• Control lights, devices and entire scenes with movement, or even depending on brightness or time of day.
• Receive notifications when motion is detected; review motion time and duration in the Eve app
• Eve Motion has a 120° field of view, up to 9 m / 30 ft detection range and can be flexibly placed indoors, outdoors and wall-mounted thanks to wireless battery operation and IPX3 water resistance. Set the sensitivity of the motion detector individually by location.
• HomeKit technology: Joins your Thread network automatically (supports Bluetooth and Thread); HomeKit-enabled for unparalleled ease of use and advanced security; get up and running in a flash with a quick & easy set up and no need for a bridge or gateway.
• 100% Privacy: No Eve cloud, no registration, no tracking. Local intelligence and direct communication without bridge or cloud dependency.

The post Eve Motion with Thread appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

USPs: 100% privacy: HomeKit Secure Video I Dimmable floodlight I Rich notifications I People/pet/vehicle detection I Package detection I 157° field of view with night vision

Designed exclusively for HomeKit Secure Video.

When you view the video stream from your Eve Outdoor Cam while out and about, you communicate back to base directly over an end-to-end encrypted connection. Your camera’s live stream never reaches the cloud – not even the iCloud. You choose what and when you want to record – Apple TV or HomePod then take over the task of analyzing in the privacy of your own four walls whether it’s a person, pet, vehicle, or package in the picture.

The happenings are only recorded, encrypted, and stored in your iCloud once your recording criteria are met. And only your personal devices have the key to unlocking these recordings.

Get instant, rich notifications.

Receive notifications on your iPhone the moment motion is detected, and keep your home safe from intruders. That way you can take immediate action if there’s an unwanted visitor and record evidence at the same time. And by leveraging your home hub’s facial recognition capabilities, you’ll be notified when people you’ve tagged in the Photos app enter the field of view so you know exactly who’s at your door.

Customize notifications and recordings.

Choose when you want to be notified and if you want to make recordings whenever something is up or only if people, pets, vehicles, or packages are detected. The video footage is analyzed securely in your home by your home hub, not in any cloud. Recordings are saved for ten days in your iCloud and then deleted automatically. If you want to hold on to a recording, you have the option to save it permanently.

Two-way communication.

Not at home, and the courier wants to know where to drop the delivery? No problem! With the built-in microphone and speaker, you can say where to put your package.

Your dependable first line of defence.

With a wide 157° field of view and night vision, Eve Outdoor Cam keeps a close eye on everything day and night – and in pin-sharp detail with HD live video streaming and recording. Thanks to a dedicated motion sensor, Eve Outdoor Cam won’t bother you with reacting to leaves blowing in the wind, small animals, and other events that don’t require your attention.

Turn night into day.

Eve Outdoor Cam turns on the built-in floodlight automatically the moment the motion sensor detects activity. Set if, when, and for how long you want the dimmable floodlight to illuminate the space, and use the Eve app to turn on the light boost when you want it to shine extra-bright.

HomeKit Secure Video requires iCloud+.

HomeKit Secure Video requires iCloud+ (not included). iCloud+ with 50 GB storage supports one camera, iCloud+ with 200 GB storage supports up to five cameras, and iCloud+ with 2 TB storage supports an unlimited number of cameras.

The post Eve Outdoor Cam appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

So with my blinds installed, I’d like to be able to show you why custom blinds might well be worth the price (yes, I know I didn’t pay, but still), and why the addition of Thread is the icing on the cake.

PARTS

These aren’t the types of products you’re going to be picking up off the shelf, and as such there’s no retail packaging to talk of, although it’s worth noting that because the company ship worldwide, you want your investment well protected. I’m happy to say everything arrived without any form of damage, and given the blinds I ordered were quite long, there was a higher chance of them being bent. I shouldn’t have worried, as they took every precaution to ensure things like this didn’t happen.

Aside from the blinds themselves, you get a bag containing the required fittings, which are pictured above. Everything except for an included USB cable and bracket connector is in pairs.

The most important parts are a pair of brackets to mount the blinds. These simply screw to the wall or ceiling, with the blinds clipping into place. To hide the unsightly screws, you also get two bracket covers to make everything look nice and ‘finished’.

You only get one bracket connector (two pictured here). This fits into the end of the roller blind tube that doesn’t contain the motor, and clips into place with the wall bracket. You also get what I describe as end caps that, like the bracket covers, give a nice look to the whole ensemble.

Each set of blinds comes with a 3-metre USB-A to USB-C cable. This is for charging the internal battery, and in initial use, is also used as part of the pairing process.

There’s also an included setup manual in a selection of European languages – English, German, French, Dutch, and Spanish. It’s worth noting this manual only details the setup procedure once the blinds have been fitted and are ready to be installed into HomeKit. The fitting of the blinds is actually very straightforward, however, and really doesn’t need any real explanation, as long as you have the right tools.

THE ROLLER BLIND

One end of the blind reveals the motor as well as an attached clip that snaps into place with the wall brackets. The design is exactly the same as the bracket connector shown earlier but is part of the blind. The other end has an open hole for the bracket connector to sit inside, so essentially both ends of the blinds have a clip connector.

The motor end of the blinds has a selection that contains the USB-C port for charging the battery as well as for initial pairing, along with a recessed button for resetting the blinds. There’s also an LED that gives you the status of the blinds. In the middle of all this is a cord attached to a beaded chain and tassel with which you can manually open or close the blinds if desired. One thing that hasn’t been explained is the presence of two wires, which I can only assume are antennae for the Thread radio inside the tube.

Whilst the chances of me manually opening or closing the blinds is quite remote, the company make clever use of the tassel by hiding the HomeKit code within. Pretty cool, although it’s always wise to back up your codes, with myself (and indeed the Eve app) recommending Aaron Pearce’s excellent HomePass app.

FITTING

I already mentioned that the fitting process is very straightforward, but it pays to be prepared, especially if you have to fit two sets of blinds side by side like it did, as it’s not going to look great if your blinds are not straight or aren’t sitting at the same height. I used a Laser device to ensure everything lined up, and it really helped. As you can see, I fitted the brackets to the wall, and placed the bracket covers on, once they were in place.

In the image above I have one of the two blinds fitted, and once again the laser device really helped a lot. With the blinds in place, it only remained to fit the end caps, and it was all ready to be set up in HomeKit.

BLINDS SET UP

Here you can see the blinds have been successfully mounted to the wall to cover two very large sets of windows. This first image is with the can lights turned on.

This is a pic of the blinds once again fully open with the lights turned off.

You can see the pic above demonstrates the difference in light between the open and closed blinds. At this point, I should point out that the blinds I requested were what you might describe as ‘transparent’ or ‘see-through’ blinds. The reason behind this choice was quite simple. We live on the 16th floor with no buildings close enough to really cause any privacy issues, so we tend to like having the natural light come in through the windows. The only issue is that for most of the year it’s hot and sunny, and sometimes the sun – which hits these windows for most of the day – can be glaringly bright. We’ve already had a tinted coating added to the windows, but it’s not enough, so see-through blinds seemed to be the best of both worlds. At the time of taking these pics, however, the weather was dull and overcast – typical!

I should really mention that when Omnia was getting close to sending me the two sets of blinds for this review, they asked my preference, and I replied in a rather blasé manner that I wasn’t really bothered, as long as the material was dark and see-through. I soon regretted that, as they insisted on sending me a sample pack containing 27 different material samples, 9 of which were blackout blinds (letting no light through), with the remaining 18 samples all being see-through. I was truly blown away by not only the quality of the materials but also the subtle yet distinct differences in the patterns and colours. I really should have known better. In the end, I opted for Stockholm Black see-through blinds, as they match the black of the window frames they cover, and I couldn’t be happier, having been persuaded to take the samples to make my choice.

This brings me to one alternative open to me in Taiwan, which is the Fyrtur smart blinds by Ikea. I haven’t tried them out, so I really can’t give an opinion on their functionality or reliability. They are pretty well priced though. However, low prices come at a ‘cost’ in almost all cases, with Ikea only really offering one choice of blackout or see-through blind material. Add to this that although they offer a variety of sizes, these are fixed, as are the lengths, so ‘custom’ they are not. The final point is that Ikea requires their hub for you to operate and get their blinds into HomeKit, along with a Zigbee repeater. Of course, one could argue that because Thread requires a border router, the Omnia blinds also require a hub. That’s true to some extent, but the HomePod Mini and the 2021 Apple TV, whilst containing border routers, are primarily audio speakers and entertainment hubs respectively, with border router functionality thrown in. Add to this that if you have more than one border router if one goes down, the blinds (or any Thread device) will just connect to another working border router. This is not the case with the Ikea blinds or any Zigbee device for that matter, so when you start to add up what is offered by both custom blinds (exact sizes required, large selection of materials and colours), the price begins to make sense. After all, there are even more expensive smart blinds if you really want them, with the likes of Lutron for example.

SETUP FOR HOMEKIT

Adding the blinds to HomeKit is just as easy as adding pretty much any other device, although because the blinds need to go through a separate setup procedure, it’s important to do it right, which in this case involves setting them up via the Eve for HomeKit app. Before doing so, however, you do need to get the blinds into Pairing Mode, which simply involves plugging the USB cable into power and connecting it to the blinds via the USB-C port.

• Click ‘Add Accessory’
• Scan the HomeKit QR code
• Add to Home

Choose the room they’re to be located in, and rename them as necessary

• The blinds are added to your HomeKit Home

So far, so good…

Next, you’ll have to calibrate the blinds, which in actual fact isn’t as involved as you might think.

• Ensure the blinds are fitted (a given really)
• Select whether the blinds roll from behind or in front
• Select whether the cord position is on the left or right

Set the bottom position or lower limit. The blinds will start to unroll until you stop them. You can then adjust the position incrementally with the round buttons on the bottom half of the screen. Click confirm once happy

• The same procedure is carried out again, but in this case, you’re setting the top position or upper limit
• Once that’s done, the setup is complete, although you can also go ahead and set another position anywhere between 0 – 100%, which is labelled your ‘favourite position’ (fnarr).

IN THE HOME APP

The Home app, as you might suspect, offers pretty much the same as with all other smart blinds, and is very straightforward with one tile per set of blinds. A simple tap will fully open or close them, depending on the position they’re in at the time. A long press gives you access to the slider control, allowing specific opening or closing percentages. The settings section shows whether there’s an obstruction detected (maybe a plant was left on the shelf for example), along with battery levels and whether the battery is being charged or not. Other than that, it’s pretty ‘vanilla’.

EXTRAS IN THE EVE APP

The Eve app offers a little more, so on the main screen you get the tiles as standard, and like the Home app, a quick tap closes or opens the blinds. Likewise, a long press gives you access to more settings. At the top of the main screen for the blinds is a slider, although it’s not as easy to use as the one in the Home app due to the size difference. Below that is a Schedule section and some basic info on the state of the device within the Thread network.

Below the slider for the blinds is a tiny button that gives you access to log entries for the blinds and the usage. These logs are broken down into months and days, with each day containing entries that reveal the time the blinds were operated, and what position they were set to. Although this is welcome in some ways, I’m not really sure what use these logs are, in all honesty.

The Schedule section, as you might expect, is aimed at creating schedules for the blinds to open, to close, or to the favourite position if one has been set. The schedule can be based on a specific time and day, and can also be activated based on local sunset or sunrise. What’s clever about these schedules is that they’re stored ‘on-device’ so if your whole HomeKit setup went down, these blinds would carry on with these Schedules regardless.

One thing that I do like about the Eve app is that as long as you have at least one Thread-enabled Eve device, you get access to additional information regarding your Thread network. So in the second screenshot, you can see two Nanoleaf devices, which are the Essentials bulbs, both using Thread. Below that is the Eve Energy smart plug, which is labelled as Fan, as it’s controlling a fan. Below that you see both of the blinds, and separately at the bottom are three Thread border routers, which are my three HomePod Minis. To make absolutely sure the blinds are using Thread, you can click on the entry to get more Thread details.

One final hardly noticed feature is called Migration Measurements. This allows the settings for one set of blinds to be transferred over to another set, which removes the need for attempting to get both sets of blinds to match both the top and bottom positions, so you simply set up one set, migrate those settings to the other set, and they’ll match.

IN DAY TO DAY USE

I’ll admit I’ve not really had these blinds long enough to find out if there are any particular quirks, although I’ve done my best to find any, and so far have come up with nothing of note. When I first set up the second of the two blinds, as I was getting to the calibration procedure after installation, the app couldn’t connect to the blinds, so I initially skipped the setup, and returned to it in a few minutes, by which time it was connected again. However, after the blind was configured, I noticed that it wasn’t connected to Thread, but Bluetooth. I decided to wait and see if it would connect to my Thread network, but it didn’t, so eventually, I just removed the blind from HomeKit, reset the blinds manually, and re-added them, which I’m happy to say resolved the issue. I personally didn’t put too much concern into this, as I’ve experienced enough weird behaviour from all manner of HomeKit devices to know that these things can generally be fixed one way or another. As I’ve not had the blinds that long, I also can’t attest to battery life, which the company says on average should last a year between charges, although my first couple of days did involve opening and closing the blinds a fair bit. That said, after a few days of use, both blinds are still at 100%. In fact, I fully expected that I’d have to charge the batteries once they arrived, but they were fully charged. I guess these units are so new they’ve not had to sit on a shelf very long at all.

Speaking of the batteries, the company claim that the batteries used are designed to last 300 charging cycles. If this is true, you can expect to see these batteries outlive the blinds, you the owner and a few of your descendants! Even if the numbers were exaggerated, and the battery only lasted 3 months before recharging, that’s still 75 years worth of battery usage! Personally, I’d be happy with 15-20 years of service, as long as the battery did last a full year between charges, on average usage.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO RETROFIT OPTIONS?

Retrofit devices definitely fill a need for those on a budget or for people that are happy with their existing blinds, so in many ways, a comparison is unfair, as they are different devices. Of course Omnia’s offering involves the whole package, so if you have the budget and don’t already have blinds, the Omnia could be the perfect balance between cost and customisation. The Aqara E1 has served me well so far, and I have no complaints. It’s also a lot easier to fit, as the hard part of mounting the blinds is not a part of the equation. That said, there’s nothing quite like smart blinds that don’t give even a hint of the technology involved, which you can’t really say of devices like the Aqara E1, as it’s relatively large, and attaches to your wall in full view of everyone that happens to look towards the window and blinds it’s used for.

Soundwise, my rather unscientific tests (in the full video) do show that the Omnia blinds are really very quiet, but it also highlights what a good job Aqara have also done in keeping sound levels down. If I had used the Soma Smart Shades 2 as a test, it would not be the same story, as they are really quite noisy by comparison.

WRAP UP

It’s a bit of a cliché, but you do generally get what you pay for, and this is as true with the Omnia Blinds as anything else. The company prides itself on the materials used, and the ways in which they’re manufactured with protecting the environment in mind, so if like me this is something you care about, then allied with the custom options open to you, the additional costs do make a lot of sense. Still, whilst the last two products I’ve reviewed happen to be on the pricier side – the Thinka Z-Wave Gateway for HomeKit, and the Homam 64GB Smart Camera – in the case of these blinds, the price is a lot more justified I would argue. Of course, the question remains as to whether I would buy them had I not been sent them. The answer would be a firm yes – but only if I had the money in the first place. In truth, I may have paid out for a single set of blinds for our bedroom, as the windows that are covered by the Omnia blinds are rather wide, which of course bumps up the price, not to mention there were two sets of blinds needed. Maybe when I get a bit more cash and the Aqara E1 dies, I will invest in some more of Omnia’s products. Until that time, I guess you’ll just have to decide for yourself if you can indulge yourself. I think you should!

Full disclosure: OmniaBlinds provided HomeKit News with two complete sets of Smart Blinds for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was made, requested or has not in any way influenced our opinion of this product.

The post Omnia SmartBlinds With Thread (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Eve does not harvest your personal data by forcing you to set up an account or to register your accessories. The same goes for Eve Cam or any other Eve product. Inviting Eve into your home is a purely personal affair between each accessory and you. It doesn’t matter where you are. When you’re looking at the live feed from your camera, it’s not being streamed through a server. You’re getting direct and fully encrypted access to your Eve Cam via your home hub (Apple TV or HomePod) in your own home. The live images never reach the cloud, not even iCloud.

You decide if you want to record every motion automatically or distinguish between people and pets – and choose different settings depending on whether you’re at home or not. The data is analyzed securely on your home hub, not in the cloud. Only when your criteria are met, your recordings are stored securely and fully encrypted in your iCloud. And only your personal devices have the key to unlock and show these recordings.

• Supports Apple HomeKit Secure Video
• 1080p/24fps H.264 Video
• 150° field of view
• Infrared motion sensor
• Night vision up to 5 meters
• Two-way communication with built-in microphone and speaker
• 360° x 180° flexible installation with magnetic base
• Status LED

Requirements

• iPhone or iPad with iOS/iPadOS 13.5 or later
• HomePod or Apple TV with tvOS 13.4 or later as a home hub
• Wi-Fi network (2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n)
• 200 GB Apple iCloud storage plan or higher (not included)Wireless Connection
• WLAN (2.4 GHz/5 GHz)

Dimensions

• 122 x 65 x 60 mm (H x B x T)

In the Box

• Eve Cam, USB power supply, 7.2 ft/220 cm USB cable, metal plate for magnetic wall installation, screws and anchors for metal plate, adhesive pad for metal plate, quick start guide

The post Eve Cam appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Heading out of town? Your home hub – HomePod or Apple TV – will let you control Eve Light Switch from anywhere in the world while safeguarding your private data. Scenes enable you to control multiple accessories with a single command. Combine your living room ceiling light with floor lamps connected to Eve Energy, and turn them on all at once. Better yet, add a rule that lets you do so only when you physically press Eve Light Switch. Thanks to an external input, Eve Light Switch accepts commands from regular light switches. So you can make almost any lighting setup smart, even a hallway with several switches, simply by replacing one switch in the circuit. Eve Light Switch accepts commands from regular light switches, like switches used in an existing alternating or cross-connection. Naturally, Eve Light Switch can also be used as a single switch.

Do you want to use your existing single or multi-switch frames? No problem. Simply use Eve Light Switch and the included 55 mm switch plate with the 55 mm frame of your choice. Switchplates and frames compatible with other designs are sold separately here. Set scenes in a flash via Siri, your Control Center, or Apple Watch. Easily engage accessories using the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. And to see concise records, gain insights, and enjoy full control of your connected home, look no further than the Eve app. Eve accessories are exclusively HomeKit-enabled. Your personal data is under no circumstances captured, saved to a cloud, or sold. Even when accessing your home remotely via your home hub, all data is end-to-end encrypted and stored on your iPhone or iPad. Superior privacy, advanced security, and absolute peace of mind – it’s all here.

Equipped with Bluetooth low energy technology, Eve accessories ensure reliable operation independently of bridges. Setup is quick and easy. Energy consumption is minimal. And accessory response time is snappy. Straight out of the box, Eve accessories work with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch. Your HomePod or Apple TV will serve as a home hub, seamlessly automating your accessories and keeping you connected while out and about.

Requirements:

• Phone or iPad with iOS/iPadOS 13.4 or later
• Controlling this HomeKit-enabled accessory automatically and away from home requires a HomePod or an Apple TV with tvOS 13.4 or later as a home hub

The post Eve Light Switch (EU) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

PACKAGING

It comes in a small nicely detailed white box, which looks and feels decent, with most of all important information and specifications printed on it, with some product and application images.

Inside the box, you’ll find the device itself, the power supply, with different adaptors for regions including Australia, Europe, the UK, and North America, a USB power cable, and documentation in the form of a quick start guide, safety instructions, and a support contact sheet.

Technical specifications for the Eve Extend.

• Power: USB to Micro USB (5 V, at least 500 mA)
• Dimensions 75 x 23 x 78mm / 3 x 0.9 x 3.1in
• Compatibility: All Bluetooth-enabled Eve accessories except Eve Thermo (2015) and Eve Room (2015), both without display. Due to technical reasons, compatibility is not possible. Compatible Eve accessories
• Connection: Wi-Fi (2.4 / 5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n)

THE DEVICE

The Eve Extend is quite small and light, with a casing made of high gloss white plastic that has a feel of quality. This style will be recognised by Eve users from earlier devices, such as Eve Motion sensor and Eve Room (1st gen).

Thanks to the small size of both the Eve Extend and USB power supply, it’s easy to find any unobtrusive location to place Eve Extend. You can use the included power supply, but because the Eve Extend only requires the typical 5V/ 500 mA voltage, you can also use any typical USB socket with the same specs to power the device. In the box, in addition to the main device itself, you get a small USB power adapter with plug adaptors for the aforementioned regions as well as a USB-A to Micro-USB cable. Departing from this topic for a moment, it’s hard not to mention that the power supply itself can also be used with the included adapters as a universal USB charger when going to countries with a different type of socket to your own.

The Eve Extend only has one socket, placed on the rear of the device – a Micro USB type – used to power the device, along with a single button that allows you to reset the device. On the base, you’ll we find the HomeKit code and four rubber feet, which helps stop the device from sliding around (on smooth surfaces). This is especially useful for how light Eve Extend is. There’s also a single coloured orange led light which informs us of the status of the device when pairing or turning on. When using the device itself, this led light has no function and when it is not lit, it is completely invisible because it is hidden under the plastic housing. Once installed, the Eve Extend does not require any interaction from the user, and the appearance of the device is not of any relevance to us in any way during regular use, so if the device’s coverage range permits, it can easily be hidden out of sight.

INITIAL SETUP

Generally, any HomeKit device can be added using one of the many third-party HomeKit applications available, including the official Home app, but in the case of Eve Extend, due to the specificity of the device’s operation, we cannot do without using the Eve for HomeKit app, and despite the fact that the Eve Extend is a HomeKit device, and also appears in other HomeKit apps, this device will not be useful to us in any other app except for Eve for HomeKit.

Just adding Eve Extend to our HomeKit home is no different than adding any other HomeKit device. The Eve for HomeKit app is available in the App Store in separate iPhone and iPad versions.

After scanning the HomeKit code, you will first see a request for permission to add the Eve Extend to your local Wi-Fi network, after which the standard options will appear, allowing you to give your device a name and assign it to a room in your home. The only additional option offered is to directly assign our Eve Bluetooth devices to Eve Extend, although it is not required, and we can skip this step for now, because I would like to first explain how the Eve Extend works and what it can do for your Bluetooth devices, as well as the fact that assigning devices to the Eve Extend can be done at any time.

It has to be stated that the Eve Extend only works with Bluetooth devices from Eve Systems and you can add a maximum of eight devices to each Eve Extend. Why is it like that? To eliminate any speculation on this subject, the answer is very simple. Technically, The Eve Extend is not a pure extender for a Bluetooth signal and therefore does not work with Bluetooth devices from other companies. Eve Extend simply doesn’t amplify, extend or do anything else with the Bluetooth signal itself, despite being called ‘Extend’. This device has one Bluetooth receiver, hence being limited to a maximum of eight connected devices, whilst balancing performance. With this in mind, it essentially acts as a bridge. It converts all Bluetooth commands from Eve accessories and forwards them to your Wi-Fi network. You can compare it to how any other hub or bridge works when transmitting commands from, for example, a Zigbee or RF protocol hub over a Wi-Fi connection. It can be definitely claimed that the Eve Extend is the first Bluetooth bridge operating within the HomeKit system. As for it extending the Bluetooth signal, it is possible and depends on placement, i.e. as in the case of other bridges, you must take into account, apart from the range of the Bluetooth signal between Eve Extend and the devices connected to it, also the Wi-Fi signal range between Eve Extend and your router. It is thanks to such use of the function of redirecting the signal from Bluetooth to Wi-Fi that we get a greater range and freedom to place your Bluetooth devices away from your Home hubs (Apple TV, HomePod etc). For example, by placing the Eve Extend on the edge but still within sufficient range of the Wi-Fi network, we can then extend the range between the Bluetooth device and the HomeKit bridge by several meters, via this additional Bluetooth connection.

For your devices to start using getting the benefits of the Eve Extend, you must first add them to the Eve Extend. Before you do that, the devices must be added to HomeKit, in addition to making sure that all compatible devices are using the latest firmware, because for these devices to work with Eve Extend, Eve Systems released some required updates for certain devices, like the Eve Door contact sensor for example.

ADDING DEVICES TO EVE EXTEND

To add a device to the Eve Extend with help of the Eve for HomeKit application in the options for Eve Extend, simply select ‘Assign Accessories’ and you will get a list of devices that you can add. The addition itself takes a moment, and after successful addition, the device is no longer directly connected to HomeKit. From that moment it is instead exposed to HomeKit via the Eve Extend, thereby acting as a bridge. It should be noted that when you turn off the Eve Extend after this point, you will also lose contact with all devices that go through the Eve Extend. However, this is not unusual and works exactly the same as other bridges, like the Philips Hue Bridge.

After adding devices, the Eve Extend’s status in the Eve for HomeKit app will show you the number of connected devices, whether each of them is available, or the number of disconnected devices, if at least one of them loses connection. In the ‘detailed view’, you will be able to see a list of all added devices and their statuses.  The Bluetooth devices themselves will always be visible as usual as individual devices too.

If we need to remove a device from Eve Extend for any reason, you simply open the options for that device and select ‘Unassign from Eve Extend’. Before the removal, you’ll receive a warning that after the removal this function will initiate the process of directly pairing the removed device to HomeKit with the HomeKit code for the given device being required.

When using Eve Extend in the Home app, it’s not easy to see any existence of this device. There are only two places where you can see it as such, with the first location being the settings of your HomeKit home where you will see the Eve Extend in the list of ‘Hubs and Bridges’ in use. The second place is a ‘detailed view’ for any of devices connected through the Eve Extend, where probably for the first time in the case of Bluetooth devices you will see that these have a Bridge. An additional effect of such a working system is that our phone can no longer communicate directly with these devices via Bluetooth because all commands transmitted from Eve Extend are transmitted instead via Wi-Fi connection, which means that we also do not need to have Bluetooth active on our iPhones for this specific reason.

DAY-TO-DAY USE
In everyday use, the Eve Extend is completely transparent and simply does its job, and does it very well. During the time stared to use this device, I have not encountered any problems. This solution extends the range of your Eve Bluetooth devices with respect to the HomeKit bridge but thankfully, that’s not all we gain. Communication with devices, connected in this way, has become noticeably faster. Of course, we still can’t count on the same response time compared to some other wireless protocols, because many Bluetooth devices that aren’t used for a period of time fall into a sort of low energy ‘sleep mode’, which requires a moment to ‘wake up’, but the communication itself is noticeably faster, and the same is true when updating historical data saved locally in the devices and updated in the Eve for HomeKit app, when connected to the device. Everything just seems to work faster. In theory, there is no reason why a connection via the Eve Extend should work faster than a direct connection, for example via Apple TV, but for now, let it be the secret of Eve Home and the clear evidence of noticeably faster performance, which alone is enough for me.

When it comes to compatibility with other systems, I can only reiterate that, as with any other device from Eve, they are designed to only works with the Apple HomeKit, so no Google or Amazon functionality is to be found.

WRAPPING UP
The Eve Extend is a very interesting idea and useful solution that works very well on the same basis that other systems using bridges work, in communicating with their sub-devices. Here we have the first such solution for Bluetooth devices that works directly with HomeKit. If you have compatible Bluetooth devices from Eve Home and you have problems with their range or you just want to speed them up, it’s definitely worth considering this solution. Eve Extend is not unique and doesn’t do anything that HomeKit hubs from Apple can’t already do, but it does it for a much more competitive price and in a much smaller and more convenient package. For example, it is certainly a better solution to put Eve Extend on a window sill, instead of an additional Apple TV for a better connection, for example with devices rated for outdoor use, like Eve Aqua or Eve Degree, or even inside the house, if we need to expand or strengthen the Bluetooth signal, it could be better solution wherever we do not need or want additional HomeKit hub. The only thing that the Eve Extend currently lacks is greater functionality for led light, which could, for example, show the status of the connection with Wi-Fi or power status, in the same way as other devices, to warn you with a flashing LED or some form of colour change in case of any irregularities, and refer you to the app for more information, but it is a minor addition and even without it I really appreciate how easy is to set it up and how reliably it works.

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• Switch your appliances on and off with a simple tap or Siri voice command
• Use built-in schedules to automatically switch devices
• See how much power your connected appliances are using
• HomeKit-enabled for unparalleled ease of use and advanced security
• Set up easily thanks to a direct connection via Bluetooth low energy technology – no bridge or gateway required

Talk or tap to control.
Hands tied? Already comfortable? Switch on any appliance in your home with a simple tap, Siri voice command, or a press of the onboard button. And activate the child lock to prevent unwanted operation.

Access on the go.
Your home hub will keep you connected to your abode whether you’re strolling around the block, or exploring the world.

Put everyday essentials on autopilot.
Set schedules for lights, humidifiers, fans, and other vital devices. Then go about your usual business while they get on with theirs – all independently of your home hub.

Make it easy for everyone.
Have your appliances respond to occupancy. So everything is as it should be for the last to leave and first to return.

Set the perfect scene.
Scenes enable multiple accessories to work in concert. So you can create a scene called ‘Bedtime’ that turns on your bedside lamp via Eve Energy, locks your doors, and shuts your shades – all with one tap or voice command.

Watch those watts.
Curiosity. Economy. Conservation. Reasons to monitor power consumption and projected cost are aplenty. Eve Energy gives you the insight to embrace yours.

Specs

• Input / Output: AC 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz; max. 15 A / 1800 W
• Bluetooth Low Energy
• Type B sockets, Type A & B appliances

The post Eve Energy Smart Plug (2nd gen) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

and serves as a full-length sensor for monitoring large areas of your room. And the Eve app reminds you at regular intervals to check that Eve Water Guard is working perfectly. With Eve Water Guard, avoid expensive water damage and add a watertight layer of protection to your home.

Leveraging the power of Apple HomeKit technology, Eve Water Guard connects directly to your iPhone, iPad, or home hub such as an Apple TV or HomePod via Bluetooth technology – all without a bridge. Eve accessories are designed to safeguard your personal data – no matter whether you access Eve Water Guard locally or remotely, your personal data is never disclosed

Features:

• Avoid expensive water damage: Eve Water Guard detects water leaks and alerts you the moment they occur
• Alerts you acoustically with its 100 dB siren, visually by a red flashing warning light and notifies you via iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch
• 6.5 ft / 2 m sensing cable (extendable up to 490 ft / 150 m) serves as a full-length sensor for monitoring large areas of your room
• Perfect for the bathroom, utility room, basement and beneath sinks and water pipes
• Apple HomeKit-enabled for unparalleled ease of use and advanced security
• Simple setup: Direct connection via Bluetooth technology – no bridge or gateway required
• Absolute data privacy – what happens at home, stays at home

Specs:

• 100 dB siren
• Visual alert
• Notifications
• 6.5 ft / 2 m sensing cable (extendable)
• Scenes
• Siren-test mode

The post Eve Water Guard appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

UNBOXING

A brief look at the packaging and as expected, you can see the very clean and transparent design, as is the case with other products from Eve. In addition to the HomeKit badge and standard information about the specifications and functionality of the product, the package also includes additional information about the receipt of the Red Dot Design Award for 2019, which is awarded in various categories for product and communication design. One thing to note; you will not find any information about integration with other systems, because as with all other Eve Home products, this strip is designed for exclusive use with the HomeKit system.

Technical specifications for European and U.S. version

Power

• Europe: AC 230 V, 50 Hz, max. 16 A / 3.680 W
• U.S. & Canada: AC 120 V, 60 Hz, max. 15 A / 1,800 W
• Standby Power Consumption:< 2 W
• Surge Protection 30.000 A

Compatibility

• Europe: Type E & F sockets, Type C & F appliances
• U.S. & Canada: Type B sockets, Type A & B appliances

Wireless Connection

• Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n)

Dimensions

• Europe: 44 x 64 x 316 mm, 190 cm cable
• U.S. & Canada: 1.2 x 2.5 x 10.8 in / 32 x 64 x 276 mm | 6.3 ft / 190 cm cable

THE POWER STRIP – INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

From the first moment, you can’t mistake this product with anything from another company. The housing is made of black matte plastic and very nicely presented aluminium with a silver grain texture. This style is well known to us from newer Eve products such as the Eve Degree, Eve Room (v2), Eve Button and the Eve Aqua. The strip itself has three independent sockets and three corresponding buttons assigned to each socket. These are placed at one end of the strip and manually switch each socket on and off. In addition, an extra button has been placed on the side of the strip to reset the power fuse in case of a power surge. There are also Discrete white LEDs next to each outlet, showing the device status. Only the power cable is made of ordinary black plastic and it screams out for it to be covered in my opinion, with some kind of material that more closely matches the overall outstanding design of this strip. All of these details not only give the product an exclusive look but also a reassuring touch when interacting with this product. Included in the box, apart from the strip itself, you’ll also find an instruction manual with the HomeKit pairing code placed on the last page, important safety instructions, and a card with Eve home contact details. An additional HomeKit pairing code has also been placed underneath the power strip itself. If the power cable turns out to be too long for your particular requirements, you can also use the attached Velcro cable tie. This is a very small detail but also quite useful.

INITIAL SETUP

In order to add a strip to HomeKit, we can use the Eve for HomeKit app, which is available for download from the Apple Store on iOS and iPadOS, where a separate version for iPad is also available. Of course, we can also use the Apple Home application directly, which in addition to iOS is also available in the Apple Store on Mac OS.

After scanning the code, you’ll go through the standard procedure of adding the device to HomeKit, where after scanning HomeKit code, you can assign the device to the room in your house where it’ll be used, and name each of the three available sockets. In addition, due to the new functionality of the Home app in iOS13, you can also change the name of the device. Each outlet has the ability to specify the type of operating mode. You can choose from three standard HomeKit options: outlet, light or fan. This is most useful when you want to control the Eve Energy Strip using your voice and Siri or for visual representation in the app because every option will show a different icon.

For communication with HomeKit, Eve Energy Strip uses a wifi connection in the 2.4 GHz band. In everyday use, I haven’t noticed any related problems. The strip quickly connects to the Wifi network, as well as also able to quickly re-establish a connection in case of loss of connection to the Wifi network. So far, the strip itself lost connection to the wifi network, but I’ve conducted many tests, by rebooting my internet router to see how it performs. Response times are very fast and it is very responsive, as expected when talking about devices that use a wifi connection. You can control the strip using voice or any HomeKit compatible application.

You also have the ability to directly turn the sockets on or off manually, using separate dedicated buttons for each socket. Each button has a built-in white LED indicating when the socket is on, or no light when it is off. Additionally, on the other end of the strip, there is another LED also glowing in white, that shows the status of the surge protection function. If surge protection is activated, you can reset it using a button located on the side of the strip. Eve Home has equipped this power strip with very solid overload protection which is something you may want for the more expensive equipment you have.

The individual sockets have enough space between each other, giving you the ability to connect most adapters without any issues, like with one plug blocking the outlets either side of it. The dimensions of the strip are very similar to most products of this type, and the strip itself does not seem large and the power cord is just long enough for most applications.

THE EVE APP
In order to control the strip using the application or creating an automation, we can use any HomeKit application. This is, among others, one of the major advantages of the HomeKit system, but in order to get the best experience and to take full advantage of all additional functions, as is the case with many other HomeKit devices, you should first look at the dedicated companion app – Eve for HomeKit. The Eve for HomeKit application gives us access to very useful functions presented in a very understandable way. It is a very customisable application, where you can hide or show HomeKit accessories and accessories characteristics you want to see in both room and accessories view.

At first launch, you’ll see the on/off state for each of three sockets. All other characteristics are counted as one device for the whole power strip. You will see also power consumption, total power consumption, projected costs, total costs and schedules. There are also two other characteristics hidden by default: voltage and current, which you need to unhide yourself if you want to see them. For some reason Eve for HomeKit app doesn’t show the “outlet in use” characteristic, which is a standard HomeKit characteristic, based on a sensor that detects if there is a plug inserted into the outlet or not. This hardware functionality is required by Apple for all smart plugs or power strips that work with HomeKit, but don’t worry, it is there. You just can’t see it in Eve for HomeKit app, even though it is visible in other HomeKit apps.

As a bonus, you have also access to locally stored historical data for characteristics like total consumption and total cost, which are represented with very useful diagrams which even show low and high peaks, which allow you to view them by the hour, day, week or month. There is also access to every consumption measurement along with a reset function. The Eve Energy Strip updates these states in 10 minutes intervals. Because all this data is stored locally and never leave your device, Eve Home is advertising their products as very secure, and thankfully there’s also a feature for exporting all data as a standard Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file in .xlsx format which you can import into many other applications for your use.

One of the strongest extras of the Eve Energy Strip is definitely the power metering function, giving the user access to all energy information that you might be interested in. The current and voltage characteristics for power are very unique, and so far I have only seen this option in Eve Home products. These ‘live’ readings are shown for Current power in amperes and for Power voltage in watts. You can find this kind of functionality in the Eve Energy smart plugs.

There’s also a built-in timer function that is independent of HomeKit, which allows the user to programme the outlets to be turned on and off individually. An additional feature, which is, unfortunately, a bit hidden in the preferences, is the Child Lock feature, which locks the physical buttons located on the power strip and restricts control of the bar to voice control or via the app.

In the Eve for HomeKit application, when setting the type of use for each socket, you’ll also find many additional and useful icons to better visualise each of the sockets and their use. You just have to remember that all additional settings except the socket names and type are not included in the HomeKit specification, so are only visible locally in each application that we use to set them. You can find this feature in the preferences for your accessories. These custom icon choices will show up only when you will change the type of outlet. It’s also worth mentioning that in the Eve for HomeKit app, whilst there are three basic types to choose from (fan, outlet, light) as in the official HomeKit app, ‘outlet‘ is referred to as ‘Appliance‘. This is just a cosmetic thing, so in effect, there is no difference.

You can control the strip outside the home, but for this, we need to have access to the Internet and one of the devices operating as an active HomeKit hub. For this you can use an Apple TV (4th gen or above), HomePod or iPad, logged in to the same iCloud account as your home, and in the case of Apple TV and iPad, devices with the HomeKit hub function enabled. For HomePod devices, this function is always active.

As we’ve already mentioned, all Eve Home products are intended for exclusive use with the HomeKit system and so you will not find any integration with other systems. From the perspective of a HomeKit user, the biggest advantage of this approach is definitely the assumption that Eve Home will focus on one system, which seems to translate into the quality of work of these devices, and is visible in everyday use. We’ve rarely encountered any problems with Eve devices so far, and if it ever happens they are removed very quickly, unlike some systems where it takes a lot more time due to supporting multiple platforms.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
The strip works flawlessly, and exactly for the purpose, it was designed for. The strongest side of this device, in addition to reliability, is the ability to measure power consumption and very good integration with the top-notch software in itself – the Eve app. The other pluses can also be the discreet, unobtrusive button illumination and ample space between sockets. A sufficiently long power cable and high-quality materials used all make this a great piece of equipment. The Child lock is also a very useful addition.

Unfortunately, access to only three sockets certainly lowers the rating a little. The more I look at the overall design, it looks like it might have space for a fourth additional socket, without sacrificing other functions, or at least adding USB ports. Of course, this would not change the overall maximum power rating, which is fixed and shared between each outlet, but it would certainly help in a wider application. Three outlets may not be enough in some cases, but in this case, it is no surprise and you know from the beginning what you’re buying, so there are still many situations where three outlets are enough.

It is hard to complain in many ways, but in the future, I would love to see a product like this, at this price point, have separate power metering for each outlet, along with a power cable covered with some nylon webbing perhaps, which certainly would increase the already exclusive feeling of this product. Maybe even with a choice of different colours!

The Eve Energy Strip is something you won’t want to hide, as it looks really great. From a home decor perspective, maybe a thick black cable is not as pretty as the device itself, and harder to see as a part of the home interior, but this is just my ‘wish list’ for future development, and one should be aware that there are always trade-offs associated with product design decisions

Finally, I will take the last part of this review to address the price of the device itself. For me, reviews are not about finding the cheapest product. It’s about presenting the product and showing what you are going to get in exchange when paying a particular price. In this case, with the price of Eve Energy Strip, it’s definitely on the higher-end, but if you have the right budget, and like this design (it really looks as good as in the promotional images), if three outlets is enough for you and you care about power metering, then you will get a great looking, very reliable power strip with overload protection, power metering, a child lock option and top-notch software, so it’s hard to imagine you will be disappointed. Everything has its place and there is definitely a place for it in my own HomeKit setup.

The post Eve Energy Strip (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Experience total wireless freedom.
Eve Extend connects directly to Eve accessories beyond the range of your iPhone or home hub and makes them available across your Wi-Fi network. Now, no obstacle stands in the way, and no location is off-limits. Whether checking basement humidity levels or activating your garden sprinkler, every Eve accessory is within reach.

Set up with absolute ease.
Find a spot anywhere within your Wi-Fi network. Connect to a power outlet. Securely add Eve Extend by pointing your iPhone camera at the HomeKit setup code. And let the Eve app walk you through the setup process. It’s so easy, you’ll be connected to all your Eve accessories in no time.

Enjoy complete data privacy.
Like the Eve app, Eve Extend knows exactly what your accessories are up to. But that’s where it ends. Your data is never analyzed, shared, or sent to a cloud. Even when accessing your home remotely, your usage information remains yours, and yours only.

Requirements

• iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 12.3 or later
• Wi-Fi network (2.4 / 5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n)

Controlling this HomeKit-enabled accessory automatically and away from home requires a HomePod, an Apple TV with tvOS 12.3 or later, or an iPad with iOS 12.3 or later set up as a home hub.

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