HomeKit News — Everything you need to know!

A regularly updated stream of HomeKit and HomeKit-enabled accessory news!

Thanks to Apple's HomeKit framework, dozens of companies can create smart home products that work together in a secure, user friendly way. From the HomeKit pairing process to the use of iPads and Apple TVs as HomeKit hubs within the home, Apple has crafted an elegant way to control your smart home products. The framework's popularity means news about HomeKit and HomeKit-enabled devices breaks all the time; bookmark this page and check back regularly for the latest, greatest, or most outrageous smart home news.

May 3, 2017 - Brookfield Residential will offer HomeKit compatibility as a standard in new builds

Homebuilding company Brookfield Residential says it will offer HomeKit compatibility in all new community builds as a standard. The Delano neighborhood in Irvine's Eastwood Village will be the first neighborhood to get HomeKit-enabled homes. Brookfield Residential will also offer HomeKit compatibility in the following neighborhoods:

The Collection in Playa Vista
Flora, Prado, and Haciendas at Escaya in Chula Vista
Vientos, Candela, and Terracina at Rancho Tesoro in San Marcos
Beverly at Eastwood in Irvine
Citrus in Palm at Rosedale in Azusa
Shutters at Edenglen in Ontario Ranch

While home owners will be able to add any HomeKit-enabled accessories to their home and count on compatibility with their system, Brookfield Residential will include the following accessories in new builds:

Lutron Caseta lighting
Honeywell Lyric T6 Smart WiFi Thermostat
Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt

The homebuilder will also include Ubiquiti Wireless Access Points in the home to improve Wi-Fi performance for the HomeKit-enabled accessories and internet access.

Brookfield Residential says security is a huge advantage of Apple's HomeKit framework and third-party HomeKit-enabled accessories:

HomeKit's advantages extend to security and privacy, because communication from the iOS device and home accessories are encrypted, with all home data living privately on the device, not stored in the cloud.

You can read more about Brookfield Residential's connected home efforts here.

Hubbell Inc. acquires iDevices

Hubbell Incorporated, which manufactures electrical and electronic products, has acquired iDevices, LLC. Why? Here's iDevices' explanation:

By joining the Hubbell family, iDevices secures the backing and capabilities of a well-established industry leader, while Hubbell strengthens its innovation engine with iDevices' knowledge and expertise in the connected Internet of Things marketplace.

iDevices makes my all-time favorite Wi-Fi smart switch and I couldn't help but panic when I heard the company had been acquired; I don't want anything to happen to the most reliable, most user-friendly, most aesthetically pleasing smart switch one could ask for!

See at Amazon

Still, from the press release, it sounds like Hubbell is a good fit for the company:

Combining iDevices' experience in developing and designing smart home solutions with Hubbell's extensive expertise in manufacturing and distribution across residential, commercial and industrial markets will lay the perfect groundwork for a partnership in IoT at a significant scale.

In other words, Hubbell wants a little of the internet of things action in return for better distribution to customers both residential and commercial/industrial. Heck, as long as Hubbell's doing the IoT learning, I think iDevices is in good hands.

I'll be keeping a close eye on HomeKit news and this partnership in particular (and my smart switch sweetheart), so be sure to check back regularly!