How to create a HomeKit Floodlight with motion detection

HomeKit flood lights are hitting the market now with one of them being the Philips Hue Welcome floodlight, but it is rather expensive at £109 and that’s just for the floodlight alone without the motion sensor.

Before we get started, I just want to point out I have used a Netatmo smart indoor camera as the motion sensor. This is because I use the HomeKit camera in the same location I am mounting the floodlight. So if you already use a HomeKit security camera with a built-in motion sensor, then you could also use this rather than buying a separate sensor.

The HomeKit Floodlight – What you need

• Existing HomeKit setup with a hub like an Apple TV, iPad or HomePod.
• A floodlight that plugs into a socket such as this one from Amazon – Link here
• HomeKit smart plug, any of the following will work (tested)
  • IKEA Control Outlet (Used in my setup and this tutorial) – Link here
  • Eve Energy plug – Link here
• HomeKit enabled Motion sensor
  • Either the Philips Hue Outdoor sensor – Link here
  • Netatmo Smart Outdoor camera (Used in my setup and this tutorial) – Link here
• You may need an extension cable depending on the on distance to the power source and place you mount the flood light.
• As the IKEA Control Outlet does not support HomeKit, I have connected the Control Outlet to Home Assistant. But if you use Eve Energy then you do not need to do this. – Link here

So if you use an IKEA Control outlet, the floodlight above and the Philips Hue Outdoor sensor, you will save huge over the Philips Hue HomeKit Floodlight.

HomeKit floodlight prep

This guide assumes that you have already completed the following steps;

• Paired the smart plug with HomeKit and placed in the relevant “room” within HomeKit.
• Mounted the Floodlight in the location with a power source in reach.
• Mounted the motion sensor in the location you require it and paired it with HomeKit.

Once all these steps are completed, then you are ready to set up the floodlight with the HomeKit components.

How to set up the Floodlight to work with HomeKit

Whilst the floodlight will work as designed and provide a light source in the area you have set up, you need to connect the HomeKit enabled plug and the motion sensor to this dumb floodlight to turn smart and enable some of the automation benefits that come with it being in the HomeKit eco-system.

• Step 1 – Plug in the smart plug into the power source that will be used by the floodlight.
• Step 2 – Once you have confirmed everything is in order, carry out a quick test by turning on and off the smart plug via the Home App.

Now the floodlight is working with the HomeKit smart plug and can be found within the Home App, it’s time to set up the motion sensor.

To get the devices talking, you need to open up the Home app and follow the below steps

Note – This setup is turning on the floodlight when it detects motion. You can use different rules as per your own preferences.

• 1 – First open the Home App and then go to the “Automation” tab
• 2 – Click the “+” sign in the top right corner
• 3 – Choose “A Sensor Detects Something”
• 4 – Choose the relevant motion sensor. In my case, I choose the “Garage Outside Sensor” Click next.
• 5 – You have several choices in this area, but for the tutorial, we will set up the floodlight to activate when it detects motion.
  • Tick “Detects Motion” Then choose the time.
  • Change the time to “At Night”
  • Keep People off – But you can use your own settings here depending on circumstances.
  • Click next.
• 6 – Choose the accessory you want to include, so choose the smart plug connected to the floodlight. Click next.
• 7 – Now select to “turn on” and then select the turn off period, I selected to turn off after 2 minutes. Then Click done.

Other HomeKit floodlight uses

Whilst this article has focused on using a motion sensor with the floodlight, you can use other automation or scenes and some of these could be;

• “When someone arrives home, the floodlight turns on.”
• “When someone leaves the floodlight turns on.”
• “When a scene is activated the floodlight turns off or on.”
• “At a certain time, the floodlight turns on or off.”
• “Pair it with a HomeKit door sensor, the floodlight could be turned on.”

I think you get the point, the different options are huge for how you could use the HomeKit enabled Floodlight once you have it all set up.

So that’s it, you will now have a HomeKit enabled floodlight setup. Don’t forget to subscribe for more smart home reviews. If you have a question or a comment, then leave it below. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.