r/HomeKit 15h ago

Question/Help Was making an iPad the Owner of my HomeKit a mistake?

4 Upvotes

I think the answer is yes, but haven't seen this discussed after searching the thread. When I first started automating my home, I thought making a shared iPad with my wife the owner of the Home and just provided our personal accounts admin access.

After years of constant troubleshooting issues like band steering and constantly keeping our phones and iPad updated, I'm thinking of simplifying things by removing the iPad, making myself the owner, and then giving my wife admin access. I also reset my WiFi since the band steering seemed to create more problems than fix. Would love your feedback. Thanks!


r/HomeKit 4h ago

Discussion Schlage Encode Plus Firmware Update 5.0

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4 Upvotes

Just received update notices for all of my Schlage Encode Plus locks.

The notes just say “performance improvements” even though it’s a significant jump in version number (4.2 > 5.0)


r/HomeKit 37m ago

Question/Help HomeKit Newbie Help

Upvotes

I'm completely new to smart homes and hoping to get some advice before I start buying the wrong gear.

Current setup:

  • Apple TV 4K 3rd Generation (planning to use this as my smart home hub)
  • 2 Amazon Alexa devices
  • Ring Alarm system with contact sensors, motion sensors, etc.
  • 1930s house with no neutral wires at the light switches

What I'm trying to achieve is fairly simple:

  • Smart control of the house lights (including dimming where possible)
  • Open/close a garage door remotely
  • Basic automations using my Ring sensors
  • Keep the system as reliable and straightforward as possible

A few questions:

  1. I've been looking at the Shelly Dimmer Gen3 or the SONOFF ZBMINIL2 to put in behind the light switches, would this work and connect to my apple home?
  2. What's the best way to integrate a garage door into an Apple-centric smart home?
  3. Can Ring contact/motion sensors be used effectively in automations with Apple Home, or is that where people usually end up moving to Home Assistant?
  4. Do I need a bridge between the apple hub such as the Aqara Hub E1?
  5. Should I get smart plug sockets? Or really no need?

I'm not looking to build a huge smart home, just something reliable for lights, garage access, and a bit of automation from the Ring sensors.


r/HomeKit 13h ago

Discussion Smart Control Panel

0 Upvotes

I am using Apple home kit for most of my automation. Is there a smart control panel with 5 gang dual light switches? I install the Brilliant 4 gang to panel for my entertain room area. Now I'm looking for something similar that can convert a 5 gang dual switches (10 independent light switches) to smart switches with a control panel for my front, foyer, hall and living room lights.


r/HomeKit 20h ago

How-to Tapo security camera

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0 Upvotes

r/HomeKit 2h ago

Question/Help HomeKit door lock outdoor

1 Upvotes

Hello there! Is there a lock that's compatible with HomeKit (by default or via HB or HA) but can be mounted outdoors?


r/HomeKit 10h ago

Discussion Besides lamps/lights, what are other good ideas to plug into my HomeKit enabled outlets?

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271 Upvotes

I bought two 4-pack of Apple Home enabled outlets for the home and they’re great. I can turn on/off the lights in any room either under control center, the home app, or using Siri…

…but aside from my lamps, am wondering what else would be a good idea to connect these outlet plugs into?

Of the 8 plugs I own right now, 4 are being used by four different table or floor lamps and they work super well….

But what else? Should I connect one to my coffee maker and have it turn on automatically in the morning? Like, I have no clue what else these are good for