Installed my 1st Kina Light last night. I really like it. At first, the video would go in and out and the audio was choppy. Turns out just needed to update the firmware. It didn’t notice me walking out of the house today though. I’ll have to test it out a bit more before making a final decision on it. I’m not real concerned that it’s not integrated into Smartthings. I do think it’s time to finally build my smart doorbell.
What do you see as the added benefit? Asking because with my luck the new version will be out next week since I just bought 2. Other than the ability to have Siri turn your light on and off, I can’t really see any added benefit. Putting a smart bulb in there and using your Echo would already give you that same option. I’m a huge Apple fan, but I don’t use homekit for anything really which I am a big disappointed in.
I’ve been using HomeKit since last November and I like it very much. But everybody has different needs and preferences. Echo is still better for voice recognition, but since I also have the Apple Watch, HomeKit is very convenient for places where the echo doesn’t hear me.
I’ve had the Kuna since last August, and I also like it very much. What I expect to be different is this:
You can’t get this now, because HomeKit doesn’t currently have a watch app. Neither does Kuna. This picture is a feature of the new iOS 10 and the new watchOS that are both releasing this fall. It’s the feature I really want from the Kuna, so I’m willing to wait before getting the second one.
I have the watch too. Running both betas. That pic looks like it’s from Ring or Skybell. Event though it has the Homekit logo, there is really nothing keeping the companies from including that in their current software. The biggest issue is Kuna doesn’t have integration with the watch like you mentioned. The company should include a pic when sending you a notification now. Would be a huge advantage. This doesn’t actually use homekit though.
That picture is a HomeKit picture. See the yellow house and the “home” at the top of the image? That’s the new home app for HomeKit that’s being released this fall. Any camera which is HomeKit-compatible will be able to use that feature, and that specifically includes the Kuna. The photo part of it probably did come from a Ring, and it would be the Kuna’s photo, and that’s fine with me. Right now I have to open the Kuna app to see it. I want it to just appear on my watch as a notification.
There are some similar HomeKit features now. For example, you can ask if your lights are on, and Siri will tell you which lights are on. The light just has to be HomeKit compatible, it doesn’t have to have a status feature in its own app.
HomeKit knows the device class of each device when it is paired to your HomeKit setup.
HomeKit provides a minimum set of features, but it provides those consistently across the device class. So Kuna will offer the same HomeKit features as other video doorbells, including watch notifications.
Anyway, once it’s out people can take a look at it and see if it’s something you like. Me, too. 
I understand that is a picture of the homekit. What I am telling is that it’s not necessary for it to be integrated into homekit to have the ability for a pic of who is at your door to show up. I am running the beta. I have homekit set up with the things in my house that currently use homekit. What I’m saying is Kuna would just include that ability when they add a Watch app it would be there. Doesn’t have to use homekit just because the mocked up pic above has it in there. When you get a phone call or a text and it goes to your watch, it’s not using homekit, it’s using the actual phone and imessage app on the watch.
I understand. Sorry if I wasn’t clear. My point was that that feature will arrive with the HomeKit compatible Kuna, which has already been announced. No Kuna watch app has been announced. So in this particular case, HomeKit is going to deliver the feature that I want. No question the manufacturer could deliver it in some other way, but they haven’t said that they’re going to.
My guess is that this will be true of many HomeKit features, if HomeKit is a market success. Some manufacturers will first deliver features through HomeKit rather than creating the same features in their own standalone apps. But we’ll see.
I do wish that I would have did a bit more research before I just got two of these. But I got 2 of them for $179 (mistake on someone’s part), so I’m not too bummed. I can always repurpose them.
1 Like
Yeah, I’m keeping my nonHomeKit one, not selling it. I’m just going to move it to the other side of the house, and put a HomeKit one at the front door so I get the watch notification for that one. Assuming that when the HomeKit one comes out it actually has watch notifications, of course. Otherwise I won’t get it – – like you said, there aren’t a lot of other HomeKit features I would use with it.
And you got a great price on the pair! 
Hi,
$50 discount right now.
Official start is Monday the 17th 2016 - Monday the 31st 2016 (Ends Halloween at midnight).
Use Code SPOOKY to save an extra $50 on every item in cart and $70 off bundles + FREE shipping
Applicable for orders over $99+ individual Companions excluded
Regards.
I am still a bit confused if the products are homekit enabled or not or is this a software update that will be pushing through to these products.
There will be a new model which is HomeKit enabled. The current model is not and cannot be made HomeKit enabled because HomeKit requires a particular hardware chip which the current model does not have.
Kuna has announced that they will have a HomeKit model in the future , but no specific time line yet.
I love my Kuna’s now nearly more than one yr of use with Phillips hues. My only grudge is that it does not retain its color when it turns on in the evening. But I wrote an app to run to change the color later in the evening once it’s on. 
May be only 2-3 outages from Kuna side in year plus lasting an hour or so. Probably one of my Best Buy’s.
PS: Not retaining the hues color is not Kuna’s issue. 
I am pushing it.
1 Like
The Kuna is on sale again for those looking to grab one. It’s similar to the previous deal, but it sounds like the deal isn’t as good on the bundles. $50 off any of the cameras or bundles. Code is THANKS.
I was thinking about grabbing one myself, but the talk of HomeKit support in the future gives me pause. However, Kwikset had promised HomeKit support in the Kevo 2 and I waited over a year for that to come out only to have them fail to fulfill that promise. I’d rather not wait indefinitely only to be let down again. Plus, the positioning of my lights near my front door are not very conducive to using the Kuna. The main light, a 1300 lumen LED, is in the ceiling 18 feet off the ground and there are two, one on each side, decorative wall fixtures with 3 candelabra bulbs each on the wall outside the front door portico. These fixtures as well as the door face south so a camera in place of the fixtures won’t have line of sight of the door.