[andibulous]

Hey Rene,

My name is Andrew. I have been listening to several of your Podcasts and reading your articles for years. I really respect your opinion. As a former Apple employee I feel like our perspectives on technology are similar. I think this forum is a great idea!

That brings me to my question. I purchased a new-to-me house that was built in 1962 that needed some fixing. As I fixed it up, I thought it would be a great opportunity to make my home a smart home since I would already be replacing things. I have not been sorry with the decisions that I made so far. Being that I am invested in the Apple ecosystem, I made HomeKit compatibility a must (whenever possible) as a guideline to help me make the right purchases. Since iOS 10 Home app and iOS integration with Control Center was released I have been so happy with that decision.

So my starting point for looking at these devices is typically HomeKit compatibility. Then after that I start to look at other factors like the quality of the app, the company itself and how many devices they make, etc. At this point it gets a little more tricky to make a decision between devices. Here is what I have so far.

1. August HomeKit Smart Lock
2. August Doorbell Cam (not HomeKit compatible yet. August says it will be in early 2017 with a firmware update but the existing hardware is compatible with HomeKit)
3. Dropcam HD (not HomeKit compatible )
4. Ecobee 3 with three sensors
5. Elgato Eve Energy
6. 3 Phillips Hue Color Bulbs
7. 3 Phillips Hue White Bulbs
8. Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller (not HomeKit compatible )

Most recently I was looking at HomeKit compatible outlet plugs to make dumb devices smart. I recently got the Elgato Eve Energy https://www.elgato.com/en/eve/eve-energy which I like pretty well. I like the industrial design, and think it doesn't look like a gross wall wart like some other plugs look like. I also know that Elgato has been around as a Mac software and hardware developer for many years so I trusted their reputation. I recently heard you pick the iHome iSP6 SmartPlug iHome iSP5 SmartPlug in a MacBreak Weekly Podcast. I am curious to hear more of your detailed insight as to why and how you choose your HomeKit devices when you have multiple options. For instance, one advantage of your pick over mine was that the more rectangular design allows you to stack two SmartPlugs on top of each other in a single outlet. Where as the Eve energy hangs too low below the outlet to do this. Something I didn't think about until after purchasing. Not the end of the world, but I would love to find an existing place or create a place with you on iMore to discuss the finer details.

I just found this cool plug when I was writing this post. This seems like a great option since it is low profile and basically replaces your existing outlet. iDevices Wall Outlet https://store.idevicesinc.com/idevices-wall-outlet/. I was looking into iDevices a lot prior to purchasing but wasn't a fan of the industrial design of their other rectangular plug. This one is a little more spendy at $99 but you get two plugs and it basically looks like you didn't do anything sans the wall wart.

This post is longer then I intended but hopefully it shows how much I think about the minor details when making these types of decisions.

Thanks in advance for reading and replying.

Andrew