It's been a long time coming but Belkin is almost ready to rollout Apple HomeKit support for its WeMo smart home gear. Belkin just announced the WeMo Bridge for HomeKit that it says will bring HomeKit compatibility to over 2 million WeMo solutions on the market. Owners of the Bridge will be able to interact with WeMo devices using Siri and interact with them in scenes and rooms that include other HomeKit-compatible devices.

The WeMo Bridge connects to your router over Ethernet and then uses your home's Wi-Fi to interact with Siri-enabled devices like iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. The WeMo Bridge for HomeKit is expected to ship in the fall. Though pricing hasn't been set, one would hope that Belkin follows the precedent set by Philips Hue and initially offer the Bridge at a discount to existing WeMo owners.

Belkin said that it would support HomeKit way back in 2015, the year Apple's home automation initiative was first announced. A year later, it would put those plans on hold citing difficulties in complying with Apple's strenuous requirements. In a Facebook post since removed, Belkin said it would have to put new chips in every WeMo device. The solution it turns out, was to put the Apple-required silicon and software into a central bridge — something Philips successfully figured out two years ago.