The chip manufacturer responsible for a wide array of "internet of things" devices, Cypress Semiconductor, has announced an updated version of its development kit, adding HomeKit support and iCloud certification to the package.
With the update, developers can utilize iCloud support in the WICED software development kit in conjunction to create devices that connect directly to Siri voice control and the Apple Home app remotely and don't need a supporting bridge. The WICED platform is currently in use with the Leviton Decora Smart family of switches and dimmers.
The Cypress CYW43907 system-on-a-chip (SoC) integrates dual-band IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi with a 320-MHz ARM Cortex-R4 RISC processor, coupled with and 2 MB of SRAM to run vendor's code to drive the devices. The WICED SDK used to develop with the Cypress chipset includes code examples, tools, and support for the SoC.
The entire kit now supports low-power Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Wi-Fi. The installer for the SDK is supported on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
The end-user won't immediately see any benefits from the new release. However, the new chip and SDK are the first turnkey solution from the company for HomeKit and Siri.
It is unclear if the advances in the SDK can be applied to existing solutions, but the development and Apple approval of newer products with the pair should be much more rapid.
Introduced in 2014, HomeKit allows users to connect to a variety of compatible so-called "internet of things" devices through the iOS Home app in conjunction with each other, as opposed to a series of disconnected interfaces. In the forthcoming iOS 11, Apple has loosened some requirements for device manufacturers, and is allowing for communications encryption to be done in software, rather than mandating an encryption chip.