I've been searching for a way to control "Hey! I'm home" branded lights for a week or so now.
I really need a physical button to press instead of an app or voice control.
I'm currently using Philips hue which is a doddle to set up, but I've gone down the full home automation route now.
I recently purchased a tuya ZigBee hub and wired smart light switch but this isn't fitting my needs.
Now I've gone with the aqara wireless mini switches and these are perfect! But alas, I cannot get this to control my Hey! Lights.
I figured since the Alexa app has a aqara skill I would be able to do this, but it seems not.
So..
I'm lead down the hubitat/home assistant path.
Has anyone successfully set up a combo of aqara wireless mini switches and hey lights with a hubitat?
I'm fed up of buying things that aren't working, her in doors is going to kick my head in at some point
I am using the Aqara switch running rule to turn on different group of lights. The lights are on a hue hub. The aqara switch is on hubitat. Nothing connected to Alexa since then there would be a delay
I mean no offense, but I find your approach to automating your house to be unproductive.
Most people would pick an automation platform (eg. Hubitat, Home Assistant, SmartThings, Tuya, Homey etc), and then pick devices that are guaranteed to work with the platform/hub of their choice.
But you're going about things backwards. You've picked devices and now want to find a platform/hub that will work control them. "Hey! I'm Home" products are cloud-connected without a published cloud or local API. That is akin to trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.
Maybe you should simply post the automation you want to do and then ask folks here how to do it within the Hubitat supported ecosystem.
The other option is go to the Hey! I'm Home community forums and ask them what they use to control the bulbs.
You will find allot of folks here will simply steer you to a more open platform because well it is open and easier to integrate with. Those bulbs sound like a no go and personally i would return them if at all possible.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I really do appreciate it.
It's not that backwards when you consider that I chose the ZigBee protocol to operate the lights.
Granted, I did assume that the smart lights I chose can be controlled by smart switches/buttons, which they can, just not the way I thought.
I didn't think there would be such a cluster fk of connectivity issues on the same protocol. I guess that's why "matter" is (hopefully) going to sort a big chunk of that out.
I mean, why would tuya ZigBee devices not work with aqara ZigBee devices, it's the same protocol
The situation becomes even more bizarre when you realise that it is possible to mix and match when you have a hubitat. So it can be done with additional hardware.
I think choosing the only part that you interact with (the switch) is the best starting point that you can go for, otherwise you're just settling and compromising aren't you. It makes perfect sense to me (until you get into all the sht mentioned above).
I chose some lights, not the cheapest but much cheaper than hue. I didn't consider that the bulbs themselves had ZigBee connectivity, that's my bad.
They can be controlled via a ZigBee switch which I am doing at the minute.
It's a tuya touch switch, Alexa skills enabled and works. So I'm certain I can control these lights via these new aqara switches, even if it kills me
When it comes to Aqara in particular they use "Zigbee", not Zigbee. It is mostly normal Zigbee, but not quite. It causes many compatibility issues and sometimes even prevents certain devices from working at all with hubs other than Aqara.
Yea, that is the problem, along with the fact they have no way (an API etc.) to allow them to be controlled by means other than their proprietary app. Some Wifi devices can be controlled locally (Lifx, and Kasa are two examples) via Hubitat.
I wouldn't count on it. Some of these companies are going to do what they do, and ignore standards. I also predict that Matter devices won't necessarily expose all options to all devices. Maybe your Hey! bulbs could be turned on, but you can only set color via the Hey! app. Or something like that. Time will tell I guess...
I choose to stick with standard Zigbee or Z-wave devices, and try to choose from known, tested and name brand devices to purchase. Franky I have never heard of Hey! on this forum or Reddit home automation subs, and I read both every single day. That right there makes me suspicious of them.
I would suggest step back, and take a breath and lets start some conversations here with folks. The great thing about platforms like Hubitat that follow the open HA standards is that you can literally do anything. So the question is not how can I, but what do i need to do this with Hubitat.
The problem is there is a ton of stuff out there that may look good at first glance, but lock you into a walled guarden and are less useful when thinking of a bigger picture. There are allot of great folks here that can point you in the right direction for gear for almost anything you can think of.
I try to stay away from smart bulbs in most case. I use smart switches where I can most of the time. Then I use sengled zigbee bulbs for regular lights if i need a smartbulb or Wiz Connected Phillips bulbs if i want scenes or colors. I also personally like Govee LED lights and such at times. Philips Hue bulbs also work with Hubitat directly.
Aqara sensors do come allot because they are fairly cheap, but allot of people sleak of issues with then working reliably. The hub has a compatability liat you may want to review to find sensor for your use cases.
