Introducing the CastleHUB powered by CastleOS, now on Kickstarter!

ChrisCicc

Active Member
Hello fellow Cocooners! Many of you know me from CastleOS and being around the forums. Hope you don't mind me sharing a plug for our new Kickstarter announcement here! Feel free to ask questions, we'll monitor and answer. Thanks and enjoy!
 
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We're very excited to introduce the CastleHUB powered by CastleOS! Now available for pre-order on Kickstarter! 
 
The CastleHUB is powered by the upcoming CastleOS version 2.0, bringing never before seen capabilities to smart home hubs. When we set out to design the CastleHUB, we set forward some very simple criteria:
  • It must be powerful enough to run not only the CastleOS of today, but the CastleOS of tomorrow, without relying on the cloud
  • It must break down the barriers and silos between devices by supporting all smart devices and protocols
  • It must be extremely energy efficient
  • It must be capable of supporting the Microsoft Kinect for voice control
  • It must be capable of using apps to extend functionality
We wanted one HUB to replace all the other hubs in your home. The one HUB to rule them all. We shot for the moon - and we're proud of the results! Introducing the CastleHUB powered by CastleOS! Please join us at Kickstarter to learn more!
 
ChrisCicc said:
Absolutely! It's an open API. 
 
A better answer would be:  "It has no built in homekit functionality and as such would require a 3rd party homekit bridge."  It is hard to believe that there will be any certified homekit bridges that will integrate above the device level.  There are non-certified software bridging solutions but given the fact that apple can lock out non-certified devices at any time this is not a dependable solution.
 
ChrisCicc said:
The upcoming Apple TV is a bridge, not to mention the first HomeKit product hasn't even shipped yet. It's the Apple version of the Lutron Smart Bridge. 
 
Sorry, but that's not how it works.  The Apple TV is a gateway/proxy that allows homekit end devices and bridges to communicate with iOS devices over the WAN.  For an end device to be paired with an iOS device, it must complete a secure pairing either by itself or through a homekit bridge.  Part of that pairing includes a hardware crypto IC that must be present in either the end device or the bridge.  There are more restrictions on top of that, so don't expect a universal bridge either.
 
ChrisCicc said:
Oh, okay. So you think Apple is closing its API off to third parties, something even Nest failed to do.
 
The API is open on the APP end.  So anyone can make an app that uses the homekit database.  But it is closed on the DEVICE end. 
 
Which API?  The only software that can interact with the homekit API is software running on iOS.
 
Ok.  Yes it's theoretically possible that a hacked/unofficial API could interact with homekit devices.  But comparing to nest means you have not looked at the homekit security implementation in any detail.  I'm still not sure what you are implying in terms of the homekit features your system will provide.  You can't really promise anything at this point, so if you want to go back and provide a better answer to the original question we can delete all this offtopic stuff.
 
So, basically you are saying there is literally a HomeKit *API*, not a home kit on the wire published protocol, right? And therefore, unless Apple lowers itself to providing that API on other platforms, they are limiting it to iOS clients? If that's true, and it remains that way, then Homekit will likely be extremely limited in acceptance. No one has ever gone wrong overestimating the hubris that Apple can muster when it wants to, but I don't see how they could believe they could pull this off unless they open it to Windows and Android as well.
 
ChrisCicc said:
So you think Apple is closing its API off to third parties, something even Nest failed to do?
 
Nest has neutered the official API for data collection purposes.  You can't even determine if the heat or A/C is currently on or off through the official API.  Nest wants to be the sole owner of how much time your own furnace is running.
 
Dean Roddey said:
So, basically you are saying there is literally a HomeKit *API*, not a home kit on the wire published protocol, right? And therefore, unless Apple lowers itself to providing that API on other platforms, they are limiting it to iOS clients? If that's true, and it remains that way, then Homekit will likely be extremely limited in acceptance. No one has ever gone wrong overestimating the hubris that Apple can muster when it wants to, but I don't see how they could believe they could pull this off unless they open it to Windows and Android as well.
 
Yes.  When you have hundreds of millions of compatible iOS devices it's not really a limited market. 
 
 
ChrisCicc said:
We're 90% funded after 45 hours! Still over a month to go!
 
Dean, I agree with everything you wrote. AZ is speaking with overconfidence about a product that hasn't launched, and wasn't even so much as designed when it was announced. HomeKit was a knee jerk reaction to Google's Nest purchase, but all the Apple fanboys think there is some master plan at work and Apple will rule the automation world.
 
Automate, while the Nest API doesn't provide the on/off status of the HVAC system, it does provide the parameters of when it's set to go on or off. So if you just assume its on or off when it's supposed to be on or off, it provides the same info. I agree it's stupid for Nest to withhold this information. 

Bottomline - Apple isn't going to survive with a closed API while the rest of the industry is open. Even Ecobee, who currently charges for their API, is looking to do away with that. In speaking with them last week I suggested they copy Nest and use Firebase for push notifications.
 
You're the one promising to support homekit and I'm speaking with overconfidence?
 
Homekit devices are iOS accessories first and foremost.  The only thing people really want when they ask about homekit compatibility is native siri integration.
 
When you refer to a connected door lock as a homekit device, you are referencing its ability to act at an ios accessory.  That doesn't mean its only role is to be a homekit device.  The point was that IMO your original answer is misleading to potential buyers so like I said before if you want to provide a better answer we can delete all these offtopic posts.
 
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