HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
The first aspect of a motion sensor you’ll want to understand is why you need one. In HomeKit, Motion sensors like the Eve motion are the ultimate bridge to automating your home. Do you want to turn on the lights when someone enters the room? Pair a motion sensor with a HomeKit bulb. Do you want to cool down the upstairs when motion is detected? Pair a motion sensor with HomeKit thermostat. Anything you do for turning devices on can also be used in reverse. Do you want to let the upstairs warm up when no motion is detected in the summer? HomeKit can do that with a motion sensor. Do you want to turn off lights when no motion is detected for five minutes? HomeKit does that.
As you can see, detecting presence is vital to building a smart home. When I think of a smart home, I think of one where I don’t have to think about anything. I don’t want to use the Home app for turning lights on or off. I want the home to predict what I want and then put it into action. Many devices can detect presence in HomeKit, including cameras and other multidevice sensors. The benefit of a dedicated motion sensor like the Eve Motion is having flexible installation options in a privacy-focused manner. You might want to have a motion sensor in a bedroom, but you don’t want a camera – even one with encryption baked like HomeKit Secure Video.
Eve Motion
The Eve Motion is now my clear favorite for HomeKit for a few reasons. The major reason is it can be used outdoors without needing a secondary bridge. I had previously used the Hue motion sensor to automate outdoor lights. It worked great, but it had the added complexity of needing a Hue bridge. With the Eve Motion, it works natively with HomeKit without the need for a bridge.
The second reason I love this motion sensor is that it can be used outdoors. There are lower-cost options for HomeKit motion sensors, but they are only for indoor use. With this model, you don’t have to know where you want to use it permanently. You can buy it today, use indoors for a period, and then move it outdoors if you need change.
Finally, Thread support is a big deal for me in the future. While it’s still progressing in terms of development, I truly believe it’s building the standard for smart home reliability. With Matter coming later this year, I believe that we’re going to look back on this period without Thread support everywhere and Matter as the foundation as the wild wild west of smart homes.
Adding to Eve Motion to HomeKit
It’s easy to onboard HomeKit native devices to the Home app. Open the app, tap on add accessory, scan the code, and you’ll be up and running in no time. Depending on which room you assign the motion sensor, you’ll be presented with some suggested automation. If you want to manually create a few automation, tap on the + icon in the Home app, and tap on Add Automation. Choose “A Sensor Detects Something” as the foundation for the automation. Then choose your motion sensor. You’ll then have the option to pick “detects motion” or “stops detecting motion.” Then run through the accessories you want to control and finalize it.
