After years of giving the cold shoulder to Apple's HomeKit platform, Anker's Eufy has surprisingly announced its second new HomeKit security camera in just a few months. On sale now for 69.99, the Eufy Indoor Cam E30 is an indoor camera with a motorized lens that pans, tilts, and zooms around the room, and it works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. The Indoor Cam E30 follows Eufy's first HomeKit camera in a few years, the S3 Pro Outdoor Cam, which made its debut back in September. The new Indoor Cam E30 is essentially a revamp of an older PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera, the Indoor Cam 2K Pan and Tilt from 2020. While the older indoor cam was restricted to 2K video resolution, the just-announced Indoor Cam E30 ups the ante to 4K, marking a significant jump in video quality.

Looking forward to using Siri and HomeKit to control your robot vacuum? Your wait just got a little longer. An edit to a teeny-tiny footnote at the bottom of the Apple Home product page indicates that robot vacuum support for HomeKit has been pushed back into "early 2025," as noted by Macrumors. During its annual developer's conference in June, Apple promised that HomeKit, Siri, and the Apple Home app would gain the ability to work with robot vacuums this year, and many expected the feature to debut with the expected iOS 18.2 release later in December. It's not clear why Apple chose to put off the vacuum functionality, but assuming there are no more delays, smart home users won't have to wait too much longer for the update.

Installing the Abode Wireless Video Doorbell is relatively simple, both when it comes to physically installing the device, and setting it up in the app. Physically, you'll simply screw in a base-plate, then push the doorbell into the plate to attach it. The doorbell comes with two base-plates, one of which is angled. To set the doorbell up in the Abode app, you'll open the app and follow the on-screen instructions to turn the doorbell on and connect the included chime to your Wi-Fi network. It's straightforward, and I experienced no problems while installing the device.

One of the best places to start when building a smart home ecosystem is smart lights. Not only are they relatively affordable compared to other IoT gadgets, often costing between $10 and $50 a bulb, but they can also completely change the feel of your home. You can go from boring and analogue to colorful and automated within minutes, and there are endless possibilities when it comes to creating funky-colored light scenes, setting schedules and more. But like the rest of the smart home space over the last few years, there are now more players in smart lighting than ever before. We tested out some of the most popular smart lights on the market and found that most of them are quite good, but there are differences in compatibility, color quality and mobile app usability that are worth considering before deciding which system will be right for your home.

Today, you can get an excellent indoor security camera for an awesome price. Amazon is selling the Eufy Security Solo P24 indoor security camera for $39.19. That's much better than the $52 it usually sells for. In order to get the deal, you have to clip the $5 off coupon underneath the price on the product page. In our review of the Eufy P24 camera, we gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Wemo Smart Video Doorbell is available to order today and it costs $250 for the self-installation option. Android households, take note: The Wemo doorbell works exclusively with Apple's HomeKit Secure Video, and it's managed through the Home app on iPad, iPhone and Mac. The system requires an iCloud plan and a HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad established as a home hub. Wemo's Smart Video doorbell has a 178-degree field of view, 4MP camera and low-light sensitivity for nighttime recordings. Since it connects to HomeKit, the Wemo doorbell can identify specific visitors using Apple's face-recognition software, and all recordings are stored securely in the Home app, including a 10-day motion-based video history.

Amazon's first in-house TVs may be showcases for Alexa, but that isn't precluding the company from supporting someone else's ecosystem. According to The Verge, Amazon has unveiled plans to add support for Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to both higher-end Omni and budget 4-series Fire TV sets now that they're available. You can use AirPlay 2 to cast content from your iPhone, iPad or Mac, but the HomeKit integration may be the most notable -- yes, you can use Siri to control an Amazon TV as part of your wider smart home network. Amazon would only say the support was coming "soon." The TVs themselves start at $370 for the 4-series, which provide the usual Fire TV integrations along with 4K and HDR support in sizes ranging from 43 inches to 55 inches.

Eve Systems has been adding more and more Thread-enabled smart gadgets to its portfolio, including the Eve Aqua sprinkler controller (which we've previously reviewed) and the Eve Energy smart plug (ditto). Now comes Eve Door & Window, a HomeKit- and Thread-capable contact sensor, and it's as easy to set up and use as Eve's Aqua and Energy products. With able assistance from the Eve app, Eve Door & Window supports powerful automations and lets you take a deep dive into when, and how often, your doors and windows have been opened and closed. At $40, however, Eve Door & Window is mighty expensive for a contact sensor, and while it does support HomeKit, it doesn't work with Alexa or Google Assistant, which means only Apple users need apply. You can also configure it to trigger lighting scenes when you arrive home, or to turn down the thermostat when someone opens the window, so it's geared more toward home automation than home security; for the latter, you're on your own in terms of integrating the sensor with a third-party security system.

A compact, HomeKit-compatible smart plug with plenty of automation options along with robust energy-monitoring features, Eve Energy might be pricier than its competitors, but it comes with an ace up its sleeve: support for Thread, an exciting wireless protocol that will--eventually--work hand-in-hand with Matter, the new smart home platform that promises to finally teach Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit to play nice with each other. Eve Energy checks most of the most important boxes when it comes with energy-monitoring smart plugs, but because it only works with HomeKit (for now, anyway), Android users will need to look elsewhere. The same is true for anyone who depends on Alexa or Google Assistant for smart home control. This review is part of TechHive's coverage of the best smart plugs, where you'll find reviews of the competition's offerings, plus a buyer's guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product. Measuring roughly 2.5 x 1.5 x 1.3 inches (WxDxH, not including the prongs), the grounded Eve Energy plug is relatively compact compared to its competitors; while it is a tad wide, the plug is short enough to leave the second socket of a two-outlet plate free.

In my recent review, I found Meross' outdoor Wi-Fi smart plug to be an affordable and quite capable addition to your smart home. The indoor version of that plug, however, leaves much to be desired. The two devices are relatively similar in function on paper. The interior model of the plug is fairly wide (4.5 inches across), but that's out of necessity, as it offers two three-prong outlets, with a 10-amp maximum load rating per outlet. The plugs are independently operable, both via the hardware buttons situated in between the two outlets and via the app on your mobile device.