HomeKit Third-party automation hub?

[chucker23n1]

I've begun to toy around with HomeKit by buying a compatible lightbulb. It's neat; it even works from the Watch with no additional setup (though the delay is a bit much; maybe this will get better with a faster watch?).

One of the missing pieces is the automation tab in the Home app. I don't have an Apple TV or HomePod, and my iPad is often on the go, so I can't use those.

I do, however, have an old Mac always connected to my home network. And I might get a NAS instead soon.

So, question: is there a third-party project I can use to emulate Apple's HomeKit hub behavior? A plug-in for HomeBridge, for example?

 

[TrueBlou]

The bad news is that there isn’t, to the best of my recollection, any third-party project which can fully emulate an actual HomeKit hub.

If you want to get in on things like automation and remote access you’re currently limited to the Apple options.

Personally, I’d look at picking up a cheap second-hand Apple TV.
The 4th generation onwards gives you everything. Or a 3rd generation gives you remote access, but no automation, so that’s no good for what you want.

 

[chucker23n1]

Thanks for your answer, even if it's not exactly the one I was hoping for.

Guess it's time to upgrade my living room…

 

[TrueBlou]

No worries. It is a bit sucky that there’s no other option (yet.) But on the bright side, you can pick up a used Apple TV 4G pretty cheap these days. And I’d say it’s worth it.

It was a long time before I started using automations. But now I wonder how I ever got by without them.

And Homebridge (as you mentioned) is awesome. There’s so many devices you can add that are otherwise incompatible with HomeKit.
[doublepost=1531667960][/doublepost]Oh, one other thing to try.

Get the Elgato Eve app and give it a go.
It has automations and such.
I have a feeling it still needs a HomeKit Hub to use those features, I’ve never tried it without one myself.
But it’s free, works with all HomeKit accessories and it’s a bit more flexible than the Home app, so it’s worth having a play with anyway.

 

[chucker23n1]

Yeah, Eve also uses Apple’s hubs and instead shows me a warning.

But I’ll see if I enjoy it more.

 

[frifra]

Hi, sorry to post in such an old thread but I couldn't find any new ones about that topic.

Is there something by now which I could use instead of a hub to automate things?

I use Homebridge on a raspberry pi which works great. The only thing I cannot do are automations. I know that I could just get a homepod mini, but I am not even sure I am going to automate a lot.

So any news? Would it be possible to automate with Home Assistant?

 

[TrueBlou]

Hi, sorry to post in such an old thread but I couldn't find any new ones about that topic.

Is there something by now which I could use instead of a hub to automate things?

I use Homebridge on a raspberry pi which works great. The only thing I cannot do are automations. I know that I could just get a homepod mini, but I am not even sure I am going to automate a lot.

So any news? Would it be possible to automate with Home Assistant?

It’s been a while since I used Home Assistant, however, you can setup automations with any compatible device added to Home Assistant.

You can of course also use HomeKit integrations with Home Assistant, but the same limitation applies as with any other method. HomeKit can be operated when you’re at home. But for remote HomeKit access, you’d still need a HomeKit Hub - Apple TV/iPad.

So really it depends on your goal. If it’s just to get automations, without worrying about remote HomeKit access. Then Home Assistant should fit the bill.