On the heels of Apple’s unveiling of a beefed-up smart home notification system in its Apple Homekit, home automation company Fibaro announced a brand new line of Homekit-compatible smart sensors. Comprised of flood and motion sensors, as well as a door and window sensor, the new products boast Bluetooth connectivity, an intuitive smartphone application, and integrate smoothly for anyone using the Apple Home app in iOS 10 — and, to a further extent, the recently released iOS 10.2.
While motion, door, and window sensors are novel smart home innovations in their own right, Fibaro’s Flood Sensor is the first leak detection unit capable of working in tandem with Apple Homekit. Concerning the device, Fibaro outfit its Flood Sensor with gold telescopic probes which instantly detect water the moment a leak begins. Along with a built-in LED indicator light, the sensor also audibly sounds an acoustic alarm geared toward quickly alerting owners of a flood or if the device has been tampered with. Additionally, the Apple Home or Fibaro app can be set up to alert users of any issues.
In regards to Fibaro’s other two releases, both the Motion Sensor and Door/Window Sensor feature temperature measuring tech, though the former also boasts light intensity measurement giving it a useful multi-sensor skill set. As mentioned above, both feature Bluetooth compatibility which allows owners to sync their devices with the Fibaro or Apple Home app, granting access to notifications and remote access. Serving primarily as pieces to a larger home security system puzzle, the Motion and Door/Window Sensor are easy additions to anyone’s budding smart home setup.
“Expanding our product line to include support for Apple HomeKit was a natural choice for Fibaro,” U.S. managing director of Fibaro Rich Bira said in a statement. “The HomeKit platform offers a simple and secure solution for expanding the many benefits of a smart home to a new category of consumers that up to this point, may not have had the means or knowledge to participate. Working with companies like Apple to expand the mainstream consumer smart home market is very exciting for us.”
A Poland-based company, Fibaro is currently shipping its new product line to not just the United States but also to any country which has access to Apple Homekit. Price-wise, the company is retailing its Flood Sensor for $70, Motion Sensor for $70, and its Door/Window Sensor for $60. Each is expected to be available for purchase by the end of 2016.
