“Apple’s HomeKit feature makes automating and remotely controlling your holiday lights super simple, and iOS 10’s new Home app makes setting it all up this year easier than ever before,” Zac Hall writes for 9to5Mac. “With one or two affordable accessories and an iPhone or iPad, you can put HomeKit and Siri to work and forget about fiddly timers or unplugging and plugging lights back in for a month.”
“For best results, make sure you’re updated to iOS 10 on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch so you have access to Apple’s new Home app for managing HomeKit,” Hall writes. “You also need a fourth-generation Apple TV to enable automation.”
“Next, you need a HomeKit-compatible smart plug. These plug into your wall outlet, then your lights plug into these outlets which in turn makes them HomeKit-compatible,” Hall writes. “For outdoor lights and inflatables, the solution comes down to one product: iDevices Outdoor Switch… While recommending a single solution for outdoor lights is easy, there are a lot more options when you head inside. My personal favorite is the iHome iSP6 SmartPlug.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We actually have this working with iDevices Outdoor Switches for outdoor lights and it’s seamless!
Kool!
All I need is an $80 addressable outlet and a $150 AppleTV to control my $35 worth of Christmas lights!
…or you could just unplug them.
Might as well, the Grinch is President now. Expect fewer gifts under a darkened Christmas tree, unless you are already rich.
Well, there will be plenty of coal for your stocking.
I’m all right with that, as long as it didn’t come from Aberfan.
Or….go to Walmart, get the led lights. Comes with a remote control. Total cost. 1 10ft. String. $6. And the remote works from inside the house.
Glad to see a referral for a good HomeKit compatible plug, but at $40+, I’m not jumping in yet. When these get to $15 I’ll consider it, but for now I’m using an old set of remote-controlled plugs (which were $10 for the pair+remote).
It’s not yet clear whether smart plugs, smart wall switches, or smart bulbs are going to win out, and I don’t care enough about automation to back one of these horses.
Or buy a wemo on Black Friday for 20.00 🙄