- What's Currently Possible with iOS Device-Controlled Home Automation
- What the Future Holds for iOS Device-Controlled Home Automation
- iOS Device-Controlled Home Automation is Becoming Very Simple
iOS Device-Controlled Home Automation is Becoming Very Simple
As an iPhone or iPad user, there’s no need to concern yourself with how the HomeKit tools within iOS 8 work. Instead, simply find one or more home automation products that you’d like to use within your home, and that you believe will somehow enhance or simplify your life, and then install those products and download and install the propriety app that’s associated with each of them.
What’s really great about the home automation products being designed to work with iOS mobile devices is how easy most of them are to set up and use. While some devices, such as the Nest thermostat, or the various dead-bolt locks, require one-time installation within a home, the set-up associated with pairing and then using the controlled devices with an iOS mobile device is typically a straight forward process which the proprietary app walks a user through.
The biggest challenge is often making sure the home’s Wi-Fi is turned on, and that the device(s) and iPhone or iPad are connected to the same wireless network during setup. Otherwise, getting one of these products to work within a home is simply a matter of plugging it in, turning it on, and then installing the appropriate app on your smartphone or tablet.
In the future, we’ll most likely see more general purpose home automation apps being released, that are designed to work simultaneously with a handful of products from different companies, so using several different apps to control these devices and products will no longer be necessary.
We’re already seeing industry standardization within various home automation categories, meaning that LED lighting kits, for example, from various companies are becoming compatible, and individual LED light bulbs are now interchangeable between these systems. While many of the home automation products currently available are cutting-edge, we’ve only seen a glimpse into what will soon be possible.