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HomeKit Talking to Siri

RumorConsumer

RumorConsumer

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 16, 2016
1,665
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I have one of these:

store.idevicesinc.com

iDevices Switch

The iDevices Switch is a HomeKit enabled plug that allows you to control, monitor and schedule the power to electronics throughout your home, from wherever you are, using the free iDevices Connected app
store.idevicesinc.com store.idevicesinc.com

It has a light on it as well as a plug that can be switched on and off. I dont care about the light, but the plug is connected to a light in my bedroom. I can say to siri "Hey Siri, turn the switch off (or on)" and the light turns off and on. I can also add it to a scene and say Hey Siri good night. But I want to be able to just say turn the light off and have it know which one i mean. What would I need to change for this to be the behavior? Right now when I say the light, it thinks I mean the onboard light on the thing. I am getting 2 more plugs that are just plugs and maybe this avoids the whole issue. But curious.
 
on the device screen where you control it, hit the gear in the bottom right
change "show device as" to light
that will cause the outlet to respond to "turn off all the lights" or "turn off the bedroom lights"

The night light might also respond, and go on/off, I'm not sure.
 
waw74 said:
on the device screen where you control it, hit the gear in the bottom right
change "show device as" to light
that will cause the outlet to respond to "turn off all the lights" or "turn off the bedroom lights"

The night light might also respond, and go on/off, I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
I see. So pluralizing it. I’ll try it
 
Also, try assigning the outlet a specific name like “table lamp.” If it’s assigned to a specific room like the master bedroom, you can say, “Hey Siri, turn on/off the master bedroom table lamp” and it should just turn off the the lamp it’s controlling. I don’t have an iDevices outlet but if you can rename the onboard outlet light to “outlet night light” then Siri should be able to distinguish between the two. I have a Wemo Mini outlet controlling an amp named the “pool house amplifier” and telling Siri to turn on/off the “pool house amplifier” works that way.
 
Itinj24 said:
Also, try assigning the outlet a specific name like “table lamp.” If it’s assigned to a specific room like the master bedroom, you can say, “Hey Siri, turn on/off the master bedroom table lamp” and it should just turn off the the lamp it’s controlling. I don’t have an iDevices outlet but if you can rename the onboard outlet light to “outlet night light” then Siri should be able to distinguish between the two. I have a Wemo Mini outlet controlling an amp named the “pool house amplifier” and telling Siri to turn on/off the “pool house amplifier” works that way.
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Yeah I’m getting those wemo plugs to simplify things. Thank you for the suggestions and taking the time to write that.
 
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RumorConsumer said:
Yeah I’m getting those wemo plugs to simplify things. Thank you for the suggestions and taking the time to write that.
Click to expand...
Just a heads up, Wemo switched from local app to cloud based service a few months ago and hasn’t been as reliable. I’ve had these for a couple years and never had issues until the switch. May I recommend Meross. They have dual outlets with separate controls in HomeKit and very competitively priced on Amazon. Just make sure it has the HomeKit badge as there are two versions. You essentially get two HomeKit outlets in one package for the price of one.
 
Itinj24 said:
Just a heads up, Wemo switched from local app to cloud based service a few months ago and hasn’t been as reliable. I’ve had these for a couple years and never had issues until the switch. May I recommend Meross. They have dual outlets with separate controls in HomeKit and very competitively priced on Amazon. Just make sure it has the HomeKit badge as there are two versions. You essentially get two HomeKit outlets in one package for the price of one.
Click to expand...
Jesus this is a whole insider market. Yeah thanks for the heads up.
 
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Itinj24 said:
Just a heads up, Wemo switched from local app to cloud based service a few months ago and hasn’t been as reliable. I’ve had these for a couple years and never had issues until the switch. May I recommend Meross. They have dual outlets with separate controls in HomeKit and very competitively priced on Amazon. Just make sure it has the HomeKit badge as there are two versions. You essentially get two HomeKit outlets in one package for the price of one.
Click to expand...
But are both outlets independently namable in Homekit? Or do you need to use the proprietary app?
 
RumorConsumer said:
But are both outlets independently namable in Homekit? Or do you need to use the proprietary app?
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Both independent within HomeKit. Come to think of it, they aren’t even exposed in the Meross app when you connect direct through HomeKit. I named them “Switch 1” and “Switch 2” in HomeKit and the can be shown as one or two separate tiles. Only thing I’m not excited about is they aren’t stackable like the Wemo Mini.

A9159E4E-A863-4260-85FA-347A9E356CFD.jpegAEE79505-BAD0-4C66-8624-890F32A76E2C.png74EC105E-FC71-44E6-8269-65FC41C196D2.png
 
Itinj24 said:
They’re up and coming. They released a ton of HomeKit products in the past year. Their outdoor plug is also phenomenal.
Click to expand...
Yeah I just want steady and simple with this stuff. I tried doing this at the level of the actual bulb and that who product ecosystem looks like a total disaster. You need hubs and no Homekit support and all this ****. Its crazy. Plugs feel like nice and calm.
 
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RumorConsumer said:
Ok got a recommendation for LED bulbs with dimmer and color change?
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Do you need color changing? Personally, after filling my whole previous house with Philips Hue, I would never do it again. First off, the Philips Hue bulbs aren’t very bright. Then the whole dimmer switch debacle was a drain on my soul. Had to get custom covers from Etsy to cover the mains switches which had to be left in the on position. The dimmer switches themselves which ran off the Hue bridge weren’t very reliable. Had to press the button sometimes three or four times for a response. A lot of the bulbs misfired during automations and was damn expensive for that kind of headache. I was running three Hue bridges to cover all the devices and scenes (yes, each press of the dimmer is considered a scene). Since I realized the whole color thing was a novelty and I barely ever used it, I since moved on to smart dimmers/switches in the form of Lutron Caseta and couldn’t be more happy. Outfitted my whole house with EcoSmart LED bulbs (they’re dumb LED bulbs). At this point, the most I’d do with color change LEDs is accent lighting. Maybe some strips and lamps/sconces here and there. Nothing too crazy and they would be automated so no dimmers necessary. VOCOlinc makes some good products at competitive prices of that sort that connect direct to WiFi instead of a bridge. I believe you can use Hue Dimmers for any Homekit device since they are exposed to HomeKit but you’d need the bridge to run them. Hope this helps but what do I know.
 
Edit* After posting, I saw that color changing was right there in your request. I just had to go off on my Philips Hue rant though lol.
 
Fair enough. I know the feeling. I just want to be able to turn the light up and down from my phone, and I think this would ideally take place in the bulb itself in my situation. Its just for one light in a bedroom. I ordered the Hue bridge and then was like what the hell am I doing I dont want all this and returned it before I even got it out of the box.
 
RumorConsumer said:
Fair enough. I know the feeling. I just want to be able to turn the light up and down from my phone, and I think this would ideally take place in the bulb itself in my situation. Its just for one light in a bedroom. I ordered the Hue bridge and then was like what the hell am I doing I dont want all this and returned it before I even got it out of the box.
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Haha Gotchya. Try VOCOlinc. Connects direct to WiFi with its own HomeKit code. I have zero issues with my two. If you’re ok with controlling from your phone, this should be nice and easy. A dimmer to control it is another story but remember, in order for a smart bulb to work, the mains switch has to be on all the time or if someone shuts it, the bulb becomes useless. You can even bypass the switch by connecting the wires behind it directly together and then covering it with a blank wall plate.

VOCOlinc Smart Wi-Fi LED Light Bulb A21 9.5W (60W Equiv.) Multicolor and Whites Dimmable Works with Apple HomeKit (iOS 13+) Alexa Google Assistant No Hub Required 2.4GHz SmartGlow (1 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QSJQM1L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_lTnRFbVGWMCAX
 
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Itinj24 said:
Haha Gotchya. Try VOCOlinc. Connects direct to WiFi with its own HomeKit code. I have zero issues with my two. If you’re ok with controlling from your phone, this should be nice and easy. A dimmer to control it is another story but remember, in order for a smart bulb to work, the mains switch has to be on all the time or if someone shuts it, the bulb becomes useless. You can even bypass the switch by connecting the wires behind it directly together and then covering it with a blank wall plate.

VOCOlinc Smart Wi-Fi LED Light Bulb A21 9.5W (60W Equiv.) Multicolor and Whites Dimmable Works with Apple HomeKit (iOS 13+) Alexa Google Assistant No Hub Required 2.4GHz SmartGlow (1 Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QSJQM1L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_lTnRFbVGWMCAX
Click to expand...
Yep thats the one I just bought. Great recommendation. Leaving the light on as long as the occupant (me) remembers to leave the switch on. Excited for my HomePod Mini to arrive soon as it will be my hub and Im curious if that ultra wide band chip will do any good with automations and proximity detection in concert with my iPhone 12 Pro.
 
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RumorConsumer said:
Yep thats the one I just bought. Great recommendation. Leaving the light on as long as the occupant (me) remembers to leave the switch on. Excited for my HomePod Mini to arrive soon as it will be my hub and Im curious if that ultra wide band chip will do any good with automations and proximity detection in concert with my iPhone 12 Pro.
Click to expand...
That U1 chip seems to be the new hype. Hopefully it delivers something special. Have a few HomePod Minis in the pipe myself 👍
 
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