Should Apple's New HomeView Replace the Screen on Your Wall?

My honest take on HomeView, a Jung KNX panel and a Vimar PoE screen, from someone who installs these systems for a living.

Let me tell you what I would say if you asked me over coffee.

Apple has just announced HomeView. It is a 7-inch screen that can hang on your wall. It costs $299. It looks like something Apple designed, because it is. And right away, the question in my world is: do we still need a proper home automation screen on the wall, or can this replace it?

I have been thinking about this all week. Here is where I landed. It is a long read, so I will give you my answer early: HomeView is a great option for people who live in the Apple ecosystem, once it is available here. For everyone else, the KNX screen is still the safer choice. Now let me show you why.

First, what Apple actually announced

Apple introduced HomeView on 13 October 2026. These facts come from Apple's newsroom:

• Price: $299 for the countertop model and the wall-mounted model.

• Wall mounts are extra and made by Schneider: USB-C $59.95, AC wired $79.95, and a PoE version at $129.95 that arrives in early 2027.

• Hardware: 7-inch display, A18 chip, 12MP camera, speakers, and an intercom to other HomeViews, HomePods and iPhones.

• Works with Apple Home and Matter accessories. It needs wired power and has no battery.

• Ships 13 November to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa.

Not available in Bahrain or the GCC. Apple's announcement does not mention the Gulf, and it is not sold in the EU. So today HomeView is a conversation about the future. And I should be honest: I have not used one yet.

Why this is a big deal

For years, the screen on the wall of a smart villa has been a compromise. The ones built for serious systems do their job well, but nobody would call them beautiful. Then Apple shows up with a wall display that is cheaper than most of them and far better looking.

I get it. If I were you, I would be tempted too.

But the catch is not about looks

Think about what you want from a screen that lives on your wall. You do not want to update it. You do not want to reset it. You do not want to wonder why it lost Wi-Fi on a Friday night when guests are over. You want it to just work, for years, and then more years.

This is where HomeView and a KNX screen are two different animals.

HomeView is a consumer product. It runs on Wi-Fi and on Apple's software. Apple does not state how long it will keep updating it, and Siri AI is still marked beta. To control a KNX house from it, you also need a bridge in the middle, because Apple only talks about Apple Home and Matter. That bridge is one more box that has to keep working.

A KNX screen is built for one thing: to stay on that wall for decades. It does not ask for updates and it does not need maintenance. It connects straight to the KNX bus, with no Wi-Fi in the middle, so there is less that can go wrong. The price you pay is looks. It is functional, not fashionable.

Meet the three screens

1. Apple HomeView: the polished one

It looks like a product, not like a control panel. Apple promises Siri and an intercom to other rooms and phones. If the family already lives in Apple Home, this feels natural.

What to think about: the bridge to KNX, the dependence on Wi-Fi and Apple's updates, and a mount that costs extra. The PoE mount, which would give you one cable for power and network, is not out until 2027.

2. Jung KNX Smart Panel 8: the one that stays

The Jung Smart Panel 8 is an 8-inch touch screen (1280 x 800) that connects directly to the KNX bus through a built-in coupler. No server needed. It runs on a separate 12 to 32 V supply, it is not PoE, and it is commissioned in ETS. Page data shows about 990 EUR.

It handles scenes, schedules and presence simulation. The door intercom needs a Siedle gateway. Jung also makes the Smart Control 5, which can run on PoE, but that one is not a KNX bus device and needs a Jung server behind it.

3. Vimar 01423: the middle road

This is the one I think gets less attention than it deserves. Vimar's 01423 is a 7-inch screen (1280 x 800) that runs on PoE or 24 to 30 V DC. One network cable carries power and data. It was designed to stay on the wall, like a KNX screen.

It is an IP supervisor for By-me Plus, View Wireless, By-alarm Plus, Elvox IP video door entry and Due Fili Plus. It also shows live CCTV from Elvox IP and Wi-Fi cameras over RTSP. Think about how a family really uses a wall screen: someone rings the bell, you want to see who it is, and you want to talk. A screen that handles lights, intercom and cameras in one place, and was built to stay put, gives you a lot of the stability of the KNX world with much of the convenience.

By-me connects to KNX through an IP gateway, so this screen can sit in a KNX project. I would confirm the exact setup with Vimar for your project before promising anything.

Side by side

The price of HomeView is not the whole price. Add the mount, the bridge, the installation and the wall work, and the "cheap" screen starts to look like a normal project.

What keeps each screen alive

None of the three manufacturers states a lifetime. So when I say a KNX screen lasts decades, that comes from my own experience with these panels, not from a datasheet.

My recommendation

This is the part I want you to remember.

If you are an Apple person. You use Siri, you love voice commands, and your family lives in HomeKit. Then HomeView is a good option for you when it becomes available in Bahrain. And you would not lose anything important: you still keep your keypads and the mobile app from the system manufacturer.

If you do not care about the Apple ecosystem. Then go with the KNX screen. You get stability and a long life, and it will outlive trends.

If the door and the cameras matter. Look hard at the Vimar PoE screen.

Because HomeView is not available here yet and I have not used it, I cannot give you a firm verdict on it today. That is the honest answer.

One last thought

I think the real question is not "which screen is better". It is: do you want a beautiful screen that follows technology, or a reliable screen that ignores it? Both answers are fine. Just choose on purpose.

What I could not confirm

• HomeView and KNX. Apple says it works with Apple Home and Matter and says nothing about KNX. The bridge is supplied by KNX manufacturer

• Support period. Apple, Jung and Vimar do not state a lifetime or an update period but it just how each one is manufactured and what market they are targeting

• Vimar and KNX. The Vimar page lists "KNX bus: No" for this screen, so the KNX connection goes through the By-me gateway.

• Thread border router and exact dimensions come only from secondary sources, not from Apple.

Sources

• Apple newsroom: Meet Apple HomeView

• Apple HomeView product page

• Jung KNX Smart Panel 8

• Vimar 01423 IP 7in touch screen PoE