Smart heating company Tado wants to be part of Apple’s HomeKit platform that’s arriving as part of iOS 8 later this year.
HomeKit was one of the many features announced this week by Apple at its World Wide Developer Conference.
Products which support the HomeKit common standard will be able to work together, allowing you to control multiple smart home devices – lights, doors, security cameras – with a single command, even if they’re made by different manufacturers.
Philips, which make the Hue smart lights was one of the first companies to make some noise about HomeKit, as was Honeywell, which makes the Evohome smart heating system.
Now Tado is keen to pin its colours to the HomeKit mast. After hitting its Kickstarter goal of $150,000 (£89,500) for Tado Cooling, the German company has announced a stretch goal – HomeKit support.
Tado wants to try to get another $50,000 (£29,850) in the next six days before its Kickstarter window closes. If it hits its new target of $200,000 (£119,400), Tado promises that its heating and cooling systems will be HomeKit-ready by the Autumn.
This could see you able to alter the temperature in your home simply by asking Siri to do so. iPhone 5S owners would also be able to trigger HomeKit commands by using the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
The main idea behind HomeKit is that while there are existing apps which let you control different appliances, there’s currently not an easy way to group commands together and control everything from one app, unless you’re prepared to put in the hours working on various IFTTT (If This Then That) recipes – like you can do with the Philips Hue bulbs.
Other companies keen on getting into bed with Apple HomeKit include Kwikset, makers of smart door locks and Chamberlain, who make smart garage doors.
If you’re sold on the idea of Tado becoming part of the HomeKit family – whether you want a smart air conditioner or not – head on over to the Kickstarter page now and put your money where your mouth is.
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