permanent” group of AirPlay speaker? How? ThankU.

What the name of that lamp in your background ?

Can I use HomeKit with Icloud+ to record via my Ring Door bell THEN cancel my monthly service with Ring since its all going on iCloud

I like the illustration @5:33. I assume some thought was put into it. Some of the companies associated with these logos are obvious or explained later: Lutron, Philips, Ring, eero (or Ubiquiti if non-Homekit), Sonos. However, can someone please help me further explore these companies by filling in the blanks - associating the logos not identified with the actual company names? E.g., what is the "bird" logo in security? What is the "e" in Temperature/Air? Are others logos for companies or just generic symbols?

For me my Lutron, Abode, and Unfi are my major brands for a smart house. Sprinkle in RainMachine, Eve, and Moen for my odd devices.

Very honest! I appreciate that

I have learned the hard way the importance of using quality products with HomeKit. It’s easy to blame HomeKit when a device doesn’t respond, but subpar products aren’t HomeKit’s fault. I have found that HomeKit itself is quite reliable when used with reliable accessories. I had a bunch of WEMO and WEMO Mini smart plugs that would randomly become unresponsive. They’d be fine for weeks (or months if I was lucky) at a time, and then literally from one day to the next would disconnect from my network. The only way I got them back was to remove them from HomeKit, reset them, and re-add them, which was a chore when they were in hard-to-reach spots like behind furniture. Even more tedious was having to re-add them to dozens of scenes and automations. The same problem happened with Meross smart plugs I had. Even though it was rather expensive, given that I had over two dozen smart plugs, I replaced them with Aqara, Philips Hue, and VOCOlinc smart plugs. Haven’t had nearly as many problems since.

I agree with some of your points. But just because it’s HomeKit compatible doesn’t mean it’s a great product. Meross Smart Plugs here in the UK are rated at 13A but in reality it’s only rated to 10A because of the relay inside the unit. Philips Hue is another brand I have used, but I found Yeelight was a better option, I have numerous Yeelight bulbs around the house and they are cheaper, more reliable, and brighter than Philips Hue. Siri also is not the smartest home assistant either, asking her to do something is hit or miss. She will either do it straight away or more often than not you get “working” not the greatest compared to Alexa (Alexa is by no means perfect either). Smart home comes down to preference, budget, reliability. But is now the right time to build a smart home with all the pressures being put on peoples incomes? Perhaps that is the question that should be asked and if people do want to build a smart home then should they be given an option to build it on a budget and what to start with? Good video by the way. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Amazing vid. Thanks so muc h1

Thanks you for this. I learned this through hard knocks. For me Arlo was terrible, Blink better, Smart Things kind of messy, the cheap AC plugs hit or miss-if I have a power outage, the plugs have to be reset up all over again, sometimes they never work again. The brand name IOT devices are sometimes much more expensive - but you get what you pay for...

I think the more open home kit is to other brands the better, i do wish apple partnered or starts making more of their own smart home devices though

My house looks like an Apple Store, so I’m a big fan of the eco-system. But I’m really disappointed with the lack of HomeKit accessories - like a doorbell…

I give you exhibit A, Samsung. They make everything from phones to fridges to everything in between. Apple is working on a car. Apple could do so so much more. I understand what you’re saying but it’s an excuse. Huge Apple fan boy here so I am on their side, but they could do more. Siri’s problem is because Apple is huge on privacy too hey.

Invite people/ add people option missing in my home app. What is the way to available that option

How do I uninstall the Apple home? It never popped up as an app.

For me, Xiaomi is the best smart home maker, cheap and good looking. When matter solves the compatibility problem, their new thread line will be my choice for sure.

This is a great reminder/primer for folks. I think for folks just getting into HK, there’s insufficient appreciation of “set it and forget it” given the desire to play around with the new device. My best products are those that simply work every time: Schlage HK lock, Ecobee, Rachio, Eve anything, and my Lutron switches and dimmers. My VOCOlinc air purifier almost got missed because it just always works as well and I forgot it!

Great video

The personal computer industry went through the same growing pains 30 years ago. As standards emerge and adoption becomes more mainstream, the industry will mature and it will be a lot easier for consumers.

Feels like we’re in the ‘black and white tv era’ of home automation. It’s gunna be so good in 10 years or so.

Great video, but one of countless others that mention a video "linked somewhere here on the screen" and then fail to add the link in post. Attention to detail matters for gaining subscribers!

Hola, saludos desde Chile. Soy nuevo como usuario Ubiquiti, compre mi primer equipo UniFi Ubiquiti Switch Networks US-48-500W el cual en la actualidad tengo todo cableado con cables Cat6e como las camaras Poe y computadores, impresoras, tvs, etc, en general todo lo cableado esta funcionando sin problemas con mi equipo existente, aparte ayer decidí comprar un Router modelo reciente de Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine modelo con pantalla el cual me deberia llegar a mi Pais de Chile y posterior a mi localidad como en 20 dias más ya que dicho router en mi País no existen a al venta y tuve que importarlo desde EEUU. ¿Mi duda es saber que access point puedo comprar el cual sea wifi 6 y sea alimentado por Poe desde el Router o desde el Switch que compre sin necesidad de ocupar un alimentador electrico Poe adicional y sea energizado por el nuevo router Dream Machine que tiene 2 puertos Poe o por el Switch US-48-500W? y asi poder tener una red Mesh unificada la cual pueda tener bien organizada con una red principal que tenga acceso a la red completa y se puedan ver los equipos y entorno de red completo y una red invitado el cual solo tenga acceso a intenet sin acceso al entorno de red en general. ¿Algun manual o video demostrativo que me puedan compartir por favor?.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Apple products. Except for HomeKit. HomeKit has been the flakiest home automation platform I have ever used. Products that work perfectly fine outside HOMEKIT, get a NO RESPONSE message in HOMEKIT. Like the sad blue screen of death.

Hi Eric. I love your videos but I can’t watch them for more than a couple of minutes at a time. It’s the repetitive music in the “background”. It causes great anxiety and stress and many of us have this problem. In a purely informational video, I don’t think it’s really needed. Any way you can do videos without the mindless background music? Thanks!

Great information 😢

The latest problem with the Yardian Pro and other HomeKit irrigation systems is that the valves won’t consistently display in the Home App. It has been proven that this is not a HomeKit problem, but a Home App bug by Apple, as there is no problem experienced with other 3rd party HomeKit Apps. The Home App has needed improved icon selections, more functional shortcut, and many other bug fix upgrades for a long time! There isn’t even a Home App Gate icon. So, there is a great failure of Apple to properly support the desired HomeKit-user and potential product-vendor experience! You can’t expect product vendors to risk heavy investment in quality HomeKit products when Apple itself treats Their own HomeKit Home App as a hobby!

I have a set of Eufy cameras that are HomeKit compatible, but not all of their doorbells are. This doesn’t make sense to me.

😊❤

Good video although I disagree with your reasoning and analogies for why Apple doesn’t make some of these HomeKit products themselves. Sure they are a computer maker and might not have the specialist in house, but that didn’t stop them from getting into the cell phone market. And it didn’t stop them from dipping their toe into the automobile market as well. When they don’t have the required people in house already, they just go out and hire them. So Apple could have (and I would argue should have) made some key components like a doorbell, security camera, and door lock. They left some money on the table by just ceding this business to others when they could have made some great products and probably driven adoption of these items sooner.

No, no no no no no. Platform is key. You but for the platform and you integrate 3rd parties via Smart Assistant/Homebridge/Scrypted. This is the best advice for anyone investing in a smart home.

HomeKit automations are still broken with 16. Very inconsistent and I am frustrated with Apples lack of follow up.

I don’t need apple to make every individual smartphone accessory. It would be nice if HomeKit worked with more products though. The options for apple HomeKit supported devices is so small, it’s ridiculous.

It would benefit me, the consumer to see a chart of what integrates well with Home Kit. My Eve light plug notoriously fails to “turn on floor lamp” even after several times reinitializing the plug. Now, I know that Apple sells this product, since I bought it from them. Yet Apple isn’t interested in m “Eve experience” !

probably the emptiest video I ever watched, also the guy seems sneaky

Ngl you look like Eobard thawne from the flash

seems that the component specific app has more functionality every time then what you find in functionality for the same component on apple homekit. So why bother with apple home kit??? simply because we are too lazy to search on our smartphone for the component specific app? Don't see the one app for all devices (apple homekit) advantage when it's a functionality loss....I suppose if you are a super techy and have twenty-thirty super-overpriced components in your home that are "smart".....then maybe so.

It may sound odd, but immediately trust less those who use Ring, especially when they recommend them. Soo many instances that you are the product, being the most obtrusive I’ve seen in privacy..

What smart was that at the end?

Id be happy if Apple just focused on making HomeKit stable. Once again my system. has developed another bug and I was dropped from the home kit set of users. Im the admin. For users of medium size homes home kit does not scale. No user or app logging, no ability to control which AppleTVs run HomeKit. Come on apple.

Aqara is a example that is cheap and is realible

Maybe I'm missing something, but what is the point here? "Be careful when you buy products"? Sounds like good advice but isn't that kind of obvious? Seems to me that the Holy Grail of smart home technology is to have one main app for control and automations, one base network that makes it easy to add new devices and has IOT-specific features (good range, quick response, low battery drain, etc.), and a wide variety of devices to choose from at different price points. I'm new to the smart home category, but seems to me that a homeowner/apartment renter is better off picking one of the top platforms (HomeKit, Google, etc.) and then judiciously selecting high-quality devices that fit into their budget. My bet is on Thread as the TCP/IP of IOT.

There is another key reason Apple don't make HomeKit devices - 1) They only enter markets that are large or can grow to be large 2) Can achieve significant market share AND 3) Has significant margin - highly profitable. Apple entering low margin businesses does not make commercial sense.

I call this the Samsung effect... the idea that you can make any home hardware because "we are really smart"

You get what you pay for (typically)

I don’t even know what home kit is.

Homekit absolutely reliable only if your network/wifi is, PERIOD! I have $6 dollar in line 120v controllers and worked for the past 6 years flawlessly! I have the most mixed environments as far as brands go and the biggest piece of $;;$)t device on my house is Logitech doorbell and my Apple Watch!

no, i don't want apple making these products. Then we'd have to deal with annual new releases to every product from them.

Software software software

No mr

I'm willing to bet they never name HomeKit "Home Os" because it sounds like "Homos" lol

Ehm. Don't Apple have like 200B$ in cash/short term investments that would let them buy any expertise they needed? Or like even a whole gigantic company (like Bosch let's say, or TP-Link or both actually; they'd still have much money left) which knows how to make home equipment? I'm not saying it's a reasonable business idea, just that your analysis is just way off point with real reasons why Apple wouldn't produce smart home equipment en masse.

Today... outside US... unfortunately... TUYA is the only acce$$ible Home Automation plataform.

If i could understand why i need all that useless homekit junk in a first place? Nothing else to do ?

Dude… the sole reason for supporting Apple products is the integration. “Might not realize.”??? Are you serious? I would venture to say a solid 96% of people who buy Apple products know this. You immediately lost me with that statement.

Tired of Apple fan boys. Smartthings or Home assistant have the most and best hardware integration with minimal hiccups as you'd experience with HK. Fan boys will tell you to go buy an expensive product that will integrate with HK better instead. There are lots of stuff that HK is poor at but we choose to ignore

Apple Homekit is the biggest blunder of this grossly overpriced company.

Compared to Alexa, Homekit is trash.

apple makes crap. I know coz I use it