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.

That’s not the only improvement though, as aside from being upgraded to Thread, the SMS2 now includes a basic light sensor, and unlike many motion sensors, you can create automations to turn the motion detection off, based on other devices, the time of day, or as part of a larger scene. This is initially achieved in the Onvis app as a scene, which is then exposed to HomeKit for use as a standard scene or as part of an automation.

The SMS2 is the newest product from Onvis to join its lineup of Thread products, including the Contact Sensor CT3, the 5-button Smart switch, and their S4 smart plug (in EU, US, and UK versions), with the plugs being Matter over Thread, as opposed to HomeKit over Thread for the rest of the lineup. There’s talk of releasing a Matter over Thread version of the SMS2 in the future, but for now, it’s a HomeKit exclusive.

You can buy the SMS2 for US$34.99 on Amazon.com and UK£34.99 on Amazon.co.uk now, and although it’s also listed on Amazon.de, the release date is listed as December 20th – a last-minute Christmas gift, perhaps?

The post The Updated Onvis Motion Sensor w/ Thread is Out Now appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The CS2 is essentially a contact sensor with a built-in siren that is designed to attach to a door, allowing the sensor to trigger itself and play a piercing 120dB alarm sound that should deter potential intruders before they’ve had a chance to set foot into your property, as well as act as a standard contact sensor for automations in Apple HomeKit. I only mention HomeKit, as this is a HomeKit over Thread device, not Matter over Thread, even though the company have already released a Matter smart plug with variants for the US, UK, and EU. We’re told the reason for the lack of Matter certification is that Matter doesn’t support alarms at this point.

Add to this sensors for temperature and humidity, and you could have a tool that works well for front doors that are both a main point of entry for either people in your home or potential intruders, but also the type of location where cold and damp is an entry point, which you’d be able to keep an eye on with said built-in sensors.

Like alarm functionality found in other devices like Aqara’s Zigbee hubs, for example, the CS2 also offers the full four alarm modes – Off, Home, Away, and Sleep. With the contact sensor, you can also set an automation to arm the alarm to Away mode, when you close the door behind you on your way to work, if you’re the last person to leave home.

Due to Thread connectivity, you’ll get faster, and more consistent response times compared to Bluetooth, as well as the option to have this connect to a nearby Thread Router device if your nearest Border Router is not close enough, which is something that wasn’t possible with the Bluetooth model.

One thing to note for people who previously suffered phantom notifications, which plagued the previous model; according to an Onvis representative this bug was fixed at least a couple of iOS versions ago, so for those who experienced it, you can relax!

Finally, as with the company’s Thread contact sensor, they’ve reduced the size of the logo considerably, which shows that they do listen to feedback on all aspects.

The CS2 is already Thread certified, with HomeKit certification incoming, and is scheduled for release in Q1 of 2024. Although we don’t have a firm price for the unit yet, if the price of their smart plugs and contact sensors is anything to go by, this should be very reasonably priced.

The post Onvis Announce Updated All-in-One Security Device W/ Thread appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

As this uses Thread, you don’t have to worry about burdening a possibly already overloaded WiFi network, as this will connect to any Thread Border Router. So, if you’re all in on Apple Home, the HomePod Mini, HomePod (2nd gen), and Apple TV4K (2nd gen or 3rd gen w/ 128GB) all contain the necessary hardware. Thread also provides a better all-around connection experience, as well as fast response times compared to Bluetooth, which is still deployed as a setup and backup function.

Onvis is also planning to release the S4 smart plug suitable for Europe, and one designed for the UK in the next month or so, which is great news for British smart home users, who have been left out when it comes to products of this type in the past. We’ll be reporting on these as soon as they become available, but in the meantime, for US users, the S4 is available on Amazon to preorder now, with shipping commencing July 24th (Monday).

The post Onvis US Matter over Thread Smart Plug Available on Amazon appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The Onvis HS2 is a wireless controller featuring five individual buttons, with the design of the HS2 showcasing a rounded square surface with the first button positioned at the centre, while the remaining four buttons are placed in each corner. To aid visibility, each button is adorned with small noctilucent dots that emit a glow in the dark. The central button is labelled as ‘one,’ followed by buttons ‘two,’ ‘three,’ ‘four,’ and ‘five’ in the respective corners.

Similar to Onvis’ previous release – their Contact Sensor CT3 – the HS2 operates using Thread, meaning it’s fully compatible with HomeKit. This integration enables each button to offer standard functionalities such as single, double, and long-press options. With this, users can program a minimum of fifteen customizable actions on this single device.

Moreover, the HS2 comes with a magnetic holder serving as a pedestal. This holder allows for convenient mounting on various magnetic surfaces, while still granting the freedom to carry the controller around when needed.

The HS2 is currently only compatible with Apple Home, using HomeKit over Thread, but there are talks that it could receive an update to support Matter, and therefore other Matter-enabled platforms later down the line. Obviously, you should treat any future update promises with caution.

The post Onvis Thread Smart Button Now Available to Order appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

*Amazon has yet to officially activate Thread Border router functionality across all relevant devices.

Onvis is offering a massive 40% off the regular retail price for consumers buying the S4EU in advance, so you can get a 2-pack for €27.99 (MSRP EU€45.99), making each smart plug just €14.00. If you want to stretch to a 4-pack, you can buy a set for just €48.99 (EU€79.99), which brings each smart plug to a very attractive €12.25. By comparison, a single Eve EU smart plug using Matter over Thread is currently selling on Amazon.de for €39.95, more than three times the price of Onvis’ offering. In fairness, it should be noted that the Eve Smart Plug offers energy monitoring, which the equivalent Onvis plug doesn’t offer.

Onvis is also offering free shipping for the S4EU to the following countries – Germany, France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, and Poland – via the Onvis web shop.

THREAD | MATTER

If you’re not familiar with Thread, it’s a relatively new wireless protocol that takes the best features of Bluetooth and Zigbee, creating a new and more effective wireless network specifically designed for the smart home; low power use for battery-powered devices, faster response times, and permanently powered devices (light bulbs, wired switches, smart plugs etc) can create a Thread mesh network that helps spreads the signal from a (required) Thread Border Router, which can be found in devices like Apple’s HomePod Mini, HomePod (2nd Gen), Apple TV(2nd Gen), Apple TV (3rd Gen w/ Ethernet). Google offers Thread Border Router functionality in some of its devices, like the Nest Hub Max and more, whilst Samsung offers Thread Border Router functionality in its new SmartThings Station.

As regards Matter, this is described as a new smart home ‘standard’ which in the first instance makes things simpler for consumers purchasing smart home products. So if you see the Matter logo on product packaging, you can be assured that it’ll work with any of the main smart home platforms. On the manufacturer side of things, instead of companies having to choose which platform(s) to invest in, in terms of testing and certification (each platform requires separate certification) etc. developers/manufacturers can now just apply for Matter certification to cover all Matter compatible platforms. This should, in theory, then reduce development costs overall.

The second large selling point for Matter is that it’s designed to be entirely local. Whilst Apple HomeKit is largely already local when it comes to control and automations etc, for Amazon and Google, for example, users are required to create an account with the manufacturer of the product in question, which is then tied to the Google Home and Amazon Alexa platforms. This, in turn, means that whenever you ask Alexa or Google to do something, these instructions are relayed via the ‘Cloud’, between Google/Amazon and the manufacturers’ servers, so if you lose your connection to the internet, there’s no way to control your devices on these platforms. With Matter, this is no longer a requirement, making cloud-based control a thing of the past, which will not only allow you to control your devices regardless of an internet connection (when you’re in the home and connected to your network) but keep things local, private whilst also offering consistently faster response times.

The post Onvis Launch Matter Over Thread EU Smart Plug Presale appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Matter Beta Rollout For Aqara M2 Begins

Onvis Prepare for March Release of Thread Motion Sensor

Aqara Unveil Four New Products For the Chinese Market

Aqara FP2 Presales Launch in China With March Release

Zemismart List First Matter Devices For Purchase

Multi Feature Smart Outlet With Matter Launching Soon

Updated TP-Link/Kasa Matter Smart Plug Surfaces

ZemiSmart Releases First Thread/Matter Curtain Motor

Meross Releases its First Contact Sensor

Aqara Video Doorbell G4 Now Available in Amazon Stores

Nanoleaf Essentials with Matter Preorders Start

Ezviz Move Towards Matter and HomeKit Integration

Ikea Dirigera Update Adds HomeKit Support for Air Quality Sensor

Aqara Video Doorbell G4 Receives Fixes Via Update

REVIEWS

Aqara Ceiling Lamp L1-350 (review)

Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 (review)

YOUTUBE

Aqara Smart Ceiling Light L1-350

Yeelight Cube Smart Lamp with Matter

Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4

The post HomeKit New Roundup (Feb/Mar 2023) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The SMS2 will boast the same set of features as the original model so, in addition to Thread, it’ll once again come with built-in temperature and humidity sensors, which the company tell me have now been improved to be even more accurate, but will also now include a new ambient light sensor, and adjustable motion detection options. The aforementioned ambient light sensor will only be able to discern between dark and light, but unlike the Eve motion sensor, which has the additional option to only be triggered in darkness, the SMS2 will also allow for motion to only be triggered in bright light, for want of a better description. Finally, in a nod to some customer suggestions, they’ve reduced the size of the logo to be less conspicuous.

Interestingly, Onvis recently became an Innovation Award Winner, bestowed on them by The Thread Group. A previous winner of this award was Sleekpoint Innovations, the company behind Airversa, and their Thread-enabled Purelle Air Purifier.

Onvis are hoping to bring the SMS1 to Amazon stores in the US and EU in March, or early April at the latest, and have informed me that the price point will be fairly similar to the price of the current model, at around US$29.00, UK£28.00, EU€30.00.

You can already purchase Onvis’ first Thread-enabled device, the Contact Sensor CT3 for just US$29.99, or a 2-pack for just US$45.99.

The post Onvis Prepare for March Release of Thread Motion Sensor appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Multicolour strips aren’t exactly new of course, and we’re now seeing more of them, but aside from LiFX‘s own offering, this is the only strip we’re aware of that allows you to control sections of the strip in different colours and brightness levels, and not create pretty animated effects.

One thing to be aware of is that both the K1 and K1-5BS are only compatible with HomeKit, not Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Whether this will change with the advent of Matter is a question for another time perhaps. As with the original, the K1-5BS uses 2.4GHz WiFi for connectivity.

Currently, the K1-5BS (as the name would imply) only comes in a 5m/16.4ft length, so if you’re looking for just a 2m/6.56ft strip with multiple colour zones, the original Onvis K1 comes in this length as well. You can check out our video of the K1 below, to see just why we think it’s the best strip on the market right now.

What corners have been cut, is the question of course, and surprisingly, we’ve been told the only difference is that the K1-5BS doesn’t use the resin coating that you usually see with other strips. This means it’s not protected again any form of liquid of course, but then the original isn’t designed for any kind of outdoor use either, so in practice, there’s no real difference aside from the large price gap.

You can get the Kameleon K1-5BS from Amazon stores in the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, all with discounts available;

Thanks to Eric @ Moderndaytech for the headsup

The post Onvis Release Updated Budget-Friendly Kameleon Light Strip appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The first of these two products is an update to their existing Bluetooth-based contact sensor, but with the addition of Thread. With this new connectivity protocol, the Onvis Contact Sensor CT3 (the Bluetooth model being the CT2) will not only provide much faster reaction times, more consistently but also decent battery life, with up to two years on a single CR2450 coin battery.

If you’re currently an owner of the CT2, you might also be happy to learn that the company seem to have taken on board comments regarding the size of the logo, which covered approximately one-third of the main sensor. The new model has the Onvis logo in a much more discrete size!

The second product is brand new for Onvis and is a wireless controller with five individual buttons. The Onvis HS2 features the five buttons on a rounded square surface, with the first button occupying the centre position, and the four remaining buttons sitting in each corner. Each button is labelled with small, noctilucent dots (they glow in the dark), with the central button being button ‘one’, and the subsequent corner buttons being two, three, four, and five.

Once again, this is a Thread device, and just like all of Onvis’ output so far, will be HomeKit compatible. Each button will be exposed to HomeKit with the standard single, double, and long-press options, which brings a minimum of fifteen programmable actions on the one device.

Finally, if you look at the image above, you might notice it sits on a plinth. This is actually a magnetic holder for the HS2, so you can mount it on most magnetic surfaces, whilst also allowing the button to be carried around if required.

Onvis have informed us that this is only the beginning of their forays into Thread enabled products – both new and updated, and although exact pricing has yet to be announced, we’re expecting them to be competitively priced. We’re also told that these two devices should start to appear in stores towards the end of May.

Once we know more, we’ll report back on more products as and when they surface. In the meantime, to keep up with all the latest HomeKit news and reviews, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit!

The post Onvis Set to Release New Thread-Enabled Devices appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.