Revisiting Apple Watch and NFC and controlling HE device

Revisiting a dormant but very much needed project. I want to be able to tap wife/my/mom's Apple Watches on something out side of the garage door to open/close the garage door. I have all of the internal infrastructure - HE, Zooz relay, rules, virtual switches, etc. The home app on the watch and phones work, but looking for something with no need to touch the screen. Just boop and move on.

Is there a way to tap our watch on a mounted NFC tag and send a toggle/button press/switch command to HE via HomeKit? Something else? If so, what exactly do I need to get?

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I suggest you start exploring the Apple and Homekit worlds. Find an Apple Watch app that talks to to 'anything' NFC or Apple Tag and or Homekit and does it the way you want. Then you worry about Hubitat integration.

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I haven't tried this since a few major iOS versions ago -- the convenience wasn't really worth it over alternative options I had, like a button device, voice control, or actual automation -- but I don't remember having any issues with it, like needing to tap on the phone to confirm -- or at least not as long as the device was unlocked (I don't remember if that was a requirement, but it seems possible).

All I did was set up an automation on the phone to hit a RM local trigger endpoint (cloud work work, too if you need it) in response to detecting the NFC tag. I did all the logic on the device, nothing programmed into the tag itself, because that way only my devices, where I set up the automation could use it, and no one could read or arbitrarily trigger a rule (and get my hub ID and access token for the app, etc.) that way.

Alas, I no longer have this automation, and I have no idea where the NFC tags themselves wandered off to, so I won't be much good for confirming that this still works this way, but I imagine things wouldn't have regressed...

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I do the same thing. I have a Apple shortcut automation. All that does is do a get to HE Maker API. I use a virtual switch so I can program it to do whatever I want.

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Not cheap but if you use Unifi network equipment their door access products support Apple Touch Pass where you install a reader outside the garage and can put your phone or watch near it and it can send a webhook to HE to automate something.

With an Apple Watch? Any particular recommended NFC tags?

Just confirming that:

  1. I boop my watch on an NFC tag
  2. have the action run a shortcut
  3. the shortcut simply flips a virtual switch (via Homekit/Home/Homebridge)
  4. HE does something when the VS is flipped.

Ooooof. Yeah, not cheap! Really cool, though. The Pro reader looks neat.

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No, with the phone. Sorry for any confusion.

I just found some inexpensive tags on Amazon. Had them for several years, don’t remember brand .

I had no idea this was so simple. I don't have any NFC tags as yet so tried adding an automation in Apple Shortcuts app and scanned a credit card getting it to toggle a light as a test - it worked first time. I found some useful information on the following webpage.

A Complete Guide to Using NFC Tags with iPhone: Automate Your iPhone, Program NFC Tags, and More - MashTips

That covers how to automate by just scanning without programming a tag as well as how to program a tag, password protect or lock it.

Apparently it's not possible with the Apple Watch. I've just read that although it has an NFC reader, it can only be used with Wallet and Apple Pay which is a shame.

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