HomeKit

How is it looking to get HomeKit support?

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Take a look here:

Thanks I will try this. Had homebridge running on docker on my synology once.

A lot of people do that, works wonderfully in my biased opinion :slight_smile:

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This version of Homebridge support for HE is very stable. It takes the load off the hub. I’ve had a very stable hub even after installing this. Was not my previous experience with Homebridge support. @dan.t ‘s version is a great asset and the changes coming to HomeKit make this a must have for iOS users.

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Wait, I must have missed some Apple announcement. :open_mouth:

But not to de-rail this, getting back to the topic: as far as I can tell there are three versions of HomeKit apps currently available for Hubitat: the "classic" tonesto version originally ported from SmartThings, and dan.t's two versions, the "Maker API" one (above) and the "HubConnect" version (other thread). All are, of course, community-created and unofficial on the Apple side, and most (except the Maker API version) involve custom code on the Hubitat side as well that is also not officially supported. This is not to say that any of them don't work well--just something to keep in mind.

I'm still using the tonesto version and haven't had any problems, but some people have reported issues with it causing hub slowdowns. I have my instance running on a hub where I won't notice the occasional minor slowdown, and I also try to expose the bare minimum of devices I need to HomeKit (I just want to control a few devices with Siri, so those plus a few where it's nice to be able to check when away from home without needing to pull up Dashboard or similar). I've heard the above two are even better, and I plan to move them them at some-point when I re-do my HomeBridge setup anyway (in all cases, you do need that running on a "server" somewhere, which can be any always-on computer or something like a Raspberry Pi you could get just for this purpose--I have one running this plus a few similar services).

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Yes, to be clear, I am running the Maker API version. I’m not suggesting that Tony’s work was bad, but in my case it did result in significant hub slowdowns and, while that didn’t entirely go away, they were significantly reduced when I disabled the @tonesto7 version. The latest hub platform 2.1.1.122 is what has eliminated the slowdowns entirely.

I’m thankful for the early work that Tony did. We are all benefiting from it, regardless of which version of Homebridge support works best for you.

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Just switched over from Homey to HE and will try to get HomeKit working soon. Do I really need another PC/device running Homebridge to get HomeKit support in HE? With Homey I had native HomeKit support included...

If I need another computer/device, what is the recommended one?

You need something to run HomeBridge. A Raspberry Pi is an easy, cheap recommendation if you don't already have preferred hardware (I used one for a while myself before moving it to a VM on my NAS). Hubitat doesn't have official suport for HomeKit, and neither do most similar platforms like SmartThings. I think this is unlikely to happen unless Apple relaxes some requirements, which with their recently announced collaboration, they might. Until then, HomeBridge is a way to get lots of "unofficial" devices into HomeKit. It acts a sort of middleman between Hubitat (and lots of other things) and HomeKit. The Hubitat hub can't run all of this on its own as is, so you'll need the HomeBridge piece in the middle, whereever you choose to run it. All I see above is still applicable.

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This is a good Docker image that is well maintained. Can be run on a NAS as well.

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Ha, I have a Synology 918+ so what am I whining about. :slight_smile:
Jsut have to read up about docker but I guess its pretty straight forward.

It would be great if we could get a direct HomeKit integration. Homebridge is just a workaround of a missing feature in Hubitat. Homey could do it so Hubitat should also be able to do it. :wink:

Well, I'm still looking for something to act as a HomeKit Controller instead of something forwarding my devices to HomeKit...
Home Assistant can do that... but I'm looking for something more production ready...

Just looking at Hoobs again tonight. I’ve tried it (I run Homebridge on a Mac at present) and set Hoobs up for my daughter. It’s nice, and the Accessories control panel built into it caught my attention.

They can add devices that HomeKit sees to their Accessories control panel and operate it, or get status. There’s a plug-in that shares Homebridge devices and status with Alexa for use in routines. So it seems like someone capable could create a Hoobs plug-in that could bring all HomeKit devices and their status into HE for use in rules by way of the Accessories control panel in Hoobs.

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