The outlet is also connected to an automation where it comes on at night for 15 minutes if the backdoor is opened. I then pulled the wire through the deck near the wall, put an outdoor plug on it, and plugged it into the outdoor HomeKit plug. I mounted the floodlight near my gutter, ran the outdoor electrical cable behind the gutter, and under my screened-in porch. I also recently added a new floodlight that I wired into an outdoor HomeKit plug. Thanks to this feature, I can use the back door as a trigger. I have an Abode Alarm System, and all of the doors are exposed to the Home app. In my backyard, I have two more Hue Outdoor Floodlights that are set to automatically come on at dark if the back door is opened. I love being able to open and close the door remotely, and it has auto-unlock as I walk up. Our front door has an August Smart Lock Pro. If it’s not someone in my family, the hope is that the floodlights will deter whoever is coming to our door. The idea here is to create a pathway if I come home after dark to go in the front door. At 7:00 PM, the motion sensor becomes active and automatically turns on the floodlights if it detects motion. In the front yard, I have a floodlight that has two Philips Hue Outdoor Lights that are paired with the Hue Outdoor Motion Sensor. In the outdoors, we’ve got a pretty neat setup that is all operated by HomeKit.
THE BEST DECK CLEANER FOR MAC PRO SERIES
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework. I am going to explain my “HomeKit home” a room at a time. If you are starting from scratch on HomeKit, you’ll like this article because it’ll give you a starting point.
I’ve spent years building out each room over time, and I love how easy HomeKit is to manage from any of my devices (including HomePod). Since I’ve started writing a weekly article about HomeKit, one of the most common questions I’ve gotten is exactly what HomeKit products I own and how I use them.