Homekit compatible apps?

[leonmf]

I now understand that HomeKit requires an application on the iPhone side to utilize the HK gateway. Without actually researching it, my testing shows that the app registers things with apple and the various scenes and device configurations are available across devices and applications.

This is all pretty awesome. I downloaded the Insteon+ app, registered my gateway and I can turn all binary switches on and off from siri. However, this app is incapable of handling dimmers and it seems that it is unable to properly register existing or create new scenes using the HK gateway devices.

I found another app called MytouchHome (which cost $2) but doesn't seem to have any configurtion capability. Honestly, don't waste your money or time on this app.

Beyond that, I've only found a couple of other apps at $20+ that I'd happily pay for if I thought they could actually do what I need.

Has anyone found an app that integrates nicely with the HK gateway function of Z-Way or am I back to waiting for things to develop a little further before this feature is useful?

[janegood]

You're right , I tried the MytouchHome application and is very bad.
Thanks for the info.

[christian.paetz]

Actually we (Z-Wave.Me Team) are quite frustrated about Apple here. We put some effort behind all this but eve after more than one year there is no real solution. Even worse, the access policies change from IOS version to IOS version. The German IT Magazine CT will public a nice article about Homekit and Google speach recog for Smart Home in their next edition No 16/2015 (page 138-141). Sorry (1) on German only and (2) its not available free and online. One other tutorial is on http://www.z-wave.info/z-wave-homekit-tutorial/

[volkspost]

I use Eve (https://itunes.apple.com/de/app/elgato- ... 95792?mt=8), it's free in the app store, lets you setup scenes, define rooms, groups and more. Have Fibaro wall plug 101 connected. Siri works switching on and off but does not allow to check power consumption via Siri due to Apple limitation in HomeKit, the characteristic is not yet defined. One more: due to the HK gateway programming the wall plug is registered as a lamp what is ok with me. power consumption in Watt and total consumption in kWh are considered to be HomeKit.Characteristics.Brightness and displayed with correct figures but with % instead of Watt/kWh so 84 % instead of 84 W and 11 % instead of 11,5 kWh. Besides this I do like the concept on my Raspi with the board and the HK-gateway. Just got some more Z-Wave devices here for testing including a gateway, will try them with Raspi soon.

[christian.paetz]

Thanks. This seem to be the first reasonable Homekit App. Not sure where this will go but so far it does not sound like a world changer...

Regards

Christian

[Thealon]

I'm inter the homekit pin to eve app but it not working
Want am I doing rong?

[leonmf]

@christian.paetz, I feel your frustration. Hopefully this settles down as Apple actually finalizes the firt release.

@volkspost, Thanks, I'll check it out!

[leonmf]

Eve is actually working pretty well so far. I still can't seem to figure out how to set the brightness on a dimmer but I an use a homekit scene for that.

My current problem now is that there are a ton of scenes I have setup in ZWay which aren't able to be utilized by homekit and they are taking up some names I want to use. Is it possible to filter these out of expert by the HK gateway?

[volkspost]

With the current beta 4 of iOS 9 Apple seems to have pulled the plug for the gateway. Maybe the authentification chip is put into work by now. Z-Wave-gate does not show up any longer in HK apps ((
Worked all the way up to beta 3. was afraid that this would happen.

[leonmf]

@volkspost That sucks. Hopefully, it is something that can be worked around or is only temporary!

Update: I spent my evening playing with Homekit integration. I named all of my devices with Siri names (something you could do in Insteon+ but was not obvious) and made some scenes to work around the annoying lack of dimmer functionality.

I have to say it's very, very cool. Lying in bed and telling Siri to turn out the lights may sound trivial but it is yet one more thing I don't have to reach over to my phone to open and app for. Consider me a fan and let's hope it continues to work.