HomePod HomePod mini as a HomeHub

[kevigrif]

I’ve recently been having (more) issues with smart devices not responding. They work on their own apps but I get ”the x is not responding” when trying to use Siri.
I think it’s because of the HomeHub which is being automatically used - either a HomePod mini in my bedroom or kitchen. I don’t seem to have the same issues when my original HomePods which are in the same room as my router are the HomeHub. I removed and repaired them yesterday, which seemed to help, but its doing the same again.
Has anyone had similar problems and fixed them?

 

[dotme]

Manufacturer apps often rely on the cloud (your iPhone and the accessory can both see the internet, so you can control the accessory via the manufacturer's cloud server). HomeKit relies on peer-to-peer communication (where your iPhone, or a HomeKit hub, talks directly to the accessory on your network). This can sometimes explain why a manufacturer's app may work fine while the Home app shows "No Response"

When your iPhone is at home, it should be able to talk directly to the accessories (No HomeKit hub necessary) so if you're seeing issues while on the same network as your accessories, the way the network is configured is often the cause.

It's not the gear, it's how it's set up. If it used to work and doesn't now, is there any way to tell what changed? New equipment? A stealth firmware update?

Without knowing your network setup, it's impossible to help. But I would start by making sure there is only one DCHP server active on the network, and there is no AP client isolation happening. TCP traffic including mDNS/Bonjour should flow happily between ethernet, 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks on all Access Points. The free iOS "Discovery" app can help here (Look at the list of HomeKit accessories visible under _hap._tcp) - This is especially important as your HomePods and devices move from one AP to another, assuming you have multiple WiFi APs in your setup. Make sure the network is flat and all devices can see each other.

Hope this helps a bit...

 

[kevigrif]

Ooh this is very technical. Ha.

I'm currently at home and I've just to turn on a light using my iPhone and Apple Watch and both have said "The light is not responding". The bedroom HomePod mini is currently the Hub and I can see that most of my devices (other than my thermostats) aren't responding.

I've just checked my DHCP in my router settings and I think there's only one? I also only have 1 SSID, i.e. it's not split in to 2.4 and 5GHz.

Not sure what I'm looking for using Discovery, but all my smart devices are listed, even though Home is showing them as Not Responding.