HomeKit adds many benefits to a home, but oftentimes, it can handle mounting products on the wall, above the door, or even swapping out a doorbell. There are plenty of HomeKit projects that work well in apartments or homes you are renting, though. Read on to find out the best HomeKit products for apartments and rentals.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
August Smart Lock
An important benefit of the August Smart Lock is that you don’t have to replace the deadbolt’s exterior part. In an apartment complex, you could replace your lock’s interior portion with an August Lock while keeping the outside looking normal, so your property manager doesn’t get upset. When you get to move, it’ll take ten minutes to uninstall it and replace the old deadbolt. The August Smart Lock is one of my favorite HomeKit enabled devices.
If you’ve ever struggled to find your keys while carrying bags full of groceries, you’ll love the August Smart Lock’s automatic unlock. As you walk up to the door, it’ll automatically open for you to step in and then re-lock a few minutes later. With easy installation and removal, it’s a perfect HomeKit product for apartments. Check out my detailed review for more information on the benefits of August Smart Lock.
eufy Indoor Camera
Outdoor cameras aren’t as practical for apartments and rental homes because they require you to make holes on the house’s exterior. An excellent option for cameras would be to use one of eufy’s indoor cameras pointed at your doors. Both it and the pan and tilt camera now support HomeKit Secure Video, so you can use your iCloud storage to store your recordings. Both cameras also support recording to an SD card. They plug into normal AC power and can sit on an end table or bookshelf, so they make for great HomeKit cameras for an apartment.
VOCOlinc outlet adaptors
If you have some existing appliances that you want to enable HomeKit support with, check out the VOCOlinc outlet adaptors. With this product, you could make a coffee pot “smart,” a lamp controllable with Homekit, or really anything you want to control from your phone.
Sonos Surround Sound
If you want to create a “media” room without installing speakers in the ceiling, a Sonos system will be an easy way to improve your audio without drilling any holes. Start with something like the Sonos Beam and pair it with two Sonos SL speakers. With AirPlay 2 support, you’ll be able to fit it right in with your Apple ecosystem and listen to Apple Music or Apple Podcasts.
Abode security system
I’ve been using abode for my security system for the past six months. Installation would be ideal for a rental property or an apartment. The iota base station doubles as a motion sensor and camera; the door sensors can be installed using adhesive, so they can be removed when you go to move, and it can be entirely controlled from either the abode app or the Home app. I wrote up a detailed review earlier this year. The base station can run off Wi-Fi and includes a battery backup. When paired with professional monitoring, it has LTE redundancy for monitoring if your internet goes out. It can be installed in a few minutes and uninstalled in just a few minutes as well.
Wrap up on HomeKit for apartments
As with any HomeKit house, you’ll want to add on an Apple TV or a HomePod to be able to access your HomeKit setup remotely. One of these devices will act as your HomeKit hub. Are you living in an apartment or rental home and using HomeKit? What are some of your favorite ways to automate HomeKit?
