Now that HomeKit devices are finally starting to ship, Apple fans will need to build an entirely new collection of HomeKit-certified smart home gear in order to command it all with Siri, right Not necessarily.

Insteon is bringing its entire ecosystem of products under the HomeKit umbrella with the new Insteon Hub, which was announced at CES and is available to purchase starting Tuesday.

Even if you dont want to go all-in with Insteon, you can pick and choose some HomeKit prodcuts from other companies, and the Hub will bridge those to your Insteon gear, letting you control everything from the Insteon app.

HomeKit also supports voice commands via Siri, and Insteon has already been working with voice assistants, adding Cortana support with Windows 8.1.

Insteon App Bluetooth And Wi

HomeKit devices use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to communicate, but Insteons family of home control devices (lights, plugs, switches, sensors, cameras, locks, the works) use a different dual-band communication technology that combines both wireless and powerline networking.

The 150 Insteon Hub acts as a bridge between Insteons mesh network and your regular Wi-Fi network, so you can reach your Insteon devices from outside of the house, and to bridge your Insteon system with HomeKit.

The Insteon app will connect to all your Insteon devices via the Insteon Hub, and can control other companies HomeKit devices too.

With an updated Insteon app, youll be able to set up scenes, grouping devices together so you can control them in concert, with a single command.

The Dashboard shows your favorite devices, along with all the scenes youve set up, and a quick-glance view at devices currently in use.

You can set up timers, add new devices with just a few taps, and group them into rooms and scenes.

With your iPhone, youll be able to ask Siri to change an entire scene for you, and Insteon recently announced Apple Watch control as well.

The Watch app has thoughtfully designed controls for dimming your lights, changing the speed of a ceiling fan, or just flipping a switch on or off.

The app also lets you check in on sensors, confirm doors are locked, and even get a live view of your cameras, right from your wrist.

Since its HomeKit, the Insteon Hub supports commands from Siri, and Insteon made an Apple Watch app too.

HomeKit doesnt lock you into using devices from just one manufacturerApple certifies each device, and any certified device should work together.

Having to switch hubs might seem like a pain, but its better than having to replace an entire system youve built out one 50 lightswitch at a time.

Apple will likely devote some of next weeks WWDC keynote to HomeKit demos as well, especially if rumors of a Home app in iOS 9 or a next-gen Apple TV slash HomeKit hub prove true.

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