Top 8 Home Automation Apps iPhone

With the recent Apple Home Kit, given the amount of money and time that Apple has invested in smart home technology in recent years, it’s perhaps understandable that there are so many of these companies and apps popping up all over the App Store. It was also interesting to see just home many of them were updated to work with the Apple Watch recently, since controlling your lights and your locks is obviously a whole lot more convenient if you can do so from the comfort of your wrist, rather than having to pull out your iPhone each time. I suppose that a list such as this is an awkward one, since so much of this technology is experimental and inaccessible to most readers. Also, the fact that we’re looking at the apps for these different smart home devices, each of which are really only there to offer control over the device – with each device different from the next. How do you compare a smart thermometer to a smart lock, anyway? Still, we were recently presented with the chance to try out a lot of these products and their respective apps and jumped at the chance to pick some of our favorites.

8. Home Remote ($1.99)

Part of the reason we decided to come up with a list of the best home automation apps out there is because so many of them have been developed to support a range of different devices across different platforms and brands. One of the foremost examples of this is the Home Remote app developed by Bouncing Ball Games. This remote control app makes home automation a breeze, allowing you to connect to all major brands such as WeMo and Insteon in order to control your smart home devices. The best thing about this app is that it allows you to create buttons, each of which will have a specific funtion and can be added to your Today page for fast access. The app was also recently updated for Apple Watch integration, meaning that accessing these buttons is now easier than ever before.  – Download from iTunes

7. Insteon for Hub (Free)

Insteon is one of the bigger names in smart home technology right now, and there’s a nice app to go with that. This Insteaon Hub app allows you to control all Insteon light bulbs, wall switches, outlets, thermostats and more. The app might be confined to specific Insteon devices, but it gives you a great deal of power ad control over what goes on in your home: you can pan and tilt your WiFi camera while away or at home, customize any Insteon keypads that you have around the home and add different functions to them. The customization options are also great, since the app allows you to set up specific light scenes for different times during the day, and then trigger these through the app or set them to come on at a given time. It’s also available for Apple Watch, which makes the control of your home technology all the more convenient.  – Download from iTunes

6. QuickSwitch for Belkin WeMo ($1.99)

The Belkin WeMo switches, outlets and lightbulbs are among the most popular smart home devices on this young market at present, and one app that is set up to control them is QuickSwitch, developed by John Hickey. This app offers a fairly simply interface that is easy enough to navigate, allowing you full control from your Today screen and now also from your Apple Watch. – Download from iTunes

5. CtrlHome (Free)

CtrlHome is a fairly simple home automation app that works on the premise that while the ISY is a great controlloer for Insteon devices, there isn’t a great way to control the ISY. Again, while the functionality here is somewhat limited when compared to other all action smart home apps, it does offer you quick access from your Today screen and the Apple Watch support means that you can control everthing from the comfort of your wrist. – Download from iTunes

4. SmartRules ($6.99)

SmartRules is one of the more innovative home automation apps out there in that it works as a programmer might, allowing you to create specific reactions to certain situations so as to offer a truly automated home experience. The app allows you to create what it calls SmartRules for SmartThings, meaning that you can customize the functions to suit your own needs. If you want to turn on a light when motion is detected outside, then you can do so! If you want to unlock a door when you arrive home in the garage, then this app can set that up for you. – Download from iTunes

3. Revolv (Free)

Revolv is perhaps the best app if you’re looking for a general option that will control all off the shelf smart home devices, including such brands as Nest, Philips Hue and many more. While so many of the smart home automation apps out there tend to focus on specific brands or products, the Revolv app covers them all and allows you to set up specific rules and triggers regardless of brand or protocol. You can control your lights, your locks, your thermostats and sensors as well as your outlets, switches and even your audio speakers. If you’re looking for an app that does it all, then this is the one for you. The only drawback at present is that there is no Apple Watch support, but hopefully this will arrive in the near future! – Download from iTunes

2. Loxone Smart Home (Free)

I have to say, perhaps the better looking home automation apps we came across were those developed by Loxone. These combined simplicity with stunningly designed interfaces to create something that you will love navigating, even if it’s just driven by functionality and nothing else. There are actually a few different Loxone apps out there right now, including the fifth generation of their home automation app and a classic version which can be used on iPhones and iPads p to iOS or Android devices up to 4.4. So no matter the device you are using, with Loxone you will find something to suit you. Also, depending on what technology you have invested in, the app will provide you with a personalized home page and allow you to control everything from your lights to your blinds, your heating and alarm but also your home media. – Download from iTunes

1. Savant (Free)

Finally, we couldn’t go through a list on smart home automation without a mention of the Savant app, which is one of the more feature rich options out there at present. It will not appeal to many, since the app obviously requires a Savant System in order to use it, but if that’s something within your price range then we fully recommend it. Savant is of course a leading brand in the smart home industry at present, allowing you to control your lights, temperature, security and of course your home entertainment. And as with many other home automation apps, perhaps the best feature here is the ability to create specific function driven scenes that incorporate different elements at once. In this sense, the possibilities are really endless and this is what makes this technology so exciting. – Download from iTunes