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Here's the New 'Home' App for Controlling HomeKit Devices in iOS 10

I missed the iPad as a hub announcement, but that's great news! That was the only feature that had me interested in an Apple TV, but I already had an iPad so win!
 
Ed217 said:
My setup is similar, but perhaps more automatic and based on different gear. All my lights, doors, etc go on and off automatically based on time of day and/or sunset/sunrise. So If I do or say nothing, all works in a timely manner. I can also manually over ride any via watch, phone, PC, Mac, or by just speaking to Alexa (Amazon Echo).

Lights in some areas go on/off automatically based on detected motion. Porch light comes on at night when anything approaches. GPS based arrival does the same. Lights in stairs and other less used area also are motion controlled.

Nest controls A/C and heat. It too has a schedule, but can also be overriden by the same means as lights. Nest is also tired in to my phone so that GPS also sets energy saving settings as I leave and/or arrive. Doors lock when I leave and unlock when I arrive. No action is required at all.

Saying Goodnight also sets things for night, but I can add any phrase I want here to do this or different things. Things like Alert could turn everything on.

I dont use HomeKit at all, as its just far too limited in support for third party products. The combination of Alexa, IFTTT and a variety of OTS third party gear is quite powerful in doing just about everything. For example, I can say "Find My Wife" and a few moments later my phone will speak her current location and address.
Click to expand...
What kind of motion detectors do you use and did you install them yourself?
 
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Now that there is a place I can control home automation easily, in one location, I may now consider smarting up my home. I feel this coming year will see an explosion in demand for smart devices and the Internet of Things
 
05barbs said:
Now that there is a place I can control home automation easily, in one location, I may now consider smarting up my home. I feel this coming year will see an explosion in demand for smart devices and the Internet of Things
Click to expand...

Generally this kind of stuff has been around for decades, but has not been embraced by rank and file home owners. BSR started this kind of things in the 70s (I still have some of that gear in storage). The components from the last 10 years are much better and more reliable (things like Insteon dual band and others).

While HomeKit is a step in a good direction, things like Echo already work much better and support a much wider range of third party products. That said, I've been reading articles saying "next year" is going to be the year of HA...for decades. It will occur, but it still unclear when that "year" will be.
 
azentropy said:
Nice, but disappointed with the lack of 3rd Party support for HomeKit with previous products. I already have Wemo devices, two Nest Thermostats and a myQ Garage door controller. None of which are going to be supported in HomeKit. So basically I would have to start all over again with devices that have HomeKit support
Click to expand...
Google "HomeBridge". Instant HomeKit. You're welcome :D
 
MagnusVonMagnum said:
My point is not to give it a name, but to point out "Home" probably means "home menu" to most people for computers, etc., not "home automation" simply because that's what it's been used for on computers for ages. Thus, seeing a "home" button on an iPhone makes me feel like it's going to go to the startup screen or something.

"Automation" would work well for me. "House" would work for me. "Home" sounds like a menu on the iPhone itself. I assume that Apple called it "HomeKit" for that reason to begin with instead of just "Home". "iHome" would probably tell everyone what they need to know, of course, but Apple seems to have decided to get away from the "i" moniker even though it means "Apple based" to most people (I guess some mean people trademarked some of the names before Apple could).
Click to expand...

My current app to control my home automation devices via Homebridge is already called "Home". I assure you it's not confusing at all. I have to wonder if Apple bought that guy's app or whether he will sue them. He's from Austria.
 
ARK said:
Home app from Apple is worthless. Just stuck on loading accessories and devices.
Click to expand...

Usually related to password entry issues. Once set it works OK.
[doublepost=1474028626][/doublepost]Having been an Insteon user for quite a number of years, and an X10 user before that, the concept for HomeKit seemed worthwhile. The initial potential quickly disappeared when it became apparent and virtually no devices supported it in the initial year or so.

Since that time Apple has made some progress and Insteon and many other firms now offer some HomeKit products. The challenge has been the limitations of HomeKit and hardware support.

HomeKit only on iOS devices
Apple Home app only on IOS 10
No support for macOS
No support for Windows
Limited or no support for motion sensor and other types
Limited support for rules or scheduled actions
Most older HA gear unsupported

I already had two Insteon hubs (2242 and 2245), many light and appliance devices as well as multiple motion sensors, door locks, and other devices. To dip my feet in the HomeKit water, I bought a couple of iDevices switch units. I like these because they are easy to setup, hubless, fast, and work well with HomeKit. I had also moved to using IFTTT for some other HA actions, as they offer some nice options using the Maker app they support.

It didn’t take long to integrate them into my existing iOS app to control them and check things like status. However complex scheduling, rules, and motion sensor actions weren’t possible. So I decided to look for a way to fix all of this.

Here is what I ended up with, after some software changes on both the Windows and iOS sides.

Existing Windows HA system supports HomeKit devices as well
All other existing devices work as before

Scheduling, rules, motions sensors all work the same with HomeKit devices. The same is possible for macOS, but I don’t have the need for that part today.

To do all of this, I did two basic things:

Modified existing Windows software to support this effort
Modified existing iOS app to act as a HomeKit bridge

Suppose I want a HomeKit device to come on at Sunset minus 45 minutes. This is the sequence of events:

1. Create a schedule on Windows part with sunset – 45
2. Reference a device that equates to a HomeKit device
3. At time, Windows software makes a socket connection to a permanent local IOS device
4. IOS device receives request and processes it through a HomeKit API

The process takes about 1 second. It runs as a 7/24 system with lots of schedules, rules, devices and other components.

There may be other ways to do all of this, but this is a first step that works well.
 
I saw quite a few were having the same issue during the beta too. Apparently Apple said it was fixed but it wasn't. I've turned Home off in iCloud, deleted the app and reinstalled, etc. Is there anywhere where you can access HomeKit files that maybe something has corrupted?
 
Last edited:
Configuring Your "Home" in iOS 10​


Beta tested iOS 10 on numerous devices: 2x iPhone 6, iPod Touch 6th Gen (Current), 2x iPad Air 2, Apple TV 4

My Home Automation Devices:
- Philips Hue Bridge 2.0 (HomeKit MFi Compliant)
- August HomeKit Lock (2nd Gen) x2 (HomeKit MFi Compliant)
- ecobee3 HomeKit thermostat w/ x3 Remote Sensors (HomeKit MFi Compliant)
- HikVision Outdoor 2-Way Audio 1080p IP Cam w/ Night Vision x2 (Surveillance Station on a Synology DS716+)
- Chamberlain MyQ for Liftmaster Garage Doors and Gates
- Nest Protects x5
- Amazon "Alexa"

Since iOS Beta 1, the Home app has worked on all devices perfectly. It's tricky when first setting up but follow these steps:

1. Update all devices to iOS 10
2. Connect all devices on the same wireless network
3. Log out all accounts on all devices (Clean slate is necessary as one device will be designated as "Primary"). This is especially important as some devices already configured may delete your HomeKit setup (ecobee3 HomeKit and others do this when removing device from "HomeKit")
4. Decide which iOS device to setup HomeKit (Used my iPod touch 6th Gen)
5. Open the "Home" app and follow instructions:
- Create a home name
- Select "Rooms" at the bottom
- Select the "Entry" (Edit) button in the top left corner
- Select "Room Settings..." (If rooms are listed it is because one of your home devices created "Zones"(aka Floors)/"Rooms". Check each device to ensure "HomeKit" is not setup yet)
- Select "Add Room..." (or select a room you don't want and scroll to the bottom, select "Remove Room")
- Name the room (Take a photo or add one of the room, you must do this for each device as the images do not sync)
- Continue adding rooms until done
- You may arrange the rooms by selecting "Edit" in the top left corner, "Done" in the upper right when finished
6. After establishing rooms, begin adding devices one at a time:
- Select the "+" in the upper right corner
- Select "Add Accessory"
- "Home" will detect HomeKit compliant accessories. Some may require additional steps:
- Philips Hue 2.0 Bridge:
- Assuming your Philips Hue System lights and devices are already configured, simply press the button for discovery (use the "Home" app to configure your Hue system and not the Hue App 2)
- Some are setup within their respective apps:
- August HomeKit SmartLocks:
- Add each one directly at the lock as it used BTLE
- Select the "Gear" icon above each lock
- Configure for "Siri" should appear, follow the instructions to add each lock one at a time, scan the HomeKit code on the back of the magnetic cover when prompted
- Once all SmartLocks are added, select the "Gear" icon above each again to check/configure home settings
- Select "Home Settings" then "Manage Homes", make certain your home is "Primary"
- Configure "Siri Name" and "Room" location for each lock (Front Foyer, Back Foyer, etc.)
- When done, each lock will appear in the "Home" app (It may state a "Firmware" update is required which is coming but functionality using Siri and HomeKit is done, you may add "August" to Amazon's "Alexa" via its app as a "Skill" (not in "SmartHome"). Once added, August locks can only be locked for security reasons using Alexa by this trigger: "Alexa, ask August to lock xxxxxx door." Alexa will respond with a confirmation and whether to check its status and/or the status of other locks)
- ecobee3 HomeKit is best setup using the app:
- Select the upper right corner gear on the main page
- Select "Pair thermostat to HomeKit" (or "Manage HomeKit" and make certain it i
- Select your home (named earlier in the "Home" app)
- Select the "+" sign in the upper right corner and add "Zones" (essentially floors for homes or areas that will have rooms; for example "First Floor", Second Floor", "Third Floor", "Basement", etc)
- The first page will list your "Zones". Select a zone then select "Edit" below the "+" sign in the upper right corner
- Check which rooms you want to include in the zone, repeat for each zone
- If your ecobee thermostat isn't in a zone/room, select it to change its name and room
- Once done, open the "Home" app and your ecobee3 HomeKit thermostat and any sensors will appear.
7. Once all devices are configured using one iOS device, open the "Home" app on that device (listed under "Favorite Accessories")
8. Pressing down on each accessory (~2 seconds) will bring up the settings for that specific item.
9. Each accessory will/may require configuring inside the "Home":
- Example: Philips Hue lights will be ungrouped and not configured to user preferences yet
- Select "Details"
- Select "Accessories" if grouping a set of lights together (select the available lights)
- Return to "Details" and select "Location" (which room, which was created configuring your home earlier)
- Name your lights (Front Lights, Dining Lights, Kitchen Lights, etc)
- Select "Include in Favorites" (the lights will appear as a group with the name you chose)
- Select "Include in Status"
- Follow the above steps for each lighting group
- Select "Done" in the upper right corner
10. Each accessory or group created can be controlled manually by holding down on its icon
11. Each accessory will have different controls and options:
- Lights have a slider for turning them on to a certain brightness and a color option for a preset color or create a custom color
- Locks will have a lock/unlock button
- Thermostats will have a slider with "Mode" and "Details" on the bottom corners. Depending on your thermostat's settings, the slider will always change temperature within those parameters, i.e. maintaining a range - 68 - 74 degrees on my ecobee3, etc. Selecting "Mode" will list its current state and any options ("Off", "Heat", "Cool", "Auto"). Details will display your current home temperature and other statuses depending on your thermostat such as humidity, Motion Detected. Select "Location" to change the room, "Include in Favorites", and "Status and Notifications" to include in status.
- Select "Done" then tap anywhere on the display that isn't a button to return to the main "Home" screen
12. Favorite Scenes:
- Once all accessories are configured (name, grouped, room location, etc.), Favorite Scenes will generate and/or change. Configure or remove "Favorite Scenes" by pressing down on the scene (just as done for an accessory) until the display shows the name of the scene with "Details" at the bottom. Select "Details" to configure the scene by selecting the desired devices and their respective actions. For example, "Goodnight": This scene will lock my doors, change my temperature (ecobee3 will engage "Sleep" mode based on the configuration using the ecobee app), check my camera's, turn off lights (or keep some lights on for security), and more depending on your home devices. Scenes can be removed by scrolling down to the bottom of the scene and select "Delete Scene".
13. Edit and rearrange Favorite scenes and accessories on the main "Home" page:
- Select and hold the "Edit" button in the top right corner of the main homepage
- Scenes and Accessories will "wiggle" indicating they can be moved and rearranged
- Selecting on your home name will display information on your home (Name, Home Hubs, Image, Notes)
14. Inviting others to access your home:
- Once everything is configured you may invite others (grant access) who have iOS 10 installed on their devices
- Invited people will have "Allow Remote Access" by default with the option "Allow Editing" for full control
- "Allow Remote Access": Control accessories and away from location (some accessories may have more security options within their respective apps). (similar to "Guest")
- "Allow Editing": Add and Remove accessories, scenes, and other people (similar to "Admin")
- Each invited person (who should be in your "Contacts") will have a prompt on their iOS device to accept or deny "Home" invitations
15. Rooms:
- Selecting "Rooms" at the bottom middle will bring up each configured room.
- Swiping left or right will navigate you through your rooms
- "Scenes" and "Accessories" will appear for each depending on the accessories in each room (Example: if a room has lights, locks, and a thermostat, respective configured "Scenes" that include those device will automatically show along with the "Accessories"
- Rooms can be edited by selecting either the "List" icon in the upper left corner or the "Edit" icon in the upper right
- Editing a room allows changing its name and adding a custom image (either take a photo or select one)
 
StarkerMann said:
Configuring Your "Home" in iOS 10​


Beta tested iOS 10 on numerous devices: 2x iPhone 6, iPod Touch 6th Gen (Current), 2x iPad Air 2, Apple TV 4

My Home Automation Devices:
- Philips Hue Bridge 2.0 (HomeKit MFi Compliant)
- August HomeKit Lock (2nd Gen) x2 (HomeKit MFi Compliant)
- ecobee3 HomeKit thermostat w/ x3 Remote Sensors (HomeKit MFi Compliant)
- HikVision Outdoor 2-Way Audio 1080p IP Cam w/ Night Vision x2 (Surveillance Station on a Synology DS716+)
- Chamberlain MyQ for Liftmaster Garage Doors and Gates
- Nest Protects x5
- Amazon "Alexa"

Since iOS Beta 1, the Home app has worked on all devices perfectly. It's tricky when first setting up but follow these steps:

1. Update all devices to iOS 10
2. Connect all devices on the same wireless network
3. Log out all accounts on all devices (Clean slate is necessary as one device will be designated as "Primary"). This is especially important as some devices already configured may delete your HomeKit setup (ecobee3 HomeKit and others do this when removing device from "HomeKit")
4. Decide which iOS device to setup HomeKit (Used my iPod touch 6th Gen)
5. Open the "Home" app and follow instructions:
- Create a home name
- Select "Rooms" at the bottom
- Select the "Entry" (Edit) button in the top left corner
- Select "Room Settings..." (If rooms are listed it is because one of your home devices created "Zones"(aka Floors)/"Rooms". Check each device to ensure "HomeKit" is not setup yet)
- Select "Add Room..." (or select a room you don't want and scroll to the bottom, select "Remove Room")
- Name the room (Take a photo or add one of the room, you must do this for each device as the images do not sync)
- Continue adding rooms until done
- You may arrange the rooms by selecting "Edit" in the top left corner, "Done" in the upper right when finished
6. After establishing rooms, begin adding devices one at a time:
- Select the "+" in the upper right corner
- Select "Add Accessory"
- "Home" will detect HomeKit compliant accessories. Some may require additional steps:
- Philips Hue 2.0 Bridge:
- Assuming your Philips Hue System lights and devices are already configured, simply press the button for discovery (use the "Home" app to configure your Hue system and not the Hue App 2)
- Some are setup within their respective apps:
- August HomeKit SmartLocks:
- Add each one directly at the lock as it used BTLE
- Select the "Gear" icon above each lock
- Configure for "Siri" should appear, follow the instructions to add each lock one at a time, scan the HomeKit code on the back of the magnetic cover when prompted
- Once all SmartLocks are added, select the "Gear" icon above each again to check/configure home settings
- Select "Home Settings" then "Manage Homes", make certain your home is "Primary"
- Configure "Siri Name" and "Room" location for each lock (Front Foyer, Back Foyer, etc.)
- When done, each lock will appear in the "Home" app (It may state a "Firmware" update is required which is coming but functionality using Siri and HomeKit is done, you may add "August" to Amazon's "Alexa" via its app as a "Skill" (not in "SmartHome"). Once added, August locks can only be locked for security reasons using Alexa by this trigger: "Alexa, ask August to lock xxxxxx door." Alexa will respond with a confirmation and whether to check its status and/or the status of other locks)
- ecobee3 HomeKit is best setup using the app:
- Select the upper right corner gear on the main page
- Select "Pair thermostat to HomeKit" (or "Manage HomeKit" and make certain it i
- Select your home (named earlier in the "Home" app)
- Select the "+" sign in the upper right corner and add "Zones" (essentially floors for homes or areas that will have rooms; for example "First Floor", Second Floor", "Third Floor", "Basement", etc)
- The first page will list your "Zones". Select a zone then select "Edit" below the "+" sign in the upper right corner
- Check which rooms you want to include in the zone, repeat for each zone
- If your ecobee thermostat isn't in a zone/room, select it to change its name and room
- Once done, open the "Home" app and your ecobee3 HomeKit thermostat and any sensors will appear.
7. Once all devices are configured using one iOS device, open the "Home" app on that device (listed under "Favorite Accessories")
8. Pressing down on each accessory (~2 seconds) will bring up the settings for that specific item.
9. Each accessory will/may require configuring inside the "Home":
- Example: Philips Hue lights will be ungrouped and not configured to user preferences yet
- Select "Details"
- Select "Accessories" if grouping a set of lights together (select the available lights)
- Return to "Details" and select "Location" (which room, which was created configuring your home earlier)
- Name your lights (Front Lights, Dining Lights, Kitchen Lights, etc)
- Select "Include in Favorites" (the lights will appear as a group with the name you chose)
- Select "Include in Status"
- Follow the above steps for each lighting group
- Select "Done" in the upper right corner
10. Each accessory or group created can be controlled manually by holding down on its icon
11. Each accessory will have different controls and options:
- Lights have a slider for turning them on to a certain brightness and a color option for a preset color or create a custom color
- Locks will have a lock/unlock button
- Thermostats will have a slider with "Mode" and "Details" on the bottom corners. Depending on your thermostat's settings, the slider will always change temperature within those parameters, i.e. maintaining a range - 68 - 74 degrees on my ecobee3, etc. Selecting "Mode" will list its current state and any options ("Off", "Heat", "Cool", "Auto"). Details will display your current home temperature and other statuses depending on your thermostat such as humidity, Motion Detected. Select "Location" to change the room, "Include in Favorites", and "Status and Notifications" to include in status.
- Select "Done" then tap anywhere on the display that isn't a button to return to the main "Home" screen
12. Favorite Scenes:
- Once all accessories are configured (name, grouped, room location, etc.), Favorite Scenes will generate and/or change. Configure or remove "Favorite Scenes" by pressing down on the scene (just as done for an accessory) until the display shows the name of the scene with "Details" at the bottom. Select "Details" to configure the scene by selecting the desired devices and their respective actions. For example, "Goodnight": This scene will lock my doors, change my temperature (ecobee3 will engage "Sleep" mode based on the configuration using the ecobee app), check my camera's, turn off lights (or keep some lights on for security), and more depending on your home devices. Scenes can be removed by scrolling down to the bottom of the scene and select "Delete Scene".
13. Edit and rearrange Favorite scenes and accessories on the main "Home" page:
- Select and hold the "Edit" button in the top right corner of the main homepage
- Scenes and Accessories will "wiggle" indicating they can be moved and rearranged
- Selecting on your home name will display information on your home (Name, Home Hubs, Image, Notes)
14. Inviting others to access your home:
- Once everything is configured you may invite others (grant access) who have iOS 10 installed on their devices
- Invited people will have "Allow Remote Access" by default with the option "Allow Editing" for full control
- "Allow Remote Access": Control accessories and away from location (some accessories may have more security options within their respective apps). (similar to "Guest")
- "Allow Editing": Add and Remove accessories, scenes, and other people (similar to "Admin")
- Each invited person (who should be in your "Contacts") will have a prompt on their iOS device to accept or deny "Home" invitations
15. Rooms:
- Selecting "Rooms" at the bottom middle will bring up each configured room.
- Swiping left or right will navigate you through your rooms
- "Scenes" and "Accessories" will appear for each depending on the accessories in each room (Example: if a room has lights, locks, and a thermostat, respective configured "Scenes" that include those device will automatically show along with the "Accessories"
- Rooms can be edited by selecting either the "List" icon in the upper left corner or the "Edit" icon in the upper right
- Editing a room allows changing its name and adding a custom image (either take a photo or select one)
Click to expand...


When you say log everything out of iCloud are you referring to iOS devices, MacBook Pros, MacBooks, AppleTVs, etc... literally everything logged out?
 
ARK said:
When you say log everything out of iCloud are you referring to iOS devices, MacBook Pros, MacBooks, AppleTVs, etc... literally everything logged out?
Click to expand...

Only iOS 10 devices as macOS Sierra doesn't yet support "HomeKit" (iOS 10 Sierra has a new "Home" setting within your main iCloud account along with the usual Contacts, Bookmarks, etc). It's important to disengage iCloud "Home" syncing when starting and only using it on one device until everything is complete.
 
The only iOS10 device in our house is my iPhone. I have done every step you've outlined, deleting home app, resetting keychain, turning iCloud syncing off.
 
Last edited:
It's pretty easy to explain really. The Home app is stuck on Loading Accessories and Scenes. It doesn't work.

Hue Homekit compatible
Wifi
iPhone 6 Plus

Not sure what went wrong. Simply I started app and it's just stuck.
[doublepost=1474090216][/doublepost]Same issue these guys all had.

https://forums.developer.apple.com/thread/48718
[doublepost=1474090283][/doublepost]Also here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...progress-dilemma.1972048/page-2#post-23432241
[doublepost=1474090363][/doublepost]Turn off Keychain, turn off Home sync in iCloud, logging out of iCloud on iPhone, hard rebooting, delete home app, etc. nothing works.
 
ARK said:
It's pretty easy to explain really. The Home app is stuck on Loading Accessories and Scenes. It doesn't work.

Hue Homekit compatible
Wifi
iPhone 6 Plus

Not sure what went wrong. Simply I started app and it's just stuck.
[doublepost=1474090216][/doublepost]Same issue these guys all had.

https://forums.developer.apple.com/thread/48718
[doublepost=1474090283][/doublepost]Also here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...progress-dilemma.1972048/page-2#post-23432241
Click to expand...

Those issues have been resolved. It's important to remove any apps on your device and start fresh. After they have been removed, restart your device, and begin the process.

It's not the app, it's a misunderstanding of how to properly configure your home for the first time, especially as third party app's and their accessories need updating as well.

When all else fails, it's PEBKAC and restart from fresh. :) Good luck!
 
So what are you suggesting? Remove Hue app, remove Huemote, remove Home, turn off Home sync, turn off keychain, restart phone and try again. Ive done all of that.
[doublepost=1474091374][/doublepost]I don't know what PEBKAC means but I shouldn't have to restart from fresh when using Huemote worked fine for months. Home comes along and it's supposed to be the end all of apps and it doesn't do anything but lock up. Your answers really haven't given me any insights on what could be causing the issue either. Other people say it's an iCloud issue. So I'm at a loss here. Guess I'm deleting the Home app, turning Home sync off and just using Huemote or Phillips Hue apps.
 
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