HomeKit Fix Homekit hubs on Standby after 13.5 upgrade

[ADonnadieuC]

Hello,
I have my Homekit devices using an Apple TV HD (4th generation) working as a Home Hub. Recently after the last 13.5 upgrade on my iPhone and also with the latest upgrade on the Apple TV, it became stuck in Standby within the Home app. I tried solving it by connecting additional Home hubs with iPad but the result was the same; all Home hubs were in Standby. Please any hint as to solve the issue an get the Apple TV to connect again is welcome. The main problem, as you all know, is that now I cannot have remote access to my smart home devices.

So, if anybody helps me solve how can I fix standby mode for my home hub using an Apple TV HD so it connects?

 

[Phil77354]

My understanding of how HomeKit works is that only one hub is active at any point in time. If you select the home icon on the upper left corner of the Home app, then select Hubs & Bridges, it will show you the various hubs you have on your network. One of them will probably show as connected, with the others as standby.

For my home network, I have multiple HomePods, and one Apple TV 4K, and the active ('connected') hub is usually the HomePod that is located in my living room.

 

[ADonnadieuC]

Thank for your reply. That is exactly the problem all hubs show in standby and I cannot find the way to connect one. Now I only have one single hub and still shows in Standby within the Home app. In Apple TV Airplay and homekit shows connected.

 

[Phil77354]

Thank for your reply. That is exactly the problem all hubs show in standby and I cannot find the way to connect one. Now I only have one single hub and still shows in Standby within the Home app. In Apple TV Airplay and homekit shows connected.

Not sure why you don't have ANY active hub, that doesn't sound right - take a look at the similar thread here, it has some good points that might be helpful to you:

HomeKit HomeKit hub changed by itself? Why?

 

[Phil77354]

Here is some information from Apple's support pages that may be helpful to you:

Set up your HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV, or iPad as a home hub - Apple Support

You need a home hub to control your HomeKit and Matter accessories while you're away from home, share control of your accessories with others, and automate your accessories to do what you want, when you want.

support.apple.com

Set up your HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad as a home hub
With a home hub, you can control your HomeKit accessories remotely, grant access to the people you trust, and automate your accessories to do what you want, when you want.

Get started

• Turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple ID.
• Check that iCloud Keychain is turned on.
• Set up your HomeKit accessories in the Home app on your iOS device.
• To set up home automations, control your HomeKit accessories remotely, change user permissions, or stream HomeKit-enabled cameras remotely,1 you need a HomePod,2 an Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD with the latest version of tvOS,2 or an iPad with the latest version of iOS.
• The device that you set up as a home hub must remain in your home, connected to your home Wi-Fi network, and powered on.

1. Apple TV (3rd generation) doesn’t support remote access for shared users or remote access to HomeKit enabled cameras.
2. HomePod and Apple TV aren't available in all countries and regions.

Set up HomePod as a home hub
HomePod automatically sets itself up as a home hub so you can control your HomeKit accessories remotely with the Home app and create home automations. Just make sure that the iOS device you used to set up HomePod is signed in to iCloud with the Apple ID that you used to set up your HomeKit accessories in the Home app.
HomePod isn't available in all countries and regions.

Set up Apple TV as a home hub

1. On your Apple TV, go to Settings > Users and Accounts and make sure that you're signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID as your iOS device.
2. After you sign in to iCloud, your Apple TV automatically sets itself up as a home hub.

To see if your Apple TV is connected as a home hub, go to Settings on your Apple TV. Then go to Users and Accounts > iCloud and look under Home Hub.
Apple TV isn't available in all countries and regions.

Set up iPad as a home hub

1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and make sure that you're signed in to iCloud with your Apple ID.
2. Scroll down and check that Home is turned on.
3. Go to Settings > Home and turn on Use this iPad as a Home Hub.

Check the status of your home hub
You can check the status of your home hub, like if it's connected, in the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.

• On your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch: Tap
  in the upper-left corner. If you have multiple homes set up, tap Home Settings, then tap a home. Look under Hubs & Bridges to see if your home hub is connected.
• On your Mac: Go to Edit > Edit Home. Then look under Home Hubs to see if your home hub is connected. To check the status of a home hub in a different home that's set up in the Home app, tap Homes in the upper-left corner, then click a home.
• On your Apple TV: Go to Settings, then click AirPlay > Room and make sure that you assign your Apple TV to a room in the Home app.

If you have multiple home hubs set up, the primary home hub will show as connected. The other home hubs will show Standby as their status and will take over remote access if the main home hub is disconnected.

Do more with the Home app

• After you set up a home hub, you can create custom home automations in the Home app, or personal automations in the Shortcuts app.
• Use the Home app to manage and securely control your HomeKit accessories on your iOS device or Mac.
• Invite people to control your home in the Home app.
• Get notifications for your HomeKit accessories.
• Ask Siri to turn on lights, adjust the thermostat, and control all of your HomeKit accessories.
• Find accessories that work with Apple HomeKit.

Published Date: October 19, 2019

 

[malcky77]

For me, I have 4 HomePod’s and an Apple TV 4K as possible hubs....they seem to swap around all by themselves as to which one shows as connected....but I’m sure that I’ve restarted each device one at a time and in the order of the possible devices listed in the home app and when the currently connected device restarts, the next one in line becomes the connected hub.

 

[waw74]

Thank for your reply. That is exactly the problem all hubs show in standby and I cannot find the way to connect one. Now I only have one single hub and still shows in Standby within the Home app. In Apple TV Airplay and homekit shows connected.

Have you unplugged them all at the same time?

 

[agsmith87]

Did you work out a solution to this? Mine are all doing this, but they’re on tvOS/iOS 14 betas...

 

[ADonnadieuC]

Did you work out a solution to this? Mine are all doing this, but they’re on tvOS/iOS 14 betas...

I was able to solve it by resetting the Apple TV; afterwards everything worked as it supposed to. So, to my concern I solved it and hasn’t present the problem again.

 

[chris4565]

So, if anybody helps me solve how can I fix standby mode for my home hub using an Apple TV HD so it connects?

Did you work out a solution to this? Mine are all doing this, but they’re on tvOS/iOS 14 betas...

I just had the exact same problem after tvOS 14 and found an easy solution. I made a thread about this. See here. For me the solution was to go into the Apple TV settings on the Apple TV and the go to the HomeKit settings and then turn off and turn back on the home hub functionality. Hope it helps for you too, in case you have this issue again.

 

[robnbill]

I was able to solve it by resetting the Apple TV; afterwards everything worked as it supposed to. So, to my concern I solved it and hasn’t present the problem again.

I'm still having this issue. Tried some of the recommendations.

When you say 'reset' - does that give you a clean ATV that you sign back into? Are there any downsides I should be aware of? Did it become the 'Connected' hub? Thanks

 

[robnbill]

I'm still having this issue. Tried soem of the recommendations.

When you say 'reset' - does that give you a clean ATV that you sign back into? Are there any downsides I should be aware of? Did it become the 'Connected' hub? Thanks

I signed out of iCloud
Restarted
Signed Back In

The ATV was immediately recognized in Home app as Connected

 

[chris4565]

I'm still having this issue. Tried some of the recommendations.

When you say 'reset' - does that give you a clean ATV that you sign back into? Are there any downsides I should be aware of? Did it become the 'Connected' hub? Thanks

So you also tried the solution from my post #10? Just asking because this solution would involve far less work than resetting the Apple TV.

EDIT: Oops, just saw in your next post that you already solved the issue

 

[robnbill]

So you also tried the solution from my post #10? Just asking because this solution would involve far less work than resetting the Apple TV.

EDIT: Oops, just saw in your next post that you already solved the issue

I did try #10 -- including a restart after turning it off - none of those worked.

Signing out (just iCloud) was easy - restart was very fast - and signing back in very quick. I thought it might be onerous - I know it's more painful under iOS since I've been through that.

I do not know when this started (13.5 - ?). I do know I was having some odd issues - including remote access - for a while when I noticed the hubs were all on standby. I checked Reddit, this forum, Apple communities, etc. -- doesn't seem like it is widespread. It's a combinations of events, updates, sequence of updates, who knows, etc. - and it went South for some of us. Thanks

 

[bakudan]

I am experiencing the same issue.
iPad Mini 2 on 12.4.7 and Apple TV 4K on 14.0.2

Restarted the ATV multiple times last night and it seemed fine. It was showing connected at all times before the restart. iPad is also turned on as a home hub (it wasn't before).
However just now I noticed none of my automations were running and found both hubs to be on standby.

Just signed out and signed in again on the ATV and we'll see how it goes.