Exploring Apple's New Home App
The beta version of Apple’s Home app may be the ultimate smart home control hub that HomeKit users have long anticipated. Many of the previous issues with HomeKit are being resolved with this app as it offers a simple and user-friendly interface for controlling any smart home device. The app starts off with some introductory pages to help users understand how to actually use the app to control their devices. If a user doesn’t have any devices installed yet, there are options for adding devices as well as setting up scenes and automations.
The home tab of the app is the central hub for controlling the user’s favorite accessories and scenes. The Home app does a good job of letting users rearrange items and customize them for their needs. There is also a lot more control given over certain devices, such as being able to change the brightness and color of smart lights. In addition, the rooms tab provides the ability to see the devices and scenes for individual rooms. These are just some of the powerful features of the app. Its overall simplicity and ability for customization allows for easy setup and installation of any HomeKit device, offering more control over smart devices. The ConnectSense Smart Outlet is one of the many HomeKit devices that can be setup and controlled with ease from this app.
The automation tab can be utilized if the user has a fourth generation Apple TV or current iPad. These additional Apple devices allow for homeowners to access powerful controls such as geofencing, schedules, and triggers. This essentially gives HomeKit users much more control and functionality for their favorite smart home devices. The app is not perfect at the moment, most likely because it is still in its beta version, but we can expect the HomeKit experience to be substantially improved with the Home app.
Read more: http://www.cnet.com/news/exploring-apples-home-for-homekit/