Aqara today introduced a new Presence Sensor that is designed to keep smart home products like lights turned on when someone is in the room. The Presence Sensor FP1E uses Zigbee, but it is able to connect to HomeKit and other smart home platforms through an Aqara Matter bridge. The Presence Sensor FP1E uses millimeter wave technology to detect even minute human movements for prompt presence detection that can be used to trigger ‌HomeKit‌ automations. If you want to have a light come on in the laundry room when you go inside, for example, you need a HomeKit-compatible sensor. A Presence Sensor differs from a motion detection sensor by continuing to recognize when someone is in the room, keeping the…

In the ever-evolving landscape of entertainment technology, Apple's tvOS continues to redefine the way we experience television. With the release of tvOS 16, Apple has once again raised the bar, offering users a gateway to immersive entertainment and personalized fitness like never before. (more…)

A new version of the Eve Weather station supports Matter, the vaunted home-automation tech standard for HomeKit and other platforms. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

Smart home company Eve Systems today announced the launch of a new version of the Eve Weather that offers Matter support. With Matter, the new Eve Weather can be added to HomeKit or smart home setups from other companies. Eve Weather is a small cube-shaped accessory that is designed to provide outdoor weather temperature, humidity, and the local 12-hour weather trend. A display at the front allows you to see temperature and humidity at a glance, but the data also syncs to the Eve app. With ‌HomeKit‌ integration, Siri can be used to provide details on the outdoor weather conditions, and the data can be used to trigger ‌HomeKit‌ automations. Eve Weather offers IPX4 water resistance so it can be…

Upgrade your house to a Thread smart home with this Belkin Wemo Smart Plug deal. Control your devices from your iPhone, iPad or Siri. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

The Home app in iOS 18 allows HomeKit users who have more than one device that serves as a home hub to select which one should be used as the preferred hub. It is a small but useful change because it prevents ‌HomeKit‌ from choosing a hub that is further away from most ‌HomeKit‌ products or that has a weaker connection. In iOS 17 and earlier, there has been no way to select a home hub, and ‌HomeKit‌ has picked randomly. That can lead to connectivity issues in some situations. For those who do not care about which home hub ‌HomeKit‌ selects, Automatic Selection remains an option. The Apple TV and the HomePod are able to serve as home hubs,…