With me having the Adobe Iota setup already in place, alongside a multitude of Aqara hubs with built-in sirens/speakers, I decided a while ago to take the plunge and buy the Abode Keypad 2 and add it to my Abode system, which I should state, is required for the keypad 2 to be used, whether it’s the Iota Gateway, that includes a camera, or the Smart Gateway, that doesn’t. Without one of these, it’s just an expensive paperweight. So, if you either have an Abode system and fancied the idea of a separate alarm panel, or don’t, but are enticed by the idea of one, read on…

PACKAGING/CONTENTS

The Keypad 2 (to distinguish it from its non-HomeKit original) is featured on the front of the packaging, and although it’s the second iteration, it still only shows it as ‘Keypad’. There’s no chance of buying the wrong model, however, as the old version doesn’t seem to be available. It’s also visually very different to the 2nd version. The rear of the box states the features, which are;

• Built-in motion sensor that lights up the display when you’re in close proximity
• Backlit buttons, so you can see what you’re doing when controlling the panel
• Rechargeable internal battery that can last up to 6 months between charges
• Completely wire-free apart from when recharging the battery with the included USB cable

It does state that an Abode gateway is required, as I stated in my intro.

Aside from that, there’s not a lot to see, but the box is very sturdy, and the contents are well-protected.

The first thing inside is the keypad itself, which is covered in a plastic sheet to protect it from fingerprints and dust. Underneath it and magnetically coupled to the keypad is a metal backplate, which we’ll touch on shortly. Below that is another layer that includes all the additional pieces;

• Two double-sided 3M stickers
• four screws and rawl plugs
• USB-A to Micro USB cable
• Quick guide

The aforementioned magnetic metal plate I mentioned can be attached to a wall or any surface with either the 3M stickers, or with the provided screws. The small sheet doesn’t really tell you how to pair the keypad to your hub, which is all dealt with in the Abode app, but it does give you a decent idea of the features of the keypad that you may not be aware of besides the obvious ones.

THE KEYPAD

So onto the keypad itself, and whilst it’s quite straightforward in terms of its looks, it’s nonetheless nicely laid out. around 70% of the front is taken up with buttons, which consist of 4 rows of three for digits 0 to 9, plus two buttons with a triangle and square symbol. Prior to the keypad getting an update for HomeKit compatibility, these were designated for ‘future use’ but are now in fact exposed to HomeKit, although not quite in the way you might be accustomed to (more on than later).

Next to these 12 buttons is a single column of 3 buttons, one for each alarm mode – Away, Home, Standby. The remaining 30% of the panel is taken up with a contrasting black section (just like the Iota gateway) that prominently features the Abode logo, along with a speaker, and a motion sensor.

The underside of the keypad features the Micro-USB port for recharging the internal battery, and aside from that, there’s nothing to see around the other edges of the device, which has the following measurements;

• width – 3.1″ / 79mm
• height – 5.7″ / 145mm
• depth – 0.8″ / 20mm

If it couldn’t get any more minimalist, the rear of the keypad has nothing to see with the exception of an indented section for the magnetic mounting plate (and screws) to match up with, which is simply white, with four holes should you want to use the included screws to mount it to the wall with. One of the four recesses on the back of the keypad features a reset hole should you need to factory reset the device.

Overall, my initial impressions are really good, and I like that the company have gone for the two-tone approach that matches some of their other products. The buttons are really well spaced out, so even the ‘sausage fingered’ amongst us won’t have any problems arming or disarming the alarm. I do have one reservation which I’ll mention later, but it’s nothing major.

INSTALLATION VIA THE ABODE APP

As with any device that requires a hub, you need to add the keypad to your Abode gateway first, via the Abode app. The Abode devices that go through the hub and are exposed to HomeKit – of which there are many – usually use the RF433MHz wireless protocol to communicate with the gateway, which in turn exposes them to HomeKit. The Keypad is one such device.

• Click on the ‘+’ icon
• Select Add Device
• Select Security Add-ons

• Select Keypad 2 from the list
• Follow the on-screen instructions to pair the device
• Once paired, name the keypad

• Next, you need to change the default user to a name of your choosing
• You can also set your own pin code at the same time
• Additional users can then be added, with up to 40 users

• After that, the motion sensor inside the keypad will be automatically paired
• You can also assign an appropriate name for the keypad if you wish

Once that’s done, you will see two separate entries in the Abode app – one for the keypad, and another for the motion sensor within the keypad.

As the keypad and the built-in motion sensor are essentially security devices, for the motion sensor, you have the option to set it up as a trigger for alarms in both the Home and Away modes. For either mode, you can have the sensor to be Inactive, Active after countdown timer, or Active immediately.

If you’re not familiar with how the Abode alarm system works, essentially you have three modes, all of which (sort of) correspond with the four modes you find in HomeKit. They are Standby (Off in HomeKit), Away (same as HomeKit),  and Home (which is the same as Home and Night/Sleep in HomeKit). As you can deduce, Abode doesn’t differentiate between Sleep and Home modes, which sort of makes sense, but if you set the alarm to Home in the Abode app, it’ll always show it as set to Home mode in HomeKit, which avoids any potential confusion.

When you set up any motion or contact sensor in the Abode app, you can have it so that the sensors don’t trip any alarm until the countdown timer you would have previously set, has expired, which is what is referred to by the option ‘Active after countdown timer’. You can have sensors to be inactive of course, and ‘Active immediately’, which means they’ll trigger an alarm as soon as the alarm is set regardless of the countdown timer.

The reason for the countdown timers, if you haven’t already guessed, is so that upon setting the alarm as you either go to bed or leave home, you have time to get yourself ready before the alarm and trigger devices become active. Conversely, upon coming home, you can buy yourself some time to get into your home and disable the alarm before the siren starts alerting your neighbours.

IN HOMEKIT

Onto HomeKit, and just like the Abode app, the keypad and the motion sensor are both exposed as separate devices, although as there’s actually no ‘keypad’ functionality that relates to HomeKit as such, what you get is options to assign functionality to the two buttons I mentioned earlier that have a square or triangle symbol on them.

The way in which Abode has done this is a little odd, but it still works once you’ve got the hang of it. For the Keypad 2, which is exposed to HomeKit as a button, it lists one set of actions, with Single press and double press. However, the single press actually relates to a single press on the button with the triangle symbol, whilst the double press is actually related to a single press for the button with the square symbol. It would obviously have made more sense to just expose each button separately, with just a single press option for each, but it is what it is.

As with all sensors since iOS14, the Keypad motion sensor is grouped at the top of the Home app screen. Strangely enough, this motion sensor is listed separately from the other motion sensors in the same room, as HomeKit sees motion sensors and occupancy sensors as separate. After speaking briefly to Abode’s online support as to the difference between their motion and occupancy sensors (I believe there is inherently a difference), I was told that the occupancy sensor is actually just a motion sensor, and was simply assigned to the ‘occupancy’ section when it was originally set up. This is also the case with the company’s standard motion sensor, which is also exposed to HomeKit as an Occupancy sensor.

THE KEYPAD IN USE

Speaking of the motion sensor, when you approach the keypad, the display automatically lights up for a few seconds, so you can see the keys. The motion sensor is supposed to cover 90 degrees, which I assume is in the horizontal plane, at a distance of up to 3 metres/118in. So far the sensor has picked up motion very well, so there are no complaints in that respect at all. The keypad itself doesn’t have an alarm as such, and merely activates or deactivates the alarm/siren built into the Abode gateway, as well as being a trigger for the alarms via the built-in motion sensor, if used. However, it does have a speaker, which allows the keypad to emit elementary beeps when you press the buttons or set the different alarm modes.

When the keypad lights up as you approach it, the Abode logo will also light up and display the logo in one of three colours to show you which mode the alarm is set to at that time;

• In Standby mode, the logo will simply appear white, like the rest of the lights on the keypad.
• If the alarm is set to Away, the Abode logo will appear red.
• If the alarm is set to Home, the Abode logo will appear blue.

Additionally, when you’re recharging the internal battery, the logo will appear green and will stay illuminated. Once charging is complete, the logo light will turn off. The first three colours are also replicated on the LED on the front of the Iota Gateway, so if you are in Away mode, the LED on the Iota will be red also.

This brings me to the one thing I’m ever so slightly less keen on with the keypad buttons, which are made of durable rubber. I don’t mind the material used, but because of this, on occasion, if you don’t press them squarely in the centre, the buttons can slip to the side slightly, which in some rare instances means a button can get slightly caught under the surrounding plastic casing. Usually, the button pops back into place by itself or with a little light help, so it’s really a non-issue for the most part, but something to be aware of if you start to notice it happen more often.

When it comes to how you operate it, I’ll assume that anyone reading this has never used an alarm panel before, but it really is quite straightforward. If you’re going to bed or leaving the home, you tap on the appropriate button (Home for bedtime, Away for leaving the house). Once you do that, you have a certain amount of time before the alarm is armed, which is something you set in the Abode app. Once you’ve left home or gone to bed, and the alarm is armed, you’re set. If you want to disable the alarm, you simply have to type in the code you created by yourself in the Abode app, followed by tapping the Standby button to disarm the alarm. Once again, you should set the amount of delay time to give yourself enough time to deactivate the alarm before the siren goes off (more appropriate when you’re coming home and the alarm is in Away mode).

EXTRAS

As the Keypad is wireless and it’s magnetic, it can be placed almost anywhere where there’s a magnetic surface, although using it with the provided plate in a permanent location is really the best place for it, as the metal plate provides a lot more ‘grip’ ensuring there’s no chance of the keypad falling off. The magnets are really quite good, and so I don’t have any worries that it’ll come crashing to the ground unless someone deliberately gives it a pretty good whack!

What you might have missed is that the three mode buttons each feature additional small icons – an exclamation mark on the Away button, a fire icon on the Home button, and a Plus or Medic icon on the Standby button. These represent a Panic Alarm, a Fire Alarm, and a Health Alarm once set up via the app or the keypad. It should be noted that these functions are generally the preserve of the paid monitoring services that Abode offer. Long pressing any of these keys will activate the appropriate notification to Abode, who will then take the relevant action to deal with the request, so if the ‘Fire’ alarm is activated, they’ll call the fire department for you, or an ambulance if the Health alarm has been triggered. The Panic trigger will, as I understand it, trigger a call to your nearest police department. As these paid features are only supported in North America (and maybe the UK now that Abode has a presence there), in my case, living in Taiwan, there’s no option for me to use such things, and so I can’t test it – not that creating a test to call out the cops out is ever a good idea of course…

The Keypad can also be used as a quick way of changing the settings for the built-in motion sensor. Long pressing the 4 & 6 buttons together will enable or disable the motion sensor, whilst long pressing the 7 & 9 buttons will disable or enable the button press and countdown sounds.

ABODE KEYFOB

If you purchased the Iota Security Kit, you would also have received the Abode Keyfob which also allows you to control the gateway’s different alarm modes, but only when you’re within range of the hub. The only downside is that the icons on the fob don’t match up with the icons on the keypad, which is a little confusing. Still, if you forget to set the alarm and don’t fancy opening your door again to set the alarm via the keypad, this is a handy solution. Of course, when you’re outside the door, you can also use the keyfob to disable the alarm before entering, assuming your gateway is within range. You can check out our video below of the Abode Keyfob as part of the video on the Iota Security kit;

SUMMING UP

I guess first off the bat, the question would be is it a necessary device? Well given that you can set the alarm modes using a variety of methods, especially in HomeKit with automations and geolocation functionality, or even by making use of a spare wireless button to do much the same, then no, it’s totally not necessary. But then in the world of Smart Homes, when has that really mattered? Still, for those of you that have various family members, some of which either don’t have a smartphone or even if they do, don’t use HomeKit, Google, Amazon or Abode’s own app, then a traditional physical device for an alarm system is going to be a welcome sight for just about anyone – except for burglars of course. It’s this aspect of it that works for me on one level, and the fact that it does it for a reasonable price (usually between US$80~$100) only adds to its appeal.

Even though it works primarily with Abode’s own Gateways, if like me you also have alarms via Aqara that are also exposed to HomeKit, then with a couple of simple automations, you can get those alarms to sync with the Abode, so all of your alarms are synced. You could also make use of the two programmable buttons to activate or deactivate your other alarms independently if you wish, so as long as you have an Abode setup in place, this is something I’d really recommend regardless of whether its necessary or not.

I’ve had it for a while now (around 6 months), and although I didn’t really start testing it until a couple of months ago, I’ve had no issues with it, other than one instance where I accidentally triggered the alarm. After that, even though I’d set it to Standby mode, the Abode logo was glowing red. At first, I thought the battery needed recharging, but it soon became apparent that it wasn’t the battery at all. In actual fact, the glowing logo was trying to tell me that the alarm had been tripped (even though it had since been set to Standby after), I guess so that I might want to investigate if I wasn’t there when it had happened. After a bit of quick Google ‘research’ it seems that to get rid of this, you have to activate either Home or Away mode, then turn it back to Standby, which then clears the ‘warning light’.

The post Abode Keypad 2 (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

PACKAGING

At the time of purchasing this from China, with the help of fellow reviewer Eric Yao, the M2 was hard to find, even on the Mainland, but looking at the packaging, it would appear that it had possibly been sitting around, waiting for release, for a while. The reason I suggest this is that even though Aqara has updated its packaging design somewhat, with the use of a blue circle to highlight the products, which in this case is missing, the older Aqara logo is also being used on the packaging. Not that it matters of course, but something to note if you see the newer packaging when you buy the newly released EU/International variant. Still, the container is fine and protects the internals adequately enough.

The box features all the basic info you might need (in Chinese in this case), along with the official ‘Zigbee Certified Product’ logo, which we’ve seen pop up more and more on both Aqara and Mijia branded devices. Products with this badge are using Zigbee 3.0 in almost all cases. Aside from this, you get the usual flurry of features and specs, as listed below;

Specifications:

• Model: ZHWG12LM
• Dimensions: 100 x 100 x 30.75mm
• Network connection: WiFi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz
• Device connectivity: Zigbee 3.0 IEEE 802.15.4, Bluetooth LE 5.0
• Operating temperature: -5ºC ~ +50ºC
• Operating humidity: 0 ~ 95% RH

Features:

• Capable of connecting 32 child devices, or up to 128 with the use of signal repeaters
• Dual WiFi antennae
• Micro USB power supply
• RJ45 Ethernet port for wired internet connection
• Zigbee 3.0
• Siri voice control
• built-in Infrared (IR) transceiver
• Control both Zigbee and IR devices via automations, scenes etc

As you can see, the M2 is a very capable device, although there are a few caveats that should be noted with regards to a couple of points listed above; first of all, even though the M2 can act as a Bluetooth hub, currently there are no Aqara-branded Bluetooth devices available – not that many people would be interested when compared to the speed of the Zigbee devices. Additionally, the Bluetooth functionality is not of the Bluetooth Mesh variety, unlike the Mi Smart Gateway, so it’s unclear as to what use cases the Bluetooth functionality would be used for at this point.

The other point to note is that the M2 is being touted as having the ability to support up to 128 devices, and while this is true, the only way to achieve support for this number, is by using repeater/relay devices within your setup that act as sort of ‘mini hubs’ by themselves. It basically works like this; you have your M2 as the main hub, and you can connect various Zigbee devices directly to it. If you add a permanently powered device to the hub, like a smart plug, or a wall switch (with neutral only), then these act as relays for devices that are subsequently added to the M2, if the relay device is nearer to the newest child device you add. Each repeater/relay device can support up to 16 child devices. This then essentially increases the number to a theoretically possible 128 devices, although whether you’d reach that amount in practice is going to be uncommon I suspect.

THE M2

Aside from a small manual, that contains one of three instances of the HomeKit code, you get a USB type power supply, a USB > Micro USB cable, and the M2 itself. There’s also a HomeKit code on the base of the M2, as well as on one of the inner flaps of the box.

The M2 looks very modern and slick on first viewing, although it really is a big dust and fingerprint magnet. The sides, being that they use very glossy plastic,  are particularly prone to this. The top, which incidentally has the new Aqara logo (unlike the box), has a textured feel to it. It might have been better to use this texture all around, but I believe the sides are actually translucent, to allow the infrared transceiver to emit signals, so a textured surface may not have worked. Thankfully, everything is in matching black.

The whole device is quite minimalist, so on the front, you only get a small pairing/reset button and an even smaller LED. For anyone who has problems sleeping from glaring LEDs, I’ve found that this LED – which in normal operation is blue – didn’t bother me at all. We’ll come back to the LED in a minute, but the button, as mentioned, is for pairing mode and resetting the M2, just like you’d find with Aqara’s other hubs, of which there’s a growing number!

the rear of the hub is where it all gets a little more interesting, with an RJ45 ethernet port, a Micro-USB port for power, and an as-yet unused USB-A port. Whilst the M2 has decent WiFi capabilities, if like me, you prefer a wired connection where possible, this is a big plus, and I’ve had mine plugged into my router from day one, which is how it’ll stay. The other big plus is the use of a separate USB power supply, which really puts paid to the issue of having to use an adaptor if you’ve either bought a hub in the past, with a  different built-in plug, or there wasn’t a variant that comes with your type of plug. Now, even if you get the Chinese version, and want to use it in the EU, you just have to use a regionally suitable USB plug that in most cases you’ll have lying around spare. There’s a constant complaint as to why companies are still using Micro USB instead of USB-C, and yes it’s mildly frustrating, but in all honesty, it’s not as though you’re ever going to be unplugging it once a month, let alone daily, so it’s not a problem for me. Finally onto the USB-A port, and at present, it seems it’s only for diagnosis purposes and is of no use to the end-user. Maybe they’ll expand its use down the road later though.

Finally onto the base of the hub, which is where the audio speaker resides, along with the third instance of the HomeKit code. The base has a couple of rubber strips that act as feet. If you already own, or at least aware of the original Aqara hub (Aqara M1 as it’s being described these days), you’ll know it comes with a speaker and a night light. The M2 has dispensed with the light, but retains the speaker, although it’s not as loud as the M1’s speaker, which isn’t massively loud anyway. With this in mind, I’d say that although it’s loud enough to easily wake you up in the event of an alarm, like the M1, it’s never going to match the volume of a pro alarm system’s siren, even compared to the Abode gateways, which I’ve found to be decent in this regard. Still, the M2’s speaker can still be used as a doorbell chime, an alarm clock etc. The night light is always of use to me in automations, but I can see why it wasn’t included here, which I’m going to posit is once again for the unimpeded functionality of the infrared transceiver.

IN HOMEKIT

In HomeKit and the Home app, the M2 initially shows up with its own tile, representing the security system, or alarm. As it ha no other function besides being a hub, it’s also listed with the Hubs & Bridges section of the Home app in the settings for your HomeKit home. The great news is the all four possible alarm modes available in HomeKit are exposed with the M2 (Off, Night/Sleep, Away, Home). Even better, these modes also sync between the Aqara and Home apps, so selecting a mode in either app, will activate that mode in the other app. Whilst the current Aqara hub only has Away and Off options, the new M1s, and the P3 also have all four modes exposed like the M2. The hub portion of the Aqara G2H camera is the odd one out, as its alarm functionality is not exposed to HomeKit. As previously mentioned, the speaker in the M2 isn’t too loud, but it’s more than enough to notify you.

INFRARED TRANSCEIVER

Another seemingly useful benefit of the M2 is the built-in IR transceiver, which essentially allows the M2 to control any of characteristics available for devices that use an IR-based remote control, be that TVs, fans, AC units, set-top boxes etc. The reason I say ‘seemingly’ is that in my case, there aren’t too many devices in the home that use IR remotes these days, and even if they do, they tend to also have wifi access too, meaning I can control them in other ways. Indeed, my ageing Samsung TV is only ever used in conjunction with my Apple TV, which automatically turns on the TV, when it is turned on, so in the case of the TV, it’s not of massive use. That’s just me though. Similarly, with the AC unit in the bedroom, until I got my Tado Smart AC controller (read the review HERE), this would have been quite useful, but the fact the Tado has a physical control panel makes it generally a much more ‘hands-on’ devices for most users in the home, than via the app.

When I first started getting into HomeKit, I was already on the way to working out ways of controlling IR-based devices, with the help of the LifeSmart Spot (which was originally – but unofficially – exposed to Homekit), and later on, the Mi Universal Controller, both of which use the same IR transceiver technology. So in one sense, the Aqara M2’s option isn’t anything new to me. What it does allow for, is the ability to add these IR devices into scenes and automations in the Aqara app, as though they were regular devices. That itself is not quite HomeKit integration of course, but it’s close. If you then take into account that smart switches and buttons that can be added to both Aqara and HomeKit can also control these IR devices, then you get something very close. It just all depends on what you think is useful for controlling specific aspects of an IR-based device.

Aqara give you a selection of device types to choose from, including stereos, DVD players, smart lights, and even the opportunity to create a custom remote of your own choosing.

A while ago, when light strip options were severely limited and pricey, I bought a cheap light strip from my local DIY store, that came with its own IR remote. With the help of the custom remote option, I can easily create a software-based remote to replace this remote control, and from there, control the low budget strip using the M2.

For my Samsung TV, you can see I’m able to set up a fully functioning remote in the Aqara app, which also includes a ton of features you’re hard-pressed to find with the original remote., which does present some distinct advantages when you consider what can be achieved with automations. Further still, with the fact that the Aqara app can convert scenes and automations into Siri Shortcuts, the possibilities for voice control become very enticing, which I’ve begun to exploit with my recently acquired HomePod Minis (HomePods Mini?).

CHILD DEVICES

When the original Aqara Hub came out, it was an easy job knowing what child devices were or weren’t exposed to HomeKit, but with the addition of the G2H, the M1S, the P3, and the M2, thing become a lot more complicated, as what might be exposed to HomeKit via one hub, has yet to be exposed to HomeKit via another hub, and that’s even before you take into account the regional server issues. This isn’t something I can necessarily blame Aqara for, as devices that are exposed to HomeKit via one hub, need to be recertified for each new hub, and this can be a lengthy process if you have a lot of child devices. So far, based on the Chinese M2 I’m using, I can confirm the following devices are exposed to HomeKit, via the Aqara app, set to the Mainland China server;

• Aqara temperature and humidity sensor
• Aqara door and window sensor
• Aqara motion sensor
• Aqara leak sensor
• Aqara vibration sensor
• Aqara wireless mini switch
• Aqara wireless rocker (double & single)
• Opple Wireless switch (2, 4, 6 button)
• Mi door and window sensor
• Mi motion sensor
• Mi temperature and humidity sensor
• Mi smart button
• Mi smart plug (Taiwan)
• Mi light sensor

Undoubtedly, there are going to be more that are exposed to HomeKit, or at least will be when the M2 spreads throughout the EU, where it has just been released, and the US, where it’ll be available at some point in 2021.

THE M2 IN USE

I’ve had the Chinese version of the M2 since late August 2020, so I feel that I’ve had enough time to assess any potential issues. First of all, I didn’t go full steam ahead and move everything over from other hubs, just so I could test it out, as that would potentially be asking for trouble, but I’ve tested devices here and there over the last few months, and I’ve not once had an issue so far. Whether this is down to the wired connection, or because I’ve found all of my Aqara devices pretty robust in this manner, I’m not sure, but it has been solid. The one initial problem I did encounter, which has since been resolved, was that when I added the M2, after the Chinese G2H was already added, I found that the alarm modes in the Aqara app would change for the G2H, but not the M2. This also meant that the alarm modes were not synced between Apple Home and Aqara. I resolved this by removing both the G2H and the M2, and re-adding them again, with the M2 being the latter to be added. It seemed that adding the M2 last, made it the default device for the alarm functionality and modes, although I’ve since added an Aqara M1S hub, which also has the four alarm modes. The situation now is that whether I arm the M2 or the M1S in either the Home app or the Aqara app, they sync between both apps, and with each other, which is great.

So, taking everything there is to say about the M2, I’m finding it difficult to complain about anything with this nifty little device. The speaker isn’t that loud, but then neither was the original, so…

It also marks an improvement over the Mi smart Gateway I mentioned at the start of the review, mostly due to the speaker and the IR blaster. The Mi smart Gateway has both the Bluetooth and Bluetooth Mesh hub functionality, but I’ve tended to steer clear of most Bluetooth devices for a while now, and Bluetooth Mesh devices that are both compatible with the Mi Smart Gateway and HomeKit seem to be scarce, so these plusses are of no consequence to me. While I sort of miss the night light, I do still have a few of the original hubs (2 x Chinese, 1 x Hong Kong, 1 x US) plus the Chinese Aqara M1S, so I’ve still got plenty of choices if I want to make use of a night light if I want. In conclusion, this is all that I hoped it would be, with my expectations not having been dampened by the incredibly long wait.

The post Aqara Hub M2 (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The outdoor camera with a built-in siren
Somfy Outdoor Camera is the most deterrent outdoor camera on the market, with a 110 dB built-in siren and the option to link it to an outdoor lighting system.

Deterrent security
The Somfy Outdoor Camera has been specially designed to act as the first line of security for your home.

A security system designed for your daily life
Thanks to its advanced detection technology and configuration options, the Somfy Outdoor Camera can deal with all kinds of situations.

Human detection
Expecting a parcel? Make sure everything goes smoothly!

• When the delivery person arrives, you’ll receive a notification on your smartphone.
• From your app, you can speak to them directly and give instructions.
• They can drop off the parcel or take it away, depending on what you agreed.

No false alarms
In addition to its advanced detection technology, combining image analysis and heat detection, the system lets you easily select inactive zones that won’t trigger motion detection (like the neighbour’s garden here).

Simple to manage
Thanks to the Smart Activation, your Somfy Outdoor Camera deactivates automatically upon your arrival. When you leave the house, you receive a notification reminding you to activate the camera detection system. Your home security is fully optimised every day.

Smart Activation
No need to worry. Your Somfy Outdoor Camera manages all your comings and goings.

Everything you expect from a security camera
The Somfy Outdoor Camera is weather resistant, tamper proof, and offers exceptional image quality.

Speak and listen
From your smartphone, the system enables you to speak to people and listen to what’s happening outside/

Control and manage your external lighting
For an even greater deterrence effect and increased peace of mind, you can link your camera to an existing lighting system.
At night, lighting deters intruders and helps illuminate the path to your doorstep.

Secure Cloud storage for your videos
Data security is a major stake in today’s world, which is why the video storage and data streams used with the system are protected and encrypted.

Available in two colours
White or grey, simply choose the colour that best matches your home exterior.

The post Somfy Outdoor Camera appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

PACKAGING

Whilst the Abode Iota Home Security Kit isn’t a small financial investment, you do get a lot for your money, and for that, you’d expect decent protection for the contents, which in this case is definitely true, with a very strong box protected by a thick cardboard outer sleeve. This sleeve presents you with all the necessary information you need if you happened to pick this off the shelf out of mere curiosity, although it does not explicitly state on the outside that this kit will work with Apple HomeKit (it does, trust me). Indeed, it doesn’t really go to any great lengths to explain all of the possible integrations it’s capable of – and there are many – possibly due to Abode wanting you to know that whether you want a more complete smart home or not, their system can work all by itself, without any help from any of the three main smart home systems.

When it comes to HomeKit integration, after I initially set the system up, I had to update the firmware, which was revealed soon after setup was complete. Once that firmware was in place, an option within the app was added to expose the gateway to HomeKit. Within this option, the app generates a HomeKit QR Code. As I was adding this device on my iPhone, I had to scan the code from my iPad in order to use it, but you can simply take a screenshot, or copy the 8-digit code down and enter it manually. It was all pretty seamless.

The front of the box displays the heart of the system, the Iota Gateway, along with the reassuring slogan ‘smart. secure. all-in-one.’, which reinforces what I’ve said about the system being able to be used in a standalone capacity. The front doesn’t feature the other parts of the kit, but a list of included content is shown on one side of the box, along with requirements, such as an Abode account (free) and an internet connection with a minimum of 1Mbps download/512Kbps upload speed.

The rear of the box goes into a little more detail about the technology involved, compatibility with other devices, protocols, and brands (Z-Wave, Zigbee, Philips Hue, LiFX, Nest, Ecobee etc.), as well as an overview of how the system can be expanded upon*, and provide even more security, via optional paid monitoring packages, if required. The other side of the box outlines the simplicity of the setup, along with a mention of the Abode app, which you’ll need in order to set the system up initially.

* You can check out which Abode devices currently work with HomeKit via our listings page.

Once the outer sleeve is removed, you have the container in stylish black cardboard, that open via a flap. Upon opening the box, you’re greeted with the full set of devices that make up the ‘starter kit’, namely the Iota Gateway, the keyfob and the two halves of the contact sensor. Removing the top layer reveals another box that contains the power supply along with a few other bits and pieces.

This second box primarily contains both the power supply and an ethernet cable, which we’ll mention later. Along with these, you get a paper slip that acts as a ‘cheat sheet’ to get your Abode set up running quickly. It also has an activation key printed on the top, which you’ll need when you first connect the device to the company’s servers, so it can be registered. It’s advisable to keep this document, or at least a copy of the activation key, in a safe place.

THE IOTA GATEWAY

The centrepiece of the security kit is the Iota Gateway, which is an impressive looking device, that serves as the hub for your other Abode devices (in addition to other third party products), but has quite a few other functions; As well as being a hub to get your child devices exposed to HomeKit, it also has a built-in 93dB siren, a motion sensor, and a 1080p camera with a 127º horizontal field of view (67º vertical field of view). It also has a built-in microphone and speaker for 2-way audio. Visually, it really appeals to my taste, employing a stark, two-tone look for the top and bottom halves of the device. The top half is made of barely translucent plastic, housing the motion sensor and camera, whilst the bottom half is covered in a knitted mesh fabric, similar to what you’d find on the HomePod, that houses the speaker and microphone. Although the gateway isn’t especially tall, due to the imposing design it can perhaps appear larger overall. The gateway is 180mm / 7.1in in height, and 78mm / 3.07in deep/wide. One really staggering tidbit is that the Iota gateway can support up to 160 devices, which most people are unlikely to even get half-way to passing.

Both the motion sensor and the camera lens are visible on the top half of the front, with the bottom half only showing an LED status light when powered up. The rear of the device is sort of the opposite, in that there’s nothing to see for the top half, with the bottom section revealing the power socket and ethernet port, for the included power supply and ethernet cable. The gateway can be used with either 110-120v or 220-240v systems, so if you’re in Europe, for instance, this setup can be used without any issues. On the subject of the ethernet port, it’s good to note that this device can connect to your network by connecting it to a free ethernet port on your router, although the Iota is also able to connect to your network wirelessly. It can only connect via the 2.4GHz band, however, not the 5GHz band, which my D-Link Omna camera is capable of.

A closer look at the rear of the Iota also reveals a tab that when opened, shows slots for both a SIM card and a Micro SD card. The Micro SD card is for recording footage locally, as opposed to via Abode’s own servers, whilst the SIM Card slot – which actually comes with an included but unactivated SIM card – is to allow the gateway to keep connected to Abode’s servers in the event your internet connection goes down. This functionality is only available if you choose one of the company’s paid plans, however, and is also only available to North American customers, so it’s not an option for me living in Taiwan.

The top of the unit has the Abode logo cut into the black plastic, whilst the base features a switch that can be toggled on or off. This switch turns on the built-in backup battery, which is designed to kick in if power is cut to the device. The battery should last around 72 hours. Taking all of the protective features into account – the SD card for local recordings, the SIM card for continuous connection to Abode, and the backup battery if the power to your home goes down – it’s clear that the company are taking as many steps as they can with this gateway to keep it going under exceptional circumstances, which has impressed me mightily. The fact that it also has the camera, siren and motion sensor built-in, takes it even further, which we’ll look into next.

In terms of how the Iota gateway connects or communicates with Abode’s own-brand products, it uses AbodeRF, which is the company’s own version of RF433MHz. Aside from this, all of Abode’s gateways can connect to a variety of third party devices, either using Zigbee 1.2, or Z-Wave. Z-Wave seems to represent the lion’s share of devices that are compatible with Abode, with company’s like Aeotec, August, Fibaro, Leviton, and Schlage, just to name a few. It should be noted that if you’re integrating either of the Abode gateways with HomeKit, none of these third-party devices actually get exposed to HomeKit, not that you’re limited to one system or the other, of course. This does also mean that whether or not you’re using HomeKit, the Abode system can integrate with a lot of other systems, like Philips Hue, Yale, LiFX, Ecobee, Kwikset, Google Nest, and more.

THE IOTA CAMERA

NOTE: All screenshots of the Abode app are from the Beta version, which at the time of writing, is not publicly released, and so may differ from the version you may be aware of.

I’ve actually got quite a few cameras, some of which aren’t even in use, but all of them bar one, are not HomeKit compatible, being that they’re part of the Xiaomi smart home ecosystem. The one HomeKit camera that I do have, and have had for over two years now, is the D-Link Omna, and so this is the only camera I can use with which to compare the Iota camera.

The Iota streams at 1080p, which is the minimum I’d expect these days, and although it isn’t compatible with HomeKit Secure Video (and I’m told won’t be), it’s still a fairly decent camera. The still and streamed images, while slightly different from the Omna in terms of overall colour, actually seems slightly richer and crisp. The Omna has a 180º field of vision (FoV) (compared to the Iota’s 127º FoV), so that could account for it, perhaps. Both the Omna and the Iota are connected to Wi-Fi, with the former using 5GHz, and the latter, 2.4GHz. When I’m in the Home app, the Omna launches the live stream faster on every occasion, with the Omna almost instantaneous. The Iota can take up to three seconds to show the live stream, although this difference could be down respective Wi-Fi bands each camera uses – could this be down to the 2.4GHz being more cluttered due to more devices being connected than to 5GHz? Possibly, I don’t know, but oddly enough, when the Iota was connected to the network via ethernet, it was even slower to start showing the live feed in the Home app.

One thing I’m really not a fan of is the time stamp that shows in the top left corner. To me, it’s a reminder of the ‘old school’ Swann security cameras I used to have. Granted, it may be useful, but it would be preferable if there was an option to turn it off – which there isn’t unfortunately. Another slight negative is that the live feed on the Iota isn’t quite as smooth as it is with the Omna. The video feed is slightly ‘choppy’, almost as though a frame is missed every few of seconds, which is also noticeable if you watch the time stamp counting out seconds, where it will stop, before fast-forwarding a couple of seconds. It isn’t a massive deal in many ways, and I’m told a fix is being worked on to address this.

The Iota camera also plays nicely with the popular HomeCam app for Apple TV (as well as for iOS devices), so it’s nice to be able to stream your cameras directly to your TV screen when required.

As the camera is integrated with the gateway, along with the motion sensor and alarm, all three devices can work together in a variety of ways, either via HomeKit or totally within the Abode system. We’ll go into a bit more detail on that later, but for now, we’ll look at the other devices that come as part of the Security Kit.

In the Abode app, there are several settings for the camera, including turning the camera on or off, adjusting the streaming bandwidth, video quality (720p – 1080p), the length of the video clip capture (a maximum of 30 seconds), a pre-capture option that allows you to catch up to 30 seconds of footage before a trigger has occurred. along with a few sound options.

IOTA GATEWAY MOTION SENSOR

As already mentioned, the gateway features a built-in motion sensor. This get exposed to HomeKit in the normal way, and works exactly like any other HomeKit sensor, with all the same attributes. In the tests I set up for it that I tied to scenes, it worked every time, and whilst it wasn’t quite as fast as the Zigbee-based Aqara sensors I have, it was fast enough, and in fact, it’s less sensitive than my Aqara motion sensors, which I find a little too rigorous in detecting movement. The Motion sensor’s sensitivity settings can be adjusted (low, medium, high) in the Abode app, so in that aspect, it’s quite useful. The sensor is certainly more responsive than any of the Bluetooth motion sensors I have.

THE ABODE KEYFOB

Both the keyfob and the mini window/door sensor that come with the Security Kit are already pre-paired, so there isn’t a lot required to get these two items up and running as such.

The Abode keyfob is a nice addition to the kit, that really does give off the impression that the company are all about security, insomuch as they realise that not everyone wants to use their phone all of the time. With that in mind, it’s great that if you prefer something more tangible, that can be controlled manually, with physical button presses, then a dedicated keyfob of this kind ticks all the right boxes. In terms of dimensions, it’s quite discrete, around the size of a small box of matches or slightly smaller than a Zippo lighter, although similar in overall shape, measuring 14 x 53 x 35mm / 0.55 x 2.08 x 1.38in (Depth, Height, Width).

As with the Gateway, the keyfob adopts the two-tone theme of 50/50 black and white, with only the black half having any functionality. One side of the keyfob has the Abode logo, whilst the other four distinct but subtle icons separated from each other with crossed lines. The top black half of the keyfob is made of matt-like rubber, with the buttons requiring only the smallest of presses, like the buttons on a TV remote, for example, so it’s entirely possible if you have this fob in your pocket, you could inadvertently arm or disarm the system. This could only occur when you’re in range of the hub, however, but it’s just something to be aware of. At the top of the vertical line is a tiny LED that flashes red whenever one of the four buttons is pressed. Only three of the four buttons currently have a function;

• The small circular dot activates ‘Away’ mode
• The small dot within a circle activates ‘Home’ mode
• The cross sets the system to ‘Standby’ or ‘Disarm’ mode

The fourth button with the ‘Plus’ symbol, doesn’t have a function and is reserved for “potential future use”, although the Abode website states that it can be programmed to be used as a ‘panic’ button. This isn’t a HomeKit-compatible product however and so doesn’t get exposed to HomeKit, so any customisation for the fourth button has to be performed in Abode’s own app.

The keyfob is powered by a CR2032 battery which can be accessed by pulling the white and black halves apart. According to the website, the keyfob can work up to 30.5m / 100ft away from the gateway, which is quite impressive, although this number probably refers to a ‘clear line of sight’ between the keyfob and the gateway, so once walls start getting in the way, that measurement will likely reduce. A cursory glance of the Abode website didn’t bring up information on battery life, but I suspect a minimum of 12 months would be about right, depending on usage.

THE ABODE DOOR SENSOR

Door/window sensors are a really effective product type, as they’re so versatile. not only can they be added to doors or windows, but also drawers, jewellery boxes, or even your mailbox, as long as they’re in range of the hub of course. Door sensors are also quite basic in some senses, and usually take on the same form factor of the main body, which holds the electronics and transmitter etc, with the other portion a simple magnet housed in a plastic case.

This is the case with Abode’s offering – dubbed the Mini Door/Window Sensor, which is actually one of four versions the company offers. This particular model isn’t the smallest contact sensor around, but it not massive either; main body – 11 x 53 x 29mm / 0.43 x 2.08 x 1.1in, magnet – 7.5 x 25 x 14mm / 0.3 x 1.0 x 0.55in (Depth, Height, Width). Once again, the company employs a two-tone effect to this product, although given that it’s meant to be a bit more unassuming, the effect is achieved with mildly contrasting matt and gloss plastic finishes. Thankfully, the stickers that indicate where to line up the two halves are removable. The sensor also comes with two adhesive stickers, although unlike the typical double-sided adhesive strip you tend to see, they provide two single-sided stickers, with velcro on the other side, allowing the main part to be removed from the door frame, in order to change the battery more easily.

As with the motion sensor, this is exposed to HomeKit as a regular contact sensor and works well. The reaction times were almost on a par with my Zigbee door sensors, and (sorry, I have to say it again), but easily faster than the Bluetooth ones I have. The company claim up to four years of battery life, which is very impressive, even by Zigbee standards. The sensor uses a replaceable CR2450 coin battery. Overall, it’s an unassuming piece of kit, and rightly so, but it does the job well. It’s also great that it can work with the camera and alarm in a variety of different ways, which we’ll go into shortly.

THE IOTA ALARM/SIREN

When it comes to the alarm part of this setup, it should be stated that whilst HomeKit has four modes – Off, Night, Away, and Home – the Abode system only has three – Standby, Away, and Home. Some other systems that include an alarm, like the Aqara hub, currently only have an arm/disarm option, however. Due to Abode only having the three options, it would appear that selecting either the Home or Night modes in the Home app, activates Home mode on the Iota Gateway and in the Abode app. That sort of makes sense, as there are only minor differences between the two, although It would be great if Abode was able to add the fourth mode for parity. So, in essence, the modes between the Home and Abode apps looks like this;

Having briefly tested the alarm, I can attest to the loudness of it. It’s not just that it’s loud enough to deter potential an incursion into your home, but the quality of the siren sound is of decent quality, coming across – to my ears at least – as a more ‘full-bodied’ speaker, so the overall impression you get of the sound (for as long as you can bear it) is of ‘pro’ quality. I am, as you may have guessed, comparing this to my other alarm system, the Aqara hub, which whilst a great all-round piece of kit, is slightly let down by the speaker, which just isn’t as full sounding. Whether this increases the odds of an opportunist burglar fleeing at the sound of this particular alarm over another, is anyone’s guess, but it can’t hurt.

The Abode app has a more than sufficient amount of options for all aspects of the devices that come as part of the Security Kit, let alone additional devices that you might want to add in the future, so there really are too many to cover in a lot of detail, but just in terms of choices for the alarm siren, it has to be said, you won’t be disappointed. Options for the sounds are generally offered at three volume levels – Off, Low, or High – which covers door chime settings, delay sounds for the different alarm modes, as well as confirmation sounds. It really is quite extensive, as can be seen in the screenshots above.

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE ABODE APP

All of Abode’s child devices can work with the alarm portion of the gateway, so whether you want a simple low-level alert alarm that’s also sent to your phone if there’s a water leak, for example, or the full-blown panic alarm if the worst should happen, it’s all possible. Additionally, there are sections covering all aspects of the devices that connect to the Iota Gateway, as well as account, internet, and integration settings for connecting to systems previously mentioned. Much of this app, although still in beta, has replaced a large portion of what is currently accessible via the company’s web-based app, which is great if you don’t mind deving into a browser. Having pretty much everything in one app is the way forward though, ultimately, with the web-based app a decent backup option.

Wrapping up this overview of the Abode app, the main screen, and first of the five tabs at the bottom of the screen, simply called the Dashboard, gives you quick access to the camera along with the three alarm modes. Whenever you select the two active alarm modes (Home, Away), the gateway will count down, with 1 beep per second, so if you set the alarm arming delay to thirty seconds, you’ll get thirty beeps before it arms. Whatever amount of time you’ve set in the settings for the arming delay time, will also be reflected in a visual countdown effect within the icons for these two modes. The Devices tab gives you access to not only the camera, but settings for the built-in motion sensor, and any child devices that have been added. Here you can also group devices in any manner you wish, be that by room, or by sensor type etc. For the camera, you can also take a screengrab from the camera or record footage on the fly.

While Abode can play nicely with many systems it does appear to take itself seriously as a complete in-house security solution. This is why they offer a section labelled Cue, which allows you to create automations with rules, action and conditions. It’s possibly not as extensive as what can be achieved in the Home app for devices that aren’t security centred and also work with the Abode system, but it does offer a few options that aren’t possible for the alarm within the Home app.

SUMMING UP

I have to say that given the number of options you have with not only the Abode app but all the devices that can connect to the gateway, I’ve more than likely I’ve missed a few details here and there, so apologies if that’s the case, but there’s a lot! The depth of customisation for the siren is pretty impressive, and if you were to only use the Abode app without worrying about whether a device compatible with the gateway will be exposed to HomeKit, then you really are spoilt for choice. This choice is mostly sensors though, so don’t expect the Abode system to replace what’s on offer, in a broader sense, via Apple HomeKit.

What you do get is an all-in-one starter kit that does the basics, with you being able to add more as and when you want. That’s nothing new in some ways, as Aqara offer the same kind of choice. Still, Abode specialises in security in particular, and it’s evident when you see the paid secure monitoring options they offer it becomes apparent how seriously they take it. I haven’t really touched on these paid choices, as I’m really focussed on the hardware in the main, but even their plans are very flexible, and nowadays it’s all about choice for the consumer.

Has the system been good for me? At first, I did have an issue with the Iota gateway disconnecting once a day, which was quite disturbing, when you think that it’s the nerve centre of the system for security purposes. This happened when I was connected via ethernet at the time, and although I wasn’t directly connected to the router, I’d assumed it would be the best option. I have to admit that my system isn’t the best, and could do with a bit of streamlining, so I took to unplugging the gateway’s ethernet connection and went with a Wi-Fi connection instead. Soon after that, I’m glad to report the disconnections stopped. Whether the fault lies with my setup or not, I’m not sure, but as long as the gateway stays connected, I don’t really care how it does it. Aside from that, the keyfob and the door sensor have worked flawlessly, the motion sensor does the job well, and the camera is decent enough.

If we’re going to be fair, the slightly stuttering image from the live camera feed isn’t great, but I can live with it, and I do tend to look at the camera portion of the gateway as a bonus feature rather than a central one. After all, their other hub doesn’t come with a camera, and you can also buy separate cameras from either Abode or any number of manufacturers, so I’ll live with it. The siren/alarm part is what I consider the core feature, and as I’ve stated before, it’s LOUD. That’s all I need aside from reliability, even though where I live, we’re very safe thankfully. If it wasn’t for the fact that our apartment is already fully kitted out with sensors, I’d quite likely consider more Abode devices, as I’m really not too keen on Bluetooth sensors.

Finally, whether it matters to most people or not, I do like my devices to look good if they’re on show, whilst also having them blend in. The Iota does this in spades for me. I simply love the design. Taste is personal of course, but with this being both the heart of the system, as well as being a camera, it will get seen, and it should look good. I think it does.

Many of Abode’s products can be bought on Amazon.com, but it’s also worth checking out the company’s online store, as, at the time of writing, they are offering up to 50% off selected items from their range of products.

Full disclosure: Abode provided HomeKit News with the Iota Home Security Kit for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was made or requested.

The post Abode Iota Home Security Kit (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The centre of your smart, secure home
Connect up to 160 devices from abode or our partners. From security devices to lightbulbs to voice assistants, abode connects to it all.

Easy to Install
iota is easy to set up and install yourself. Simply connect it to your router via Ethernet cable for initial setup then place it anywhere you’d like within range of your home Wi-Fi network. You’ll get step-by-step instructions right in our app to make it a breeze. If you get stuck, we are just an email or phone call away.
We also offer professional installation if you’d prefer to have a pro come out and get you up & running.

Features

• • Built-in 93db siren
  • Built-in 1080HD camera
  • Built-in motion sensor
  • Two-way voice
  • WiFi Compatibility
  • Built-in battery backup
  • 4G SIM card included
  • Smash & Grab protection
  • RF interference protection
  • Communicates with compatible abodeRF, Z-Wave, and Z-Wave + devices

The post Abode iota Hub appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

PACKAGING

Regular readers of my reviews will know I appreciate decent packaging, as much as I despise poor packaging, and I’m glad to say this lands in the former category. It truly is a ‘box’ in terms of the very thick, sturdy card (like the kind you’d get for an iPhone) that’s utilised, so the dainty little device inside is well protected. The front is simple enough, with the product pictured along with the ever encouraging Apple HomeKit logo. The rear is all about the fine print and isn’t really of any major interest. One side of the box gives you a few icons indicating the basic features of the device, whilst the other side goes into specs and requirements;

• Security alarm – Adjustable alarm up to 120dB. Four alarm modes – Home, Away, Night, Off
• Contact sensor – Detect on/off status of your door or window from anywhere
• Notifications – Sends notifications to your device
• Temperature/Humidity – Shows temperature and humidity for the area where the alarm is based
• Home automation – Create custom automations and scenes to control your home with any HomeKit enabled accessories

In terms of specifications and requirements, the device uses two AAA batteries, with a standby time of 1.5 years, and Bluetooth LE 5.0 as its method of communication. They recommend that you’re running at least iOS12.1, and if you want remote access or create scenes and automations, you’ll need a Home Hub, like the Apple TV4 (or higher), a HomePod, or a suitable iPad that’s permanently powered and connected to wifi. All fairly standard stuff. You’ll need to download the Onvis app for access to certain settings and updates, although apart from these, you don’t need to use the app for anything else, so you can use the Home app or other 3rd party apps, like Eve, as I’ll explain later.

Once the box is opened, you’ll see a small bag of contents, which includes the manual (all in English) including HomeKit code, a spare set of double-sided 3M stickers, a set of screws with rawl plugs, and a customer service card. Beneath that is the device itself – The alarm/sensor, the accompanying magnet and two AAA batteries, all firmly held in place with very dense foam. Just as a side note, the batteries in the image above will most likely differ from yours, as batteries weren’t supplied when Onvis sent the device to me – shipping issues apparently – so I provide these myself.

THE DEVICE

The Alarm/sensor is made of very glossy white plastic and has the alarm speaker right on the front, with the Onvis logo directly below. Underneath that is a hidden LED that flashes when the door sensor is activated. At the bottom is a reset button, should you need to get the device back to factory settings. When I first saw this device online, I actually thought it was bigger, but it’s actually not as large as I thought. The main sensor is 90 x 38 x 21.4mm / 3.54 x 1.49 x 0.84in. The magnet part is about a third of the size, at 34.9 x 15.7 x 14.8mm / 1.37 x 0.62 x 0.58in.

All around the body of the main device are openings, which I can only assume are two allow for the measurement of temperature and humidity. Yes, not only does this have a contact sensor with a built-in alarm, but it also contains temperature and humidity sensors. This may seem a bit odd, and I’d probably agree that it seems a bit gratuitous, but if you don’t already have any of these sensors, then it does provide even more value for money, although if this is situated on your front door, I’m not sure how important readings of these kinds would be. I guess it’s all down to placement. This is also the case with Onvis’ other HomeKit device, the SMS1 Motion sensor, which also has temperature and humidity sensors built-in. You can read our review of the SMS1 here.

Both the main sensor and the accompanying magnet have an indented circle on one side to show where the magnet and the sensor should line up. The manual states that the gap between the two needs to be less than 20mm / 0.79in. Initially, I thought this was in reference to the distance between the two parts once they’d been placed on your door, with the door closed, but it, in fact, means that the two circles have to line up to within 20mm of each other in the vertical plane, so if for any reason you’re unable line the circle markers up exactly, then try to ensure they’re within the 20mm limit. Regardless of this, it’s always good practice to keep the sensor and magnet in close proximity.

The battery compartment holds two AAA batteries and is unremarkable except for the fact it’s really easy to open and close. I’d probably say too easy in some respects, and it probably would’ve been a good idea to include a small screw that stops the door from being slid off so easily, in much the same way that some video doorbell cameras can be secured. Despite it only being used for indoors, there could be a situation where someone does manage to get into your home, but isn’t deterred by the alarm and is quickly able to deactivate it by taking the batteries out very fast, which a secure screw would stop or at least seriously slow such an attempt down. Of course, you’d get the notification, but if you’re far from home and you’re hoping the neighbours are listening, it’s entirely possible that the alarm would get ignored if it only blasts out for a few seconds, with some people simply thinking the alarm was triggered by mistake. In most scenarios, a would-be thief would hightail it out of there as soon as the alarm is triggered, so the potential instance mentioned is maybe an extreme one, although still quite possible.

INSTALLATION AND SETUP

As the device is a fully-fledged HomeKit offering, you can simply add it to the Home app in the same way you would any other. However, just like other HomeKit devices, it’s also good practice to have the manufacturers’ app for not only updates but settings that aren’t always available in the regular Home app. As you can see in the screencaps above, once installed, the device gives up four separate tiles, although in the Home app they will initially be bundled into one tile, so you’re going to need to ‘unbundle’ them in the settings. There’s a tile for the contact sensor, temperature and humidity. Additionally, you get the alarm tile. This is pretty much the same situation with the Onvis app, giving you four tiles.

When it comes to customising certain aspects of the alarm, it’s best to do it in the Onvis app, as this is also where you’ll be able to download any firmware updates (hint: there will be ones waiting…). In the settings page, you can change the name of the device, as well as change its location. You can set any of the four states we’ve already mentioned – Home, Away, Night and Off.

You can also set the default volume of the alarm – Low, Mid and High. I’ve been informed that if you want to deploy an external sound source for your alarm instead of the built-in alarm, such as your HomePod for example, the company are working to add a mute option to the alarm modes very soon. Further down, you get to be able to adjust how long the alarm rings for, with a minimum of 10 seconds and a maximum of 600 seconds (10 minutes). Finally, if you’re in need of removing the device, you can do so with the help of the large red ‘Remove Accessory’ button.

ALARM MODES

When you press on the alarm tile in either app you get access to the four separate alarm ‘states’ – Home, Away, Night and Off. This might seem a bit confusing to some who are just used to having ‘Off’ and ‘Away’, but essentially, these states are the starting point for your own setups or automations. The Onvis manual explains how they perceive these different states thus;

• Home (it’s referred to as Stay when you receive notifications) – Home is occupied, and the residents are active. The security alarm plays a ‘ding dong’ sound when the door opens (note: it’s nothing like ‘ding dong’). So, essentially this is the door not set to ‘alarm’, but merely notification, so you know someone has come home, while you – or someone else – is home.
• Away – The security alarm ‘beeps’ (the alarm sounds) for 30 seconds when someone triggers the contact sensor. The Alarm time can be set from between 10 and 600 seconds in the Onvis app. This is the basic armed alarm.
• Night – The home is occupied and the residents are sleeping. The security alarm ‘beeps’ (the alarm sounds) for 30 seconds when someone triggers the contact sensor. The Alarm time can be set from between 10 and 600 seconds in the Onvis app. This is the same as the basic armed alarm, but as I’ll explain later, they can differ.
• Off – The alarm is disarmed. Very simple.

Note: At present, the ‘Historic Records’ button seems to hang, although the company have already submitted a fix for this, so it should no longer be an issue once the app update has passed the standard App Store review process.

In order to get the Away and Night alarm modes to work differently, you need to create an automation that’s suitable for these scenarios, although in each case, these two modes will always trigger the built-in alarm.

I’m going to start off with the Home app for the moment, to make clear that whilst you have the four separate alarm states to choose from in the Home app, you aren’t able to set up external/3rd party devices to trigger them as such. This is fairly similar to how the Aqara hub works in terms of alarms, in that the Home app only facilitates activating or deactivating the different modes, not configuring them. So effectively, in the case of the Aqara hub, you have to set the device that triggers the alarm (which has to be a child device bound to the hub –  i.e. Mijia or Aqara devices) in the Aqara or Mi Home app, depending on which of the two you’re using. In reference to the Aqara hub, at present, you only have the arm or disarm (Away or Off) options in the Home app. With the Onvis device, this expands on what modes you want to choose from, although it’s down to what you do with those modes that make a difference. What should be understood, however, is that just like the Aqara hub, only the Onvis contact sensor can actually trigger the alarm. The big difference here is that with Aqara, you can pick and choose your devices as the triggers for the alarm. As the onvis is a device unto itself, only its own trigger device – the contact sensor – can be utilised. As Onvis also make a motion sensor, along with the forthcoming HomeKit camera we mentioned a while back, it would make a lot of sense to include these as additional external trigger devices for the alarm, and after mentioning this to Onvis, they have informed me they’re working on an update to address this functionality.

With all that said, what can you do with these modes? I’d urge you in this instance to start looking at something like the Eve app, or other 3rd party apps that allow full control of these modes in automations. I’ll demonstrate why these apps are important to achieve this later, but first, its good to start off explaining the different modes in better detail. so for example, you might want to either set up a Scene (or automation), that sets the alarm to Away mode, (which by default arms the alarm). The scene can also include turning lights or heating off, of course.

For Home mode, this acts almost the same as Away mode, with the main difference being that whilst the alarm is ‘armed’, instead of the piercing alarm sound being triggered when the contact sensor reports the door being opened, it will play a chime, which I previously said was labelled a ‘ding dong’ sound. In actual fact, it’s a little bit like the electronic two-note beeps you might hear if you open the door to a local convenience store. This is ostensibly designed to let people who are already home, know that the door has been opened, but as they’re home, there should be no cause for concern, as it simply notifies you that maybe your kids have arrived home, or perhaps your significant other has gotten back from work. You might want to create a scene that, when the contact sensor is triggered under this mode, it also turns one light red in the room (or rooms) you spend most of your time in, to let you and others know someone has come home, as otherwise in order to be notified by the chime alone, it’d have to be set to maximum volume if you were at the other end of the house.

Night mode is more of the same but is more akin to Away mode in that if the door opens, the regular 120dB alarm will sound. As before, it should be stated that in order to get a different experience from Night mode compared to Away mode, you might want to work out the appropriate scene and corresponding automation. So, if the alarm is triggered in Away mode, you’ll want the alarm to turn on (as it will do by default), and maybe have red lights come on where the entrance is, to scare the would-be intruder. But, if you set Night mode you might want additional lights to trigger perhaps, like your bedroom lights to come on at 100% brightness, to alert you if your phone is set to ‘do not disturb’ for example.

When you select any of the four modes in either the Home or Onvis app, the sensor will play a tone to let you know;

• When you select either the Night or Away modes, the sensor will give out a short single tone.
• If you select the Home mode, it will give the two-tone sound mentioned previously.
• If you select the Off mode, it will give out two short tones in succession.

CREATING SCENES AND AUTOMATIONS FOR THE MODES

Unfortunately, the Home app doesn’t support automations that utilise the different modes, so it’s down to the Eve app or similar 3rd party apps to do the initial work. In the first image above, I’ve created a simple automation;

• If the Onvis contact sensor ‘contact state’ is ‘no’ (meaning the door is open)
• With the condition that the Onvis alarm mode is set to ‘Night Arm’
• Then activate the ‘Lights Bright’ scene (this turns the bedroom light on at 100% brightness)

As you can also see from the second and third screenshots, once you’ve created the automation, it will appear in the Home app, almost as though it was created there in the first place. If you look at the other options available in both apps, you really can create some very complex alarm scenarios, so you’re only limited by your imagination and what devices you have that can be included in said automations.

PHYSICAL PLACEMENT OF THE ALARM/SENSOR

Like many contact sensors, the Onvis relies on two parts – the sensor and a magnet. The magnet is usually fitted to the door jamb, with the sensor part fitting to the door. Unfortunately, as is also the case with most contact sensors, the magnet within the main sensor is only on one side, and in the case of my front door, the door opens on the left from inside. The connection between the magnet and the sensor on the Onvis is on the right.

This means that in my case (left-hand door), the sensor has to be either placed upside down or placed at top of the door, sideways. Neither looks great, as the Onvis logo is upside down for the first option, and sideway for the second. It’s really not the end of the world, but it would have maybe been a good idea for Onvis to add a magnet to both sides of the main sensor, in order to accommodate door that opens on the left and right. If you have a door with a very large door jamb that can accommodate the main body, then it’s also ok to place the sensor there of course, but unless you happen to live in a palace or castle, most modern houses and doors only have moderately thin door jambs.

IN DAILY USE

When I initially installed the Onvis sensor, all went well, but after the first 24 hours, I did encounter a couple of issues. The first one relates to notifications; For some reason, the Onvis was sending random notifications to my phone via the Home app. These notifications simply reported on the state of the alarm – Away or Off for example. A colleague of mine has reported the same issues with his test unit and has been experiencing several of these notifications. In my case, it has been maybe 2 or 3 a day, and as of writing this review, they seem to have largely stopped. The company are aware of this issue, and I’m told a fix is nearly ready. The other issue I initially had was that the device disconnected on a couple of occasions. I removed and reinserted the batteries and it came back, but what I eventually noticed was that it was basically a little too far from my iPhone and Home Hub (Apple TV4K), and so would disconnect due to a lack of a connection. I was able to simply remedy this by activating a second Apple TV I had in the same room as the Onvis, that was previously not set to act as a Home Hub. As soon as I did this, I haven’t experienced any further disconnections, which is a relief. It does show, however, that despite this being a Bluetooth 5.0 device, which should have four times the reach of Bluetooth 4.2, the reach and signal isn’t as strong as I’d expected. Could this be a bug within the coding for the Bluetooth chip? I don’t know, but I feel it should be better, and hopefully, the company can address this if it is indeed less than it should be. In truth, as many people are aware, there are some serious issues still to fix with the Home app in iOS 13, so it’s hard to place too much blame with the device itself, as at least three times a day, I have to reboot the iPhone in order for the Home app to behave itself, which makes testing devices like this all the more harder, if you haven’t gotten an app to create a normal, stable environment to test it in.

In terms of the alarm, it’s loud, but not quite as loud as I’d expected. Still, at a maximum of 120dB when it’s triggered, which will be essentially right next to where any unauthorised entry will take place, it’s more than enough to make all but the most determined (or profoundly deaf) intruder flee the scene.

Although admittedly, I’m not a massive fan of Bluetooth devices, their Bluetooth motion sensor has been very reliable, and so far, since activating the 2nd Apple TV, the Alarm Sensor has behaved very well too. Obviously, to really know how reliable something is in a broader sense, it takes a long time to evaluate, but one could also argue as to how long one should test a device to deem it reliable – if something is designed for years of service, and you test it for a year before it fails, was that long enough to deem it reliable? I’ll leave that for you to decide, but for the time being, taking into account the current state of things, it seems decent enough, especially for the price.

SUMMING UP

I didn’t have very high expectations for this device, simply based on the principle of how it works compared to a dedicated or even semi-dedicated alarm setup. However, whilst this probably isn’t suitable for larger house perhaps, there are definite use cases for this; maybe you want to use this for a separate outhouse or garage door (within range of course), or maybe even a backup to a door with a sensor already in place. I would suggest that a device like this is ideal for people in smaller apartments or even people who live in shared accommodation, with their own lockable room perhaps. It could also be useful in student accommodation, where there tend to be a lot more comings and goings. It’s also fair to highlight the fact that as it’s Bluetooth, there’s no requirement for a hub, and it doesn’t rely on wifi (except for remote access), so it does have a lot going for it.

I’ve already highlighted the potential for this device to be disabled by simply removing the batteries, although as I also stated, it’s unlikely that someone will spend the time to locate the alarm and figure out how to open it, with 120dB blasting their eardrums, especially when it’s bound to attract a fair bit of attention, so this is an uncommon scenario, to be fair. Ultimately, it would be better if you could choose other devices to trigger the alarm based on the type of mode the alarm is in, but this is how it is with all alarm systems in HomeKit, in that the alarm can only be triggered by devices in its own ecosystem. This is where, in some ways, the Aqara system has the edge, as you can assign different sensors to act as the trigger in different modes. The Aqara system doesn’t currently expose the four modes in HomeKit at this time though, and the US Aqara hub is almost twice the price of this Onvis alarm sensor, even before you start buying sensors, which can range between $10 – $20 apiece. If you already have some Aqara sensors and the hub, you probably won’t need this, assuming Aqara does bring the four modes into HomeKit.

It’s also fair to say that there are a few kinks to work out, but I’m already aware that many issues that existed when this was being tested, have been fixed very quickly by the Onvis team, so I feel confident that any outstanding issues will be addressed equally quickly. So, all that being said, for the price, this is a handy backup device, even if you have an alarm system in place.

Thanks to Richard B for the help with understanding the alarm modes.

Full disclosure: Onvis provided HomeKit News with the Security Alarm Contact Sensor for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was made or requested.

The post Onvis Security Alarm Contact Sensor (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

• SMART SECURITY & ALARM: This window door alarm has four security modes: STAY, AWAY, NIGHT and OFF, with a volume up to 120 decibels and 3 levels: High, Mid and Low. In the Home arming, the device serves as a chime that makes a doorbell sound when the door opens. It drives intruders away to protect your home and family. Real-time notifications will be sent to your iPhone or iPad when it is triggered. It also reminds elderly people to close the door and prevents children from leaving home unnoticed.
• HOMEKIT AUTOMATIONS & SCENES: Automations and custom scenes can be set with other HomeKit enabled accessories. The home security system and the door sensor status, temperature and humidity can all be used to set automations.
• MULTI-PURPOSE SENSOR: Ask Siri, access to Apple Home App or Onvis Home app for current room temperature, humidity and door/window status. The smart door alarm sensor has the 100 most recent automatic trigger records, 24/7 remote home security monitoring for home, office, garage, warehouse, store, farms, apartment, restaurant, cellar, cabinet, mailbox, pet house, RV, and more. Smart hygrometer thermometer keeps hourly records of temperature and humidity for 1 month.
• COMPATIBILITY: Works directly with Apple HomeKit compatible devices such as cameras, switches, plugs, outlets, smart bulbs, locks etc, no hub required; requires a HomePod, and Apple TV with tvOS 10.1 or later or an iPad with iOS 12.1 or later to set up as a home hub for remote access.
• LOW-ENERGY & EASY INSTALLATION: The Bluetooth 5.0 in the HomeKit door alarm sensor offers fast and stable connectivity. 2xAAA common alkaline batteries power up the smart device for up to 15,000 hours standby time. The remaining battery energy can be checked with apps; This wireless alarm can be easily deployed on surfaces of door/window/gate.

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The post First Alert/Onelink Hardwired Smart Smoke + CO Alarm appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

• NOTE: Requires a secured 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network connection, Range: 2~6M, plus the free Apple Home app for iPhone (iOS 10.3 or later).
• Smart Home Control Center, Connect up to 32 Aqara accessories (sold separately), control accessories automatically and make your home smart. Aqara accessories include Smart Plug, Wireless Mini Switch, Motion Sensor, Door and Window Sensor, Water Leak Sensor, Temperature and Humidity Sensor.
• Remote Control, Control the Aqara Hub anywhere via Home app. Free Home app (available on the App Store). To control this HomeKit-enabled accessory, iOS 10.3 or later is recommended. Controlling this HomeKit-enabled accessory automatically and away from home requires an Apple TV with tvOS 10.2 or later or an iPad with iOS 10.3 or later set up as a home hub.
• You can use Apple Home app to control the Hub and its connected accessories. Aqara accessories can communicate with other HomeKit-enabled accessories (compatible brand: Philips Hue, Honeywell, Lutron and so on) to provide you a smarter home.
• 2-year warranty; 24/7 Live Chat on our website aqara.com; Email Support: support@aqara.com

The post Aqara Hub appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

This is, as the name would suggest, a Smart Alarm, but it’s also a miniature hub, in the same way as LifeSmart’s Smart Station is a hub for all LifeSmart accessories. The differences between this device and the Smart Station are as follows;

This device allows you to connect up to 24 separate devices, whilst the Smart Station allows up to 500. The wireless range on this device is 200m, with the Smart Station expending to 400m. This device connect via wifi and has no ports, whereas the Smart Station has an ethernet port and two USB ports. There are some other minor differences that I won’t go into, but the most obvious difference is that this is also an alarm, obviously.

Now, I have to say, the sounds are the alarm are quite awful, even though they are quite loud. If you can imagine the sound effects you used to be able to buy that would be a sort of a key ring, then these are the sounds you get on this device. The only reason I have this to be honest is as a hub, and as it’s around half the price of the regular hub, it has been great as a hub for a second apartment. That being said, it would probably be quite an effective alarm to startle an intruder, even if it’s a little crude.

All LifeSmart devices are made in China, and so some devices will come with Chinese style pins. This is one of those products, so you’ll have to go with an adaptor for this, whilst a lot of their products come with a separate US style adaptor connected to USB.

This device also allow you to connect to HomeKit as a hub, so compatible products that go through this hub will be visible to HomeKit, as with the Smart Station.

The post LifeSmart Smart Alarm (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.