X Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2018

Apple’s HomeKit smart-home platform is a friendly and functional option for anyone who owns an iPhone or iPad and wants to create a smart-home system.

"Smart Home" is the term commonly used to define a residence that has appliances, lighting, heating, air conditioning, TVs, computers, entertainment audio & video systems, security, and camera systems that are capable of communicating with one another and can be controlled remotely by a time schedule, from any room in the home, as well as remotely from any location in the world by phone or internet.

Many popular smart-home accessories—including thermostats, locks, and cameras—are HomeKit-compatible. People can control devices using an app on phones, tablets, or Apple Watch, or even by voice using Siri.

HomeKit setup also includes two-factor authentication for Apple ID, and iCloud Keychain [1]. iCloud Keychain is a Apple’s cloud-based feature for securely storing passwords and other security data. These two features work together: HomeKit encrypts and stores device codes in iCloud Keychain; two-factor authentication keeps that data secure.

Apple’s Home app provides a centralized way to keep tabs on and control all HomeKit devices. Clients can add accessories to their home.

The pairing process is simple, fast, and consistent, and usually takes less than a minute to finish—sometimes around only 10 seconds.

Though the HomeKit platform is only a few years old, Apple has regularly improved it through software updates, and more and more makers of smart-home devices have added support for it. HomeKit is now a fairly powerful platform that supports not only many smart-home devices but simple automation between them.

HomeKit-compatible devices come from many different brands, but all HomeKit devices automatically “see” one another without requiring any setup. And setting up automations—preset actions that involve one or more devices—is a simple task, requiring only a few taps in Apple’s Home app, which comes preinstalled on iOS devices.

HomeKit is based on a "Home Manager" and a common database, stored in iOS, that contains all information about the home, its rooms, accessories inside them, and services and characteristics of those accessories.

Home Manager lets consumers manage "Homes", including designating a primary home if they have more than one. Each home has to have a unique name.

Home are made up of "Rooms". Rooms also have to have unique names, but only within their homes [2].

Rooms can be grouped into "Zones". These could include, for example, "Upstairs" and "Downstairs". Any number of rooms can be grouped in a zone, and the same room can exist in multiple zones. However, zones also need unique names within the home.

Rooms contains "Accessories". Accessories are the specific devices connected to iPhone or iPad — the scales, speakers, locks, etc. Accessories also need unique names within a home.

Accessories have "Services". These represent what an accessory can do. Services may or may not have names. If they're meant to be commonly used or accessed via Siri, they'll need a unique name to the home, just like the accessory itself. For example, a light bulb that lights up is a service that needs a name.

If a service is not meant to be commonly used, it shouldn't have a name. For example, a maintenance function that updates firmware shouldn't have a name. Apple also defines some default service types, which Siri recognizes through natural language as well [3].

Services can be grouped into "Service Groups." These could include, for example, "Night lights" that includes room lights, garage door opener lights, outside lights, and appliance lights. Service groups can include any number of services from different accessories, and are intended to make it easier to control specific services.

Services have "Characteristics". Characteristics are the interactive part of services. For example, whether a light bulb is on or off (the power state) is a characteristic.

Some characteristics are read-only, like current temperature. Some are read-write, like asking for and re-setting the temperature. Some are write-only, like commands. So, for example, consumers can command any accessory to "identify" and it'll flash, beep, or otherwise show or tell where it is.

Actions write to characteristics. For example, close the garage, lock the doors, turn off the lights, etc.

Actions Sets are collections of actions that are executed together. For example, "Good night" can meant that the garage door is closed, the front door is locked, night lights are on, day lights are off, the TV is off. "Game time" can meant that the lights are set to red, the sound system is on max, and everything else in the house is off. Action sets aren't executed in a specific order. They all just happen as soon as they can, all at once if possible. An action set needs a unique name.

Triggers execute action sets at predefined dates and times [4]. They can be single use or can be set to repeat.

Below is a list of the most popular HomeKit-compatible devices.

Smart light bulbs.

The Philips Hue system is one of the most popular accessories for smart lighting. Consumers can turn them on and off, change colors, set up timers to schedule on/off times, or remotely access their lights from the app.

Smart light bulbs are popular option for modern homes. Using it, consumers can turn them on/off and alter their brightness, tone, or colour.

The consumer can get them to wake him up in the morning and tell him once his food has finished cooking [5].

Hue bulbs react much faster to app commands than any other smart bulb. Hue's open approach to software allows third party developers to make their own control apps for the lights.

Smart Locks.

The August Smart Lock (and all other August locks) replace locks only in the hardware on the inside of the house—from the outside, no one can tell that the consumer have a smart lock. Installing and setting up the locks takes about 10 minutes and requires only a screwdriver [6].

Consumers can control the Smart Lock Pro via August’s app on an iPhone or Apple Watch, or with their voice through Siri. The consumer can also set it up to automatically unlock when he arrives home.

Consumers can also share access with other people, though they’ll need to download and install the August app. The user can receive notifications whenever the lock opens or closes, and can control the lock remotely via Siri or app.

Using the August Connect, which acts as a Wi-Fi bridge, consumers can do those same things and also get detailed notifications of which person accessed their door. (HomeKit sends only generic notifications, such as “front door was locked.”).

Smart sensors.

Elgato’s Eve Motion, one of the company’s line of Eve smart sensors, is a Bluetooth version of a basic motion sensor. It can send a basic notification to iPhone when it detects motion or act as a motion-based trigger for another HomeKit device.

Another company, Fibaro, also has a line of HomeKit-compatible sensors, including the useful Flood Sensor. If the consumer places this puck-like disk in an area where water would flow in a flood condition, perhaps near a water heater, a clothes washer so long as the sensor is within Bluetooth range of a HomeKit hub—it will send out an instant notification if it detects water.

Smart thermostats.

The Netatmo Thermostat is one of the most popular connected gadgets for smart homes.

The thermostat’s screen displays the current and set temperatures.

Each month the consumer receives a personal Energy Savings Report that tracks his consumption and helps him schedule heating more effectively. It also displays his past energy consumption. Indoor temperature and boiler activity are recorded continuously in the app.

Smart cameras.

The Logitech Circle 2 delivers 1080p images during the day and at night, two-way communication, and notifications that distinguish between people and general motion. The user can, for example, configure an automation that turns on the lights if the camera detects motion.

The consumer can make the camera a lot smarter by adding zones, filter options, and the capability to differentiate between people, pets, and other movement.

The Logitech Circle 2 app only sends movement notifications when the user is away from home [6]. The consumer can choose to limit alerts to specific areas —in a backyard, for instance, he can draw a zone around his patio using a Web interface.

Smart garage-door controllers.

If a garage door serves as a front door, a smart garage-door controller is a useful device. Once the consumer installs the Chamberlain MyQ Garage, he can tell Siri to open and close his garage door from the phone, tablet, or Apple Watch.

Consumers can add their door for automations, for example, to control certain lights or door locks to turn on or open when the garage door opens. The MyQ app also provides a full history of the activity of the door—and real-time notifications when the door is triggered—and allows the consumer to add doors from different homes.

Other smart devices.

Elgato’s new Eve Extend is a clever little device that improves the HomeKit experience in larger homes. It connects to a Wi-Fi network and extends Bluetooth connectivity, reaching devices that are too far away.

It’s ideal if consumers have smart devices set up outside their homes — like cameras or garage door units — that experience trouble communicating with the Apple TV in their living room.

Nanoleaf Square Color-Changing Light Panels enable the consumer to adjust the brightness and turn the lights on and off using just his hand. Additionally, the user can change their color by merely tapping them [6].

The base station features an embedded music sync microphone. It even comes with a motion sensor so the panels can light up if people walk by. In addition, consumers can use third-party apps to create simulations on the panels, such as a thunderstorm or burning fireplace. The Nanoleaf square panels also allow the consumer to connect up to one thousand panels to a single base station.

Smart homes also have advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of smart homes:

- Convenience. All products will be programmed to the customer's needs.

- Customization. Customers can include as many or as few of these products as they choose.

- Security. Smart homes are well-known for their improved security.

- Ease. It’s quick and simple to install these systems.

- Environmentally friendly. Thermostats, air conditioning, and lighting can all be controlled for optimal energy efficiency.

Disadvantages of smart homes:

- Cost. Some smart products can be fairly expensive.

- Reliability. Smart homes are reliant on customer's internet connection.

So people can make their life simple, convenient and free with automated smart homes. It allows them to control their house on their fingertips.

References

J.Feiler. Learn Apple HomeKit on iOS. - Apress, 2016. - 144 p.

J. Davidson. Apple Homekit: The Beginner’s Guide.- JKU Publishing, 2017. - 40 p.

M. Galeso. Apple Homekit: An Easy Guide to the Best Features.- Greenlights Publishing, 2016.- 40 p.

G. O'Driscoll. Definitive Guide to Apple's HomeKit Smart Home Automation System.- HomeMentors, 2017. - 52 p.

G. O' Driscoll. Essential Guide to Smart Bulbs & Lighting Control.- HomeMentors, 2014. - 42 p.

The Best HomeKit-Compatible Smart-Home Devices. Available at: https://thewirecutter.com/revi-ews/best-homekit-devices/ (accessed 22.02.2018).

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