Is there a way to control hubitat from the apple home app? I’m ok with using the hubitat app to create automations and changes to the system. But the dashboards are weird and confusing. So to make things pretty and easier to use for my wife, I’d like to use apple home for things like turning on and off lights, looking at cameras and adjusting the thermostat. I think I’ve heard something about using homebridge or hoobs as an interpreter between home and hubitat but that seems like an expensive way to go about it.
Yes, but you need something like exactly what it sounds like you rejected. 
If you have a Raspberry Pi or similar computer (or the ability to do something similar inside a VM), Homebridge isn't too bad if you can follow directions. HOOBS can be installed easily as well or purchased, ready to go, with their branded hardware.
Otherwise, nothing official.
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This is the way. Its only expensive if you have to buy hardware. Do you have any always-on computers? Or maybe even an older computer you could leave on to try it out. I started with an old laptop and have since upgraded to a mini-PC running a linux VM (which I got for free).
Also, BTW, it is worth it.
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As the others have said, there is no other way. You can run Homebridge on a small energy-efficient computer like an RPi, which can usually be used for multiple other purposes at the same time.
And I agree with @jtp10181 - totally worth it!
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I hope it didn’t come across as outright rejecting homebridge or similar things. I was just asking if there was a less costly answer. I was also asking if it was really even possible. Go figure, 2 minutes after posting this I find another thread that is covering this same subject.
If you want to go down the rabbit hole on a windows machine with a VM, feel free to tag me if you need help. Actually I originally had it running just on windows itself which is even easier, but more of a pain to update when needed (not very often).
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Well, Raspberry Pis are exorbitantly priced right now due to supply chain issues. If you don't have an already-on computer already, there are cheaper, yet equally capable SBCs. A new Odroid XU4 can be had for about $65, and even though they are only 32-bit, they remain amply capable of running Homebridge along with a few other things at the same time.
Haha, I realize the word I used may have been stronger than intended. 
In any case, you would need some "server" to run HomeBridge--Hubitat can't do it natively. As others have mentioned, it shouldn't really be expensive; HomeBridge is free, so you just need the hardware to run it on, and any always-on computer would do (a Raspberry Pi is popular and cheap-ish to both buy and run...if you can find any nowadays with the supply chain issues--but it's not the only option). HOOBS is also freely available, though supporting the project by purchasing either their preformatted SD card or branded hardware is probably more polite to do. There used to be an ease-of-use advantage, but the stock HomeBridge install (with the UI option--I think it's technically optional but was in the instructions last I used them) has improved so much that IMHO it's not worth it unless you really want an out-of-box solution.
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@user1569
I actually find (as you did) that the Home app (or HomeKit as it is called) is something that clients can easily relate to.
However, another point to note:
- you need a apple "hub" to be the recipent of the HomeBridge so that it can be distributed to individual IPhones. This "hub" can be an apple TV, a staionary IPad (always on, always at home), or a min1 HomePod. (Apple seems to be making moves that it wants you to buy a mini HomePod).
- As @aaiyar mentioned, having a RPI (or other sbc) always on, can be a great advantage. I use it to send out sms texts, and emails. I also use it to be a DUC client to let ddyns know of the ip address always. I make use of it for a number of things besides HomeBridge.
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I believe that option is going away. Too many people thought they could take said ipad with them and discovered their home didn't work anymore.
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I had read about that in another forum, and the upshot was that the new and improved feature of Home would only be available on the HomePod and apple TV, but that the "lesser" features would still be available via the IPad.
Since IOS16 isn't out yet, we will have to wait to be sure.
P.S. I have a person that I'm going to build a dashboard for. She has an IPhone, and her husband has an andoid. I was planning on getting her an IPad. Now I'm not so sure.
Maybe, I may just keep that IPad on IOS15, and never upgrade?
I do have an older laptop that I don’t use much
You lost me there at the end. There used to be an ease of use advantage to hoobs but the ui option added to homebridge fixed that. Is I think what you were saying?
Yes. I think HomeBridge UI was not always included (or at least I know my first attempt years ago didn't have it), but it's part of the regular installation and images now from what I can see. I believe HOOBS actually started as a fork of that UI, with the goal of making setup easier. Never tried it, since this is easy enough for me now.
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I have researched it a bit and from what I can tell for a self-install the regular Homebridge with the standard UI is the way to go now. I could not find any reason for switching to HOOBS once I had Homebridge already setup and working.
Here is the instructions if you want to try and set it up on windows. It is pretty easy.
Once that's going you just need the Homebridge and HE integration plugins. I would recommend this one from tonesto7.
If you want your windows machine to auto-login when you boot, official tool from Microsoft
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There is a pre-built image for Raspberry Pi (Getting Started · homebridge/homebridge-raspbian-image Wiki · GitHub) that really simplifies getting it up and running with the Homebridge UI if you go the RPi route.
Ive heard all kinds of things about home assistant. Like that it’s amazing if you understand what is going on and how to work with it but that it needs constant maintenance and tweaking. And from my understanding, homebridge is just home assistant for iOS. So does homebridge share the same need for tweaking and maintenance that home assistant needs?
Not exactly.
I have two homebridge instances running (one for each Hubitat). I haven't updated either in over a year and a half. Basically, they do what I need them to do:
- Allow me to bring Hubitat devices into the Home App
- Allow my to bring my Apple Calendar events into Hubitat
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Home Assistant is more equivalent to Hubitat, it can control your whole system. Some people use it in place of another hub, some people use it together with Hubitat or other hubs.
Homebridge basically just sets up a "fake" iOS hub/bridge device that can talk to the iOS homekit system. This lets you add all sort of devices to HomeKit without needing official Homekit integrations, Homebridge does the integration part for you. Now you can add a bunch of plugins to it as well and add other devices in a one-way fashion to iOS only. Most people on here probably have the majority of devices on Hubitat and just use Homebridge to share those out to iOS through Homebridge.
Not really at all, once I got mine going properly the only thing I ever do is apply updates when they come out and I have never had anything break or stop working on me.
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