Back in June Apple revealed their new house automation framework, HomeKit.

Since then house automation hardware as well as software application business have been delving into the nitty-gritty to see exactly how they can interact with HomeKit.

Now Jay Martin from Indigo Domo, our favourite OS X house automation software, has published an article outlining the reasons their software will not be integrating with the Apple framework.

There are some fascinating insights in Jay’s post, both on exactly how Indigo Domo view the HomeKit framework, what it is, as well as what it is not…

Our comprehending is that HomeKit is not a house automation system however rather an attempt to unify direct manage of gadgets in the home. As most of you know, house control, or the act of directly controlling different physical things in your home, is definitely one element of house automation. however turning on a light via your iPhone/iPad is only a part of a total house automation system. So, from that respect, HomeKit is not a replacement for Indigo in the exact same method that iRule isn’t.

Jay goes on to explain in more detail exactly how the system works as well as what it offers in terms of voice manage via Siri.

HomeKit is a couple of things: first, it’s an iOS framework that apps can utilize to manipulate HomeKit compatible gadgets (they phone call them accessories). HomeKit accessories are kept in a central/shared iOS database that is handled with any type of client app that utilizes the HomeKit Framework. So for example, you can utilize client app A to find an accessory as well as add it to the HomeKit database, as well as then client app B can tell that accessory what to do. Or vice versa. This leads us to Siri integration – we believe, under-the-hood, Siri acts as a special HomeKit client app, so it can directly tell HomeKit accessories what to do. This is an important distinction since it means that neither client app A nor client app B is “using Siri to manage the device”. Rather, Siri is utilizing understanding of the central/shared HomeKit database to manage accessories.

In addition to the iOS HomeKit framework that apps can utilize to manage HomeKit devices, Apple likewise has a program (MFi) under which gadget hardware manufactures can get their gadgets HomeKit approved/certified. This covers not only wise gadgets (accessories), such as HomeKit licensed lights, thermostats, etc., however likewise appears to include HomeKit bridge gadgets that enable non-HomeKit gadgets to be treated as HomeKit accessories. While we would like for Indigo to be a HomeKit bridge to ensure that all your Z-Wave, INSTEON, X10, as well as plugin based gadgets can be treated as HomeKit accessories, this is not currently possible as Indigo is not a standalone hardware controller that can be MFi certified.

Summing up, Jay confirms that Indigo will not be HomeKit compatible…

In conclusion, based on our research, it will not be possible to provide Siri manage of Indigo gadgets nor will it be possible to bridge Indigo gadgets into HomeKit as accessories. We are understandably dissatisfied by this, however we will continue to evaluate HomeKit as it evolves as well as will continue to look at other possible methods we can directly or indirectly integrate with HomeKit.

So while it’s not a never, it’s a no for now.

[UPDATE] Indigo Domotics have published some more thoughts on HomeKit after the statement of the Insteon Hub Pro.

indigodomo.com  :  Original Forum Post  :  HomeKit Explained

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