Does Amazon's Smart Plug Work with HomeKit?
Soon, you'll be able to control your smart home from a variety of connected devices (IoT). Smart home ecosystems are available from Apple, Amazon, Google, and others, as well as the leading corporations in each emerging digital sector. Everyone is vying for your business by persuading you to use their smart home hub to manage your IoT. Using smart plugs to control devices that aren't already part of your personal IoT system is a fun and cost-effective way to expand your IoT capabilities. While Amazon's Smart Plug is a fantastic device, does it work with Homekit? Continue reading this article to learn more!
What is the Amazon Smart Plug?
Amazon's Smart Plug is a smart gadget that plugs into any outlet and allows you to control lights, power, and other devices in your house in a convenient and efficient manner. If you have Apple HomeKit-enabled devices, you can set them up so that certain things happen when you get home, when you leave for the night, or even when you set the temperature. According to the Smart Plug's manufacturer, it can be used to control up to 30 different devices at the same time. The ability to program these plugs so that they will turn on and off at particular periods throughout the day or week is also provided. You may also construct rules to regulate these devices depending on sensor readings or other triggers. This is very useful for automation.
What is Homekit?
HomeKit is the Apple-developed platform that allows you to connect your devices to your Home app. This platform allows you to create a "scene" where you can group several devices together and control them with a single tap on your iOS device. These scenes can be set up with triggers, sensors, and other rules that will start when certain things happen.
Does Amazon's Smart Plug Work with HomeKit?
It should come as no surprise that many companies offer products that are compatible with various IoT ecosystems. However, it should also come as no surprise that kit manufactured by companies that have their own smart hubs is rarely interoperable with systems manufactured by competitors. Unfortunately, this includes Amazon's Smart Plugs, which only work with Alexa and are not compatible with Apple's Homekit (powered by Siri) or Google's Home line of smart speakers (powered by Google Assistant). If you want a wide range of compatibility, look for smart plugs made by companies that do not make their own smart hubs.
Is There A Workaround?
There is a solution to this dilemma. Because the Amazon Smart Plug is only compatible with Amazon items, it will be difficult to integrate it with Apple HomeKit in the future. If you wish to couple an Amazon Smart Plug with an Apple HomeKit-enabled item, you'll have to go through the Apple Store. The development of one feasible solution will require some coding and technological expertise, akin to that required by Google for its products. The first step is to create a home bridge on your computer. As a result of this, a bogus sensor will be created and used. A fake sensor is a device that connects your Amazon smart plug to an iPhone, allowing it to be managed by someone who is not in control of the equipment in question. This could be accomplished through the use of a Home Bridge or similar third-party program that has been particularly developed for this function. With this sensor, you can link your Amazon smart plug to your iPhone, allowing you to control your smart plug from your phone. There is one more step that necessitates the use of some coding, and that is the integration of the Amazon smart plug with the Home Bridge. This will allow you to use Siri to control your device from afar. To communicate with the Amazon smart plug, the Home Bridge must be set up to send commands to it through either the Home Bridge app or another app. It is also possible to use Siri to operate your Amazon smart plug with the use of a third-party application that has been specifically designed for this purpose. Using these applications is a simple process, and they are compatible with the vast majority of smart plugs made by other manufacturers. The most significant disadvantage is that they are not as powerful as those produced by Google and Apple, respectively. It's not possible for them to use some of the features of their competitors' products, like location tracking, home automation, and other features, because they don't have the right licenses. However, if you want a wide variety of compatibility without spending a lot of money on an Apple device or a Google hub or assistant, these third-party alternatives are still worth investigating. If you have a large number of smart plugs in your home that you want to be able to control with Siri, it may be worthwhile to look into these third-party options.
Final Thoughts
Amazon has done a great job of creating a smart plug that is simple to use, has a nice design, and can be controlled by your voice through the Amazon Alexa app. The price is also very reasonable, which makes the Amazon Smart Plug an excellent choice for those who are looking to control their smart devices with voice commands. The only drawback is that the Amazon Smart Plug is not as powerful as its competitors and may not be able to control all of your smart devices. However, if you are looking for a smart plug with excellent voice control, then the Amazon Smart Plug is an excellent choice.
