Oliver Haslam·

HomeScan For HomeKit Makes Diagnosing Bluetooth Accessories Weak Signal Problem Easy

If you’re living in the future like so many of us are thanks to HomeKit and the accessories that are designed to work in and around Apple’s semi-walled garden, then you will be well aware of how delightful things can be when they work as intended.

Unfortunately, we all also know that things do not always work that way, especially when you are using HomeKit devices on a non-standard home network, or one that includes a lot of devices strewn across a sizeable home. Connectivity can be a real issue, as can diagnosing any issues.

We recently told you about a tool that could be repurposed to try and help with this diagnosis, but now there is an app built specifically for figuring out Bluetooth and HomeKit weak signals issue. It costs $0.99 and is called HomeScan.

Available to download from the App Store, HomeScan lets users diagnose signal issues while also working to improve the responsiveness of the hardware connected to their homes. While not quite a magic bullet, it’s a very good start towards at least figuring out where the issues may lie.

Core Features

  • Improve your HomeKit accessories signal strength – Use HomeScan to optimally place your Bluetooth accessories within your home, reducing latency issues and signal interference. Peak and average signal strength allow you to diagnose existing devices, while the graph shows you signal strength over a set period of time.
  • Use it with your HomePod or Apple TV – Simply place your device on your HomeKit Hub, choose the accessory you wish to diagnose then watch the signal strength shown on the display.
  • Take it on the go with the Apple Watch app – Take the signal strength meter on the go with the included Apple Watch app to find the best location to put that door sensor.
  • Audible readouts for ease of use – HomeScan can call out the current signal strength audibly to guide you through placing your device.

At less than a dollar, we think this would be well worth trying out, especially if you have ever had to deal with the utter frustration an unreliable HomeKit system can be. I’m looking at you, Elgato Eve accessories!

(Download: HomeScan for iPhone, iPad on App Store)

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