Starting Your Home Automation with Apple HomeKit

Home automation is all the rage.  There are so many products on the market now, it’s hard to know where to start.  But the beauty of today’s home automation is you can start small to understand the concept, without needing to spend a lot of money.

In fact, in the 8 years I have been covering home automation, I have seen the prices drop tremendously while the features just get better.  With Apple coming on the home automation scene four years ago, it’s even easier if you own an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV.  No need to buy a hub like other automation systems, you already have it.

As a home automation hub usually costs well over $100, you’ve already saved money.  So what do you need to do?

Setting up Your Home Automation System with HomeKit

To get started with HomeKit, you will need…

1.    An Apple 10.0+ version iOS Device – either an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV

2.    To purchase  one or more Apple HomeKit enabled accessories (there’s a hundred of them!)

3.   Open your Home app and add your HomeKit accessories

It’s very easy to set up HomeKit enabled products, anyone can do it.  HomeKit products come with a 7-digit number either on the product itself or on the manual that comes with it. 

After pressing the + button to add an Accessory in the app, your device’s camera allows you to find the number in the viewfinder and enters the number for you.  Or you can add it in manually.

After adding an accessory, you name it and state which room it is in.  Then physically place the accessory in the room you’d like it in.

Now your Home app will monitor that accessory.

To try out the Apple HomeKit, I used these three HomeKit accessories by Fibaro:

• A Flood Sensor – I placed it under my kitchen sink (I have had a leak that ruined our wood flooring before!)
• A Motion Sensor – I placed it in our kitchen so I can be alerted when the kids get home (the kitchen is the first place they head to!)
• A Door/Window Sensor – I placed it on the door leading out to our pool (my kids are older now but I like to know when anyone (including friends young kids) open the door to the pool area

All of these products can be used in helpful ways to monitor your home.

Flood Sensor

The Fibaro Flood Sensor is a leak and temperature sensor that alerts you with an audible alarm and through HomeKit if it senses water on its sensor contacts.  It will also alert you if it feels that it is being tampered with.

This is the type of sensor you hope you never hear from.  

Useful for detecting water/temperature for under the:

• washing machine
• laundry room sink
• kitchen sink
• pool equipment
• bathroom sinks
• basement
• water heater
• fish aquarium
• water beds

Basically, anywhere you can imagine that water would leak is a good place to put a flood sensor.

Motion Sensor

The Fibaro Motion Sensor is a very cool cat-eye looking monitor, that senses motion, light, temperature, and an accelerometer that senses when it’s been moved or someone attempting to open it up.

With just under 2 inches in diameter, it’s a convenient sensor you can stick anywhere – even on a wall or ceiling. It comes with a battery which will last 2 years.

Use the Fibaro Motion sensor to keep you updated on the temperature in the room you place it and any movement it senses.  

Use it for:

• Monitoring temperature in:
  • baby’s room
  • garage (especially if your pets stay there while you’re gone)
  • family room – can trigger your ecobee3, Honeywell Lyric T5, or iDevices Thermostat to turn on the heater if it gets too cold
  • basement – can trigger heater so pipes don’t freeze in the winter

• Monitoring motion
  • at the front door – can trigger a connected HomeKit camera to record video once motion is sensed 
  • at the back door to sense someone at the door – good also if you have a pool, you will know when someone goes outside
  • watching when baby awakes
  • keeping an eye on your pets when at work/away
  • ensuring Grandma and or Grandpa are moving around OK
  • alerting you when motion is detected at the front door to see if your package arrived
  • ensuring your kids are home from school

Door/Window Sensor

The Fibaro Door/Window sensor is very stylish, lightweight, and comes in a variety of colors.  It comes in two pieces.  You put one piece on the door and one piece on the frame of the door.  When the sensors separate, you are alerted that the door has opened.  

As with the other sensors, it includes a temperature sensor and it will alert you if it’s tampered with.

Use if for:

• roof windows
• main doors
• garage doors – so you know when it opens or closes
• windows
• sliding glass doors
• child safety gates – so you’re alerted if the door remained open after an older child or adult last used it
• medicine cabinet
• liquor cabinet
• pet door – know at what time your pet comes in and goes out
• wine cellar
• basement

Sensors are great for detecting water, movement, temperature, and more.  Sometimes people don’t want a camera in their home but want to know if there’s movement.  A motion sensor can do this for you without invading privacy.

If you are concerned about again parents living at home, the door and motion sensors are ideal for “keeping an eye on them” without physically watching them through a camera’s lens.

Beginning your home automation with sensors are a great way to test out how home automation works.  The next step is to add lighting or a HomeKit thermostat.  Once HomeKit detects someone is home, it can turn on a light after sunset.

Or if the temperature falls below 68 degrees, HomeKit can turn on the heater.  No more needing to get out of bed to a cold room on a cold snowy day.

Explore the available HomeKit accessories on the HomeKit Accessories page.  Fibraro is just one of many companies making HomeKit specific home automation products.  Their quality and product design are solid. 

As an added bonus, HomeKit works with Siri so you can ask if your family room door is open or if motion has been detected at the front door.

*I was given Fibraro products in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.