Lutron Among First Apple HomeKit-Compatible Products Introduced

After a year of building anticipation, the first five products compatible with Apple's HomeKit residential control ecosystem bowed onto the stage this week. Lighting controls giant Lutron Electronics, Coopersburg, Pa., joined four companies in other parts of the residential market -- Insteon (smart hub), Ecobee (thermostat), iHome (smart plug) and Elgato (home environment sensors) -- in the lead-up to this year's World Wide Developer Conference, the event at which Apple introduced the HomeKit concept last year.

Lutron's Caséta Wireless Smart Bridge debuted in the Apple Store on Tuesday. Lutron launched Caséta in 2014 as a quick and easy way to transform the look of a home by controlling lights from anywhere inside or outside the home (even while on vacation) using a smart device. Caséta Wireless also controls Lutron's Serena remote-controlled shades and select thermostats.

The Caséta Wireless Smart Bridge with HomeKit support allows homeowners to control lights in specific rooms or areas. For example, just before bed, tell Siri “turn the lights off” and the Caséta Wireless Smart Bridge will turn off lights throughout the house. Unsure if the basement light is still on? Ask Siri to check and if so, turn it off.

Thus, Lutron gets a moment in the spotlight before a bunch of other lighting and control manufacturers line up to announce their systems' compatibility with HomeKit. Because it's an Apple product, HomeKit is generally expected to be a major player in the consumer end of the Internet of Things and the move to more active home energy management. Its primary rival at this point is Google Nest.