HomeKit looks to be starting to finally hit its stride at this years CES, with tons of announcements from various manufacturers making the rounds. Votion is one such company, which is introducing a total of 11, yes 11, HomeKit accessories, spanning smart home staples such as light switches and plugs, as well as including some unique offerings.
First up is the Votion Smart Outlet, which offers control over any device that is plugged into it. The plug utilizes Wi-Fi for a direct connection to your home network, enabling it to work with HomeKit scenes and automations. The plug also features energy monitoring capabilities as well as a status indicator ring on the front of the unit.
For lighting, the company will be offering 2 light switches, which covers both 1 and 2-way installations. Both light switches have Wi-Fi and NFC on-board, allowing users to pair them with a simple tap of their phone. Unfortunately, it appears that the switches do not include dimming, relegating them to just on and off duty. An LED light strip and controller is also in the works, but specifics such as brightness and length were not provided.
Next is the Votion Door and Window sensor that helps to protect your home through notifications when the object that it is attached to opens or closes. The compact sensor is powered by 2 AA batteries, and uses Bluetooth 5 to communicate with HomeKit directly for a secure local connection. Unlike some of the company's other accessories, their Bluetooth based devices will only work with Apple's HomeKit, and not with other voice assistants.
The Votion Motion Sensor is also coming, which works with HomeKit to send notifications and trigger other accessories when activity is detected. The sensor is completely wireless, running on 3 AAA batteries, and in addition to motion detection, it also features an LED light directly on its front. Rounding out the list of traditional accessories is a small water leak sensor that can be placed near potential hot spots.
One of the more unique accessories is the Votion Smart Magnetic Door Lock Controller, which attaches to glass doors to enables remote locking and unlocking from just about anywhere. It isn't quite clear as of yet how the sensor actually performs its magic, but it looks to also work with just batteries and sports Wi-Fi for communication.
A Smart Breaker Switch is also in the works, which will install directly into your home electrical panel to control an entire leg of energy within your home. Having complete control over a major portion of your home's power can potentially create some handy scenarios where you can toggle something off while out on the road that isn't connected to a smart plug.
Moving on to the outdoors are 2 more accessories, the Votion Soil Sensor and a Smart Water Valve. The water valve connects directly to a hose spigot/tap to offer convenient control to attachments such as hoses and sprinklers. Finally, we have a soil sensor, which is a tiny device that sticks directly into the ground to measure moisture. Both accessories utilize Bluetooth, and can potentially work together to automate when your lawn or garden actually needs watering, instead of just relying on a set schedule.
Votion has not yet disclosed timing for potential releases, pricing, or which markets its products will be available in, so we may be waiting a while for some of the more unique accessories to make their way to our homes.
