The Rebirth of HomePod

What You Need to Know About Apple HomePod Gen. 2 Smart Speakers

By Michael Heiss

With the original HomePod having been discontinued in March 2021, Apple’s new model is as much a rebirth as it is a new product. The general form factor and dimensions of HomePod Gen.2 remain almost the same as its predecessor with the addition of midnight as a color made with 100% recycled mesh fabric.

The real changes are what is inside and what the new unit can do. The speaker array is comprised of a 20mm high-excursion woofer and a beam forming array of five tweeters around the base of the unit. The older A8 chip in the Gen.1 model has been updated to a new S7 chip which, along with other system and component design updates over the original version.

On the hardware side, along with the new speaker components there is a built-in bass-EQ mic and a sensor to measure and report room temperature and humidity. However, as is the case with many Apple products, the true benefits come from the product’s software design.

On the audio side, the recognition of room reflections from nearby surfaces allows the HomePod to know whether it is freestanding or up close to a wall. Based on that, the beamforming array of the speakers may be controlled for better sound. As has been the case for the HomePod mini and the original HomePod, two units may be paired for stereo and immersive sound, but with the caveat that both paired speakers must be the same. You cannot mix Gen.1 and Gen.2 models in the same system for stereo. You can, however, take advantage of all of the HomePods in system for multi-room audio and intercom.

When it comes to smart home features, Sound Recognition (coming as a software update later this spring) will be able to listen for and recognize smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and notify a user’s iPhone when detected. Siri command request capability has been enhanced with a new confirmation tone that indicates when a command is made to a device in another room or one such as a heater that may not be able to show a visible change.

It is important to note that there is support for both Matter and Thread in HomePod Gen.2. This further expands the capability of the HomePod to function as a smart home hub for expanded device control and more inclusive control scenes, particularly when used with the latest Home app on iOS devices. Control of other compatible AV devices with eARC support is possible when connecting the HomePod with an Apple TV 4K (2nd Generation) that is running the latest version of tvOS.

The new HomePod Gen.2 began shipping on February 3. It will be interesting to see and hear both the improvements from the earlier model as well as how the new Apple speaker holds up in the marketplace along with similar firstparty products from Amazon Alexa and Google Next as well as the many third-party products based on those two control and command systems. x

The Savant Power System delivers complete energy management for the home, revenue-grade energy monitoring and circuit level control all inside the standard panel.

• Personalized Energy Scenes

• Time-of-Use Mitigation

• Energy Production and Consumption History

• Notifications & Energy Insights

• Generator Flexibility, Solar Energy Efficiency, Longer Battery Life

GIVING YOU THE POWER TO MAKE EVERY ELECTRICAL PANEL SMART Learn more at www.savant.com/power

Compatibility with industry-leading Electrical Panels, Energy Generation and Storage Solutions All brand names,