First there, then gone again
Like the blog smart apple first had reportedLoxone has the deletion in one simple blog entry communicates. It states that the central control unit, the mini server, which costs almost 740 euros, will be “removed from HomeKit” in the future – at least in relation to “garage door openers, windows and skylights”, three of the main fields of application for the Loxone technology. The manufacturer initially did not provide any information as to why the change was made. Instead, there are only instructions on how to control the Miniserver using a Siri shortcut – with significantly fewer options than within HomeKit.
Confusingly, Loxone only gave the Miniserver a HomeKit integration in April – via an update. In addition to the three components mentioned, room ventilation control, blinds, lighting moods, switches and audio players via Apple technology were also mentioned as features. However, not all devices that the Miniserver can control were displayed in the Home app even at this point. Mac & i asked Loxone why HomeKit support was removed and whether the removal was only temporary; We will update the post as soon as there is an answer.
Will Matter help?
Loxone is currently advertising the Miniserver with the fact that you can use Apple’s home automation with it. The company had also previously announced that it was “the only manufacturer of professionally installed automation solutions that natively supports Apple HomeKit”. In fact, the competition requires, among other things, special modules in order to be able to use HomeKit, for example for KNX hardware.
HomeKit users, meanwhile, are eagerly awaiting Apple and its competitors to release the new smart home standard, Matter. This should offer better compatibility between devices from different manufacturers, for example HomeKit, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support at the same time.
