Smart Home Apple HomeKit. First impressions
The new iOS 10 has a HomeKit application for managing smart home. I decided to test how this works with the Elgato smart socket.
At one time, I made myself a fairly advanced smart home with power management, leak protection, video surveillance camera control and GSM alarm. Everything is controlled through a small panel computer or remotely via a smartphone or tablet. It was necessary, of course, to tinker. I mastered several programs for creating a user interface for a panel computer and a smartphone. I understood the settings of the Modbus / TCP protocol for a long time and configured the I / O modules of discrete signals, as I immediately decided to make a normal expandable industrial-level system on an open protocol. But all the time I did not leave the feeling that all this should be done somehow easier and faster. Of course, there are various ready-made systems of a smart home, but they are all proprietary from small companies, which I personally do not cause much confidence. And finally, Apple itself announced support for the smart home and HomeKit appeared. After reading the description, I realized that Apple is moving in the right direction and it is time to experience it.
For testing, he took an iPad Air with a freshly installed iOS 10 and bought a smart Elgato eve energy socket.
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Externally, it looks like an adapter in a regular outlet. Inside, judging by the sound, a relay is installed (the stated load power is 2500 W), on the side there is a button with an indicator for manual on-off operation.
I decided not to read any manuals, it's Apple and everything should work right away. I plugged the smart socket into an ordinary one, into the smart one I plugged the plug from the desk lamp, and on the ipad I clicked on the icon with the house. The result is this:
It must be said that there were no difficulties, everything was intuitively clear. The only thing the program immediately asked to update the firmware of the outlet, for this, I downloaded the native application from Elgato and updated directly from ipad. In the same application in the menu "Name for Siri" I entered the name "Rosette".
The "Socket" icon can be clicked and turned on or off the socket. But this is not the most interesting, because HomeKit is integrated with the voice assistant Siri. A little more tricky, I turned on and set up Siri. Now it’s enough to say “Hello, Siri” and “Turn on the outlet”, as the socket turns on! Everything is working!
True, it works while the ipad is connected to charging, if charging is turned off, then to activate Siri you need to press the “Home” button. Obviously, the constant operation of the microphone and processor in anticipation of the voice command greatly discharges the battery. Here is how it is described in the settings of the iPad:
Since the connection between the iPad and the socket is via bluetooth - the range is small. For remote control, it is proposed to use the Apple TV set-top box or the same iPad as a hub.
Unfortunately, I now have no Apple TV or a second device with iOS 10, so I could not try this function.
In conclusion, I want to say that Apple HomeKit seems to me a very promising technology. I hope the list of supported devices will be expanded (the list is on the Apple website).
Addition:
Activated Aypad as a hub of a smart home. There was such a window:
For the sample created the script "Good night" (work on a timer).
Everything works, the outlet is turned off at the specified time.
At one time, I made myself a fairly advanced smart home with power management, leak protection, video surveillance camera control and GSM alarm. Everything is controlled through a small panel computer or remotely via a smartphone or tablet. It was necessary, of course, to tinker. I mastered several programs for creating a user interface for a panel computer and a smartphone. I understood the settings of the Modbus / TCP protocol for a long time and configured the I / O modules of discrete signals, as I immediately decided to make a normal expandable industrial-level system on an open protocol. But all the time I did not leave the feeling that all this should be done somehow easier and faster. Of course, there are various ready-made systems of a smart home, but they are all proprietary from small companies, which I personally do not cause much confidence. And finally, Apple itself announced support for the smart home and HomeKit appeared. After reading the description, I realized that Apple is moving in the right direction and it is time to experience it.
For testing, he took an iPad Air with a freshly installed iOS 10 and bought a smart Elgato eve energy socket.
')
Externally, it looks like an adapter in a regular outlet. Inside, judging by the sound, a relay is installed (the stated load power is 2500 W), on the side there is a button with an indicator for manual on-off operation.
I decided not to read any manuals, it's Apple and everything should work right away. I plugged the smart socket into an ordinary one, into the smart one I plugged the plug from the desk lamp, and on the ipad I clicked on the icon with the house. The result is this:
It must be said that there were no difficulties, everything was intuitively clear. The only thing the program immediately asked to update the firmware of the outlet, for this, I downloaded the native application from Elgato and updated directly from ipad. In the same application in the menu "Name for Siri" I entered the name "Rosette".
The "Socket" icon can be clicked and turned on or off the socket. But this is not the most interesting, because HomeKit is integrated with the voice assistant Siri. A little more tricky, I turned on and set up Siri. Now it’s enough to say “Hello, Siri” and “Turn on the outlet”, as the socket turns on! Everything is working!
True, it works while the ipad is connected to charging, if charging is turned off, then to activate Siri you need to press the “Home” button. Obviously, the constant operation of the microphone and processor in anticipation of the voice command greatly discharges the battery. Here is how it is described in the settings of the iPad:
Since the connection between the iPad and the socket is via bluetooth - the range is small. For remote control, it is proposed to use the Apple TV set-top box or the same iPad as a hub.
Unfortunately, I now have no Apple TV or a second device with iOS 10, so I could not try this function.
In conclusion, I want to say that Apple HomeKit seems to me a very promising technology. I hope the list of supported devices will be expanded (the list is on the Apple website).
Addition:
Activated Aypad as a hub of a smart home. There was such a window:
For the sample created the script "Good night" (work on a timer).
Everything works, the outlet is turned off at the specified time.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/397555/
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