New smart home equipment, cheap HomeKit sensors and Matter 1.2

HomeKit Insider podcast



In this episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, we look at several new products and discuss the delay with vacuum cleaners in Matter 1.2.

There were quite a few products released this week, including the eventual availability of the Nanoleaf Matter Smart Multicolour HD light strip that we previewed last week.

Meross also debuted a new Matter-compatible smart plug that is slimmer than its predecessor. The MSS315 allows users to more easily fit two into a standard US wall socket.

Aqara has released the new Knight Series Q1 switches, but only in China. US users should feel too left out, though, as it's nothing more than a minor tweak from the Z1/Z1 Pro models by slightly squaring the corners.

Finally, Ring offers its first camera with built-in pan and tilt support. Despite their promises, none of the Ring cameras still support Apple Home.

Your host then spent some time talking about a few sensors available on AliExpress. From a company called Qingping, they are officially certified by Apple and have very low price tags.

One model is a 5-in-1 environmental sensor with PM2.5, PM10, humidity, temperature and CO2 monitoring with an OLED touchscreen and a rechargeable internal battery.

The second is a temperature and humidity sensor with a one-year coin cell battery. The values ​​are displayed on an integrated e-ink display.

Finally, we wrap up the show with a conversation about Matter 1.2 and the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, the very first robot vacuum cleaner that is fully Matter certified.

Despite being announced six months ago, no major ecosystems support the Matter 1.2 specification and it may be a while before they do.

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