HomeBridge is not Apple HomeKit certified, nor is it attempting to become certified.
In contrast, Hubitat is seeking to be a certified HomeKit bridge. And is therefore playing by Apple’s rules.
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Thank you aaiyar that makes sense.
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Now I’m wondering if Rules Machine automations and the Mirror app will be useful for me in Homekit? I assume only if the exact devices I want to control are available in Hubitat?
I have no idea what you're asking, but just to clarify:
- ZWave/zigbee devices for which there are built-in or community drivers can be used in Homekit.
- Virtual devices created with built-in drivers can be used in HomeKit.
- Barrier devices cannot be exported to HomeKit
If you create a Group using Room Lighting (or Groups & Scenes), that virtual group device is created with a built-in driver; therefore it can be used in HomeKit.
Similarly virtual devices used to trigger hubitat automations will continue to trigger those automations when activated from HomeKit.
This is a combination of features that doesn’t exist.
Hubitat’s HomeKit integration allows you to manually control devices paired to Hubitat in the Apple Home app. Or you can create Apple automations in the Apple Home app.
Rule Machine and Mirror are Hubitat apps. There is no way to use them in the Apple Home app.
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I really think the rules machine and the mirror app are amazing and I would love to use them within HomeKit. That was my question and I was following it up by wondering if it would only work for me for devices that hubitat can work with. Can you please explain what a barrier device is?
Could you explain a little further?
Just to clarify. You can trigger a Rule Machine automation from HomeKit. But Rule Machine can only act on devices paired to Hubitat. It cannot act on devices that you have integrated directly, or by other means, into HomeKit.
This is why someone like me prefers to have all of my devices as Hubitat-compatible. So I can run all the automations I need. My use of HomeKit is primarily limited to two things:
- As a Dashboard
- I use an Apple Home automation as one of my presence sensors
Locks, Garage Door Openers, Gates.
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[quote="aaiyar, post:45, topic:108887"]
If you create a Group using Room Lighting (or Groups & Scenes), that virtual group device is created with a built-in driver; therefore it can be used in HomeKit.
Can you elaborate? Are you saying that within hubitat if I created a group of devices - then that would generate a driver that could be exported into Homekit and Homekit could then control all of the devices within the Hubitat group as a group?
Correct.
If you create a Group of devices in Hubitat, that group is a "virtual device" that is created with a built-in virtual driver. Therefore, if you export that group device into HomeKit, you will be able to control it within Apple Home or using a HomeKit Automation.
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Thanks guys I think I’m slowly catching on. On Christmas night when I first learned of this Hubitat/HomeKit integration I’ll admit I knew next to nothing about Hubitat. I built my smart home entirely around Homekit so my Zigby/Z wave device list is near zero. As I started to look around Hubitat’s capabilities I learned how powerful RM is. Obviously HomeKit’s automation capabilities are lacking. I’ve been using the Controller for HomeKit app as it does give more control than HomeKit does for creating automations. I love how customizable RM is. I think what I’m learning is that by creating virtual buttons that are built-in in Hubitat and therefore exportable to HomeKit, I can use these virtual buttons within HomeKit. So I can create customized automations in RM and have them control virtual buttons that I exported into HomeKit, which can then in turn drive automations for HomeKit to control all of my devices. Did I get that right?
As far as utilizing the mirror app. I am trying to get my Rollease Acmeda shades to adjust their percentage to exactly match a Lutron smart plug that I’m using as a proxy. In other words dim, the Lutron smart plug to 71% and have the RA shade track its position to be 71%. I cannot currently do this within HomeKit. I control my RA shades with Bondbridge, however. And since Bondbridge works with Hubitat, as does Lutron, would I be able to use the mirror app within Hubitat to connect a Bondbridge shade to track a Lutron smartplug?
aaiyar I really appreciate your input and you are helping me realize that I don’t have to have just one smart home platform. I tried to go the home bridge and Hoobs route, but it was too messy and complicated. So maybe I can have a Hubitat/HomeKit marriage?
I think this should be possible, as long as that shade is exposed as a dimmer in Hubitat.
And if it isn't, there are other ways of achieving this. For instance, using a Rule Machine rule.
Better yet, I think you will be able to set a dimmer value for the Lutron plug in Apple Home, and have mirror (or the rule) set the shade to a corresponding number
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I have done a lot of research to track down a method of getting HK to have one device track another’s value. I have not been able to figure that one out nor have I found anybody else. I’m either really stupid because it’s the end of the day right now or you are really onto something that not many people know about. Can you expand on how to do this in Apple home?
I don't think you've interpreted what I wrote correctly.
Ahhh, as the value of the Lutron dimmer is changed within HK the HE Mirror adjusts the shade to the same value?
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Also remember while you can't bring things from HK to HE directly, you can use virtual switches. So if you have a rule on HE you can have it change the value of a virtual switch that HK is watching so HK does it's thing. For instance. You have a lock on HE and you unlock it based on a specific code. You can have a rule that says when unlocked, do this, that, and the other thing and also turn on this virtual switch. HK see that virtual switch has turned on and executes it's own rule to do something.
Yes, you get get your API key simply by going to Tempest Settings and your station number should be available in your weatherflow app.
Ugh, why would you bring more cloud services in? IFTTT is not needed for weatherflow.
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rlithgow1 - thanks I think I found the proper five digit station ID and have it entered. I can see in my device list when I click on Tempest a handful of reported values such as wind chill, and feels like. Do you know how I can get wind speed reported into my Hubitat device? And then how I would be able to schedule alerts or rules once that certain windspeed has been reached?
aaiyar - I used the Bond app to add the Bond into my device list. When I open Bond within my devices, I see a box titled configure, and when I click on it, it turns from white to gray, but nothing happens. There is a similar box that says refresh right next to it. I cannot see any of the shades that my Bond controls within my Hubitat and Bond app. So it looks like I have something more to do but I am stuck as to what would be the next step? How can I find my shades within my Bond device?
Wind speed is in there.. (I assume you're using the weatherflow light driver)
Just use custom attributes as the trigger when creating the rule and when you pick the device, all available attributes (see above) will be available to choose.
See here
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OK the wind speed showed up so I guess I just needed to allow it to populate. So I created a basic rule to notify me when the temperature dips below 60° on my iPad. How will it notify me? And the temperature was already below 60 when I set this rule, so will it do anything?
Next question about rules machine. Where is it? I thought it was in my apps, but I was not able to find it there. I searched for it and found it and created a rule using it to notify my iPad and to play a text to sound on my Sonos. I asked it to do so when the wind is at or greater than 5 mph. The wind speed is currently 6 mph so will it notify me? And if so, how? And is the rules machine ever populated within my apps or do I have to search for it each time I want to use it?
You have to configure a notification device. That could be the Hubitat mobile app on an ios or android device. Or there is an integration with Pushover, which is an external app for receiving notifications from many other services. There's also an integration with Twilio, another app that can be used to send SMS messages, and there are more options for sending emails or text-to-speech notifications to smart speakers. So it really depends what might work best for you.
I'm pretty sure the rule won't run til the temperature gets above your trigger and then drops below it again.
Rule Machine is much more complicated than Basic Rules, so it depends how exactly you configured the rule. It's possible that every single time the sensor reports all values above your threshold, the rule will send a notification. The only way for us to know for sure is to see a screenshot of your rule.
According to what you wrote above, the rule will send a TTS to your sonos, so that's how it will notify you.
All apps have to be installed when they are first used, and that includes built-in apps like Rule Machine. Once installed, you should see it in your list of apps. Is it there?
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