Along with a fresh new decade comes the annual Consumer Electronics Show where tech companies big and small show off what they’ve been working on and what they may release in the coming year.  The smart home has become an increasingly larger component of the trade show and this undoubtedly includes our platform of interest, HomeKit.  2020 is shaping up the be a doozy for Apple’s connected home ecosystem so let’s take a look at what was announced and we can expect from accessory manufacturers over the next twelve months. As is increasingly the case each year. manufacturers tend to make announcements leading up to CES so we’ll include those here as well.

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TandemLED

Under-cabinet and shelving lighting is a great way to brighten up and add visibility to objects on countertops and bookcases, but flexible options have been relatively limited at least until now.  TandemLED aims to jump into the game by introducing their lighting solutions, a remote control switch, and unique RF receivers which also support Zigbee allowing us to connect to the Phillips Hue bridge thus giving us HomeKit compatibility.  The products can be pre-ordered now with an official announcement at cESS, and are slated to ship the third week in January.

Minut Smart Alarm

As first reported by HomeKit Hero in the weeks leading up to CES, Minut officially announced support for their Smart Alarm which combines temperature, humidity, light, noise, and motion sensors into a single unit as well as an integrated night light.  Seeing as how smoke detectors are few and far between in the HomeKit world, this product could potentially serve as an intermediary between your existing CO and smoke detectors and HomeKit.  This smart home environment sensor is already available with HomeKit compatibility coming later this year.

Fibaro Rainbow Controller & Lightstrip

As we in the HomeKit world know all too well, it sometimes takes a little longer to get a product on the shelves than anticipated and such is the case for Fibaro’s HomeKit-enabled Rainbow Controller, a device which allows you to connect existing lightstrips making them HomeKit compatible, which was first announced at the previous year’s show.  Fibaro also announced their own lightstrip alongside the HomeKit version of their existing RGBW controller.  Pricing and availability are still a bit unclear at this point in time.

VOCOlinc

China-based smart home firm VOCOlinc best known for their affordable Flowerbud smart diffuser and HomeKit-enabled T-Guard smart lock, gave us a sneak peak at  their full-fledged and first-to-market HomeKit humidifier.  Though their Flowerbud Smart Diffuser is exposed to HomeKit as a humidifier and it technically does increase the humidity in a room, the VH1 machine will do a much better job of treating dry, indoor environments.  We also saw the smart home manufacturer officially announce their previously-teased VAP1 SmartFlow air purifier which will be the first widely available and accessible HomeKit air cleaner on the market.  If the details discovered by Simon at HomeKit News are indeed the features that end up in the final products, both products will be great additions to any HomeKit home.

Onvis

The new kid on the block, Onvis recently released their unique security alarm contact sensor combo which sits alongside their budget-friendly SMS1 Smart Motion Sensor. There has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding what the company plans to release in 2020 and at CES they announced a camera which will launch with HomeKit Secure Video out of the gate.  Other notable features include two simultaneous 1080p streams, removable SD storage, and connects to 2.4 gHz AND 5 gHz WiFi bands. If the company manages to pull this off at a reasonable price point, they could have some real power in 2020.

Avia Secure Smart Lock

Of particular interest for our friends in Europe and the UK, Mighton announced a release date for their AVIA Smart Lock that works with multi-point locking systems which was first announced at last year’s tech conference.  Not only is support for this type of lock hard to come by, this smart lock is noted for using Bluetooth 5.0 and having an IP 54 rating.  We can expect the AVIA smart lock at the end of the month.

Keymitt Push

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LG

The big surprise for us at last year’s CES was HomeKit support for televisions as Apple ramped up hype for Apple TV+ and one of the initial partners was LG.  They are back again this year announcing that their 2020 lineup of stunning real 8K set tops will all be boasting HomeKit and Airplay 2 support.  The Apple TV app is also expected to come to Vizio’s televisions in 2020.

Nanoleaf

Always a popular booth at CES, Nanoleaf got ahead of the curve this year announcing their 2020 plans a few days before the event kicked off.  Nanoleaf has been working on a series of products aimed at how lighting “feels” intuitively gathering ambient information and adjusting accordingly.  The Learning Series includes a bulb, button, and switch and pricing has been set at $19.99, $14.99, and $49.99 respectively with no mention of release date. The Learning Series is also to include a gateway which supposedly will allow lighting products from other companies to take advantage of the Learning Series features.

The smart lighting company also gave a summer timeframe for the release of their 6-sided light panels which were announced in 2019 to go alongside their popular triangular and square panel offerings at a more competitive price of $119 for the Smarter Kit.

IKEA

The much-anticipated Fyrutr and Kadrilj smart blinds have been on sale in various countries throughout the world for some time now, but noticeably lacking was HomeKit support through the Tradfri gateway.  No longer is the case and 4 days prior to the kickoff of CES, IKEA rolled out a firmware update which made their affordable window treatments HomeKit compatible.  In the U.S., the Fyrtur blind start at $129, but you’ll need the Tradfri Home Smart bridge which is another $35 and both are available now.

Sengled

While largely unknown to many HomeKit users, popular smart lighting company Sengled has confirmed a forthcoming third version of their hub which is to support HomeKit alongside new filament and candelabra bulbs.  The Phillips Hue competitor also introduced an energy-monitoring smart plug which we assume will be exposed to HomeKit as well.  At this point, we cannot be sure which of their legacy products will be compatible with the new bridge. Their 3rd HomeKit Zigbee 3.0 hub and a two-pack of the filament bulbs will both sell for $29.99, the candelabra for $24.99, and the smart outlet for $19.99, but availability was not provided at the time of writing.

Netatmo

Known in the HomeKit space for their Welcome and Presence cameras, Healthy Home Coach, and the recently-made HomeKit compatible Weather Station, Netatmo announced that they plan to bring a cylinder-style smart lock to market in the coming year.  This unique security device foregoes the standard motor mechanism for control of the cylinder opting instead to use NFC keys or remote control via app for access.  Details are scant at this point, but it is a relatively innovative approach to the smart lock category.

Simon at HomeKit News first reported on what seems to be a new collaboration between Netatmo and Aldes in the form of an exhaust fan.  It appears to be an in-line fan which can be controlled with a wireless switch aimed at retrofits for existing ventilation systems. The Aldes website does have some installation literature available, but we’ve not been able to track down much other information as of yet.

Blue by ADT

The Verge confirms previous reports that ADT, or Blue by ADT, has been developing a video doorbell that is compatible with Apple HomeKit but not only that, an indoor and an outdoor camera as well.  All three cameras record in 1080p and the indoor and outdoor cameras boast local storage.  Though the video doorbell and indoor cameras are wired with the indoor camera containing backup battery, the outdoor camera is completely wireless leading to doubts regarding future HomeKit compatibility.  Though it is reported that all three cameras are available for pre-order now at a price of $199.99, HomeKit support will have to wait until later this year.

Abode

Smart security purveyor Abode announced their plans to launch a new camera multi-tasker for use indoors and outdoors at this year’s CES as reported by TechHive.  Though it hosts two-way communication, night vision, and motion sensing, the 1080p camera’s most standout features are a mount for using existing doorbell wiring for power and locally-processed facial recognition to reduce false alarms.  The new Iota camera is still in the HomeKit certification process, but should be available in the first have of 2020 at an estimated $199.99.

Brilliant Smart Control

Brilliant is known for their elegant touch-sensitive smart switches which integrate control from a whole host of different popular smart home manufacturers and they announced an expansion to their existing switch with a dimmer switch and smart plug reports Tech Crunch.  Though HomeKit support has been promised for their original offering as well as their two new accessories, only time will tell if we actually see this roll out.
is known for their elegant touch-sensitive smart switches which integrate control from a whole host of different popular smart home manufacturers and they announced an expansion to their existing switch with a dimmer switch and smart plug.  Though HomeKit support has been promised for their original offering as well as their two new accessories, only time will tell if we actually see this roll out.

Eve

Taking the spotlight this go ‘round at the German-based Eve Systems booth was their Eve Cam. Our good friend Simon at HomeKit News first reported the specifics of the 1080p security camera sporting two-way communication, night vision, a 150-degree viewing angle, and, most excitingly, HomeKit Secure Video which will allow for end-to-end encryption and  the detection of different objects.  The camera is said to be available starting in April of this year at $149 in the U.S.

The HomeKit-exclusive vendor also provided more details on their Water Guard, a unique smart water leak detector which uses an extendable 2 meter detecting lead with a 100 decibel alarm, an LED, and, a push notification.  Eve’s Water Guard will supposedly go on sale for $79.95 when it hits the shelves in early February.

They also announced a long-overdue update to their BLE Eve Energy smart outlet which boasts a smaller form factor and will come in at a more reasonable $39.99 when it’s available at the end of the month.

Lutron Caseta

If you prefer smart switches to smart lighting, you can’t go wrong with the ubiquitous Lutron Caseta system and at CES 2020 they have announced a couple of new devices that work with their hub, reports SlashGear.   The first is a motion sensor that claims to be able to have an increased ability to detect minute movements within its 180-degree field of view taking the ambient light level into account, as well.  The most notable feature, however, is that Lutron is claiming a 10 year battery life which would far exceed their immediate competition.  The first full-fledged sensor to the Caseta system will go on sale some time inn February at or around the $49.95 price point.

While not a HomeKit accessory per se, another notable introduction for the Caseta lineup is a signal repeater.  As the system uses a specific radio frequency to communicate, as opposed to WiFi, Zigbee, or Z-Wave, it relies on the individual devices to help carry the signal back and forth to their bridge.  The repeater will aid with this communication once it too is available to the public in February for $74.95

WeMo

Chain Gartenberg for The Verge brought us the news that Belkin is expanding their Wemo lineup with the Wemo Stage, a wireless switch with 3 buttons all configurable with single and long presses for control of up to 6 scenes or accessories.  Similar to the Phillips Hue Dimmer switch, it comes with a mounted plate which can be attached to any surface where the switch can live when not being used remotely.  Wemo is also replacing the popular Wemo Mini smart plug with an even-more-micro connected plug simply called the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug.  Both accessories will reach consumers later this year at $49.95 for the Wemo Stage and $24.99 for the new Wemo WiFi Smart Plug.

Phillips Hue

It almost goes without saying that Phillips Hue would be showing off their new wares and this time they had some new exterior lighting options on display as reported by Gizmodo.  Hue displayed their new Appear wall fixture, the big brother to their popular existing spotlight the Lilly XL spotlight, and a low-voltage addition to their Econnic pathway lighting lineup.  Similarly to many of the existing options inn their outdoor range the new Hue lighting adornments pump out 16 million colors and come in around the $140 USD mark.

Via a software update coming later in the year, Play Sync Box owners will be able to ask Siri to switch lighting modes, toggle the on/off state of the lighting control, and choose connected HDMI inputs.  While it’s possible that Hue could try to expose the Play Sync Box as a television in HomeKit, it seems more likely that Siri support will come in the form of a Shortcut.

Though less of a concern for us HomeKitters, that is unless you regularly use the Hue app, an update will be rolling out later this year with support for zones within the Hue app giving users more flexibility for grouping and control of lights.  Zones support will also be made available for the Hue accessories as well.

Waciao

The almost-as-HomeKit-obsessed HomeKit News has recently been reporting about a little known smart home firm by the name of Waciao who seem to have been developing a full range of connected home gadgets.  Most notably, the company is promoting an IP camera, roller blind controller, and a video doorbell though details about these products are sparse.  They also have a full range of switches, plugs, and sensors which apparently work with their Zigbee gateway which is supposedly HomeKit compatible or at least will be.  We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this company over the next year.  

LIFX

LIFX brought a slew of bright ideas to the 53rd annual technology trade show.  To start off, they announced 3 versions of a filament-style Edison bulb coming in white, amber, and smoky diffusion variants at around $30 US.  Secondly, designed specifically for backlighting televisions and monitors, the LIFX Z 360 is a version of their popular light strip opting for shorter lengths of LEDs with corner connectors.  A shorter gaming option and a longer television setup will be available for $70 and $100 respectively.  Next up is a tunable white candelabra fitting to go alongside a full color version of the bulb.  Finally, as has been reported in the past, the smart lighting company will be releasing a hard-wired switch intended for 4-gang installations.  Also featuring backlighting and tactile feedback, the switch that is to fuse control of smart bulbs and conventional lighting will go on sale for $120 in the United States.  All of LIFX’ smart lighting gear is set for release in the spring of this year.

August & Yale

Andrew O’Hara first wrote about August and their parent-company Assa Abloy’s security announcement at the Las Vegas convention where they introduced a host of new options for securing your possessions.  First up is a redesigned top-tier offering with their August WiFi Smart Lock.  The new lock circumvents the need for the previous generation’s connect module which bridged the devices Bluetooth connection to your WiFi network.  The new connected lock has also updated its power source replacing AA batteries instead opting for small coin-sized batteries which is said to have a lifetime of approximately one year with 10 open / close actions a day.  They also managed to drastically reduce the size of the deadbolt replacement by 45%.

Using August’s underlying smarts, Yale introduced a few new  types of locks primarily intended to secure different type of storage container.  Yale’s displayed a cabinet lock mechanism that mounts inside of a any cabinet that you might want to secure for example in an office setting, liquor cabinet, or your snack stash.  Considering that cabinets can often be rather large, the mechanism has a built-in safety button allowing for the lock to be disengaged in the event you “get trapped” in your snack stash.  They also announced a smart safe which, of course, is accessible through an app, but also a keypad.  More importantly, you can keep track of who accessed the safe and when.

My favorite announcement was a partnership between Yale and Step 2 to produce a smart delivery bin.  If you’re not quite sold on getting deliveries inside your home by remotely unlocking your doors, but still want to make sure your Hello Fresh! Meal box is safe and sound, this might just be for you.  With the ability to physically secure the bin to exterior foundation structure, the case gives users keypad access or it can be unlocked remotely immediately locking itself once the box is closed.  This in conjunction with a camera will definitely help to keep your latest HomeKit gear shipments safe until you can play with the toys.

Votion

iMore showcased yet another new kid on the HomeKit block’s announcement of a wide array of products that are planned to be released.  Votion had a plethora of smart home gadgets on display from the standards of the connected home to some more unique accessories.  Intended for sliding glass doors, the company announced their Smart Magnetic Door Lock which is a unit that connects over WiFi and allows you to remotely lock and unlock sliding glass doors.

Another new addition to a fairly fresh product category, the Smart Water Valve allows you to control any watering attachment connected to a water spigot allowing for remote control,  scheduling, and automations.  Similarly, the company also displayed a Soil Sensor which measures soil moisture and can be used to add conditions and triggers to automations.  As there is no official support for this type of sensor in the HomeKit framework, we assume that this will be exposed as a humidity sensor.  Both the Smart Water Valve and Soil Sensor utilize Bluetooth 5.0 to connect to your HomeKit setup.

Though several other companies have at least announced similar solutions, Votion has a Smart Breaker Switch which they plan to add to their lineup allowing for on/off control at a home’s breaker box for potential control of larger appliances and entire portions of a home.  Again, this type of accessory isn’t yet a supported category so it could be added to our setups as a smart plug.

Unfortunately, no pricing or availability was provided for any of the products, but we will definitely keep our ear to the ground on this one.

Vizio

First announced at last year’s event and amazingly updating televisions as far back as 2016, Vizio announced that its 2020 lineup TVs from the V-Series to the P-Series Quantum X, and even their new Vizio OLED screen with variable refresh rate at 120 hertz, would all have continue to support Airplay 2 and HomeKit for control of power and toggling inputs.   The Apple TV app is also expected to come to Vizio’s televisions in 2020.

Sony

Apple essentially has three partners that support HomeKit in their televisions: LG, Vizio, and Sony.   Retroactive support for HomeKit was added to 2018 and 2019 set tops at the tail-end of last year and this year’s models ranging from their top-of-the-line 8K OLED screens to their 4K LED panels will support HomeKit at launch.  The Apple TV app is also expected to come to Sony televisions in 2020.

Final Thoughts

As you can see there was a metric ton of HomeKit-related announcements at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show which is an indicator that we may finally be seeing the more widespread adoption that HomeKit deserves.  Aside from what we covered in this post, smart home solutions from the likes of Bosch, Legrand, Somfy, OneLife, and others have also been buzzing around.  With Apple releasing an open-source version of the HomeKit ADK and the steps they’ve taken since 2017 to make the platform easier to develop for, we should see a steady rollout of products in 2020.

What product announcement were you most excited about from the big event? What do think was missing? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @myhomekit.

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