The Inspelning (transl. recording) smart plug looks pretty much like many of today’s offerings, which at its core ensures that it’ll plug into one socket without blocking the other. It has a  power button on the side, along with a small indicator LED and reset button.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this new smart plug, which uses Zigbee to connect to both Ikea’s own smart platform and others, will only work with the company’s latest hub – the Dirigera. So if you’re still using the original Trådfri smart hub with your Ikea products, this plug is either a pass or you’ll need to upgrade.

On the assumption you do have the Dirigera hub, you can then expose it to Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, although not via Matter officially yet. A Matter firmware update is available for beta testing if you want to try it out. A firmware update from Sept. 2nd states;

• DIRIGERA Hub version 2.615.8
  • Maintenance release, plus extended support of device types via Matter Bridge for:• Lights, including Drivers
    • Smart plugs/outlets
    • Connected blinds
    • Remotes
    • Motion sensors
    • Open/close sensors
    • Air purifiers and Air quality sensors

If you don’t want to use this beta option, adding the hub to the latter two platforms requires the legacy connection method that ties your Ikea smart home account to Google/Amazon.

Energy monitoring is only available via the Ikea Home Smart app (not the old app, named Home Smart 1). Currently it’s listed on Ikea’s US website for US$11.99, although it may be available in your nearest Ikea store.

The post Ikea Release Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Starting with the company’s hub, dubbed the LuBase, this acts as a gateway for other Luon products. Whilst most hubs on the market for Apple Home utilise Zigbee or occasionally Z-Wave or variants of RF433MHz, the LuBase uses its own take on the ESP-NOW wireless protocol, with their version called (yes, you guessed it) LuAir. ESP-NOW was developed by Expressif and acts in much the same way as Zigbee or Thread, especially as it still occupies the same 2.4GHz wireless range. The hub also makes use of the latest ESP-32-S3 chip, ensuring fast and accurate operation.

What makes this hub different from some others is that it uses their own operating system, called luonOS (…) that claims to be a closed and totally local system, that communicated directly, and only with, Apple Home. So there are no servers to connect to, and for this reason the whole system can work offline, and remain totally with your own network. Any data that the hub collects is stored solely on the hub itself (for up to five years) and is not sent to any external servers or locations.

The hub also uses a built in AN connection, but once again uses its own wired communication standard, called (are you ready?) LuLine. Luon state that communication speeds between child devices and the company’s own app occur in a fraction of a second, so seemingly in line with Zigbee and Thread it would seem.

Currently, the company only has the aforementioned LuBase, and LuBulb, an E27 colour light bulb offering 806lm/9W. It also offers cool to warm whites, although its not clear if the bulb would be compatible with Apple’s own Adaptive Lighting feature.

Luon’s website does list other products, like LuTouch a four button controller that also comes with a both a built-in temperature sensor, and a sound-based presence sensor. It’s powered by an internal rechargeable battery. Each of the four buttons offers three button press types – single, double and long press – as standard. What’s more interesting is that it comes in both a mobile and wall mounted variant, with the latter also able to work in a wired or wireless capacity.

The LuModule Pro is designed to typically work behind devices like light switches, and can control two separate lighting circuits, offering energy monitoring features via the Luon app. However, it can also be used to control devices such as electric window coverings, like blinds or shutters, as well garage doors, wall outlets and much more.

Finally, the LuPresence is in fact a smart button, that happens to also contain sensors for motion, presence, light intensity, and temperature! Just like the four button LuTouch, this device can be powered by batteries or permanently powered. However, the ‘presence’ is not of the ind we’ve been seeing more of lately, which use mmWave technology, so the presence in this case uses a combination of both sound and motion to detect presence, so it’s more akin to occupancy sensors we’ve seen in some older devices. The sound and motion sensors can work in tandem or be programmed to work independently of each other.

Whilst it’s compatible with Apple Home only at present, Luon state that Matter compatibility for the LuBase is coming at a later date.

Luon also has its own app that works directly with Apple Home, called LuHome. As it’s a Apple Home compatible app, all of your Apple Home and Matter devices will show up in the app, much like any other third-party HomeKit app. Also like some of these third-party apps, LuHome offers advanced functionality not typically found in the standard Apple Home app, with features like watching multiple live streams from your cameras, and storing Apple Home and Matter QR codes from your devices directly in the app. You can also choose to hide specific devices or scenes if they’re seldom used, and they offer a ‘snapshot’ feature, that allows you to set or adjust a device’s state, and take a ‘snapshot’ of the state to create a new scene quickly. It’s also available for both iPadOS and macOS (M1 processors and newer). The app is mostly free, but does require a monthly or yearly subscription for creating automations in the app. There’s no fee if you own the company’s hub, however.

You can read more about the company and its products via their website, available in English, German, and Polish.

The post Luon Launch Apple Home Compatible Hub, Devices, and App appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The Presence Sensor FP1E uses millimetre wave (mmWave) technology to detect even slight human movements, enabling precise presence detection for various home automation scenarios. It can detect presence up to 6m/19ft away and monitor a room of up to 50 sq m/538 sq ft when ceiling mounted. Unlike PIR motion sensors, the FP1E detects human presence even when the person is sitting or lying still. It can quickly recognise when a person leaves a room and trigger automation to turn off lights and air conditioning, reducing energy loss.

The FP1E complements the more versatile Presence Sensor FP2 (review HERE, video HERE) and is streamlined for user-friendliness, ideal for those seeking a precise occupancy detection solution without advanced features like zone positioning. The FP1E uses AI algorithms to distinguish between relevant movements and false triggers, eliminating the need for additional setup. It filters out small pets and interference from mirrors, metals, curtains, and ACs, while its sensitivity is self-adaptive. The sensor’s AI learning capabilities improve detection accuracy by adapting to the user’s home environment over time.

Aqara Home users can use the FP1E to detect human movement or stillness, unlocking various automation possibilities based on movement status and duration. For example, if the sensor detects a person remaining still for over 30 minutes, it can send notifications or change the colour of smart lights as a reminder to stand up. This feature aims to promote healthier routines and reduce sedentary behaviour.

The FP1E is powered by a 5V1A supply (USB power brick not included) and comes with a magnetic and adhesive-backed bracket for easy installation on walls, ceilings, or corners.

The Presence Sensor FP1E is available in Aqara’s Amazon stores in North America (US, Canada), Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, UK), and Asia (Japan), as well as from select Aqara retailers worldwide, and for a limited time you can get 20% off the list price using the following codes on Amazon stores – UK/EU – FP1EEU20 | US/CA – FP1ENA20

You can read our full written review below;

Aqara Presence Sensor FP1E (review)

The post Aqara Launches New Presence Sensor FP1E appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

(mmWave) sensing is a non-contact system of using mmWave radar sensors to measure movement, acceleration, and angles as small as a fraction of a millimeter. This system requires a mmWave radar sensor to transmit and receive pulses of millimetre electromagnetic wave energy, detecting targets and motion from the reflections it receives back.

So as you can see, simply shallow breathing will be enough to let a Presence Sensor know you’re still there, and not leave you in the dark – literally. today’s product review is for the Aqara FP1E, which can both be considered the successor to the FP1, which was only released in China, and a scaled back version of the Aqara FP2 (review HERE, video HERE).

If you’re keen to know how it performs, and how it differs from the other two Presence Sensors just mentioned, read on…

PACKAGING | CONTENTS

Aqara’s packaging is fairly standardised now, with the product front and centre, a sort of ‘disclaimer’ below, and logos for compatible ecosystems. this is where some Apple Home users might be confused, as the ‘Works With Apple Home’ logo is not present alongside the Alexa and Google logos. That’s due to the FP1E using Zigbee 3.0, which in turn means it would require an Aqara hub, which is point of entry to Apple Home. I have to assume that Alexa or Google are a bit more easy going about their logos being on the box than Apple, as the disclaimer text does state “To connect to third-party ecosystems such as Apple Home, Amazon Alexa and Google Home, an Aqara Zigbee 3.0 hub is required”. So don’t panic, it definitely works with Apple Home – as long as you have one of their Zigbee 3.0 hubs.

The rear of the box is a little more technical, showing the sensor’s radar detection range, whilst the sides offer up features and specs;

Features

• Accurate presence detection
• Active spatial learning
• Hassle-free setup for all
• Versatile mounting options

Specs

• Model: PS-S03E
• Ports: USB-A
• Input power: 5V 1A
• Wireless protocol: Zigbee (3.0)
• Dimensions: 57 x 50 x 37mm
• Operating temperature: -10~40ºC | 14~104ºF
• Operating humidity: 0~95% RH, no condensation

Inside the box you get the FP1E of course, a metal plate with two holes for fixing it to a wall using screws, a matching double sided adhesive patch, and the manual in multiple languages. Both the metal mounting plate and the base of the FP1E’s stand are magnetic, so once you’ve mounted the plate the FP1E will cling to it very well. If you’ve ever used the G2H or G2H Pro, you’ll be able to attest to the magnet’s strength at holding fast. THere’s no power brick, as you may have come to expect these days.

The FP1E uses the now tried and tested stand you find in products going way back to the days when early Xiaomi cameras came out – you know, the ones that were released years before Wyze used the same camera design and repackaged it…

This stand is still in use with the Aqara camera Hub G2H Pro, and the cameras that preceded it – the G2, and the G2H – so it’s clearly a good design, and offers versatility for the placement of the FP1E at many different angles. Along with the option to angle it in the vertical plane, it can also be rotated, making it really exceptionally handy. The underside has a simple but easy to press reset button.

Unlike its big brother, the FP2, the power cable is fixed to the device, and as such can’t be replaced for another cable. The cable it comes with is probably more than long enough for most use cases, coming in at a bit under 2 metres.

If you’re an owner of the FP1 (I have three here myself), then you’ll immediately know the design has not changed at all with the introduction of the FP1E. It differs from the FP2 visually, but also in terms of functionally too though, which I’ll get to shortly. It has improvements over the original FP1 too, although perhaps less perceptible.

IN AQARA HOME

Compared to both the FP1 and the FP2, the FP1E is a lot more streamlined, both in terms of the options within the app, and in terms of functionality. Whilst the FP2 offered an array of functionality, including creating a detailed map of your room or living area, along with icons for furniture etc, the FP1E has none of that, and in some ways is better for it. Also unlike the FP2, which offered up to 30 separate zones – all exposed to Apple Home, I might add – the FP1E simply covers one area, which can be adjusted.

The main page for the device is quite simple, with three main accessible options shown. The first of these is a log of presence and absence events. It’s very simply laid out, and as such is easy to understand. The Detection radius setting is really simple to use, and a lot more intuitive than was offered by the FP1, which had a screen that represented your room/area, like the FP2. However, the UI for the FP1 was really difficult to get a grasp on, as through trial and error you had to work out the edges of its detection range. This for me involved standing in four corners of the living room, to check whether I was within range or out of range of the sensor, then adjust the map boundaries accordingly. It was pretty tedious, if I’m honest.

The FP1E does away with that, and just has  slider that represents the complete detection range, from zero to six metres. When you’re in the sensor’s range, a little icon would appear above the slider to show where you are in relation to the sensor, and therefore allow you to adjust the sensors detection range. This means if you wanted it to only detect presence within two metres of the sensor, even if the room was  four metres deep, then this allows for that. Of course, it’s not as detailed as the FP2 with its 30 zones, but for some people and some use cases, this simple setup is exactly what’s needed, and no more.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing it in a few locations, but primarily in the bathroom. The reason for testing it here is that the bathroom offers the perfect circumstances for testing how well it adheres to the limits set for its detection range. when going from the living room to the other bedrooms, we would pass by the open sliding door of this bathroom, and so for a standard motion sensor, there’s going to be the strong chance that it would pick up motion even when you’re not actually in the bathroom, merely passing by.

Not so with the FP1E! Before anything else, you should set the device up, then clear the area of any type of moving object, be that a person, a pet or a fan. Then with the help of AI, the FP1E will build up an image of the area in question as a starting point. It only take around 20 seconds to do this. after that’s done, you can go into the Detection Range Settings page, and set up the limits for the sensor.

As you can see from the last two screenshots above, I’ve set it so that anything outside of the bathroom is set so that it won’t trigger anything based on presence, even though it clearly can detect when I’m outside of the range I set it at. This has worked incredibly well, and I can stand right outside the door to the bathroom without triggering the automation I set up for it, which incidentally turns on the Aqara wall switch controlling the bathroom lights.

IN APPLE HOME

There’s not much to report on with the Apple Home side of things, so in essence, if you’re going to use the FP1E in Apple Home automations, it’ll act like any motion or presence sensor to trigger other devices, depending on the detection of presence or absence. It’ll still abide by the detection limits you set in the Aqara app, however.

One thing the FP1E lacks versus the FP1 is that the latter does offer both presence and motion detection. Motion detection is almost on a par with a standard Zigbee motion sensor in terms of speed, which is quicker than a presence sensor for initial motion detection. You can see the two separate sensors listed here in the Eve app, with the FP1E only showing presence as an option. The FP1E doesn’t have such an option, however, whilst presence detection still isn’t as fast to react compared to a PIR sensor, it’s a massive improvement over the speed of presence detection with the original FP1. In most cases I may end up using a standard PIR sensor in combination with the FP1E, unless response time isn’t a top priority.

Ultimately, the options in Aqara Home are superior, as long as the automation is working with other Aqara devices of course. There are options for presence and absence, but also ‘presence for’, ‘Absence for’, ‘Moving’, ‘Still’, ‘Moving for’, and ‘Still for’. Additionally, you can even trigger a couple of options with the FP1E, which you don’t normally see. So, you can, for example, use an Aqara smart button to trigger the FP1E to relearn its Spatial Learning, thereby resetting the absence status, or you can even restart the device. That’s impressive.

THE FP1E IN USE

As previously mentioned, I have three FP1s, two of which are in use. Both are used in small spaces, like our en-suite bathroom (not the one used in the tests), and our entrance area. I never reviewed the FP1 for two reasons; I found the device hard to set up to my liking, and found it inaccurate some of the time, especially for larger areas. I also didn’t review it because it was only available in China, and didn’t want overseas readers buying one off the back of my review, despite it being a largely negative review if I’d written it. With the FP1E, things have changed considerably, and I’m glad that Aqara saw fit to release this internationally, as it does the job well. Yes, it’s not as comprehensive as the FP2, but for use in a bathroom or kitchen, where you may not require the zones feature offered by the FP2, this does a great job. It’s way more easy to set up than either the FP2 or the FP1, and on that basis it works as well as I could have hoped for. I’m also glad they stuck with Zigbee for this device as opposed to WiFi as is found in the FP2, or Matter over Thread for some of the company’s newer devices. Not that I don’t like Matter or Thread, but I know where I stand with Zigbee, and it rarely lets me down, which is of paramount importance to me, and I should imagine to other users too.

If I were to find any negatives, it would be the fact the power cable is permanently fixed into the sensor, but I guess Aqara decided to stick with the design they already had in the FP1 and just upgrade the internals, which definitely seems to be the case in my experience. Other than that, its highly recommended.

The post Aqara Presence Sensor FP1E (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The reason for the 3-in-1 description is in reference to the three distinct sensors contained within the MS600; a presence sensor, much like Aqara’s original Presence Sensor FP1, a light sensor, as you’d also find in the Aqara Presence Sensor FP2, and a standard PIR motion sensor. It also uses USB-C to power it, so no batteries required.

The first of these uses the now popular use of millimetre wave technology, commonly referred to mmWave which in laypersons terms is much like radar, where it detects objects in its field of view, regardless of whether they’re moving or not, which is very different to a standard PIR sensor. The inclusion of a light sensor pits it against the admittedly more powerful and feature-rich Aqara FP2, which allows its detection area to be split into up to 30 separate zones, each of which is exposed to Apple Home as separate presence sensors. With the light sensor, you can set up additional conditions for when, for example, automations involving the motion or presence sensor are triggered;

• If presence is detected in the living room…
• but only when brightness in the room is below 50lm
• Turn on the living room lights

Additionally, the MS600 has the ability to detect whether the presence of a person is approaching or moving away, which again is something both Aqara devices have the ability to do, albeit only within the Aqara ecosystem. Meross also claim that due to the complex algorithms within the devices hardware, it has ‘pet-proof triggering’ which we take to mean whilst the MS600 will detect a human presence, it will disregard the presence of pets. This is in fact achieved with the assistance an included ‘Pet-proof Shield’ that effectively blocks the sensor’s detection range below a certain height. Whether this will also affect small children is a possibility too of course.

One differentiating factor between the MS600 and the aforementioned Aqara FP2 is that whilst both use WiFi, only the former is a Matter over WiFi device. So whilst both can connect to the standard ecosystems that support Matter (Apple, Alexa, Google etc) only the MS600 can be added to Matter platforms directly, which mean local connectivity, although Apple Home has always been local of course, so this is of most benefit to Google and Alexa users.

Preorders are available now, with an estimated shipping date of August 20th 2024.

The post Meross 3-in-1 Matter Presence Sensor Available for Preorder appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The ThorBolt M1 is the basic model, that features a built-in keypad, whilst the MD1 has the same design, but integrates a fingerprint sensor on the top of the handle. The forthcoming MK1, has both the built-in keypad and fingerprint sensor, but also uses HomeKit over Thread, for compatibility with Apple Home. It does not use Matter over Thread, so this will only be of use to Apple Home users.

Visually, the only difference between the two models with the fingerprint sensor, is the rounded square design of the backplate for MK1, with the MD1 opting for a circular backplate.

The MK1 uses four AA batteries, stored within the inner handle, with the company claiming a battery life of up to 12 months, based on average usage. The body is made of a combination of aluminium and zinc alloys, with a rubber, backlit keypad. The outer portion of the lock is splash and water resistant.

Almost all options can be accessed via the keypad itself, including adding or removing users, changing passcodes, or setting up features like ‘Passage mode‘ that allows the lock to stay unlocked. Auto lock is set to on by default.

As the MK1 is Apple Home compatible, you can access the lock from your Apple Watch/iPhone, or remotely control it when you’re not at home (as long as you have a suitable Apple Home Hub), but it also offers the ‘Manage Access‘ feature in Apple Home, that allows you to create and manage passcodes and their users, directly within the Home app.

There’s no word on pricing yet, but considering the prices for the M1 and MD1 are pretty keenly set, we expect the MK1 to be the same, when it’s due to go on sale towards the end of August.

The post ThorBolt Announce Thread Latch Lock w/ Fingerprint Sensor appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

AutoWash Dock

The AutoWash Dock uses antimicrobial materials, automatically empties dirt into an enclosed bag, refills the mopping solution tank, and washes and dries the mop pad. It also cleans itself after each pad wash to prevent dirt build-up. The dock can handle dirt and debris emptying for up to 60 days and holds a 7-day water supply.

The Roomba Combo 10 Max can tackle dirt, pet fur, and debris, with a 4-Stage Cleaning System featuring an Edge-Sweeping Brush, Dual Rubber Brushes, stronger Power-Lifting Suction, and deep-clean mopping. It increases suction on carpets with Carpet Boost and scrubs floors deeply with SmartScrub. Its D.R.I (Dry Rug Intelligence) system keeps carpets dry by lifting the mop pad when detecting carpets.

Enhanced Dirt Detect Technology, using a camera, allows the robot to recognise the dirtiest areas and make multiple passes. PrecisionVision Navigation and machine learning enable it to create a complete home map, label each room, and predict the cleanliness of rooms. It can be paired with Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant for voice control.

The Roomba Combo 10 Max navigates around furniture and obstacles like stairs and cords, and comes with iRobot’s Pet Owner Official Promise (P.O.O.P.)—it avoids pet accidents, or iRobot will replace it!

It’s important to note that the Roomba Combo 10 Max will be Matter-enabled in Q4 2024 and compatible with Apple Home, so as we always advise, don’t buy on a promise of future updates.

Speaking of Matter enabled robot vacs, one company that has gone under the radar a bit is Matic, who announced their very different take on this device type at CES. You can read a full review of Matic’s robot vacuum by Dan Dorato-Hankins here – https://blog.pingie.com/2024/07/22/first-look-and-thoughts-on-the-matic-floor-cleaner/

Pricing & Availability:
– North America: Available for pre-sale in the U.S. and Canada on iRobot.com, with shipments beginning in August. Pricing starts at US$1399.
– Rest of World: Available for pre-sale in Europe, with wider international availability in the coming months.

The post New Roomba Combo 10 Max Announced With Matter appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

PACKAGING | CONTENTS

Like many companies for the last 15 years or so, Switchbot take the Apple packaging route, with just the remote on the front of the box, leaving the rear to host the details. The side is equally minimal, with just the name of the product. The box is pretty sturdy, in an ‘Apple’ way too, so less chance of damage to the contents, thankfully.

The back spells out the features pretty well, so it works with devices that typically use an infrared (IR) remote control, thus replacing said remotes. It also works with SwitchBot’s own devices, using Bluetooth, which is the communication method of choice for SwitchBot. It does state the remote is Matter compatible, although this is only the case once it’s connected to one of SwitchBot’s own Matter enabled bridges/hubs, of which there are two – the Hub 2, and the Hub Mini Matter. The fourth point stating ‘Start Quick Scenes’ also requires that the remote be connected one of their hubs, to both trigger scenes in the SwitchBot app, and other Matter platforms. The remote comes with a built-in lithium-on battery that offers up to 5 months of average use between charges.

Aside from the admittedly lovely looking remote, you’re provided with a USB-A to USB-C cable for recharging the battery inside, a couple of warranty and social media cards, the instruction booklet, and a sim pin for resetting, as required.

Given that SwitchBot all are still clinging to Bluetooth, it comes as no real surprise that this remote would use that, even in the face of Thread’s increasing prominence. Ordinarily I’d deride such a choice, but given SwitchBot’s sizeable customer base, it doesn’t make sense to potentially abandon them for the sake of one device, so reluctantly, I can see why they opted to go down this route.

THE UNIVERSAL REMOTE

As a remote control, I personally like that it’s unencumbered with a ton of buttons, which is almost always the case with remotes for TVs, ACs, Blu-Ray players and the like. Of course, that could lead to some confusion for some, due to buttons taking on different functions depending on the device connected, but I found it generally intuitive. I’m not a pensioner (yet) though, so maybe my experience is a tad skewed. Still, the concept of a remote control is familiar to almost everyone I’d argue, and this should ‘slot in’ for most people.

with almost half of the body being taken up with a screen, you’re left with a relatively small set of controls, but as already stated, the functionality of some of these change depending on what you’re controlling. When it comes to controlling a TV for example, you get the standard volume controls and mute button, as well as a channel button. There’s a ‘back’ button and a Home button, both of which have become more common on remotes. The one button that sticks out – literally – is the red button with a SwitchBot logo. This is for the remote only, and basically takes you back to the top menu of the remote, where all devices will be listed.

What’s less common for standard remotes is the jog wheel, which you’ll be more familiar with if you own an Apple TV, perhaps. This serves in the way you’d expect, but in certain circumstances, it also makes use of the typical up/down/left/right controls if you’re selecting something within a list or menu. There’s a ‘confirm’ or ‘select’ button in the centre, and above that are on and off buttons, that for a TV or AC, work as expected.

Above the array of standard buttons, but below the display, are four ‘shortcut’ buttons. These change what they offer based on what you’re controlling, which I’ll touch on in more details later.

As the remote uses IR, you get the same transmitter window at the top/front of the device, so nothing different there. What is different to many other remotes, is the built-in lithium-ion battery, so you don’t use AA or AAA batteries like you would a normal remote. With this, you have a USB-C port for recharging the internal battery. Next to that is a pinhole to reset the device if necessary.

THE DISPLAY

I’ve already added a few devices to the remote; my Xiaomi TV, an Apple TV4K, a Tower fan, and my bedroom AC. In addition, I’ve also added the remote to a SwitchBot hub Mini with Matter, and from there, exposed the remote to Apple Home, which then gives me the option to program four buttons, which I’ll go into later. Focusing on the AC control for now, and as you can see, there’s a large ‘OFF’ on the display, along with an AC icon. Below that, three of the four shortcut buttons have options assigned to them with the relevant icons. Pressing the main On or Off buttons on the remote will turn the AC on or off, so that’s pretty straightforward for most people to understand.

• The first of the three shortcut button (the one with a snowflake icon) gives you access to the different AC modes – more in fact than you’d typically get in Apple Home. Home; Cool, Heat, Dry, Auto, Fan Rate.
• The second button gives you access to the different fan speeds; Auto, Fan Speed 1, Fan Speed 2, Fan Speed 3.
• The third button allows control of the louver (not the famed Paris museum…), the blades that allow control of the directional flow of the cool/warm air from the AC.

It should be noted that the controls and options within each of these separate sections may well be different, depending on what type and model AC you have. Additionally, the sections assigned to the shortcut buttons are automatically set, and can’t be changed.

One rather important final note, and one that I’ve approached SwitchBot regarding, is that when you change any settings on the AC via the remote, they aren’t synced with the AC in either the SwitchBot app or Apple Home. This appears not to be an oversight, as SwitchBot told me AC control via the remote is entirely independent of any instance of the AC in other apps or ecosystems, and essentially works as intended. To me this is a major fail, as the one reason many people have smart AC controllers, ditching the existing remotes is for this very point – changes in the AC need to be reflected in your smart home when the changes are coming from a smart remote, or your smart home. I hope they reconsider this, as you may as well not use the remote for your AC if your smart home isn’t aware of the actual status of the AC.

Quickly onto the TV control, and in my case things were a bit tricky for my Xiaomi TV, as the main remote it comes with actually uses Bluetooth. This meant that I couldn’t program the SwitchBot remote with the Xiaomi remote. However, the TV does receive IR controls, and so I was able to program some basic instructions, but in a really circuitous way, as I’ll describe on the off chance that someone else might have a similar issue.

I have many Aqara hubs, one of which is the P3 AC companion. For whatever reason, I was able to create a remote within the Aqara app using the P3 as the remote for my Xiaomi TV. I then had to teach the remote’s basic instructions to the SwitchBot Hub Mini with Matter. This involved having the Hub Mini receive IR signals from my P3 in order to learn them. I then transferred the set of Xiaomi remote controls from the Hub Mini to the Switchbot remote, which thankfully was easy enough, and done all via the Switchbot app.

Incidentally, the screen is capable of colour, but it’s used quite sparingly for some reason.

Regarding Apple TV control, you simply have to go into the settings for your Apple TV, and add the Switchbot remote as a third-party remote control, which is something Apple TV has offered for a while now, so in this respect it’s nothing new. Having said that, controlling your Apple TV from the remote is via Bluetooth, not IR, so there are some differences at play here. What you’re missing that exists on the standard Apple TV remote is the option to invoke Siri. That option isn’t going to be coming to this remote any time soon, even if it had a built-in mic, which it does not.

All the controls work in much the same way they do on the original Apple TV remote, so it should immediately be familiar, even if the buttons are in slightly different places.

IN APPLE HOME

If you want to use the four shortcut buttons on the remote to control scenes or devices in Apple Home, you will need to connect the hub to one their Matter bridges. Once that’s done, you’ll be presented with a single tile (shown as a button). Tapping on it reveals four programmable buttons, much like any smart button in HomeKit. However, unlike most smart buttons, you’re only getting a single press action out of each one. Regardless of this, as I mentioned in my video for this product, as for the Apple Home/Matter integration, it makes the remote a glorified smart button, to an extent. That could be seen as a little unfair, as smart buttons can’t do the things the remote can do, all in one package, but if you were purely looking at this to control scenes in Apple Home, that’s pretty much what it is. For buttons #2, #3, and #4, I’ve simply used previously created scenes, but for button #1, I decided to try something slightly more useful.

I wanted to be able to control my blinds with the one button, and so I used the ‘Convert to Shortcut’ option that allowed me to press button #1 to close or open the blinds. It’s very simple, so all I’m doing is when the button on the remote is pressed, it checks to see if the target position is 0% (or closed), and if so, it’ll set the blinds to be fully open, otherwise set the blinds to fully closed. Of course programming the button for different open/closed percentages isn’t possible without a lot more trickery, but it does what I need, all within one button press.

THE SWITCHBOT APP

In the SwitchBot app, you can see I have two remotes, although only one is really in use at present. Tapping on the tile for ‘Remote B’ brings up individual panels, each representing a device the remote is able to control. If I tap on one of these, it’ll open up a screen that’s essentially a replication of the remote itself. This allows you to tap on any of the buttons, and see what options are tied to those buttons. In most cases these can’t be changed, however, but it does give you an idea of how these buttons and the controls their assigned to actually work.

When it comes to Apple TV, you don’t get a lot of options, and in fact, volume control isn’t available here. This is usually because the original Apple remote takes on the role of controlling the volume on your TV whilst setting it up. In my case, I have a soundbar that is both capable of AirPlay, but is also directly connected to my TV, so I’d have to separately set up the soundbar in the remote, which is less than ideal.

Device management has changed a bit since I did my video review for this product. In fact, it has changed twice! Originally, the ‘How to Add’ section had three options – Import Existing Appliances, Manually Add, and Third-party Control. Now as you can see, that’s currently down to two for some reason, so currently, you can only add a device that has first been set up via one of their hubs. This is not good, as originally the missing option allowed you to add a device without the need for a hub (although you wouldn’t get Matter integration). Between the first update that I featured in the video, and the current update, they did expand on the amount of categories you could add directly to the remote, although I can no longer show you that, until they presumably add it in a future update.

One final feature to mention is ‘Find Universal Remote’, which once pressed, gets the remote to play a beep sound for a couple of seconds, allowing you to dig it up from the back of your sofa, for example. The buttons and display also flash briefly. You can achieve something similar with the Apple TV remote, but it would require the use of an Apple AirTag, and a specially designed case to hold both the remote and the AirTag, so not quite as good I guess.

IN DAY-TO-DAY USE

I was initially quite excited about this, and it probably shows that in the video. Having since lived with it for a couple of months, it hasn’t lost any of its sheen in many ways, but the limitations have slowly surfaced, meaning there is a lot of room for improvement. I think the design and simplicity of the remote is great, and it really does well with the minimal amount of buttons compared to a standard remote in most cases too. Where it falls down is with the previously mentioned lack of syncing the AC state with the app and/or Apple Home. I like the idea of the four shortcut buttons that are exposed to Apple Home, and even though they’re single press, I’m not sure what else could be achieved in this sense. It’s also fair to say that whilst you can compare it to 4-button smart control device, those devices can’t also control your TV, fan, AC and more, so it is a bit more than that.

I just wish SwitchBot would bite the bullet and move to Thread. It’s well overdue in my opinion, and if this were to use Matter over Thread (if that’s actually possible), this could be a real killer device. As it stands at the time of writing, the latest update has fixed some issues I encountered early on; no Apple TV control at launch, with the second update, introducing several bugs, one of which was the inability to rename the shortcut buttons. Now with the latest update – V2.6 – there seems to be no option to add devices directly to the remote, which is insane really. Hopefully that will be fixed soon, but I do see some people being less than happy with some of the limitations. For me, being a constantly curious smart home enthusiast, I just muddle on and make the best of it!

The post SwitchBot Universal Remote (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Eve Weather, with its IPX4 water resistance and aluminium housing, can be used and displayed anywhere. Its sensors measure temperature, humidity, and air pressure (not exposed to Apple Home). The weather trend for the next twelve hours is displayed by analysing local changes in air pressure. The Eve app for iPhone and iPad records and visualises weather conditions over time.

As already mentioned, Matter technology allows connection to other platforms, enabling all family members to access Eve Weather’s sensors via iPhone, Android, Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. Eve Weather also supports smart automations with other Matter-enabled devices.

Eve Weather costs US$79.95 in the US on Amazon, and is also available from Amazon stores in the UK, Germany, Spain, and Italy, amongst others. The HomeKit model remains available, with a free Matter firmware upgrade for those existing devices.

The post Eve Launches Matter over Thread Weather Sensor appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The physical design is much the same, but utilises HomeKit over Thread, providing much better response times, and longer battery life the device running on two AA batteries.

The CS2 essentially acts as both a contact sensor and a system alarm, that exposes both to Apple Home. This means you not only get a fully functional contact sensor utilising Thread, but an alarm with all four modes exposed to HomeKit – Off, Home, Away, Sleep – much like you tend to see with other alarm systems from Aqara, for example, whilst also allowing it to be used for ‘Critical Alerts’. This is an Apple Home feature that lets alerts get through to you, regardless of whether your phone is in do-not-disturb mode, or any other mode that usually stops most types of notifications.

The alarm itself boasts an ear-splitting 120dB of noise – which can be adjusted to three different levels – that is also capable of an array of different tones. This allows you to assign a choice of fifteen different sounds to the different alarm modes, one of which could simply be for when someone opens the door in the normal course of the day. Better still, with the option to delay a sound when the door opens, you can use a specific sound to remind someone to close the door if they forget. This delay can also act in as a countdown for when you set the CS2 as an alarm, giving you time to get out of the house before the alarm is set. As if this wasn’t enough, you also get a temperature and humidity sensor, both of which are exposed to Apple Home as independent sensors.

Of course, for the best use of the CS2, you’re going to need a Thread Border Router, which you’ll find in the HomePod Mini, 2nd gen HomePod, and some models of the Apple TV4K.

You can buy the CS2 on Amazon.com now for US$34.99, but when applying a 15% discount coupon, that brings the price down to just US$29.74.

The post Onvis Release Updated Alarm System Sensor w/ Thread appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.