AppleInsider's 2020 HomeKit holiday gift guide

Level Lock /Level Lock Touch

Of all the HomeKit smart locks out there, Level Lock and the Level Lock Touch top our list. Billed as the "invisible smart lock," the Level Lock is able to hide completely within your door, adding smart functionality without having to replace your external hardware. It is easy to install and worked phenomenal during our testing.

As its second product, Level introduced the Level Lock Touch. It meets the same high bar for build quality as the original set but offers new external hardware for your door. You can simply tap the outward-facing keyhole to unlock your door — no need to pull your phone out or use Siri to trigger.

Both locks support HomeKit, so they can be automated to unlock and lock as you come and go, and it can easily be integrated with any other HomeKit gear like your porch lights. It sells for $329 in your choice of Satin Nickel or Satin Chrome finishes.

Sonos Move

Despite the sheer number of AirPlay 2 speakers on the market, we've consistently gone back to the Sonos Move as our favorite. This speaker is a great size to produce incredible room-filling sound.

Unlike nearly all AirPlay 2 speakers, the Sonos Move works both docked and undocked, thanks to its internal battery. You can pick it up, take it outside to use in your yard, your deck, or your porch. As long as you have your home's Wi-Fi, Sonos Move will work via AirPlay.

As an alternate option, the Sonos Move also supports Bluetooth when Wi-Fi isn't available.

AirPlay 2 is a HomeKit category, and you can include AirPlay 2 speakers in HomeKit scenes, such as your "workout" scene could turn on your exercise room lights, close the blinds, and start your workout playlist.

That makes it one of the best sounding and most versatile speakers on the market and easily recommended for the second year in a row. The portable smart speaker can be purchased at Amazon, along with Sonos dealers Adorama and well-established B&H.

Lutron Dimmers with Hub

Lutron is a solid purveyor of smart home gear, with much of it working with HomeKit. Lutron's dimmer and Caseta smart home hub are staples in many smart homes due to their reliability and features.

Rather than a standard smart switch that offers on and off states, the Lutron dimmer switches can also change the brightness of your lights. Plus, by buying into the Caseta bridge, you can pick up any other Lutron products, including plugs, fan controls, or the Serena Shades — all of which will work with HomeKit.

The Lutron Smart Bridge with 2 wireless switches sells for $119.95 at Amazon.

Eve Light Switch

If you do opt for a simple light switch, Eve is a great choice. It uses Bluetooth for connectivity and has a customizable LED status light on the front of the switch. If the lights in the room are off, the status light can be on so that you can easily find the switch.

It also has a clean, white appearance that is simple enough to fit into almost any home without clashing with your style.

Eve's HomeKit-compatible Light Switch is available on Amazon for $49.95.

Logitech Circle View Doorbell

Logitech was one of the first to offer a HomeKit Secure Video camera that worked exclusively with Apple's platform. The Circle View doesn't even have its own app. Instead, it is managed entirely from the Home app.

This makes it dead-simple to set up and use, which is ideal for any HomeKit home. HomeKit Secure Video comes with all the smart camera features you need, including mode switching based on your location, recording to iCloud, motion detection, facial recognition, and activity zones.

Recently, Logitech also announced the Circle View Doorbell, one of the first doorbells to exclusively support HomeKit Secure Video. As a HomeKit doorbell, it will ring on your HomePods and display on your Apple TV whenever the button is pressed.

Retailing for $159.99, the Logitech Circle View can be ordered at Amazon, while the Circle View Doorbell can be ordered direct from Logitech for $199.

Ecobee3 Lite

Ecobee is our go-to for HomeKit thermostats, and the Ecobee3 Lite is a more affordable option than the company's flagship Smart Thermostat. It is a perfect entry-level thermostat that still offers full support for HomeKit. That means you can use Siri or the Home app to adjust the temperature, switch modes between heating and cooling, and check the temperature in your room.

Currently discounted from its normal $169 price, the Ecobee 3 Lite can be purchased at Amazon.

Nanoleaf Essentials

Nanoleaf just launches its essentials line and they are already one of our most recommended accessories for those starting their smart home. They are priced below much of the market and offer plenty of features thanks to the Nanoleaf app. They are also rated as some of the brightest, making it as functional as it is smart.

There is the Nanoleaf Essentials Bulb as well as the Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip that will offer smart lighting throughout your home.

As an added benefit, the Essentials line supports Thread. This is an emerging connectivity standard that is ultra-low-power and more responsive than Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or Zigbee. It creates a mesh network between all your Thread enabled devices, which is sure to grow and already supports Apple's HomePod mini.

Molekule

There are only two HomeKit air purifiers on the market, and between the two of them, the Molekule Air Mini+ is what we'd recommend. Air quality is becoming more critical for homes everywhere, and the Molekule Air Mini+ looks great and offers some of the highest levels of purification on the market.

In HomeKit, you get both a readout of your air quality and can control the purifier. Within the Molekule app, you can also enable automatic refills of the device's proprietary filters.

Not to mention, it also looks great in any home with its clean white design and vegan leather handle.

Prices start at $399 for Molekule's home air purifiers, with holiday sales discounting the units at Amazon.

Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Cam

Arlo makes a wide array of smart home cameras from doorbells to 4K sensors, but if we had to pick one to recommend, it would be the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Cam. This device combines a bright LED floodlight with a great camera, both available in HomeKit.

The camera in HomeKit also shows up as a motion sensor, so you can use the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Cam to trigger other HomeKit accessories based on motion, such as turning on the outdoor lights controlled by a smart outlet or switch.

HomeKit controls the light, which can be toggled via Siri, as can the light's brightness from zero to 100.

Currently on sale at Amazon, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Cam normally retails for $249.99.

Abode Iota

Since we are talking about unique HomeKit cameras, the Abode Iota is also tops in our books. The Iota is not only a 1080p security camera but acts as a hub as well. You can connect various other Abode accessories such as motion sensors or contact sensors, which will then work via HomeKit.

Lastly, the Abode Iota also pulls triple duty as a security system for your house. It can be configured to trigger the alarm if a motion sensor is tripped or a contact sensor is opened. You will get an alert from the Home app as the siren goes off in your home. You can arm or disarm the system via Siri or with Abode's key fob or keypad.

What we love the most about the Iota, though, is the professional option. Sometimes you may not be able or want to monitor your home's security. With the Iota, you can pay for short-term monitoring from Abode so that if something happens while you are away, someone can step in and take action. You can pay for just the weekend or go month-to-month whenever you need it and aren't tied to any long-term contract. Simple enable as you choose or not at all.

The Abode iota All-in-One Home Security Kit sells for $279, with units available via Abode in its Amazon store.

Ecobee SmartCamera

Ecobee is already on our list for its excellent thermostats, but it shows up again a second time for its recent update to its Smart Camera. The camera initially supported HomeKit on a basic level, but a new update adds support for HomeKit Secure Video.

You can choose to rely solely on HomeKit Secure Video for your video and security needs, or you can also rely on Ecobee's Haven. Haven is a new kind of security system that uses the array of sensors in its thermostats and Smart Sensors to monitor your home and alert you if someone is there.

The Circle View and Eve Cam only support HomeKit, whereas Ecobee adds additional value by working with the Ecobee app and its own monitoring system simultaneously.

Shoppers can pick up an ecobee SmartCamera for $170.99.