How To Make Light Effects in HomeKit!

Published by Shane W. on October 20, 2019October 20, 2019

Apple’s home app and HomeKit do not give you access to create cool lighting effects, such as strobes, changing colors, candle flickers, etc. out of the box. BUT, there is a way achieve these cool lighting effects and access them right from the Home app. Today I’m going to show you a way to access these awesome lighting effects and make them a part of any of your HomeKit scenes!

Timestamps:
What you will need – 1:18
Overview of setup – 3:00
Setup color changing scene (lightstrip) – 4:12
Setup flashing light scene (lightstrip, lightbulb) – 8:03
Setup candlelight flicker scene (lightstrip, lightbulb, mood light) – 12:10
Demo of candlelight flicker scene – 16:27

Note: for this to work, you must have lights that come with light effects from the manufacturer. I will be using VOCOlinc lights to achieve this.

You will also need to use a 3rd party app during the setup process. I will demonstrate this by using the Eve app (free) and the Home+ app (paid). Once the setup is complete, you do not need to use either app. The light effects will be accessible right in the Apple Home app.

Eve app (free): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eve-for…

Home+ app (paid): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/home-4/…

Below are the lights that I used in this video:
VOCOlinc Flowerbud: https://amzn.to/2ndJrG2
VOCOlinc Lightstrip LS1 (IP67 Waterproof Rating: https://amzn.to/2LNCIfX
VOCOlinc Lightstrip LS2 (newest version): https://amzn.to/2M8Zeik
VOCOlinc Smart Light Bulb L1 (older version): https://amzn.to/2piZinG
VOCOlinc Smart Light Bulb L3 (newest version): https://amzn.to/2IJHhpE