Just wanted to check the current best practice for using Siri to control HE devices.
Is Homebridge with Maker API the best/easiest way?
Seen Hoobs mentioned. Whatever that is.
Using the above. Will I be able to control using Siri away from home and the LAN?
HOOBS is simply a very nicely packaged and maintained version of HomeBridge. HOOBS offers ready to run hardware options, however their hardware is not exactly inexpensive. But for those who’d rather not figure out the details of running HomeBridge, it might be attractive.
HOOBS does offer a ready-to-run Raspberry Pi image that can be used on a user’s own RPi hardware. There is now also a HomeBridge RPi image that greatly simplifies getting things up and running. HomeBridge can still be manually installed and run on RPi, Windows, a Linux, and MacOS.
There are two popular HomeBridge Hubitat plugins that can be used to expose your Hubitat devices to HomeKit. I have been using @dan.t’s MakerAPI plugin with great success for many months. Recently, @tonesto7 released a new plugin that utilizes its own App, instead of the MakerAPI app. It appears to be popular and working well.
If you want to be able to control HomeKit devices when away from home, you’ll need an always on AppleTV 4, iPad, or HomePod in your house to act as a HomeKit hub.
Thanks for that comprehensive reply.
So as well as running Hoobs/Homebridge on a Raspberry Pi (have one lying around) I also need another device to act as the HomeKit hub?
Apple is releasing their new "HomePod Mini" in January which you can preorder - it can function as an HK hub too and is $99 USD..
Correct. The “HomeKit” hub, running always on your home network, connects to the Apple iCloud infrastructure. This allows your iPhone to then connect to iCloud and thus be connected to the HomeKit hub in your home when you’re on the road. Also, the HomeKit hub device can run home automations that you create on your iPhone/iPad reliably, whether you’re home or away.
I am looking forward to checking this out. Recently purchased an Ipad for my wife and have preordered the HP mini. I think she is beginning to suspect that her gift was not really for her... 
Go for Homebridge not Hoobs as Hoobs has tweaked the code and plugins and made it their own. Also charging 2.5 times for a pi!! They are making money from other peoples hard work.
Plugin example here:
I found HB fairly easy to install directly. From the instructions on the homebridge website just cut and paste the commands as needed or use the rpi image.
But aren’t they also doing their own work, as you have pointed out?
Here’s @ogiewon’s explanation of what HOOBS is, from above:
What they do might not provide sufficient value for some (particularly enthusiasts that tend to participate in online forums like this one), but that doesn’t negate the work they’ve put into it, IMHO.
I agree. And there are really good instructions directly available on Github. Also, if you have multiple Hubitat hubs and decide to setup multiple instances of Homebridge (as opposed to using Hub Mesh and a single instance), I found these instructions to be handy.
P.S. From my perspective, there's zero reason to have a HOOBS vs HomeBridge debate here. They both work. They're both easy to install. I went with HomeBridge because I already had hardware to run it on.
No way I can begrudge them for making money on their hard work. Many will go this route because building a Pi isn’t for them, and that’s perfectly fine.
However, images for several different raspberry pi with a complete raspian OS and Hoobs already installed for you is absolutely free. They ask for donations but it’s not compulsory. You can get it from there github repo at no cost. Set one up on a raspberry pi zero W for my daughter and it is absolutely brilliant. Perfect for her needs.
And they have even created a control panel that you can use to control and monitor the state of HomeKit devices, at absolutely no cost, and you do not need to be an iOS user. If you consider that they are able to monitor and control devices, it’s reasonable to hypothesize that you can also get that back into Hubitat. Hopefully someone willing and capable will figure that out. It would be a game changer for us and cross-device compatibility on HE.
Lots of shared history between the HOOBS team and HomeBridge folks. I believe that config-ui-hoobs made use of earlier work by oznu.
And that he, in turn, was influenced by config-ui-hoobs while developing config-ui-x for HomeBridge.
So, it’s clear there’s a good deal of camaraderie among both sets of developers, which is excellent.
The unfortunate aspect of the IPad approach is that the IPad will only respond to one and only one voice. The HomePod will respond to a number of voices.
Yeah but what about the HomePod Mini? I have that on preorder. That's going to be my "Homekit hub". I don't really care about voice necessarily only HE device control through the native Homekit interface - just want to get some experience with it.
I have found (and my client found) that response time sucks!
Mind you, it could be because they are controlling Lutron dimmers.
So, is it the Homebridge, is it the Hubitat, is it the Lutron SmartBridge PRO, or is it the dimmer?
I hear you and thanks for the heads up!
A lot of my clients have apple products (moreso than Lutron stuff) and I want to be sure I am up to speed (bad pun) with the issues etc and that I understand how to interface with an existing homekit setup.
My Siri response times are fairly quick (>1 s). I don’t have a Lutron SmartBridge PRO or any Lutron dimmers, but I think you can eliminate HomeBridge and Hubitat as possible causes.
All set up with an old raspberry pi and maker api. Relatively straightforward.
Working well but I have noticed a couple of times Siri has come back with an error along the lines of couldn't communicate with device. Upon immediately re-saying the command it works!
Wondered if there is a timeout or wake-up setting?
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Download the Hubitat app
