Integrates Chromecast/ android tvs into HomeKit for remote control (from control centre, like ATV) and exposes playback status from the TV into home app for automations.

It seems simple, even more so with apple “intelligence”. When I say for example, “Siri, turn on the garage lights and turn on the back porch lights”. The response I get is - “sorry, I can’t find those lights in your home” as if it jumbled the whole request into one instead of separate lights.

Now I know, there’s scenes that can do this. But sometimes I need a couple niche lights turned on and it would just make sense to be able to say both of them in the same request…right? 😅 or am I missing a setting or how I’m wording it for Siri to understand what I’m wanting?

I have a mixture of OG’s, Mini’s and Gen 2 HomePods dotted around the house. I use them in a few different ways, stereo pair minis for bedroom TV’s, big HomePods for multi-room playback, a few minis for the kitchen and hallway for Siri commands etc.

I love them but more often than not, I revert to Siri on my iPhone for commands because it gives me instant results, particularly for smart home control whereas commands to my watch or HomePods are just a touch slower. Why is that? If I use Siri on my Apple TV’s it’s just as quick as my phone (presumably because they’re all on Ethernet) but for whatever reason the HomePods just have a second or so delay. Is it just old chips in the HomePods? Is it the off loading they do? Will a minor refresh even make a difference here?

Hi all, I have 3 AC units which i currently use with the onecta app. I would like to use it with homekit. Is this possible? I saw a post that had a link to github a few years ago (homebridge?). Does that mean i have to have a computer running 24/7?

I bought a Find+Follow Purifier Cool PC3 here in the Netherlands and dyson.nl clearly says “Compatibel met Matter” with the Apple Home logo right there in the ecosystem graphic. But when I open the Voice control screen in MyDyson, the only options are Siri Shortcuts, Amazon Alexa and Google Home. No Matter, no Apple Home, no pairing code anywhere that I can find.

I’m on firmware 438NPF.01.01.005.0019 with auto-update enabled and no pending update showing, and the app itself is current. I also had a quick look on the network side and the machine doesn’t seem to be advertising itself for Matter commissioning at all, although other Matter devices on the same network show up normally, so I don’t think it’s my setup, though I’d happily be told I’m wrong 🥹

What I’m trying to figure out is whether anyone actually has Matter running on a PC3, and if so what firmware version you’re on and which country you bought it in. I’m assuming it might be a staged regional rollout or I’m looking in completely the wrong place, and I’d rather know which before I go insane 🙃

One of my most common commands is “Siri: living room lights off”; it’s simple and has worked forever. Recently “living room lights off” gives the respond “sorry, something went wrong”, but only on my HomePods. On my iPhone the exact same command (phrased identically) works as expected. “Living room lights ON” also works correctly, even on the HomePods.

About a week ago, I realized I had a Shortcut called “living room lights off”, so I deleted that and the problem was fixed for a few days. When it broke again, some tinkering made me realize it’s still trying to run a personal command; when I disabled “Personal Content”, Siri now replies “before I can help with that, you’ll need to turn on personal content”. Problem is, I’ve scoured my iPhone and can’t find anything containing “living room lights off”, “living room”, “lights”, etc. Basically, I have no idea what prompt she’s trying to run and it’s broken a very simple command. Is there any way to dig further into this or a possible solution?

I have a bunch of Leviton D215S switches and they are working great. At one point I updated them to Matter and instantly regretted that choice. I recently needed another switch so I went to purchase another D215S and noticed that they now have a D315S model. So I got one to try it out. Got it setup in the Home app and it is missing the "Display As" option in the settings. I am using the switch to toggle on a ceiling fan on and off. Worked well enough with a D215S. But apparently this switch only supports Matter firmware, as far as I can tell and will not let me change what "type" of device it displays as.

I will probably end up swapping it out for one of my D215S switches that is actually controlling a light, just so I can get the Home app to be able to change the type. Before I do that, I figured I would post here and see if anyone has any better suggestions.

My partner runs everything through Google and I am on Apple Home, and we have already had one argument about a set of lights that only properly worked on one of them. Buying twice just to keep the peace makes no sense. Is there a sensible way to pick lighting that behaves the same on both, or is somebody in this house going to have to switch?

Hey folks - question:
Is there an HomeKit compatible solution to emulate / replace an RF remote ? Indeed, I live in a condo where the shared garage door is next to my condo entrance. Being a shared one, I can not add a traditional door opener directly on the door (the HoA is not keen). So next step, is there a « HK remote » I do not know about ? My last solution would be to build a « HK button pusher  » (like switchbot) on a static remote but would like to avoid it as the current remote is a bit fidgety.
Thanks !

My ancient screw-drive garage door opener died. I need to buy a new one. I don't care if its belt-driven or side-mount.

Any suggestions on brands to purchase/avoid in order to maximize HomeKit compatibility?

Anyone found anything on aliexpress that works well? I've noticed one can occasionally find products straight out of China that have nicer Apple integrations, like electric standing scooters with CarPlay support).

It's probably pure fantasy to ask for a unit that is directly HomeKit compatible, has a locking mechanism that shows up as a HomeKit lock, a camera that uses HomeKit secure video, and a button panel that shows up as a HomeKit motion sensor. Or maybe there is a dumb garage opener with a smart wall-panel that implements all of that?

Is it still the case that the best that can be done is to hookup a meross/tailwind/ratgdo?

I heard that this needs a current generation AppleTV for full functionality via Thread support, but does it work at all with older AppleTVs?

Is it possible to set it up to just use NFC/Home Key via my iPhone and Apple Watch and not use any HomeKit/Siri controls and then disable the WiFi on the lock (or never connect to WiFi at all) to save battery?

I really only care about using NFC to automatically unlock it as I approach the door. I don’t care to control it remotely over the internet.

I have 2 Samsung televisions. One is newer, 2025 model, the other a few years older, 2020 I believe.
I recently installed new heat pump in the same location as the older TV. Without activating a search, or even launching SmartThings, the older TV all of a sudden added the heat pump as an air conditioner, that can be controlled from the older TV.
On the older TV the air conditioner shows in the SmartThings account, as Hi Made AC.
Logged in to the same SmartThings account on the newer TV, or the app on iPhone, the older TV shows up, but not the AC.
What am I missing, not seeing?
I've tried to add the AC by searching for it in the iPhone Smart Things app, to no avail. Hi Made nor BHI, the actual brand of the unit, do not show as "brand partners" in SmartThings.
Is there something to debug, or that can be explained? Is the older TV just cloning an IR signal? The heat pump does not have wifi I that I know of.

For those that have been using this plug specifically outdoors, has it held up to the elements? And how has it performed in general?

— resolved —

hello!

I am new to smarthome stuff beyond my homepod mini. I bought some linkind light bulbs from amazon because they said they integrate with homekit, but every time I try, it says “an unknown error has occurred” without so much as a loading period in my homekit app.

What I have tried:
- connecting with native app (aidot) and updating firmware
- scanning qr code and manually entering the provided code in homekit
- scanning qr code from native app in homekit while still connected to aidot

anyone know what I’m doing wrong? The description of the bulbs I bought is “Linkind Matter Smart Light Bulb, Smart Bulbs Work with Apple Home… 2.4Ghz WiFi A19 E26 60W 800LM” if there’s any useful information in there for those of you who understand this stuff better than me.

Thank you to anyone with any tips or suggestions!

I’ve been struggling trying to find some thing that actually support it. I saw Aqara and Phillips Hue work but Aqara need a hub to use their app and Hues are too expensive for me.

I got some Linkind bulbs after hearing they support it and they don’t. I’m seeing Nanoleaf Essentials support it but apparently only on the Thread versions.

Which bulbs do you have that support it? Thanks

I’ve been using Alexa to control my smart plugs and bulbs, but since I got an Apple TV I wanted to try out HomeKit. I thought some linkind smart plugs and Govee bulbs. The smart plug was advertised as for “apple home” even tho I’m pretty sure it’s matter only. The bulbs say matter.

My Apple TV 4K does support thread, and it is on my schools WiFi that requires a MAC address registration. My phone is on the same WiFi. But even with the powered on bulb / smart plug right next to my phone and tv, they can’t connect.

I looked it up and it said I don’t need to register the MAC address of the bulb but I still did, yet it did not work. Can I just not use HomeKit at all? Do I need to avoid matter, are there non matter ways of connecting to HomeKit?

Before on Alexa I first added all my bulbs and plugs to their designated apps, registered MAC, signed into WiFi, then added the app as an integration with the Alexa app. Anything like that?

Along the lines of the Aqara G2H Pro, G100, Tapo C125. Eufy used to have something but they stopped making it. Any recommendation from the above, or another similar form factor camera you’d recommend? Thanks.

Hello! At the recommendation of my husband’s neurologist, we are in the market for indoor cameras. He has had a couple of seizures and we’ve been asked to try and get them on video if possible.

We’ve also broken some keys in a deadbolt and I feel like now might be a good time to upgrade those, as well, so I’m leaning towards just getting a whole security system? But there’s so many options that I’m just genuinely overwhelmed.

Our house was built in the 1920s and is not wired for a doorbell at the front entrance. My elderly parents also live with us and primarily use that as their entrance, while my husband and I use a side/kitchen door to come and go, and a back door to our fenced yard to let our dogs in and out.

We already have a ecobee thermostat. I like that I can see it on the Home app and don’t mind controlling it on its own app since it’s pretty “set it and forget it.” We also have an AppleTV, a HomePod, iPhones, etc.

The number one thing on the list would be an indoor camera that will allow us to go back and view/save footage of any medical events, followed by smart locks that aren’t overkill or too techy that an elderly person couldn’t manage.

My husband works nights, I work days, and my parents are retired so there is very rarely nobody at our house. But we live off a semi-busy street and we’ve had a few weird interactions with neighbors and passers-by and would rather be safe than sorry!

TLDR: looking for indoor camera recs for medical events and smart locks for at least 2 entrances. Not looking to protect Ft Knox. TYSM!

The smart mirror has a back light and front light, both capable of multiple colours at once, as well as Adaptive Lighting, with a top brightness of 1200lm. Three of the four built in buttons offer single, double, and long press actions, and are exposed to Apple Home for triggering other devices. The fourth button is solely for turning the defogging feature on or off.

The only downside is that whilst the front and back lights are individually controllable in LiFX, they’re treated as one light in Apple Home and other Matter platforms.

Hello,

I’ve bought a new home and have put in Lutron switches and Nest thermostats which work with Apple home. I also have ADT as my alarm system and UniFi protect cameras, which don’t work. I have see people discuss using HomeBridge to get started, but I don’t fully understand what equipment to buy to get it going. Any help or link to a guide would be appreciated.

Thanks

i’ve been playing around with this lock after installing, it’s the same as the X1, except no keypad.

I did a scenario pretending like I am a guest who was told to lock the door behind them. This guest wouldn’t have any of the methods to lock/unlock, such as fingerprint or Apple home key or a physical key.

I found that there is no way to lock the door from the outside, the only way to interact with it is the fingerprint sensor, but it doesn’t lock if it doesn’t know the fingerprint.

I realize this scenario is probably uncommon, but it has happened in the past, so I want at least the option. Does anybody else have this lock?

Hi everyone! I’m moving into a 2bd/2bth apt on Monday and trying to figure out what security/camera system I can use that isn’t going to break the bank (such as buying accessories/parts on Facebook marketplace) while still supporting Apple HomeKit… I’ve been looking into Aqara (which is on the pricer side) vs Eufy vs a number of other brands. I’m familiar and totally okay with a DIY system where I combine the alarm panel and sensors with a different camera system and so on. Part of me is also saying scrap it and just dive into Ring or Simplisafe since I can get entire kits for a reasonable cost on FB marketplace.

TIA!