August Home, the smart-home accessory maker, has just started shipping the 2nd generation smart lock, featuring HomeKit support. The August Smart Lock HomeKit enabled is available at Amazon and from August’s online store for $229.

With the August Smart Lock you can lock and unlock your door, create virtual keys for guests, and keep track of who comes and goes (24/7 activity log), all from your smartphone. The Smart Lock auto-locks behind you and automatically unlocks as you approach.

The HomeKit-enabled Smart Lock includes the ability to use Siri to lock or unlock doors and check the status of doors using voice commands such as “Siri, lock my door,” or “Siri, is my door locked?” on an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch and 4th generation Apple TV.

HomeKit is Apple’s developer kit to enable communication between home appliances and iOS devices. Apple TV (3rd and 4th generation) lets you remotely control your accessories with Siri commands when you’re away from home.

Also read: IoT for everyone: Apple HomeKit vs. Google Brillo

The August Smart Lock 2nd generation has a modified industrial design with a magnetic faceplate, new micro-patterns and a slim, chrome indicator at the top of the device so users can visually see if the door is locked or unlocked.

The new Smart Lock is also compatible with third-party HomeKit apps including Insteon+, Lutron and iDevices that can be set up to turn on or off lights and appliances as the door is locked or unlocked.

In addition to the Smart Lock, August sells the Smart Keypad ($79) and Doorbell Cam ($199) that create “the complete Smart Home Access System.”

August HomeKit Enabled Smart Lock is available at Amazon.com.

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Apple has removed Google’s Nest thermostat from its online and retail stores as the world’s first Apple HomeKit-compatible smart thermostat ecobee3 goes on sale. Searching for Nest on Apple’s online store now reveals HomeKit-enabled devices, ecobee3 being one of them.

Designed for homes with more than one room, the Wi-Fi connected ecobee3 thermostat measures temperature and occupancy in multiple locations, so it knows which rooms are occupied to deliver the right temperature in the right places. And it knows whether someone’s home to help you save energy and money when you’re away.

It intuitively understands when to turn on your heating or cooling equipment based on your home’s unique energy profile and the weather outside

Toronto-based ecobee promises that ecobee3 customers save an average of 23% on their heating and cooling costs.

ecobee3 features a 3.5″ full-color LCD touchscreen, 320 x 480 pixel display with intuitive iconography and controls.

It comes with 1 free remote sensor that measures temperature and occupancy. You can have up to 32 sensors. The more you add, the smarter your Ecobee3 becomes.

In addition, you can monitor and control your ecobee3 thermostat anytime and from anywhere, using your smartphone, tablet or computer.

Get ecobee3 from Amazon for $249.

HomeKit is Apple’s developer kit to enable communication between home appliances and iOS devices. Apple TV is said to be the center of Apple’s smart home, especially while using remote commands via Siri.

Check out other HomeKit-enabled devices.

Learn more on Apple TV’s role in the HomeKit ecosystem: 

• Here is how Apple TV will work with HomeKit devices
• Apple now accepting HomeKit product plans from smart home device makers
• New beta turns Apple TV into the master of HomeKit
• IoT for everyone: Apple HomeKit vs. Google Brillo

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The first batch of HomeKit enabled smart devices went up for order yesterday. Correspondingly, Apple released a support document to help early users get started with HomeKit. And thanks to the document, we now know more about Apple TV’s role in HomeKit.

Like we reported earlier, an Apple TV will be integral to your smart home setup, if you need to control devices while away from home. Here is what Apple says:

“Control your accessories away from home
If you have an Apple TV (3rd generation or later) with software version 7.0 or later, you can control your HomeKit-enabled accessories when you’re away from home using your iOS device.

Sign in with the same Apple ID on your iOS device and Apple TV, and you’ll be able to use Siri commands to remotely control your accessories.“

You will be able to control your HomeKit-enabled accessories remotely via their apps itself. However, if you need to use Siri to control them while away, then an Apple TV is a must. Once you sign into your Apple TV and the iOS device using the same Apple ID, you can start commanding your digital minions, wherever you are.

It is also clear now that you can create groups within the HomeKit setup, like lights, fans, thermostat etc. and also based on rooms and areas, so that commands like “Hey Siri, turn down the heat in the living room” does what is expected.

We earlier believed that only the refreshed version of Apple TV 3 (A1469) would be compatible with the new OS and carry HomeKit, but Apple confirms that any Apple TV 3 running software version 7.0 or above are capable. Any iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with iOS 8.1 or later will be able to take smart-home commands as well.

Apple mentions the compatible Apple TV as “3rd gen or above” which seems to be a cheeky hint to the Apple TV 4 which is expected to be announced next week.

Apple HomeKit support document is an interesting read. And if you are planning to buy some HomeKit devices, check out the first ones or the Apple’s dedicated sub site.

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Apple TV, as reported earlier, will most probably perform a central role in integrating Apple’s HomeKit “Internet of Things” platform, especially while using remote commands via Siri. Owners of compatible Apple TVs would be happy to learn that they will soon be able to turn their homes smart, thanks to the first wave of smart devices announced yesterday.

It seems that Apple had placed some sort of restriction on companies to withhold their products till June 2, since five companies announced HomeKit devices yesterday simultaneously. This date would be perfect since the new Apple TV 4, its new operating system and new HomeKit features are expected to be announced on Monday, at the WWD 2015.

Here are all the HomeKit accessories that are available now:

1. Caseta Wireless Lighting Starter Kit from Lutron

It includes the Caseta Wireless Smart Bridge, 2 dimmers, 2 remotes and 2 pedestals. The Smart Bridge which could earlier be only controlled via their app, got a refresh to add HomeKit support. Now you can directly use Siri to turn off or dim the Lutron lights, wherever you are.

The kit is available on Amazon for $229.95 or you can get the Smart Bridge only for $119.95

2. Elgato Eve

Eve is a series of devices packed with sensors to monitor the quality of your home environment. Eve Weather checks for the temperature and pressure, while the Eve Door and Windows tells you if they are open or closed. Eve Room is the indoor guy who senses volatile organic compounds to keep track temperature and humidity.

Available on Amazon, starting at $40.

3. ecoBee3 Smart Thermostat

“Ordinary thermostats read the temperature in only one room, but are supposed to deliver comfort in all rooms. ecobee3 remote sensors deliver the right temperature in the rooms that matter most.”

Preorder it now for $229.

4. iHome iSP5 SmartPlug

This is the simplest of all today’s announcements. This is just a smart plug which can toggle on or off based on your needs. So you can connect just about any device to the outlet and remotely control it.

It will be up for preorder from June 15.

5. Insteon Hub

On the more complex side, this one is just a hub for other devices to connect to simplify the process of home automation. You can pair multiple HomeKit devices to it, from various rooms, offices, and houses and control all of them via a single app on your iPhone.

You can order it now for $79.99

Read more on Apple TV’s role in HomeKit and device compatibility.

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If you’re a power consumer of media, it is highly likely that you have multiple audio and video devices at home. One of them is probably Apple TV and that’s why you’re here.

But maintaing a half dozen devices in your living room isn’t easy. Finding the right remote, turning the power on for each device, switching between sources on your television can all be really cumbersome. And that is exactly where onecue comes in.

onecue integrates all the devices in your living room into one central hub and that includes not only the media devices like set-top boxes and speakers, but also the lights, drapes, thermostats and switches.

Surprisingly enough, it doesn’t come with any remotes either. Instead, it packs a motion sensor similar to the Microsoft Kinect, which needs to be placed somewhere from where it can track you. Now, all you need to do is show custom hand gestures and onecue picks them up and transforms it into the desired action.

onecue was created to offer a central control with a single interface, giving you the power to interact with your devices using simple touch-free hand gestures.

With onecue your home is smarter. A single motion is all it takes to turn on your entire media environment (TV, Cable box and AV receiver). No more juggling remotes!

onecue will ship early next year and is up for pre-order right now. Those ordering now can save a generous 35% bagging the sensor for just $129 instead of $199.

You can read more about onecue here or pre-order it here.

Early 2015 is the same time when the next Apple TV and Apple’s similar service, the HomeKit is expected to make appearance.

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Last time, we reported that the Apple affiliated chip makers have started shipping MFi enabled chips to HomeKit accessory makers. And now, more reports suggest that HomeKit appliances will hit the shelves soon, as Apple has started accepting product plans from device manufacturers regarding the same.

Apple held an MFi summit in China last week, whose attendees were strictly restricted to HomeKit partners. It dealt mostly with using Siri with HomeKit to get things done in your home, via smart devices. On the last day of the summit (Nov. 14), Apple invited all smart device makers to submit their product plans for the kit, which is generally regarded as the last formal phase before devices enter mass production.

The Apple TV is expected to be the centerpiece of the whole Apple Smart Home concept. You will pair your devices with the Apple TV, so that you can control them via iCloud or directly from a dashboard app on the set-top box’s homescreen.

In essence, we believe that the HomeKit launch will coincide with the much awaited Apple TV refresh. Now, that we know that HomeKit devices are entering into production, we are certain that the Apple TV 4 countdown is closing in as well.

If things go as rumored, we will have the next Apple TV sporting an entirely new firmware, intuitive interface, powerful capabilities and HomeKit support, at least by March next year.

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As we discussed earlier, reports from Forbes confirm Apple TV to be the center piece of Apple’s new adventure, the HomeKit. According to them, the Apple TV will carry the control panel for all your smart appliances, to be accessed within your home or even remotely (you can read more here).

Such glory days of Apple TV don’t seem very far, as chip-makers confirm that they have started shipping HomeKit certified chipsets to smart device manufacturers.

Apple unveiled the HomeKit at their developer conference held in June. With this SDK, various home appliances will be able to talk to each other, to the iCloud and to your iOS apps to get things done in the smart way.

However, as with all other Apple products, home device manufacturers will have to certify their products as MFi (Made for iPhone) and this would be done via the chips they buy from Apple-approved companies – Texas Instruments, Marvell and Broadcom.

The executives of these chip makers have revealed to Forbes that they have dispatched the initial shipments of this Bluetooth+WiFi enabled chips to smart device makers. They believe that this would be the final step in the establishment of iHome and that we’ll soon see a flurry of HomeKit supported devices rushing into the market.

“Everyone’s getting ready,” said Brian Bedrosian, senior director of embedded wireless in the mobile and wireless group at Broadcom. “Expect to see new product launches in the next cycle of product releases.”

Currently, the leading companies interested in the HomeKit include Honeywell, Elgato and Withings. With what we know so far of the kit, we are looking at smart lights, cameras, doors, thermostats, security systems, sprinklers, plugs and more, which can be all controlled with the ease of a tap.

And when that happens, your Apple TV will receive a software update (at least the 3rd gen) or the next gen Apple TV 4 will be unveiled, to rule over these smart minions.

To all those who’ve been doubting the future of Apple’s set top box, it’s time to take a deep breath and wait.

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Once again an Apple patent is under the microscope, as Apple Insider caught up with an application submitted by the Cupertino engineers. Titled “Browsing Remote content using a native interface”, it re-imagines how the remote app works with Apple TV.

Instead of the mere navigation buttons in the current remote app, the proposed UI would be a dynamic one. It shows a menu of icons corresponding to your Apple TV channels, which you can browse through and select the favorite ones to stream.

Once the content stars playing, Apple TV sends meta info like trivia, cast, credits, etc. to the app, which can be enjoyed by the user. If you find something interesting here, you can even push it for everyone to see, and it will form a sidebar or pop-up on the TV.

The above mentioned features deal with real-time interactions between your Apple TV and the app, and forms the Active mode of the app. However, the new app comes with a Passive mode, which is what is more interesting.

In the passive mode, the user can get out of the ‘now playing’ details and browse the app again. These won’t show up on your Apple TV and hence, won’t disturb others watching with you. You can search for a better movie or add videos to queue, renew subscriptions or just about anything the app allows.

The patent also proposes for interactions via iCloud, so that you can access the TV even when you’re not within the house. Remember how Apple TV was reported to be the center of Apple’s smart home? Now, lets imagine the passive mode, remote access and iCloud, all working together. Imagine you reaching outside your house. Open the remote app, enter passive mode, access the Smart Home hub and open the garage. Meanwhile your wife is watching Netflix over Apple TV, and she doesn’t know a thing.

Though the patent doesn’t mention much about the passive mode, we believe this mode is what forms the core of the application. The active mode is just a modified piece of software and doesn’t require to be protected. Whereas, the passive mode would likely become the backbone of Apple TV multitasking between content delivery and home automation, which Apple certainly doesn’t want its competition to copy.

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You might remember one of our recent posts where we discussed how Apple TV and Apple Watch could do wonders by working together. Now, Aaron Tilley from Forbes is confident that Cupertino has much greater plans for its set-top box, as it will play an integral role in creating Apple’s ultimate smart homes. This doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has read one of our post-WWDC14 opinion articles:

The ability to control home alarms, thermostats, and lights is very powerful. Having the ability to leverage this information in your home from the largest screen you own would hopefully be an area of expansion as this technology is adopted, and combined with Siri would be an even more powerful offering.

(WWDC 2014 and the invisible Apple TV; Apple TV Hacks, June 10, 2014)

Now, an insider has told Forbs that last week’s 7.0 update, which brought the iOS 7 themed channels to Apple TV, also silently added support for the HomeKit.

In case you don’t know, HomeKit is Apple’s developer kit to enable communication between home appliances and iOS devices. This unknown messenger has confirmed that Apple TV would serve as the central hub of all of HomeKit’s functionalities.

Apple TV likely won’t be the only way to communicate with Apple-certified smart gear. But with 20 million Apple TVs out in the world, it certainly makes sense that this would serve as a centerpiece of Apple’s smart home plans. And many speculate that a more powerful Apple TV is soon on its way.

You know what? It makes sense too.

Apple has already announced that HomeKit devices would communicate via Bluetooth and WiFi, and Apple TV comes packed with both of them. Besides, of all Apple products, Apple TV is the one which is always connected to WiFi and almost exclusively lives within your home. So wherever you’re, you can interact with your Apple TV via an iPhone app and thereby control your house’s lighting, open the garage door, sprinkle the garden and so on.

Apple-certified smart gadgets haven’t been officially rolled out yet. But when HomeKit was first announced at this year’s developer conference in June, there were a number of big-name connected gadget companies listed as official partners, including Honeywell, Philips , August Smart Lock and others.

We haven’t received any verification from Apple regarding the story. However, with Apple TV 4 launch getting unduly delayed like this, it surely shows itself as a bright possibility.

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