smart home

Has anybody else running an Apple Smart Home noticed this: When I make requests to Siri to control devices from my phone or Apple TV, they work very reliably. Almost never have issues. However, when im walking through my house and utilize the HomePod minis I have set up (3 in a way where I can...

I don't understand this. Maybe I am getting something wrong here, but do light sensors simply not exist? I currently have an IKEA setup with a gateway, lights, switches, bulbs etc. but as it is buggy AF (It may be cheap, and it has a wide range of devices, but its frustratingly buggy, so I...

I keep coming around to the idea that HomeKit might not be the one for me anymore and was wondering if anyone else felt the same? I am unable to find decent products (doorbells, I’m looking at you) the products I do find all seem to require their own app or cloud service and when Siri does...

So I have a single Philips Hue gen. 2 bridge, several Hue lightstrips, bulbs, sensors, switches, and two Eve power controllers, and I am trying to get everything to work properly. Back when I set it up, it wasn't Apple Home compatible, so it was pretty straight forward. But I have now moved to...

I’m interested in investing in a couple of SimpliSafe Smart Locks. I like the idea that I can automate doors to lock in case I forgot to do so manually. My question is, are such locks generally safe to use? As in, is it hard to hack or bypass them, or disable them altogether?

Is there a way to set a timer through Apple Home for an ihome smartplug? Checked in the IFTT app but I'm maxed on my free ones.

Deciding if I need a home security system like Simplisafe. I live in a safe neighborhood and I work from home, where I am most of the time. My family regularly opens and closes exterior doors, so I wouldn’t keep the system armed during the day. At night, the doors are locked. It’s $15 a month...

So I recently bought a pack of Wemo mini outlet switches because they announced HomeKit support. Well, that was a bit premature as I'm still waiting for the update, but another reason why I was waiting for Wemo is the integration with Ring (which has been promising HomeKit for ages). In the Ring...

Hi everyone. I'm getting ready to start outfitting my home with smart lights throughout. We have different needs for different spaces, so I've decided to go with a combination of some LIFX bulbs and some Lutron Caseta in-wall switches. Both are HomeKit compatible. I'm on the hunt for a wall...

I've long been baffled by the amount of people talking about smart assistants online and their uses; people genuinely talking about how they like Amazon stuff better because Alexa is better than Siri, talking about buying one product over the other based largely on the smart assistant or how...

Hello, I am looking to add a motion sensor in our walk in closet and in one of our bathrooms. I currently have a Caseta setup, however after reading through their forums, there isn't a motion sensor that works with Caseta switches while it is connected that switch is connected to the hub. I...

I currently have Nest, but am moving to a new condo and am looking to switch so I can HomeKit the place. I was looking at the wires at our current place and according to the Ecobee website I would have to install the Power Extender Kit. I am not sure it is possible with a condo HVAC system as I...

I'm interested in using an iPad as a 'home' control centre and looking for folks who have done it who could provide app recommendations, installation mounting products/hacks/photos and best location in the home suggestions

Hello all, I have an iPad in almost every room in my house mounted on the wall. They control the music in my home, lights, esc... I am wondering if I could connect an external microphone which can be planted somewhere in the middle of the ceiling so that when I walk into a room I can ask it to...

I guess this is the appropriate section - just thought i'd give fellow Mac users a little write up of my experiences between the two mainly for smart home control. Alexa only came out mid October in the UK and we're still missing some features however so far i've not been overly impressed. I...

I know a lot of users on here are advanced users of HomeKit and don't need a tutorial on this but I figured for anyone that is new to HomeKit and doesn't know the particulars around remote access this might be helpful. let me know if there are any other questions.

Hi, I take the chance to quickly introduce myself: My name is Arno and I am an individual software developer since more than twenty years, engaged in many different open source and commercial applications. Since 2010 I'm mainly developing visualization software in the home automation field...