5 things I wish HomeKit did now
I’ve been living with HomeKit for the last 8 months now and whilst it’s made automating my home a whole lot easier, there are a few things I wish it could do now.
Proper multi user support
You can share your HomeKit setup with other users via iCloud, but Apple seems to have fallen short with multi user implementation. My biggest gripe is the lack of smart multi user geo-fencing. I have scenes setup for when I leave or arrive at home. The issue is, HomeKit isn’t smart enough to know that my Wife is still at home. There are instances when this is fine, but I may also want to trigger a scene when the last person leaves or arrives, not just when anyone does.
Proper timers and delay switches
HomeKit allows you to trigger a scene at a specified time, or Sunrise/Sunset. However it’s not currently possible to set a scene that turn’s off after a set duration. For example, I have an Elgato Eve Energy socket that I’d like to automatically turn off 8 hours after it’s been switched on. For now, I’m using the delay switch HomeBridge plugin to get delays working.
Proper conditional trigger rules
I originally purchased an Elgato Door and Window as a way to trigger my lights when a door was opened, but the lag was too great. Instead it’s now attached to my fridge freezer with the hope of alerting me if I’ve left it open. The thing is, I don’t want to be alerted each time it opens or closes, but only if it’s been left open for a period of time.
Audio support
I’ve managed to get my Sonos speakers working (albeit very primitively) with HomeKit using HomeBridge. This allows me to stop and start whatever is playing and (using the Elgato Eve app) control the volume. HomeKit doesn’t natively allow you to select a playlist or audio stream source. For example, the Good Morning scene could turn on my bedroom speaker at a set volume to Radio 4.
Temporary takeover
I’m currently using the Ring HomeBridge plugin to trigger scenes based on motion. HomeKit doesn’t provide a simple way to allow a device to be temporarily taken over before returning to the previous state. For example, I want to be able to flash a Philips Hue bulb red and either return turn it back off again, or return it to it’s previous state when motion is detected. Or play an alert on my Sonos before either turning it off or resuming whatever was playing.
For now, the above can mostly be achieved using a mix of HomeBridge plugins, but it’s less than perfect.
