Sevenhugs Working on HomeKit for Their Smart Remote?

First spotted and reported in a post on Reddit’s r/HomeKit sub, by user FunkyAmadeus, Smart remote manufacturer Sevenhugs, is reportedly working on HomeKit compatibility for their aptly named ‘Smart Remote’, if messages in the company’s Device & Service Request section are to be believed, although the notification of the company working on said automation was first posted a year ago, with the last confirmation from four months ago stating;

thanks for sharing your request! Our team is definitely working on Homekit, we hope to be able to share some good news soon but we don’t have any precise date to share for now but we’ll make sure to keep you updated.

So, this may come to nothing at all, as has been witnessed before, with other companies. However, Sevenhugs do boast that their device is already compatible with “…over 650,000 devices and services…”, which includes many devices that are already compatible with HomeKit, including Wemo, LiFX, Sonos, Philips Hue, Vizio. Even Apple TV is included, although this may simply be down to control via Infrared (IR) functionality.

If you’re not aware of the Sevenhugs remote, it comes in two variations, the Smart Remote U, and the Smart Remote X. Both devices use wifi, bluetooth (4.1) and IR, and can control up to 80 devices (of which up to 20 can be via IR). The Smart Remote X uses a function called ‘Point Mode’, which deploys the company’s own indoor positioning system that allows the user to simply point at a device in order to control it – even if it doesn’t use IR. Both remotes use an accelerometer, compass and the aforementioned IR transceiver and receiver, whilst the X model has an indoor positioning sensor (that works with Point Mode) and a gyroscope. The X model also comes with the company’s own room sensors, bundled with the remote in a 3-pack.

https://youtu.be/ATQtSXfuylU

Whether any of this proposed HomeKit integration will come to pass, is anyone’s guess, but given that other companies, like Crestron and Savant have already made moves into this area, it’s still possible we could finally see a HomeKit compatible remote – or at least a remote that works with all your HomeKit devices – at some point in the near future.

The Smart Remote U currently sells for US$199, while the Smart Remote X with three included Remote Sensors, is priced at $299. and is available from either the company’s own website or from Amazon.com.