I added a matter device directly to my C8. Paired just fine. In the HomeKit integration it says it’s not compatible. How can I get it in HomeKit? Or should I have added it to HomeKit first?
Matter devices are expected to be paired directly to Homekit (and other smart assistants). However, Hubitat is not able to put a Matter device into pairing mode. So, you will need to do the following:
1.) Remove the device from Hubitat
2.) Put the Matter Device into pairing mode and connect it to Homekit
3.) Using Apple Home, put the device into pairing mode to generate a new code
4.) Use the new pairing code to connect the Matter device to Hubitat
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What is the Matter device? If the Matter device doesn't have a corresponding HomeKit device type, then it cannot be exposed to Apple Home via Hubitat's HomeKit integration.
You may wish to pair it directly with Apple Home using the Matter protocol, and then generate a new code in the Home app to pair it with Hubitat.
Also tagging @gopher.ny
This was a device I got awhile back and never did anything with. So just thought I’d play around with it. Anyway, paired it direct to HE. Worked great.
Just as a thought I tried scanning the barcode in the home app. It added there also with no issues. Works fine from either place. By the way, I only tried this after posting above so I appreciate the responses.
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It is a light switch. Within the device info there is the option to add to HomeKit. But in the integration app it says not compatible. Be nice if the toggle wasn’t available if not compatible. I kinda locked things up and had to reboot my way out of it.
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This brings up the question, which would be the best, or preferred way, to have a matter device in both systems?
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It depends. If someone is only using Hubitat, then the device can be added directly to Hubitat. If someone is planning to use another controller as well, the Matter device should be add to one that can generate a pairing code before adding it to Hubitat. While I'm glad it worked out for you, with Apple Home, the preferred way is:
1.) Add device to Apple Home
2.) Use Apple Home to generate a pairing code
3.) Add the device to Hubitat
Hubitat recommends that Matter devices be "natively" added to other smart home controllers rather than use the built-in integrations (see How to use Matter on Hubitat Elevation | Hubitat Documentation).
This is no longer the case. The documentation will be updated when the current beta version of the mobile app is released.
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Since this particular device, even tho it was just a switch, showed up as NOT compatible with the Homekit integration. Is that going to be true with any matter device added directly to HE first? Just curious.
Right, but that is not exactly what I'm saying. Right now, Hubitat cannot generate a Matter pairing code. This is currently true in the beta version as well. Unless it is added in a future beta, Hubitat has to be last out of any Matter controllers that will be used since one cannot use Hubitat to add to another system.
It wouldn't need to be last, just not the first; you can use any controller that supports the feature to generate the pairing code, regardless of when the device was added to that system. It is true that Hubitat currently cannot do so, so I'd personally suggest the same thing you do (not adding Hubitat first, even though you can in the beta mobile app) if you think you'll want to add it to other Fabrics at some point.
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When it is released will Hubitat generate a code for implementation in other platforms or will it just be able to commission the device for Hubitat? If it won't generate a code then if we want to use on multiple platforms we will have to commission the device somewhere else. Is this correct?
Edit: My apologies if you can't talk about that at this point with it being in Beta. I never thought about that.
This is definitely true. Thank you for pointing it out and adding some clarification!
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So the method I used will not necessarily work every time? I added to HE first. Then just rescanned the code in Homekit and it also added there.
By the way, I am not on the Beta.
At the current time, only the latter. So my suggestion would remain adding it to some other system that does support putting the device in pairing mode first before adding it to Hubitat, rather than adding it to Hubitat directly, if you think you'll need this ability in the future. (If you only want to use it with Hubitat: no difference.) Adding this functionality has been discussed before, but I'm not sure there are immediate plans for it.
Not a problem for these! The mobile app betas are public, and that's where all of this magic lies (besides needing a relatively recent public hub platform version to enable that side of things).
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Last night I suddenly noticed something that makes this whole think a little weird. Here is a recap of the sequence of events.
I had a Kasa matter switch that I had picked up some time back and never used. This all started when I thought I would mess around with it.
Hooked it up with a patch cord on my desk. Used the HE app to add it as a matter device to HE. Named it Kasa Switch.
Tried to add it to the Homekit Integration by turning the toggle on. Homekit quit working. I then discovered in the Homekit Integration app that it was unsupported. Turned the toggle off, rebooted hub to get everything back up and working. I then on a whim, scanned the switch code using the Home app and it added there also. Was named Kasa Switch.
Decided to put the switch to use on a backyard light that had a Zwave switch on it. Rarely used that light so thought it would be a good test.
Renamed existing switch to Back Yard Old. Named Kasa switch to Back Yard. Then used Swap Devices to swap them out. Excluded the old Zwave switch. Installed the Kasa switch. Everything worked as intended.
The Home app on my phone showed the Back Yard switch same as it always was from the previous Zwave switch. And it worked from there. It was later in the day when I realized that wasn't the Kasa switch I added using the barcode. That Was still there also. So the switch showed up in Homekit twice. Once as what I added using the barcode and once when I swapped it out with the Zwave.
So when I did the swap, even tho the Homekit integration showed it as incompatible, it still swapped it into Homekit. When I look at the device details in the Home app, it shows as a Hubitat device with the correct device number.
Hope that made sense to someone.
I'm beginning to think this was an excercise in futility. This morning the switch was missing from Homekit. And it didn't work in HE. Did a restart on the switch and got it to repair in Homekit. Then generated a code and got it back in HE as a new device. Hopefully it will stay this time.
EDIT: I had a couple matter plugs that were added to Homekit and then to HE. They also quit working from HE. The only thing I did yesterday was update my hub to 2.4.1.157. But that update seems to mess up the Matter stuff.
Clarification.
I had 2 matter plugs, Third Reality matter night light, Kasa light switch. This morning all of them were no longer working from HE. But still worked from Homekit. I had to repair them all.
There is something else going on in your home. I've been on 157 for a little bit with no issue to my Matter setup. I've got 7 third reality night lights and 5 tapo plugs running fine with everything connected to Hubitat, Apple Home, and Google Home.
What does you internet structure look like? Matter via WiFi and Homekit require strong internet backbones at home to work well. I'm not saying that you do not have one, but this has caused some issues with others (both here and on Reddit).
All of these are relatively close to my router. All of them except the Kasa switch have been working for a couple months or more. the Kasa was the only one I added to HE first. All the others were added to Homekit then to HE. And that seemed to cause some issues in itself. I decided to upgrade to the latest version and thats when all the Matter devices disconnected from HE.
Seems to me there is still something not quite right with the HE being the first connection to a matter device, but that's just my thinking.
