Here are the Best HomeKit-Enabled Devices From CES 2016

CES 2016 took place this week, and while Apple itself wasn’t present at the show, devices that can work in Apple’s ecosystem were certainly present.

In fact, HomeKit-enabled devices were almost in abundance at CES, especially with the rise of the smart home and the devices that come with it. Here are some of the coolest HomeKit-enabled gadgets from CES 2016.

HoneyWell Lyric Thermostat

Let’s be totally honest – Nest is just about the coolest smart thermostat on the market, and there has been little competition to it for a few years now. Despite this, Nest, as a Google-owned company, doesn’t work with HomeKit. Thankfully, however we now have a HomeKit alternative.

It’s important to note that the Lyric thermostat has been around for a while now, but the one being showed off at CES is an updated version that adds a number of features, including HomeKit compatibility.

The Lyric thermostat can be controlled anywhere through the user’s smartphone, and will also monitor energy use, so the user can tailor their habits to using less energy. The device can also manage heating and cooling automatically, learning about the user’s habits so that it can save as much energy as possible.

The HoneyWell Lyric thermostat costs $249.99 and is available for pre-order from the HoneyWell website.

Lutron Electronics Smart Window Shades and Blinds

Lutron Electronics has announced a number of new products of late, including the Serena and Sivoia QS Triathlon window shades and blinds, which work through the HomeKit-enabled Smart Bridge.

What this means is that users should theoretically be able to ask Siri to open or close their blinds. Unfortunately, users currently need an Apple TV to use Siri control when they’re not at home, but at home and on the same network, the user can simply ask through their phone.

Pricing and availability has yet to be announced.

Kwikset Premis Lock

Keys are annoying. They get lost or stolen easily and they can get pretty bulky if you have a lot of them.

Using the Apple TV as a hub, users can ask Siri to unlock their door, or they can lock, unlock, and check the status of the door straight rom the smartphone or Apple Watch app. The system is able to handle up to 30 user codes, meaning that you can give different people in your life different codes, and then delete those codes if things go bad between you.

All of these conveniences are great and makes things a lot easier, but don’t lose your phone.

Hunter Fan Symphony and Signal Fans

While some of us might use the HoneyWell thermostat for heating and cooling, others among us will be using fans for cooling instead of an air conditioner. For those people, there’s a new set of fans from a company called Hunter Fan.

These fans basically do what you would think – they allow you to control your fans straight from your smartphone. This can, of course, be pretty useful, especially if you tend to forget that fans are on after you leave the room.

The Symphony fan features a white design and costs $329, while the Signal fan offers wood-finished blades and will cost $379 each. Both of the fans are set to go on sale in Spring of this year.

iDevices Retroactive Light Bulb Adapter, Wall Switch, and Dimmer Switch

Sometimes it’s the smaller things that make all the difference. While many people are fine buying new connected devices, some of us don’t want to have to throw away our old lights and light bulbs, just so we can control them from our smartphone.

iDevices has announced a new light bulb adapter that simply screws in to a regular light bulb screw, after which the user can screw in a standard light bulb. Then, the user can control whether the light is on or off straight from their smartphone. Pretty nifty, huh?

iDevices hasn’t stopped there, however, also announcing a new wall switch and dimmer switch for lights. These switches allow users to replace conventional light switches with smart ones, meaning that the user can use both their phone and the switch itself to control lighting, while users can really only use the app in the case of the light bulb adapter.

The new iDevices gadgets go on sale in the second quarter of 2016, and will range in price from $50 to $70.

Learn More: How to Set Up and Control a HomeKit Enabled Smart Home