Votion Unveil Nine New HomeKit Products at CES 2020

First reported by Christopher Close at iMore.com, Votion, a relative newcomer to the smart Home realm, has unveiled a multiplicity of new devices, all compatible with Apple HomeKit. Whilst some of the nine newly revealed devices are entering an already well-populated area, like smart plugs, the company has also gone into territory previously untapped by most, if not all, of the other smart home companies, at least in terms of HomeKit.

In terms of the more unique items, we’ll start off with the Soil Monitor, which, once placed in the soil for either an indoor house plant or outdoor flowerbed, can report back on the moisture content of the soil, and via automations, trigger other HomeKit devices, like for example their own Smart Water Valve. The Soil Monitor uses Bluetooth 5.0 and requires a CR2450 battery. This isn’t a totally unique device, however, as Xiaomi have had a Bluetooth soil monitor available for a few years, with their version also measuring ambient light, air temperature and even soil fertility. There’s no native HomeKit option for the Xiaomi option of course.

The Smart Water Valve can be considered the other half of the equation here, with it connecting directly to your outdoor tap, to both control the flow of water (on/off), measure water usage and can, via automations, water your flowerbeds when necessary. As with the Soil Monitor, the Valve uses Bluetooth 5.0 and requires three AA batteries.

Next up are a Breaker Switch and a Smart Magnetic Door Lock Controller. The Breaker switch can be added to your existing breaker box, allowing direct control of whatever it is directly wired to. You can control and monitor power going through the switch, giving flexible control in your home. The Breaker switch uses wifi for connection and is directly powered by your electrical panel.

With the Smart Magnetic Door Lock, the company claims “…Votion’s Smart Magnetic Door Lock, you can enjoy the ultimate in convenience at a friendly and affordable price point. Simply add this smart lock to any glass door with a magnetic lock and instantly make your door smart. Control the lock from anywhere to you are or with your voice by using your Amazon, Google or Apple ecosystem”. There doesn’t seem a lot more information on this device at present, but it does sound intriguing.

Onto more standard fare now, firstly with the Votion Leak Sensor, this is similar to the Fibaro leak sensor in that it uses Bluetooth (5.0), and is designed to detect water leaks, and notify you, in order to stop expensive water damage before it occurs. It uses a slightly non-standard battery, which on the company’s website is reported as both a CR2477 and a CR2433.

The Motion Sensor with LED with LED is just as you would imagine it is; a motion sensor, that detects movement, whilst also including an array of LEDs, so as to also act as a night light. The device includes an ambient light sensor, so as to detect when the LEDs are actually necessary, and uses three AAA batteries. As with most of the company’s line up, this uses Bluetooth 5.0.

Onto the final three devices, and we have the Door & Window Sensor, Light Switch and Smart Outlet. The door and window sensor speaks for itself, and uses Bluetooth 5.0 once again, using two AA batteries for power. It’s certainly not the smallest door sensor you can find, coming in at  56.84mm x 56.92mm x 19.58mm (WxLxH), but the design is clean and minimalist, with only a small blue LED and the company branding.

The Votion Light Switch  is of the in-wall variety and is designed to work with US electrical systems (110-120V AC, 50Hz, 15A). As it’s wired, there are no batteries required and therefore uses Wifi in this instance. The switch can be used in one-way or two-way situations.

The Smart Outlet, rounds off the collection, uses wifi for connectivity and comes with energy monitoring built-in. The plug is rated at 10A, although we don’t know the maximum wattage at this point. The plug itself has a blue LED ring for the power button (which we’re hoping can be turned off), with the socket situated at one end of the plug, not unlike offerings by both Incipio and Opro9.

If you’re attending CES, you can check out Votion’s booth at Sands, Hall A-D, Booth #40643.