INSTEON Hub Pro and HomeKit

Posted on
Tue Jan 06, 2015 6:24 pm
jay (support) offline
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INSTEON Hub Pro and HomeKit

We wanted to post a follow-up to our HomeKit post that talks about the just-announced INSTEON Hub Pro with HomeKit integration. We think that it's a great option for those that have modest needs – the functionality provided by the Hub certainly does work for a number of users out there, and the addition of HomeKit to it is a great way to bridge HomeKit client apps on iOS to INSTEON devices.

Let's revisit our position on HomeKit for a second. Since the major strength of Indigo is its ability to integrate devices/services from a multitude of platforms/technologies, the ability to be a HomeKit Bridge would be the primary and obvious integration point. And while we would absolutely love to provide HomeKit bridging functionality, we currently cannot. Software-based bridges are not allowed by Apple. HomeKit Accessories (devices) and Bridges must conform to a strict set of hardware requirements. Requirements which, somewhat ironically, don't currently include the Mac, so it's just not possible for us to be a HomeKit bridge. Perhaps that will change in the future (it is up to Apple).

So, how then does the INSTEON Hub Pro relate to Indigo? The current Hub can be used by 3rd party software as a remote PowerLinc (we don't know but assume and will verify that will be the case with the Hub Pro). We understand the advantages of that and have on our request list a task to investigate how much effort it would take to support the Hub in that way. It has honestly not been that compelling compared to all of the other priorities we have (getting Z-Wave fully supported, not to mention a major update to Indigo Touch). The addition of HomeKit to the Hub Pro adds more advantages to the equation, but we aren't sure it significantly increasing the priority at this point.

Implementing the Hub as an INSTEON interface would not give HomeKit iOS client apps access to all the various devices that Indigo supports (Z-Wave, 3rd Party Plugins, etc.). It would only allow INSTEON devices to be accessed via HomeKit-based apps (because the bridging functionality is within the Hub and out of control of Indigo), which may be of some value, but it isn't a full control solution.

To summarize, adding support for the INSTEON Hub Pro to Indigo (if possible) is still something we'll be evaluating. However, we don't feel that the addition of HomeKit to the Hub in and of itself is enough for us to drop everything else to work on it. For Indigo customers, the value of adding Hub support, while increased over the non-Pro Hub, is just not that compelling given the limitations.

If you'd like to see Indigo as a full HomeKit bridge (presenting all devices it supports as HomeKit devices) then we encourage you to contact Apple and let them know. Grass roots efforts are probably the best way to get Apple to move on the subject.

Jay (Indigo Support)
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