Homelink Bridge

Are CIS talking to apple at all about the Homelink Bridge concept?

quote from http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/06/ap...cess-rests-with-hardware-evangelism/?ncid=rss

Linking Your Old And New Smart Homes
That?s not to say that customers will have to re-buy all of their smart home equipment for it to be controlled by HomeKit-compatible apps. Apple has created a provision for a piece of ?bridge? hardware that will translate the languages that current devices use to accept commands over to the new language Apple is using.
A bridge will give your iPhone the ability to control your home equipment using HomeKit even if they can?t connect directly to those devices.

 

I would highly doubt it...

 

The HomeKit bridge is not really about linking the old to the new, it is a mechanism for linking one to many.

It is of course the logical interface mechanism for connecting C-Bus as a whole entity to HomeKit.

It may be possible to go to Bunnings and buy an individual light bulb with all the interface circuitry built in to allow it to interface singularly to HomeKit, but for systems such as C-Bus (and many others that already have the concept of their own group communication and infrastructure) a single interface point that exposes all the individual end entities back to HomeKit is what is needed. The HomeKit bridge is that unit.

Now of course it's easy to say it, but much harder to do it. To develop such a device requires a significant investment including being accepted into Apples MFi program, signing NDA's a foot thick and of course paying Apple royalties for every device manufactured (before they are even sold). The Bridge is more than just new firmware on a CNI talking the HomeKit lingo. Apple require specific custom chips to be designed into the hardware that handle the communication and authentication of the device. Apple are very serious these days about privacy and security.

There is also the question of what do you get at the end of the day. Sure if you have a collection of unconnected technologies, then bringing control to them from a single app is worthwhile, however in the case of C-Bus that is fundamental to what it is. Lots of single devices connected cohesively into a logical system, able to be controlled from a single (or multiple) interface point(s). That's not to say HomeKit is not a good idea, it is, but it is not really aimed at the C-Bus type of installation, but more towards the buy it and plug it in end user.

So is CIS looking at building such a unit? Who knows, but someone else might be.

Cheers

Rohan

 

I am not really into an iphone as a just a touch input device. I would love to have voice commands like an always active Siri, wall mounted ipod (or an ATV v4) as an input device. This may be only possible with something like Homey (when released), then I would need a v-wave relay + c-bus aux input channel per command, or use an NIRL channel per command within sight of the Homey.

 

Homekit and C-bus

The September release of IOS8 will include Homekit. This article provides some information http://www.knowyourmobile.com/devic...-future-iot-connected-home-just-around-corner
What I am eagerly anticipating is the Siri and iBeacon integration. Voice control and geocaching is an exciting future in home automation, and must be being considered by CIS.

 

My IOS 8 phone needs some home kit devices.


For the moment I have to be happy with second option...

 

Lithouse is about to release what appears to be able to a module controlled by Siri through Homekit that could connect to a C-bus Aux input or Bus Coupler, but how many channels? bring on the iTransLink

 

new information

Looks like there is an opportunity to provide Homekit integration with C-Bus. Apple will allow a certified bridge if the transport medium is not Wifi or Bluetooth.

Quote" That doesn?t leave a lot of products that will work with a HomeKit bridge, but Apple will permit bridging of Bluetooth products that don?t provide control of the home and only provide data to HomeKit, such as a reading from a sensor. In addition, accessories that use alternative transports like ZigBee or proprietary RF sensors can be bridged, so long as they use an MFi-certified HomeKit bridge. "

from http://9to5mac.com/2015/01/22/apple...ity-with-competing-home-automation-platforms/

 

https://www.npmjs.com/package/homebridge-cbus