So moved into new home. I also upgraded wifi and moved to new network so I did wind up having to re-add everything. Along the way I also upgraded Home, and I feel like I'm in the first camp. Things seem to be working more smoothly and reliably and it just feels snappier. </anecdotal> </ymmv>I've been poking around reddit and a few other places for it - from what I'm seeing, there are three camps and it seems pretty evenly divided (ANECDOTAL):
1) Worked fine, everything works like before but better
2) It broke everything, but when I rebooted hub <x, y, z> it all came back up and works just like before but better
3) It broke everything, rebooting all my hubs had no change, I had to remove every device and re-add it and now it works like before but better.
There does seem to be consensus on Apple choosing better connected hubs now, instead of just doing it randomly it seems. Things like picking a wifi HomePod as a hub instead of a hard-wired AppleTV doesn't seem to be happening. It's showing preference for hard-wired devices for hubs now - things like that. I've also seen reports that people who started using Home when it first launch have some kind of userID associated with their accounts that cause problems that more recently Apple Home'd folks do not experience. Oh, and there are people reporting issues with not being able to add users to their home, or having to remove users before being able to add them back (because their access no longer worked) :: Personally I'm between homes at the moment, so when I have the patience to completely reset my entire Home setup I'll pull the trigger and hope it's not the worst for me :-/
HomeKit Trove & Repository: The Definitive Apple Home Automation Resource
- Thread starter Ed M.
- Start date
My in-laws borrowed one of our Arlo Baby cams to spy on their cats. ‘Twas fine, as we think the eldest is probably at the age where it’s getting inappropriate to have a camera in his room. That said, we had an automation to change the light color to signify if it’s time to get up or not (green/red sort of thing). Anyone have recommendations for a replacement for the colored lights? I’d love for it to be ”smart”, but price is probably more important than HomeKit compatibility at this point.
We have an LED light strip going around the lower bunk opening of my girls' bed. Over night, it's a dim rainbow. When it's time to get up for school, the brightness cranks up and it starts rotating. It can also be set to plain white light when we just need more illumination in the room. That particular strip is running a WLED controller with presets for the dim rainbow / wake-up rainbow / bright white modes exposed as HomeKit switches, so I just automate turning those switches on in HomeKit. I'm sure a first-party HomeKit LED strip could do similar things.
Or, any standard smart color bulb would do, just find an appropriate light fixture if you don't already have one in the kids room.
We do not have a Homekit solution to this, but we do have a Hatch Rest:
Hatch Rest 2nd generation - Night Light, Sound Machine, and Time-to-Rise | Hatch
Hatch Rest 2nd gen is a baby sound machine, night light, and time-to-rise sleep trainer. Controlled with your phone, this white noise maker helps everyone sleep better.
www.hatch.co
I like that it also provides white/sleep noise functionality.
That's what I use. Basically a few standard lamps with (iirc) Meross or Vocolinc RGB bulbs and HK automations to adjust lights throughout the day. I think there's non HK compatible versions too (same goes for other brands) so watch out for those if you go that route.
PSA: VOCOlinc bulbs can be killed if your circuit is switched with a cheaper LED compatible dimmer. Swap out the switch entirely or disable dimming (a normal switch is better) as we found out the hard way that the dirty electricity even at full brightness damages the memory circuit within these bulbs. They will factory reset as the failure mode. They do accept reinitialization after the failure event but a single power cycle from the lamp switch and they revert to factory. AFAICT this isn’t user serviceable or warrantees either.
Why that’s important: their power supplies can handle dirty electricity from a dimmer switch for months before sudden bulb death syndrome rears its face without warning. I killed 100% (4) bulbs this way because they all,seemed to be fine in a chandelier over the kitchen counter, then they started blinking out within relatively close intervals, say two or three weeks.
Why that’s important: their power supplies can handle dirty electricity from a dimmer switch for months before sudden bulb death syndrome rears its face without warning. I killed 100% (4) bulbs this way because they all,seemed to be fine in a chandelier over the kitchen counter, then they started blinking out within relatively close intervals, say two or three weeks.
My Logitech Circle View camera still likes to keep going offline. I get a notification every time its status changes, but I don't see anything in Shortcuts that would allow me to trigger an automation with it. What I'd like to do is put it on a smart outlet and toggle power to the camera every time it goes offline. I could write a shortcut to do that and trigger it manually, but is there a way I could completely automate it?
Any chance it's ok for a while once it's on? If that's the case maybe just automate a regular power cycle nightly or something.
It’s completely random. Sometimes it stays on for months, sometimes I reset it multiples times a day. I was hoping the HomeKit update would fix it. It made it better, but it still happens. I’ve got a HomePod mini that should be the hub, but maybe a new Apple TV 4K would help? ¯\(ツ)/¯
I could time a power cycle, but then I’d still get the notifications. Might as well just setup a shortcut and say “Siri power cycle the camera” (or something like that) whenever I get the notification that the camera is offline. .
I could time a power cycle, but then I’d still get the notifications. Might as well just setup a shortcut and say “Siri power cycle the camera” (or something like that) whenever I get the notification that the camera is offline. .
Mine do the same thing, and from everything I've read that's just how those cameras (don't) work. At leas mine seem to cycle and rejoin the network somewhat quickly.
I may do an overnight "restart the plugs" flow to see if they are more stable in the first 24 hours of booting, but I don't have high hopes.
I may do an overnight "restart the plugs" flow to see if they are more stable in the first 24 hours of booting, but I don't have high hopes.
My Circle Views have been considerably more reliable connected to my 5Ghz wifi.
Which happened by accident.
Which happened by accident.
I’ve now lost five VOCOLinc L3s due to their programming circuits shitting the bed. Dirty electricity is likely to blame for all of the failures. Oddly, when they do die, they default to factory reset and can be reprogrammed, added back to Home, and work flawlessly until power is flipped just once and blam, accessory is not responding. They’ve otherwise been good lights, if not a bit underpowered compared to a normal “60W equivalent” LED bulb.
Mine were constantly doing this, I have an Eero system so I said F-it and bought an Eero extender and placed it nearest as I could to each camera (like < 10’). They are solid now.
One of my Orbi satellites is literally 8' away. The other satellite is maybe 12' away but through a floor. Unfortunately, it can be a bitch to tell which satellite devices attach to, and it's impossible to "force" them onto one or the other.
What I did was put the camera on a smart plug and create a Shortcut to turn the power off, wait a second, then turn the power back on. Every time I get a notification that my camera is offline, I run the shortcut. Not ideal, but better than having to remember to unplug and re-plug the camera when I'm in that room.
What I did was put the camera on a smart plug and create a Shortcut to turn the power off, wait a second, then turn the power back on. Every time I get a notification that my camera is offline, I run the shortcut. Not ideal, but better than having to remember to unplug and re-plug the camera when I'm in that room.
Apologies if this was covered somewhere in the previous 35 pages, but search is timing out on me right now.
Anyone have a HK-compatible solution for mailbox detection? Catch for me is distance - mailbox is probably about... 30 feet from front of house, brick construction, so wifi signal is going to be pretty iffy.
Not opposed to something other than HK if needed, I have Homebridge running as well. Basically just want a presence or vibration sensor that will trigger when the mailbox is opened. We've had a few thefts in the neighborhood recently, and I get reimbursement checks on a semi-regular basis in the mailbox, so just want something to tell me when I should go out and grab the mail since delivery isn't very consistent time-wise.
Anyone have a HK-compatible solution for mailbox detection? Catch for me is distance - mailbox is probably about... 30 feet from front of house, brick construction, so wifi signal is going to be pretty iffy.
Not opposed to something other than HK if needed, I have Homebridge running as well. Basically just want a presence or vibration sensor that will trigger when the mailbox is opened. We've had a few thefts in the neighborhood recently, and I get reimbursement checks on a semi-regular basis in the mailbox, so just want something to tell me when I should go out and grab the mail since delivery isn't very consistent time-wise.
Are you in the US?
You can create an account on USPS.com and sign up for daily email notifications of what's coming to your mailbox.
You can create an account on USPS.com and sign up for daily email notifications of what's coming to your mailbox.
Lots of cameras have the ability to notify on motion in a very specific area. If you can point a camera that can see the mailbox door (at an angle or something, just need to see it is down) that could do it. Fine tune the motion detection to just that door swing area.
I’m about to need to buy a lot of stuff, particularly window treatments. Does anyone have experience with ikea smart stuff and home integration? I’m assuming I’d need their dirigera hub to tie it all together. Worth it?
I am, but that isn't the point. My issue is on days that I KNOW I have a refund check coming, I want to be notified when it actually gets put into the mailbox so that I can go and get it. We've had a rash of check thefts from mailboxes in the neighborhood in the past few months, I don't want to leave mail sitting in the box longer than necessary.
If your mail is getting stolen, wouldn't whatever technology you deploy to detect mail get stolen as well?
In my area, there are increasing reports of postmen being robbed of mail box keys even though it's a federal offense.
So they forge signatures to cash checks?
Nobody checking IDs when cashing checks? I would think use of personal checks have to be way down now, with online payments of bills and a lot of ways to pay with debit or credit cards for virtually every retail transaction now.
In my area, there are increasing reports of postmen being robbed of mail box keys even though it's a federal offense.
So they forge signatures to cash checks?
Nobody checking IDs when cashing checks? I would think use of personal checks have to be way down now, with online payments of bills and a lot of ways to pay with debit or credit cards for virtually every retail transaction now.
Is it a traditional style mailbox (e.g. the breadbox shape with a single drop-forward door)? Why not use a window / door sensor? Instead of looking for motion, just look for the box opening and closing. You could probably get something that's wired and run the cable underground if it's really necessary. Most every home alarm system has something of that sort. Lars Klint gives an example of how he did it to his mailbox using a wireless door sensor.
Ring sells a dedicated mailbox sensor if you want to go with something off-the-shelf that is specifically designed for that purpose. Don't have the first clue about HomeKit integration there.
Nah, there's check washing to change the recipient on the check itself. And I guess mobile depositing can make things easier too.
Older folks like my parents still did paper checks till recently when they had a check washed (local murmurs says it's people in our post offices). My sister and I pretty much took over paying the bills online for them after that.
Unrelated to all that, garage chat! If you have a MyQ-homebridge setup, you may have noticed it breaking completely a few weeks back. This Verge article basically covers everything I found when going down a rabbit hole troubleshooting.
Short version: Chamberlain shut down access to myQ so the software solutions like Homebridge no longer work, but there's other hardware solutions. The popular ones I've seen are ratgdo (which apparently stands for "Rage Against the Garage Door Opener"), and this Meross one which I think is the cheapest broadly available commercial one. It requires an extra adapter (free but have to submit info) if you have one of the Security+ garages like I have. A bit janky since it's basically just a compatible garage remote with wires soldered to some contacts inside to control the garage. Supposedly works fine enough...but has a little CR2032 battery that'll eventually need replacing. You can DIY something to the same effect with Chamberlain's wired garage buttons, or buy a premade one on eBay, at which point technically you can use whatever other garage adapter that works with dry contacts.
(I bought the Meross one and have their adapter in possession, although in the process of writing this post I've decided to get the ratgdo after seeing I'm still in the return period for the Meross. Seems to be a more elegant solution all around, just the adapter and no extra remote adapter or need to run door sensing bits)
I've found that the Tailwind (https://gotailwind.com/) garage door opener is roughly a billion times better than MyQ anything. Nice HomeKit integration.
The newer Ikea hub works substantially better than the previous one, it's been rock solid for me.
The newer Ikea hub works substantially better than the previous one, it's been rock solid for me.
Yeah, what 1st got me thinking about this was just wondering if there was a HK-compatible equivalent of the Ring sensor.
Not going to hardwire anything on this project... mailbox IS your traditional breadbox, but I'd have to bury cable under 2 sidewalks and my driveway. 100% not worth it for something that I just sort of thought "hey, it would be cool if I could get one of those on Amazon!" type things.
That being said, I may look into options to integrate the Ring sensor via Homebridge or something like that.
(OT, but the scenario is exactly what Japtor described... checks randomly getting stolen out of the mailbox, washed, and deposited. I'm assuming someone deposits it and then transfers the $$ and closes the account, or something along those lines. I almost never deal in checks other than this, but between medical reimbursements + recently selling my rental property and getting random escrow checks, etc., I've had a LOT more than usual in the past few months so want to be cautious.
I'll second this. Replaced my MyQ with tailwind a few weeks ago and it has been great. Instant homekit notification when it opens or closes and it has worked perfectly. I even had the official MyQ homekit bridge and it was so bad I switched to using homebridge until they broke that. I tried going back to their homekit bridge and it was awful. Happy to have washed my hands of that horrible company.
Also really like that the tailwind has hard-wired door sensors so I won't have to replace batteries in the sensors like I had to do frequently for chamberlain. I have an older garage door opener so RATGDO would have had very basic features for me, but it looks really nice for those with newer openers.
I just installed two IKEA FYRTUR roller blinds in our bedroom and used the DIRIGERA hub to integrate them with HomeKit and Echo. The shades are nice, the motion is smooth. The motor isn't silent but we open and close them when we are awake anyway. HomeKit integration was a snap from the IKEA app. My only gripe is that in HomeKit it's either leave them as an individual units or group them and never use them as individual units again. May not be an issue since we seem to be opening/closing them simultaneously anyway. It was worth it for us.
One note on the buttons that come with them. They were a little flaky before I installed the hub. They get better afterwards. That said, once it's in HomeKit you can use any button/remote you want. I don't know what the battery life and reliability of the buttons are though.
Zooz makes a simple tilt sensor that is one piece and can be put on the mailbox door. When it's not tilted it's closed, tilted would mean open. I use them on my garage doors. you'd need a way to use a z-wave sensor with HomeKit (Hubitat, HomeAssistant, SmartThings, etc.). Other than that, a HK tilt or contact sensor would work.
FWIW, I installed the Meross adapter for my Craftsman garage door opener last weekend. I had originally planned to use a more complex solution using a Zooz dry contact module, and tilt sensors integrated through Hubitat. Meross was much easier. The biggest challenge was running the door sensor wire around the wall to the door but that only took me ten minutes with a wire guard staple gun. My door is much simpler though as I don't need an extra adapter and you just push the Meross contacts into the existing button contacts. It's been very reliable for as much time as it's been in place.
Yeah I have a newer one that 1) has a few other little features it can take advantage of, including a simpler install, and 2) would otherwise require an extra piece of hardware, which basically converts it to a dry contact opener.
So for my case the ratgdo can install without a separate door sensor, since it gets that info from the garage opener itself. Along with that direct communication comes little stuff like light control, motion sensor (from the wall mounted button), and live updating and fine control over the opening amount...not sure if or how much I'd ever use that one but a neat trick. (Also not entirely sure that specifically is supported in HomeKit yet but guess I'll find out whenever mine shows up)
Not entirely sure about all of them but I think the main commonality in the other solutions (and can come as part of HK integration) is local control. If your internet connection is down or MyQ is down or broken in some way, you have no access besides your traditional remotes. Then HK comes into play for being easier/faster to access UI wise, sounds like Tailwind has some auto open/close action which would be convenient in itself if one was comfortable with it.
I've got Security+ 2.0 openers, so Ratgdo is about the only thing that would work the way I want it to. And I have had a pretty good experience so far (only been set up a few days). There is a Homebridge plugin for the MQTT version, but Ratgdo just released a native HomeKit firmware which is working fine so far. It's also in pretty active development with now with all the MyQ refugees out there.
And if you're (minimally, like me) handy with a soldering iron and don't want to wait for Ratgdo backorders, you can DIY it with an ESP8266 and a few other things here: Rat-Ratgdo
Inovelli have put up preorders for their Matter/Thread compatible smart switches. The 'White Series' follows the Red (Z-Wave) and Blue (Zigbee) with a dimmer/on-off, Fan switch, and Fan Canopy module. I use a lot of Inovelli switches in my home today and they are very nice, reelable, and have a ton of little features (including no neutral wire mode and smart bulb only mode.). These should work directly with HomeKit according to the documentation.
Awesome, thank you! That looks almost perfect, and zwave may solve the range issue I would expect with HomeKit. Only downside is (if I understand zwave) needing a zwave hub, but some of the Hubitat options look interesting and that's a company that wasn't on my radar before, so something else for me to look into
I use Hubitat myself. It's a good balance between ease of use and flexability. It also has a native HomeKit integration so most any device associated with Hubitat can be shared with HomeKit.Awesome, thank you! That looks almost perfect, and zwave may solve the range issue I would expect with HomeKit. Only downside is (if I understand zwave) needing a zwave hub, but some of the Hubitat options look interesting and that's a company that wasn't on my radar before, so something else for me to look into
The house I just moved into has a Yale lock with a Z-Wave module. What do I need to integrate it with HomeKit? I have a HomePod mini here, but that’s about it.
Our house was built in 2016 so it's coming up on time to replace all the smoke and fire alarms. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that there is anything better in the connected system than the Nest Protect. Anyone use these and is there any way to integrate them into HomeKit?
Starling has a relatively cheap option: https://www.starlinghome.io/?ref=bradleychambers1
First Alert released a Homekit compatible solution years ago but I've no idea how it compares to Nest: https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/12...-smoke-alarm-carbon-monoxide-detector-homekit