In this Ask A Dev, iOS engineer Dan Murrell explains how his team used Apple's HomeKit to build Beam, an app that controls all the connected devices inside your smart home.
He'll tell you all about the MFi chip required for a device to be HomeKit compatible and how it relates to Apple's Wireless Accessory Configuration (WAC) protocol. He'll also discuss the readable and writeable Characteristic values that dictate how you control your connected devices. If you're interested in smart homes, you would be wise to watch this video.