Apple HomeKit vs. Control4 - What’s The Difference?

In this video, we take a close look at Apple's HomeKit and discuss some areas where it may fall short compared to higher-end smart home systems like Control 4 or Home Assistant. While HomeKit has made notable advancements, there remain several aspects that might affect your smart home setup. This is just the first part in an ongoing series that will be sort of a HomeKit review and HomeKit comparison to other smart home systems like Control 4, Savant, Home Assistant and more.

If you have asked questions like is Apple HomeKit as good other smart home systems, or what are the problems with HomeKit, or should I use Apple HomeKit in my home, we are hoping to dive deep into these issues over time.

📺 Live TV Integration: We dive into the limitations of HomeKit when integrating with live TV setups, comparing its functionalities with more traditional systems like Control4 or Home Assistant. Learn about the disparities and considerations for your home automation.

🎵 Music Selection & Audio Distribution: Discover the differences in music control, browsing experiences, and audio distribution capabilities between HomeKit and professional AV systems. We discuss how complexities in scene and automation integration affect your music choices and distribution across your home.

🔒 HomeKit Secure Video: Delve into the specifics of security cameras and the current drawbacks of HomeKit Secure Video, particularly regarding outdoor cameras, continuous recording, motion detection, video quality limitations, and the reliance on Wi-Fi connectivity. We explore potential workarounds and compare these limitations with more advanced pro home automation systems.

📱 App Experience: Uncover the nuances in the HomeKit app itself and compare its functionality, layout, and control capabilities with other pro systems. Find out how the app's design and control limitations might impact your smart home management.

[KCkohler]

I use homeBridge for my UniFi camera it works good

[TheBroz]

Most of this stuff is focused on TV/AV stuff which I mostly don't care about from an automation perspective. Also why use an alternative 'instead' of HomeKit? You can integrate HomeKit with HomeAssistant, that's what I'm doing.

Also your TV is hilariously high lol

[rayk]

I'm a Control4 user and the best thing Apple can do at this point is to give 3rd parties full access to their Apple Music API. They also need to give the ability to play music natively on 3rd party devices.

[ArtofSmartUK]

Good video - gonna have to start directing people here when they ask us we we install Control4 over HomeKit and other options 🤙