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HomeKit support now available in four more GE air conditioning window units

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There are more options for GE air conditioning units compatible with HomeKit than first thought, as the electronics giant has confirmed other models in its AC range support Apple's smart home platform alongside the AHP08LX Energy Star 115 volt Electronic Room Air Conditioner that shipped earlier this week.

The AEC08LX, AEC10AX, AEC12AX, and AHP10LX models all use GE's WiFi Connect technology, allowing the air conditioners to work with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and IFTTT, as well as Apple's HomeKit. The AHP08LX, revealed as on sale on April 23, was the first to be reported to have HomeKit support.

GE advised to The Verge the AEC08LX, AEC10AX, and AEC12AX do support HomeKit, despite the product pages not mentioning the compatibility alongside the other smart home frameworks, and will be updating the online documentation to reflect the fact. The AHP10LX product page does specify it has HomeKit support.

All five air conditioning units are able to be controlled by verbal command using Siri, and can also be used with other HomeKit devices in scenes. For example, a scene can be set up to run when one or more people are at home, automatically turning off when the house is empty and turning back on when a user returns.

The AEC models offer three cooling and fan speeds, a remote control, and an energy saver mode, as well as connectivity over Wi-Fi connect, with the main differences being the maximum cooling capacity, ranging from 8,000 BTU to 12,000 BTU, and the room size they are intended for use within. The three air conditioning units are available from The Home Depot, priced at between $229 and $329, depending on capacity.

The AHP10LX is sold in Lowes alongside the AHP08LX and offers a similar feature set as the previously-announced unit, but expands the output from 8,000 BTU to 10,000 BTU. The AHP10LX has an MSRP of $329, compared to the AHP08LX's $269 price tag.

Where to buy

GE's line of HomeKit-enabled air conditioners can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowe's. Prices start at $249.

  • GE 8,000 BTU AEC08LX for $249.00 at Home Depot
  • GE 8,000 BTU AHP08LX for $319.00 at Lowe's
  • GE 10,000 BTU AEC10AX for $309.00 at Home Depot
  • GE 12,000 BTU AEC12AX for $359.00 at Home Depot



12 Comments

Soli 9 Years · 9981 comments

Can these be activated over the internet, or only via a local, WiFi connection?

Mike Wuerthele 8 Years · 6906 comments

Soli said:
Can these be activated over the internet, or only via a local, WiFi connection?

If you hook up HomeKit through a hub, using an iPad, HomePod, or Apple TV as the hub, you can control them from outside the house.

https://appleinsider.com/articles/17/08/08/how-to-automate-your-home-with-apples-homekit-with-or-without-an-ipad-or-apple-tv

ericthehalfbee 13 Years · 4489 comments

Although interesting, why control the A/C unit directly when I already have thermostats that are HomeKit compatible.

Soli 9 Years · 9981 comments

Although interesting, why control the A/C unit directly when I already have thermostats that are HomeKit compatible.

These aren't for central HVAC homes. These are window units. If you have a garage or shed where you may want to get some cool air pumping in the summer it would be nice to have, and I just found out I can be at Home Depot on a hot Summer day and remotely turn on and set the temp so I when I get back it's nice and cool.

ericthehalfbee 13 Years · 4489 comments

Soli said:
Although interesting, why control the A/C unit directly when I already have thermostats that are HomeKit compatible.
These aren't for central HVAC homes. These are window units. If you have a garage or shed where you may want to get some cool air pumping in the summer it would be nice to have, and I just found out I can be at Home Depot on a hot Summer day and remotely turn on and set the temp so I when I get back it's nice and cool.

I know the difference between central and room A/C. People who use HomeKit likely already have multiple devices, including a thermostat (one of the first smart home devices to hit the mainstream). It seems that making your A/C unit work with an existing thermostat would be far simpler and less expensive than building the entire "smart" experience (which requires WiFi support plus software/hardware) into the A/C unit itself. Then you don't have to worry about security, software updates and support. The thermostat already handles that and you only need a very simple bridge/connection to make your A/C unit work with your existing thermostat.