HomeKit Getting Started With HomeKit: A Beginner's Guide

[aristobrat]

I have a few homepods in the house, so am assuming one or all of those are acting as hubs?

If it helps, when you're on the main screen in the Home app, if you tap on the top left, it should show you which of your devices is currently acting as the hub.

 

[HDJulie]

IMO, it depends on the specific HomeKit device.

Some HomeKit devices use WiFi to communicate, so they should work anywhere in your house that has WiFi. For me, that's my garage door opener (MyQ Home Bridge), sprinkler controller (Rachio), and a few Best Buy outlet controllers.

Other HomeKit devices use Bluetooth. I think these are typically battery-powered devices like door locks, etc. I don't have any HomeKit devices that use Bluetooth.

Other HomeKit devices use their own proprietorial RF communications via a hub/bridge. An example of this are the super popular Hue lights. HomeKit talks to the Hue hub via Ethernet, and then the hub talks to the light bulbs (spread around house) using RF. Your HomeKit hub itself doesn't talk directly to the light bulbs.

If a device uses bluetooth (such as a Yale Assure lock), then how does the Apple TV (which is the Homekit hub) communicate with the lock?

 

[aristobrat]

If a device uses bluetooth (such as a Yale Assure lock), then how does the Apple TV (which is the Homekit hub) communicate with the lock?

Apple TV HD and 4K have built-in Bluetooth, so they’d use that.

Apple TV 3 doesn’t have Bluetooth so it wouldn’t be able to communicate with the lock. This is probably why only the Apple TV HD and 4K can do Automations (when acting as a Hub).

 

[Phil77354]

If it helps, when you're on the main screen in the Home app, if you tap on the top left, it should show you which of your devices is currently acting as the hub.

I have several HomePods, and also an Apple TV 4K. When I look at the listing of Hubs and Bridges in the Home app, I only see the HomePods. I don't see the Apple TV.

 

[HDJulie]

I have several HomePods, and also an Apple TV 4K. When I look at the listing of Hubs and Bridges in the Home app, I only see the HomePods. I don't see the Apple TV.

Did you enable it as a hub? There's a setting you have to enable on the Apple TV

 

[Phil77354]

Did you enable it as a hub? There's a setting you have to enable on the Apple TV

Thanks, I just figured that out, just before seeing your post.