I’m looking for smart heaters that are Apple HomeKit compatible. It seems to be quite difficult to find, at least in the European market. Does anybody know of any good product?

Doesn’t need to be integrated, just stand alone heater / blower. Want to be able to include it in my automations, scenes, etc.

Thanks a lot!!

I have a humidity sensor in my garage and a ventilator fan on a smart plug.

I want the fan to turn on when the humidity outside the garage is lower than the humidity inside the garage.

I feel like this is a fairly simple automation, or it should be. But my HomeKit automation experience is fairly limited and so far I’ve found this incredibly difficult to produce. I’m almost wondering if it’s possible.

Any help?

A very recent post outlined using a contact sensor for their mailbox, to know when it has been opened. I have a typical (American?) mailbox which is squared at the bottom, rounded on top, and deep’ish. A contact sensor on the inside would have been too complicated, so I opted to use a spare motion sensor (Onvis). I simply attached it to the inside back of the mailbox with some command adhesive Velcro strips (for easy removal). This way it is nicely protected from the elements.

To add a little ‘fun’, I created an automation that when it detects motion it sends me a Pushover notification using a custom sound, the AOL you’ve got mail sound, of course :)

Lastly, I must say I am impressed by the Thread range. From inside the metal mailbox and then about 100 feet to the house, then through a wall to the nearest HomePod mini.

I'm trying to find a Matter compatible LED ceiling light and the only one that seems to exist is the "Wiz Superslim". It is advertised as being Matter compatible, but it turns out that it can't be synced with Apple Homekit, but only with something called "Siri Shortcuts".

Isn't Matter supposed to provide interoperability so you can use the device with any app? This isn't the first time I've seen people complain that X product, despite being Matter compatible, doesn't offer 100% compatibility.

Isn't Matter certification supposed to be given to those who comply with the rules? If not... what's the point of all this?

I’m setting up a new Home with a handful of lights, a door lock, a pair of Apple TVs and three HomePods. However, I’ll be moving out of my parent’s house soon and leaving them with the TVs, HomePods, and a light.

I suspect that I’ll need to be able to do some mild remote troubleshooting, so, should I set myself as the Owner and thus “forever” be stuck with that responsibility, or do I make myself a resident who can leave the Home when I move out if I want to?

Do you guys have any recommendations for roller shade motors for existing shades that I can use an app, and maybe even google home, to open my shades?

I have 6 windows with metal bead ropes that I would like to be able to automate. I saw the RYSE smartshade (wireless), and like that it is cord free. They're expensive at over $160 per unit, and I am also seeing mixed reviews. (also theyre kind of big and bulky)

We have a 4ft wide Pantry with a bi-fold door. it has no light currently and things can be harder to see if we block the kitchen light. I am planning to build some shelving to replace the basic wire ones. I'm adding an electrical outlet an thought about adding a Lightstrip to go around the door frame to light up the pantry from the top and sides. I could probably add a door sensor to turn on the lightstrip when the door is opened and turn off after 5 minutes or something so the light won't stay on when the door is slightly ajar.

I was thinking of either using a HomeKit lightstrip (maybe after 9pm through 6am the lights don't go full 100% brightness) OR I could use any basic lightstrip and a HomeKit Plug to just turn on. I am looking for 16ft of lights and they could just be white, no need for fancy colors or individual light changing.

I have an ONVIS LED Lightstrip that is full color and came in 16ft lengths. overall it is fine, the color and pre-style options use a terrible UI but I don't need the color options it is RGBIC...though with that same thought if I hate the color styling and don't need it then this could work.

Any thoughts on a Lightstrip to use? (I do NOT have HUE and don't plan on it since it needs another hub)

Three of my Minis stopped working and I can’t restore them even with a PC. I get an “Unknown Error” code during the restore. These are not the oldest minis I have, I am afraid the other ones will also try to update and get bricked,

Apologies if this has been discussed already.

My electrician installed 48 single-pole and four three-way Meross wall switches in my second home. I want to connect them to the Homekit with Google Puck dual-band automatic switching Wi-Fi. Here are my issues and setup questions.

When I pull up the Wi-Fi, I can see the switches, but they don't appear on the Homekit or Meross app.

The phone won't pick up the code sticker. Do you have to put them in manually?

When I install plugs right next to each other, how do I tell which ones are which?

Heya,

I'm emulating this setup as close as I can for my office: https://www.reddit.com/r/battlestations/comments/85ikwj/my_music_gaming_room/

Since I don't have trenches or a trayed ceiling, I'm eyeing this Amazon product for the crown molding / diffusing: https://www.amazon.com/JARBIH-Aluminum-Decoration-Luminous-Internal/dp/B0CKP3YN5M

I have 45 total feet of ceiling length to fill (12.5x2 + 10x2) with LED strip, and am looking for the best options.

Requirements: RGBW. I want to be able to have both RGB and normal white options (the soft, bright, cool, daylight etc).

It seems Phillips Hue maxes out at 33ft, so wondering if that's even an option with multiple strips, or if there are better options for my requirements. Any help appreciated!

Has anyone used a Meross WiFi Smart Plug for plugging in a radiator heater or is that a bad idea? it says it's good for up to 15A but I know this heater pulls a lot of power as the lights dim in the room when I turn it on.

Just the other day 3 out of 4 plugs decided to go unresponsive, and turning it off and on didn't get them to reconnect.

It physically still works but no automation would work anyway.

We're using them for some fans so the load itself shouldn't be an issue.

G'day! I just bought a house and I'm starting from scratch. I've also never done any smart home stuff before but I'm already in the Apple ecosystem so I just want to keep it simple and stay in it.

Right now I'm interested in doing some basic things:

• set up 2 outdoor cameras and a video doorbell
• automate a couple of lights (hallway and front door area)
• automate the heating/cooling

Apart from these, I can't really see myself doing much else. I'm not interested in indoor cameras or automating the garage door at all. Also not interested in automated fancy, coloured decorative lighting. I might consider adding an alarm system but I'm not really sold on it at this point.

I know everyone says the latest Apple TV is the best hub out there but tbh I'm not really that keen on getting it since I don't need something that heavy-duty. I don't really stream a lot of TV shows and movies and therefore only have 3 subscriptions and I mostly watch sports on just 1 of those services. So I think a lot of the fun, nifty features for watching content on the Apple TV will be wasted on me.

All that to say, I'm thinking of just getting a Homepod Mini but wanted to ask this community for advice on how that might hold up.

In case it's relevant, I'm in Australia, not currently on the NBN network but internet speeds are pretty damn good. Happy to consider getting on NBN if it really matters though.

Thanks everyone!

This is a weird one. I added the Onvis sensor to HomeKit, no issues. Seems to work as expected. I then tried to create an automation. Selected sensor detects something. Selected the motion sensor. But now my choices are only turns on or turns off, which is not correct for a motion sensor. The choices should be detects motion or stops detecting motion.

Anyone else having this issue? Next step is to reset the device and see if that resolves it, but figured I’d first see if this was perhaps an iOS 18 bug. I had used this same sensor on iOS 17 and did not have this issue.

ETA: Found a workaround where I create the automation using the suggested automation that is shown when viewing the device details, then modifying the automation to do what I want. But still curious if anyone can confirm if they are seeing the same issue. Thanks.

HomePod: Anyone experienced issues specifically with control and streaming on music app? No issue on podcasts or direct airplay

I live in NC, so it is now getting to the changing seasons. This is always a time of hassle for my HomeKit and Ecoobee. During summer, I have my automations adjusting the AC. When we get into winter, my automations will adjust the heat. And, of course, now it is all over the place, so the "auto" is a nice feature. But, all of this means I have to manually adjust several automations (arrived, leaving, goodnight, good morning) multiple times a year to adjust for the change in HVAC controls because of the changing weather.

Is there a better way?!

I have three outdoor iDevice power switches that support Homekit over wifi - but of course, that outdoor wifi connection is pretty unreliable, and they frequently switch on and off randomly.

I've long since moved off iDevices indoors, for Eve - but they don't offer an outdoor switch.

Are there any Matter enabled, outdoor switches I can use?

Setting up my first smart home with HomePod mini, wanting to get a bulb for my lamp as a starter project to get to grips with how it works. Does anyone have any recommendations for smart bulbs for the E14 plug (Preferably with shipping in the UK)

Good evening!

I would like to ask others, whether you have any experience with indoor cameras.

Currently, I have an old Logitech camera (compatible with HomeKit, but glitchy). Therefore, I would like to upgrade with a camera that can be turned on / off via HomeKit app.

I’m not sure that any camera like this exists, but I really want to try to find one.

I have been told that the TP-Link Tapo C225 should be able to do this, but I could not find any video that would back that up.

Also, I should mention that I live in Czechia in Europe, so the compatibility and functions might be a little different here.

Thank you for any information!

Filip

Why?!

I’m trying to find a way to only share certain devices or rooms. I want my kids to be able to control the lights in their rooms, but not necessarily the AC or the other lights in the house. Is there a way to do this?

Hi all. I’m new to “smart home” and how to set things up. But I want to stick with HomeKit ecosystem and so my question is this:

I want to add a doorbell camera. I don’t have a home security system. Doorbell cam is for convenience and basic security for porch pirates and to vett door-to-door salespeople who show up. Do I need 24/7 recording? I don’t think so. And I don’t want another subscription service as I am tired of companies holding features behind a paywall. I did some research and I see that I can “bridge” a Ring doorbell to HSV with Scrypted and thus not enter into a subscription with Ring.

What do I physically need to make that happen is what I am not sure of. Can I establish the Scrypted bridge via my desktop Mac? And then I would need a “home hub “ like an Apple TV or HomePod right? And then obviously the Ring doorbell itself. Thanks everyone.

Anyone with hub suggestions please let me know. I’m also open to doorbell suggestions but my research has led me to these conclusions (right or wrong): Nest: Google abandonment issues, and also cannot escape subscription services even with Scrypted or Homebridge. Logitech Circle: heat issues Belkin Wemo: abandonment issues Aquara: customer service and 6AA batteries on the doorbell Eufy: data leak concerns Ecobee: I have an Ecobee thermostat but the doorbell requires a subscription.

Thanks all.

Check out this article...it would seem that Apple finally going to pivot to HomeKit to make it useable and with the added benefit of leveraging Apple Intelligence.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-10-13/apple-smart-home-plans-new-os-smart-displays-vision-pro-integration-robots-m27kw5m7