Where are the HomeKit smart vacuums? It’s strange as they are one of the first automated appliances that people purchase and there is nothing in HomeKit.
With reference to smart switches, in the Uk we have designer switches so we wouldn’t want to change our stainless steel, nickel or chrome switches to smart switches. Therefore in my house I am looking to fit modules in the back boxes to automate these metal switches. Also in the uk (not sure about Europe) neutral only circuits to the wall switches are quite common so these are often not compatible with smart switches due to the lack of live power so battery powered smart modules may help make this more accessible to those with that wiring.
Thanks for sharing about the wiring in Europe. Traveling there as a tourist I usually don't open up the walls to see how those square switches are wired lol! Clearly Philips Hue knew what they were doing to come up with this switch module solution.
Well old homes don’t have the neutral cable which is usually needed for the smart switches. So I don’t find the idea for that battery hue switches not too stupid.
The in wall switch is to directly compete with Shelly products. And it probably doesn’t require a neutral wire since it call for a battery. Good alternative for older homes.
Re the Hue controller to retrofit other switches, I installed multiple Legrand Adorne switches and plugs pre-HomeKit, and have been wishing Legrand would come out with HomeKit switches in that form factor. I love the way they look and feel, so have been going with needing HomeKit bulbs instead of switches obviously, not the most cost effective way to getting a whole house automated. Being able to make the existing switch ‘smart’ would be great.
I am stoked for the Philips Hue module. Works wonders in rentals and other non permanent installations. Also the smart switch game isn't as strong here in Europe where there is a different type of grid and infrastructure.
that in wall Philips switch has a market in Europe because a lot of homes don`t have the Neutral wire pulled to the switch, usually we only have the live wire in the switch and the light fixture has both live and neutral + ground. that why it need batteries.
I have a 160 year old home, that I’m trying to make smart while respecting that it is 160 years old. I have some reproduction pearl push button switches with really fancy brass plates. I’ve always wanted a way to convert a switch like that to a smart switch. I think the Philips solution may be the first step in that direction.
For this use case I think the Hue module could be a good option. I totally understand the idea of wanting to preserve antique switches if possible. Thanks for sharing. If this works with HomeKit without Homebridge, I would choose that over something that requires Homebridge. It's nothing against Homebridge, but to rely on it for all your home lighting might be asking for annoying failures every now and again.
I have a Nest doorbell installed at my 97 year old father's house and noticed on several occasions people seeing the doorbell and only knocking on the door. Because they did not ring I did not get an alert. It turns out they were casing the house prior to breaking in and knew not to ring the bell to alert to their presence. A proximity sensor that would ring the bell could have alerted us and may have helped prevent a breakin. So I do see an advantage to a touchless doorbell.
Serious question but does the nest doorbell not have motion sensing? I figured if it did it would notify you that way. I’m looking to get a smart doorbell as I’m going to move soon and was thinking of getting the logitech circle view.
What is apparently good with the hue module is because with smart switch you can’t control control. (Exemple: I’ve got smart switch from legrand/netatmo and I can’t plug multicolor connected bulbs, because it’s not compatible. Even with just white dimmable you can’t say to the switch st it to 20% if the bulb is connected like hue it will not work) Hop we will find a way to sync all of this
Yeah you could do this with some extra automations in HomeKit but it's not the same. I see what you're talking about and this is a good point I hadn't thought of. Thanks for sharing.
The hue in wall adapter is more for europe because for example in Germany there are nearly no smart switches. And that’s an easy way to use your existing light switches.
Good video Eric. I have not seen anything from CES (for HomeKit) that really excites me. I think everyone is just trying to stay afloat after 2020. Hopefully things will get more focused on development/innovation as we get farther into '21. Fingers crossed.
Thanks Bradley! Yeah it's definitely been a tough year. I also think some people are skeptical about the PR buzz and deals created from a virtual conference and are waiting for in-person ones to return one day.
Great video Eric! I was looking for a HomeKit take on this year's CES, so thank you. Also, that's a really cool floor lamp in the background. Who makes it?
Actually, their thinking of these mini mansions people live in or when they aren’t home. People I know, you walk up to their door and you hear what’s going on inside sometimes. Like you know, if you hear certain sounds, you don’t ring the bell. You just come back later.... 😎
loved this breakdown/summary! Lutron is amazing and while people are complaining about $79 for that outdoor unit clearly hasn’t seen the price of their switches, they’re $50 iirc. IMHO for a super solid outdoor solution, it priced fairly!
The hue switch , battery issue sucks but they say last upto 5 years. The reason for this switch is so when you use there bulbs then if someone turns off the light switch it will not turn the power off to the bullb but will turn off the bulb still.
Good point, but you are still cutting the breaker and opening up the walls to install it. But yeah it might be easier to undo than replacing the whole switch and adding back the originals when your lease it up.
Woohoo! I am really excited about an outdoor Lutron switch. I just built a solar pool heater that I need to control. I’m using a WiFi switch from Home Despot that is very unreliable.
Would love to get the Kohler faucet but at a price point between $600 and $1200 and you still have to touch the thing to adjust temperature I just don’t see how one can justify the cost.
I don't think you did your research properly, the new Hue module doesn't make any switch a smart switch, it prevents switches hooked up to fixtures holding Hue bulbs from cutting the power. This is a game changer, this has always been a huge drawback with Hue especially when you have family members who aren't as into smart homes and just shut switches off. Until now, I've been installing shields over some switches to prevent family members from turning off the mains power, but as soon as these are released in Canada I'll be buying a handful for sure.
Yeah Idk it's definitely high end. This is mostly why I do not have one of these faucets. I still think it's cool tech and I hope the price will come down over time either from Kohler or another company.
I would have liked/used the smart switch converter if it wasn’t battery powered. I don’t like the feel of the current smart switch offerings, and really like my current dumb switches. As such, ‘upgrading’ to a smart switch that is predominantly used manually is actually a step backwards. Using this I can sneakily add smart functionality! Unfortunately, the battery thing is a killer for me... knowing that sometime in the next five years all of my switches will just die, and once whoever is in the house at the time figures it out they will have to switch off the breaker to replace batteries... this is just not a good option. Surely they can add a tiny induction charger to it if they can’t tap power directly?
Hey Eric Welander , You've mentioned a few times how well the Lutron Caseta switches work. I do not see any Lutron Caseta smart receptacles on the market at this time. Lutron sells non smart receptacles, but not smart ones... I am on the verge of renovating my unfinished basement and was wondering what you would recommend for Homekit compatible receptacles that work well?
The tail of a cat walks in a triggers the toilet flush ? 1: then that may not be for your home, choose something else or 2 how many times would a cat trigger it, is it that much of a big deal 3 are you just not into the idea and making up wild things that really won’t be that much of a issue But fun to see your not really into a toilet having touch free flush. I would say, have the touch free sensor on the top
My cat jumps up on the back of the toilet, but his tail wouldn’t really go anywhere near the flush on the side as it is. So for me, the opposite works!
The Hue Module was silly to me before, but now knowing it has a battery it's a joke. I understand making it friendly for everyone in the house, but at $40 you can pick up Lutron Aurora which will add dimming on top of just on and off, for the same price!?! and you don't have to rewire a switch and fit the module in the box behind it. Then there is the Hue Smart Dimmer Switch which is $25. This just seems so poorly thought thru.
This is similar to what I thought at first, but hearing from others in the comments about wiring in other countries and maybe rentals and using Hue bulbs with non-smart switches I can see some benefit. It's still a specialized product for specific use cases.
Where are the HomeKit smart vacuums? It’s strange as they are one of the first automated appliances that people purchase and there is nothing in HomeKit.
HomeKit hasn’t added support for the category.
“Technology in Search of a Problem” FANTASTIC Observation! Why I love your videos - I will quote you on this many times!! :) Thank you!
Thank you! 😄
haha seriously! hopefully there’s a way to turn the touchless bit off, that will be super annoying when the kid is sleepin
With reference to smart switches, in the Uk we have designer switches so we wouldn’t want to change our stainless steel, nickel or chrome switches to smart switches. Therefore in my house I am looking to fit modules in the back boxes to automate these metal switches. Also in the uk (not sure about Europe) neutral only circuits to the wall switches are quite common so these are often not compatible with smart switches due to the lack of live power so battery powered smart modules may help make this more accessible to those with that wiring.
Hi I am from the netherlands we have the same issue been waiting for this to come out and just keep my original switches!! totally agree with you :)
Thanks for sharing about the wiring in Europe. Traveling there as a tourist I usually don't open up the walls to see how those square switches are wired lol! Clearly Philips Hue knew what they were doing to come up with this switch module solution.
Well old homes don’t have the neutral cable which is usually needed for the smart switches. So I don’t find the idea for that battery hue switches not too stupid.
The in wall switch is to directly compete with Shelly products. And it probably doesn’t require a neutral wire since it call for a battery. Good alternative for older homes.
Re the Hue controller to retrofit other switches, I installed multiple Legrand Adorne switches and plugs pre-HomeKit, and have been wishing Legrand would come out with HomeKit switches in that form factor. I love the way they look and feel, so have been going with needing HomeKit bulbs instead of switches obviously, not the most cost effective way to getting a whole house automated. Being able to make the existing switch ‘smart’ would be great.
That's a great use case. Thanks for sharing! I agree Legrande does make great looking switches.
I am stoked for the Philips Hue module. Works wonders in rentals and other non permanent installations. Also the smart switch game isn't as strong here in Europe where there is a different type of grid and infrastructure.
that in wall Philips switch has a market in Europe because a lot of homes don`t have the Neutral wire pulled to the switch, usually we only have the live wire in the switch and the light fixture has both live and neutral + ground. that why it need batteries.
If you dont understand the need for an in wall dimmer from Hue you might have the wrong job.
I have a 160 year old home, that I’m trying to make smart while respecting that it is 160 years old. I have some reproduction pearl push button switches with really fancy brass plates. I’ve always wanted a way to convert a switch like that to a smart switch. I think the Philips solution may be the first step in that direction.
Try sonoff mini.. cheaper with the same function and can be integrated with homekit using homebridge
For this use case I think the Hue module could be a good option. I totally understand the idea of wanting to preserve antique switches if possible. Thanks for sharing. If this works with HomeKit without Homebridge, I would choose that over something that requires Homebridge. It's nothing against Homebridge, but to rely on it for all your home lighting might be asking for annoying failures every now and again.
I have a Nest doorbell installed at my 97 year old father's house and noticed on several occasions people seeing the doorbell and only knocking on the door. Because they did not ring I did not get an alert. It turns out they were casing the house prior to breaking in and knew not to ring the bell to alert to their presence. A proximity sensor that would ring the bell could have alerted us and may have helped prevent a breakin. So I do see an advantage to a touchless doorbell.
Serious question but does the nest doorbell not have motion sensing? I figured if it did it would notify you that way. I’m looking to get a smart doorbell as I’m going to move soon and was thinking of getting the logitech circle view.
What is apparently good with the hue module is because with smart switch you can’t control control. (Exemple: I’ve got smart switch from legrand/netatmo and I can’t plug multicolor connected bulbs, because it’s not compatible. Even with just white dimmable you can’t say to the switch st it to 20% if the bulb is connected like hue it will not work)
Hop we will find a way to sync all of this
Yeah you could do this with some extra automations in HomeKit but it's not the same. I see what you're talking about and this is a good point I hadn't thought of. Thanks for sharing.
The hue in wall adapter is more for europe because for example in Germany there are nearly no smart switches. And that’s an easy way to use your existing light switches.
Great point Felix! I hadn't thought about that. Thanks for sharing.
Good video Eric.
I have not seen anything from CES (for HomeKit) that really excites me. I think everyone is just trying to stay afloat after 2020. Hopefully things will get more focused on development/innovation as we get farther into '21.
Fingers crossed.
Thanks Bradley! Yeah it's definitely been a tough year. I also think some people are skeptical about the PR buzz and deals created from a virtual conference and are waiting for in-person ones to return one day.
Sony has already supported Airplay 2 and HomeKit as my XBR65X950G TV has it.
Oh good to know. Thanks for sharing. I guess the news here is just Sony's new line, including 8K TVs, supports HomeKit.
Great video Eric! I was looking for a HomeKit take on this year's CES, so thank you. Also, that's a really cool floor lamp in the background. Who makes it?
Actually, their thinking of these mini mansions people live in or when they aren’t home. People I know, you walk up to their door and you hear what’s going on inside sometimes. Like you know, if you hear certain sounds, you don’t ring the bell. You just come back later.... 😎
How many people have cars and what are the odds if it’s tail flushing the toilet? Talk about making problems that don’t exist!
Arlo doorbell isn’t compatible with homekit :( they keep saying they’ll add it by the end of the year but up to this date it’s not compatible « yet »
loved this breakdown/summary! Lutron is amazing and while people are complaining about $79 for that outdoor unit clearly hasn’t seen the price of their switches, they’re $50 iirc. IMHO for a super solid outdoor solution, it priced fairly!
The Hue smart switch will be good for the UK, as we cannot use most smart switches because of the wiring.
That's a great point I hadn't thought of. Thanks for sharing.
Will hue add thread?
The hue switch , battery issue sucks but they say last upto 5 years. The reason for this switch is so when you use there bulbs then if someone turns off the light switch it will not turn the power off to the bullb but will turn off the bulb still.
Gee, you think they might put a “quiet times” option in the doorbell?
The smart switch that just flips existing switches will be good for people who lease apartments and they don't want to modify the hardware.
Good point, but you are still cutting the breaker and opening up the walls to install it. But yeah it might be easier to undo than replacing the whole switch and adding back the originals when your lease it up.
Woohoo! I am really excited about an outdoor Lutron switch. I just built a solar pool heater that I need to control. I’m using a WiFi switch from Home Despot that is very unreliable.
That's great!
You’d think a HomeKit camera at your door with people detection and linked to HomePod could be turned into a touch less doorbell.....
You're right! All the pieces are there for it
I like the smart home niche you’re carving out. Good work building the channel up.
I agree with you on the touchless water faucet ive seen to many issues with those.
What about Nest? I’m heavily invested in Nest but I need them to work with HomeKit natively. I all apple products, but Nest Cameras
You won't see this, Nest is controlled by a competing company. Same with Ring.
Would love to get the Kohler faucet but at a price point between $600 and $1200 and you still have to touch the thing to adjust temperature I just don’t see how one can justify the cost.
Yeah it's definitely high end! Hopefully the price of those kind of faucets will come down soon, from Kohler or other brands.
That segue into liking the video was so seamless lol 😂 Great video man ❤️
Is there a wireless doorbell that works with homekit?
Interesting but not sure what thread means
Arlo touchless doorbell will ring when my grass is cut every week at 7am? I guess I’ll wait for more info. Great video, Eric!
Haha yeah Jim exactly! Thanks 😄
I don't think you did your research properly, the new Hue module doesn't make any switch a smart switch, it prevents switches hooked up to fixtures holding Hue bulbs from cutting the power. This is a game changer, this has always been a huge drawback with Hue especially when you have family members who aren't as into smart homes and just shut switches off. Until now, I've been installing shields over some switches to prevent family members from turning off the mains power, but as soon as these are released in Canada I'll be buying a handful for sure.
$600-1200 for a single tap is extremely steep compared to a normal one for $50-200. Do y’all think those extra features are worth that much?
Yeah Idk it's definitely high end. This is mostly why I do not have one of these faucets. I still think it's cool tech and I hope the price will come down over time either from Kohler or another company.
I've learned about the touchless and the tap faucets after about 3months i seen a lot of those jokers quit working.
I would have liked/used the smart switch converter if it wasn’t battery powered. I don’t like the feel of the current smart switch offerings, and really like my current dumb switches. As such, ‘upgrading’ to a smart switch that is predominantly used manually is actually a step backwards. Using this I can sneakily add smart functionality!
Unfortunately, the battery thing is a killer for me... knowing that sometime in the next five years all of my switches will just die, and once whoever is in the house at the time figures it out they will have to switch off the breaker to replace batteries... this is just not a good option.
Surely they can add a tiny induction charger to it if they can’t tap power directly?
Hey Eric Welander ,
You've mentioned a few times how well the Lutron Caseta switches work. I do not see any Lutron Caseta smart receptacles on the market at this time. Lutron sells non smart receptacles, but not smart ones... I am on the verge of renovating my unfinished basement and was wondering what you would recommend for Homekit compatible receptacles that work well?
I’ve never heard of thread. Cool
Hue module..... perfect for apartment dwellers who move every few years
Are your gonna talk about Arlo pro 4 anytime soon? on the fence about getting it.
What's about that TH-cam Lamp? Should i get one hahaha
Great video! Where can I find your screen saver?
Great video. Very Informative.
smart stuff usually fails and then starts operating itself making you waste more.
Good reasons to be skeptical. Good luck in being a reviewer for long though!! It doesn't seem to be a market for complete honesty 😅
11:29 - I can see an advantage: it might be able to function as a smart *relay* in which case you could make it do all sorts of things.
The tail of a cat walks in a triggers the toilet flush ? 1: then that may not be for your home, choose something else or 2 how many times would a cat trigger it, is it that much of a big deal 3 are you just not into the idea and making up wild things that really won’t be that much of a issue
But fun to see your not really into a toilet having touch free flush. I would say, have the touch free sensor on the top
My cat jumps up on the back of the toilet, but his tail wouldn’t really go anywhere near the flush on the side as it is. So for me, the opposite works!
The Hue Module was silly to me before, but now knowing it has a battery it's a joke. I understand making it friendly for everyone in the house, but at $40 you can pick up Lutron Aurora which will add dimming on top of just on and off, for the same price!?! and you don't have to rewire a switch and fit the module in the box behind it. Then there is the Hue Smart Dimmer Switch which is $25. This just seems so poorly thought thru.
This is similar to what I thought at first, but hearing from others in the comments about wiring in other countries and maybe rentals and using Hue bulbs with non-smart switches I can see some benefit. It's still a specialized product for specific use cases.