I am building an EASY smart home using Apple's HomeKit. I release a new HomeKit smart home video every Sunday and live stream every Wednesday.
Join me as I transform my home into a HomeKit Smart Home and document every step of the way. Being a huge apple fan and deeply invested into the apple ecosystem, I enjoy trying new products that work with HomeKit and sharing my experiences with you.
HKSV recording either during the night when we are home OR 24/7 recording when everyone is away from the house. How on earth is this basic feature not available yet?!
Another great video. Thanks! I have been on the fence to re-do all my network infrastructure, your video pushed me over the edge. Last week, I went with UDM SE and couple of U6 Pro AP (since I don’t have any WiFi 7 devices anytime soon, not even any 6E devices😂). The setup will serve me for few years before any possible upgrade. The results couldn’t be any better!
Question: Shane when I go to add new device to Aqara App I end up adding it to Home Kit and not to Aqara. How do I prevent this from happening, although I believe I am following the on-screen instructions?
It may depend on which device you are adding. Zigbee devices and Thread Aqara devices act a little differently during the pairing process. If you are adding a zigbee device in the Aqara app, and your Aqara hub is already paired in HomeKit, the child device will automatically show up in HomeKit.
Hey Shane. Do you have any issues with your hubs being in the closet all together like that. Example hue lights no response or other hubs with similar issues?
Hand-off looks great. Doesn’t’t work for me. The HomePod mini just keeps on playing something it wants to play, with no input from me whatsoever. Pathetic. I have to fight with the thing all the time. Garbage. It’s the first time I’ve been truly disappointed with Apple. Very, very, very disappointed. That’s just one example.
When will we get cameras with local built in storage when wifi is down and cloud storage when it's not? Built in battery backup, matter, and color night site would round out the perfect camera. No NVR needed.
Top of the line Mesh - TP-Link. Those phrases should be illegal to put in the same sentence! Just go with Ubiquiti UniFi. Easy AF to install and config, relatively inexpensive. Just buy a peo switch for the AP or go with Poe-injectors. They cannot get power just from your old router!
Hi Shane. I've been watching your videos and learned a lot. I am stumped currently; could you please point me in the right direction? HomeKit is what I run. I am trying to get a Cielo Thermostat to talk to Homekit. It's basically an IR Blaster for my Mitsubishi mini split. It works with Google Home. I also have Hoobs with an old integration for Cielo. Big fail. I have a Casseta hub, Shade Store Hub, and I just bought an Aqara M3 thinking that would do the magic. Perhaps it would have if my Cielo Thermostat was Matter, but it's not. Now I think I still would need the Google hub even if it was. I know the M3 has an IR Blaster, which would solve my issue, but I need that for my other mini-split. Aqara says I need a Google Hub, but since Cielo is not Matter I am not sure that would work. If I keep the M3 it be for its IR Blaster, then maybe for I don't know if I will keep the M3. Doesn't seem to be useful for me. Even though I am going to be getting Aqara sensors for security, they are Matter, and so is Homekit. So I don't think I will need it, unless its one of those devices that need there own hub to intergrate with Matter. Anyway getting back to my Cielo Thermastat. Any ideas.
UniFi is the shit man. It’s so plug and play. Their cameras, door access, wifi, car chargers etc are so user friendly. Plug in in. Click adopt and add a label and it’s pretty much done
The EVE app was a great eyeopener for me. Thank you. Do you generally prefer it over the Home app? Do you have a more uptodate video of how to use it (beside your video from 4yrs ago)?
Personally, I prefer the Home app for general every day use (device control, cameras, etc.) The Eve app comes in handy when setting up more advanced automations using things like conditions or multiple triggers. I have not made a full video on the Eve app in quite a while.
My ecobee will not stay connected to my Deco mesh not matter what i try. And I’ve tried a lot. I finally had to connect it to an AT&T router. It’s solid but now doesn’t show up in HomeKit.
Most of the walls in my house are plaster and lathe so as much as I want to run a Unifi setup, finding a reliable mesh network is probably the easiest option for me
True some are very expensive. But you can also get more affordable mesh systems that just aren’t the top-of-the-line, latest and greatest. I think having multiple access points though is important for most homes over a certain size.
i have a full UNIFI network in my house its overkill for most, but for me & my smart home I love it. Thanks to a lot of your smart home ideas I have made my own & then some.
As much as I love Unifi, I would not recommend it to majority of my friends or family. It is too complicated for your average home owner. Plug-n-Play mesh systems would be much more suitable for the average person.
I future proofed my smart home by moving to home assistant, unmatched compatibility with existing and future devices and even abandoned ones. With almost limitless automation potential. Competitive companies will never design a system that can truly integrate everything together, they all want to build their own ecosystems and grab your data.
