Although Apple hasn’t officially launched its HomeKit yet (they’re still finalizing the protocol), first certified chips that run a beat version of the upcoming HomeKit firmware have begun shipping to smart home device vendors such as makers of connected climate controls, lighting, security cameras and door locks, Forbes reported Tuesday.
The iPhone maker requires that accessory makers use officially certified Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips from Apple-approved chipmakers Texas Instruments, Marvell and Broadcom, which have now started shipping HomeKit chips to device vendors. By all accounts, there shouldn’t be too long a wait until first HomeKit-certified smart home devices arrive.
Chipmakers “have begun shipping their chips loaded with HomeKit firmware to device manufacturers”, Broadcom and Texas Instruments have confirmed to writer Aaron Tilley.
“One thing HomeKit provides is the bridging protocols for various devices to connect simply by Wifi to the cloud,” he added.
The chips coming out run a beta version of the HomeKit firmware, but device vendors will be able to update the firmware remotely as the HomeKit software evolves.
According to Brian Bedrosian, senior director of embedded wireless in the mobile and wireless group at Broadcom, users should expect to see new product launches “in the next cycle of product releases”.
Introduced at WWDC in June, HomeKit, an iOS 8 framework, allows electronics makers to implement features that allow smart home devices to communicate with other connected accessories in a user’s home.
“You can enable users to discover HomeKit accessories in their home and configure them, or you can create actions to control those devices”, as per Apple’s HomeKit webpage.
With HomeKit, users can group actions together, trigger them using Siri and more. The framework is supported across all iOS 8 devices, including Apple TVs running the latest firmware.
Who’s excited about HomeKit?
[Forbes]