Mojave and Home (HomeKit)? iMac can now be a hub?

[Solomani]

Hi all,

Does anyone yet have any experience using the Apple Home app (aka HomeKit) between their Macs (iMac, Mac Pros, etc) and any HomeKit compatible devices like those Hue or Sylvania light bulbs?

I may soon upgrade my iMac to Mojave, and it seems like the HomeKit integration is possibly one of my top reasons for doing so. I was wondering if this new feature will allow the desktop Macs to act like a HomeKit hub?


P.S. — yes I am aware that some brands (e.g. Phillips) forces you to buy and use THEIR own HomeKit app and (physical) hub/bridge in order to work with Apple's Home. But other brands (Sylvania smart bulbs) will allow their devices to communicate directly with the Apple Home app on iPhone, or directly to a HomeKit hub (e.g. an Apple TV, a HomePod etc).

Any input appreciated.

 

[petterihiisila]

I've been using HomeBridge on my iMac for a few months, and it has worked fine. It takes some command line wizardy to get it rolling, but once it is, everything works hands-free over reboots. HomeBridge acts as a bridge for HomeKit, and it supports numerous otherwise unsupported IoT devices.

https://github.com/nfarina/homebridge
https://www.npmjs.com/search?q=homebridge-plugin

Addressing your question: I haven't found a way to make the iMac an online (internet) hub for HomeKit. I have to use AppleTV and iPad for that.

 

[Solomani]

Addressing your question: I haven't found a way to make the iMac an online (internet) hub for HomeKit. I have to use AppleTV and iPad for that.

That's probably because the Home app did not exist on Macs until Mojave was released (a month ago). This is why I am specifically asking Mac users who have updated to Mojave if they find the HomeKit functions useful or if there are limitations.

 

[cruisin]

That's probably because the Home app did not exist on Macs until Mojave was released (a month ago). This is why I am specifically asking Mac users who have updated to Mojave if they find the HomeKit functions useful or if there are limitations.

Home on Mac is similar to Home on iPhone. You can control devices and add new ones but for automation they still want you to get their speaker, apple TV, or an iPad.