There are homebuilders that are offering smart system installation, of HomeKit and Alexa, for example, as an upgrade package to home buyers. This week for the first time, a company said it will make the HomeKit platform a default feature in its new homes.
There are homebuilders that are offering smart system installation, of HomeKit and Alexa, for example, as an upgrade package to home buyers. This week for the first time, a company said it will make the HomeKit platform a default feature in its new homes.
Brookfield Residential has announced it will install a handful of HomeKit accessories in new homes it’s building starting with a few neighborhoods in California.
The first development will be in the Delano neighborhood at Eastwood Village in Irvine, Southern California. Some of the standard connected devices include Lutron Control Lighting, Honeywell Lyric T6 Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat, Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt and Ubiquiti Wireless Access Point.
Homeowners will be able to control lightings, thermostats, locks and other gadgets from the Home app on iPhone or iPad, as well as via Siri with voice commands.
Brookfield Residential plans to build more default HomeKit houses in six other developments, in Playa Vista, Chula Vista, San Marcos, Irvine, Azusa and Ontario Ranch.
Other construction companies that are installing HomeKit packages include KB Home, Lennar, Weberhaus in Germany and R&F Properties in China. They provide the HomeKit system and gadgets as an upgrade plan for homebuyers.
For example, California-based KB Home started to offer smart home upgrade package with Apple HomeKit in its new houses last year. The package is priced at US$4,000 and includes several smart home devices and a bundled iPad and Apple TV for HomeKit system control and remote access.