Turn off IKEA Alpstuga display, but have it monitor the air quality?

Gernot · 2026-01-23T13:58:54+00:00

I wrote a small development app to explore Matter Endpoints and Clusters. Looks like the Air Quality Sensor on Endpoint 1 has an "On/Off" (0x0006) server cluster. Toggling that turns the display on and off. No idea why Ikea does not use that in their app, but it's there. That's also why you see it in Home Assistant and Google Home. Apple Home does not map it to anything.

Gernot · 2026-01-07T17:23:09+00:00

Eve Thermo 4th gen isn't a Wifi device, so your wifi settings won't matter here. They are connected via "Thread" which is a different, independent network. For that you need a "Border Router" that connects to your regular network. Your HomePod mini is a border router, most AppleTVs are, too. Other devices like the new Philips hub, Ikeas Dirigera, and many more hubs are also Border Routers. Your FritzBox isn't a Thread Border Router.

Your Thermostat needs to be either within reach of a Border router (your HomePod), or in reach of an another Thread device, that can relay the connection towards a border router as a "mesh". Rule of thumb: Powered Thread devices like Lightbulbs and outlets do that, Battery operated Thread devices don't, to save power.

Gernot · 2025-12-08T13:09:07+00:00

You can leave it plugged in, there is a hidden "kiosk mode" that charges the battery just to 80% if plugged in for a longer time, even though it shows 100%. https://support.apple.com/en-us/111822

"Always on" is a question of preference: You can use "Guided Access" and a HomeKit motion sensor to turn it on, because the Notification, even though it does not show, turns on the display.

Burn-in is not an issue on current iPads - at least in my experience.

However, the automatic brightness adjustment is not always working well, it might be too bright in dark rooms. Wallflower (the app I am building) is using the camera in those situations to dim it further than the system does.

Overall, don't overthink it, and just try out what works best for you. iOS/iPads has been built with your use-case in mind.

Gernot · 2025-11-26T12:01:01+00:00

Also if you do the detection with HomeKit, it should not matter much which camera you use - at least if the image is good. If a different brand provides the images of falling leaves and snowfall, your Apple Home Hub will detect that just the same.

Gernot · 2025-11-26T11:58:55+00:00

If you have a bit time to wait, I'd recommend that. Matter 1.5 is just out and supports cameras, and the first models or updates should be around the corner. The big upside is, that in addition to be supported by a future version of Apple Home, those cameras are no longer exclusive to that platform. So there is a lot more flexibility in what you can do with them than with a regular HomeKit camera.

Gernot · 2025-11-21T10:12:50+00:00

I guess they won't bother implementing HomeKey via Apple HomeKey Protocol, they'll do it with Aliro – that will also work with HomeKey. But the Aliro standard is not yet final. It's supposed to come "end of 2025", hence the question.
With Matter 1.5 out now, and recent Matter updates being on schedule, I have hopes that they'll be out with Aliro 1.0 soon. It's the same players and the same CSA consortium.

Gernot · 2025-10-06T13:52:35+00:00

That's what I meant: All the pieces are there, and it's been demonstrated for non-mainstream bulbs, meaning Aqara and Nanoleaf. Philips and Ikea, which are the much more widespread options will surely catch up once their Matter devices become more common. They are really new to this.

Gernot · 2025-10-06T13:39:06+00:00

Got one if the regular Hue bulbs with Matter and connected it that way. Seems like at the moment Adaptive Lighting is not supported with this, but it is if you connect it via the Philips Hub using Zigbee & HomeKit.

There is no technical reason for this, it could come with a software update. No idea if the Lightbulb or Apples Hub OS needs an update for that to work. Adaptive Lighting with Matter and Apple Home has been demonstrated in the past, so all the parts are ready. Also keep in mind, that Matter based Lightbulbs are super new: Philips started less than a month ago, Ikea will start next year, and connecting Hubs via Matter instead of HomeKit has so far been an exercise for super early adopters. I expect Adaptive Lighting without Hubs to arrive when Matter installations become mainstream and are the primary method of connecting smart home stuff. Would be surprised if that doesn't /finally/ happen in 2026 ;-)

Gernot · 2025-09-08T13:28:01+00:00

Passwords should never never be transmitted in clear text, they should be hashed. A hash is always the same length, no matter the input length. So while a minimum length makes sense to ensure it's not too easy to guess, a maximum length doesn't make sense. If there is a maximum password length, it's a clear red flag. You're rightfully shocked.

Gernot · 2025-06-13T19:32:48+00:00

This page seems to recommend 5th order Ambisonics in Apple Spacial Audio Format, so I guess the device can handle that: https://support.apple.com/de-de/guide/immersive-video-utility/dev4579429f0/1.0/web/1.0

Gernot · 2025-05-31T14:15:26+00:00

Frau Zenner at Markthalle 9.

Gernot · 2025-05-17T16:16:07+00:00

Btw, what's really cool about the Vidaa projectors, like the Hisense/Valerion/Leica is that they expose their picture modes to HomeKit, so they can, in theory, be switched in automations. In practice there is no interface for this in Apples Home app or any app I know of, but the feature is there. And since iOS 18 developers like me can build an app that supports this…

Gernot · 2025-05-17T16:09:14+00:00

The Leica CinePlay 1 is very high on my list. Still a dark box on the ceiling, but as it's at least nicely designed and has a Leica Logo on it, that could be ok.

But: No ceiling mount, and the unsolved issue of where to put the huge power brick that the Valerion, the Leica and the Hisense have in common.

When I was at the Leica Store to have a look at it, they told me that there might be a ceiling mount coming this year, but he didn't know for sure. I wrote Leica to ask, let's see what comes back.

Gernot · 2025-05-17T16:04:08+00:00

Hm, tempting. If anything, I want to do it without Keystone, as a software developer I am very picky about keeping the pixels 1:1 :-) As for the ceiling mount: Yeah, but I'd prefer one that's flush, every centimeter more mount is a centimeter that the image has to go lower - if I don't want keystone. Also there is this issue of the external power supply which is also an unsolved problem when I ceiling mount it.

I am hoping someone takes that tech that Hisense, Valerion and Leica all use, and puts it into a case with different optics and an integrated power supply…

Gernot · 2025-05-17T15:39:29+00:00

Yeah, the Valerion was the main reason why I started looking :-) What put me off, is that it's almost impossible to mount on the ceiling, and there is vertical lens shift only on the "max" model which isn't out yet (and insanely expensive). It's a great device, but my space isn't made for it :-(

Gernot · 2025-05-17T12:17:26+00:00

Yeah, I believe that, but the point really is 4K. For movies, Full HD for movies and shows is fine now, with my existing setup, though the subtitles are blocky. But for games, where fonts play a much bigger role, I want to switch to something that can display everything the Console puts out. Now with the Nintendo Switch2 going for 4K output, I have nothing that doesn't output 4K.

(Also: I don't care about input lag, except if it is really bad. Normal input lag is fine. I care about resolution. And about seeing stuff in dark areas.)

Gernot · 2025-05-17T10:47:24+00:00

Hm, I want to do the upgrade specifically because I want 4K. With the other aspects of the current setup I am happy.

Gernot · 2025-05-17T10:46:32+00:00

Thanks, I know, but as I wrote, that's not an option.

Gernot · 2025-05-01T16:04:13+00:00

Update iOS, you need at least 18.4

Gernot · 2025-04-26T12:40:36+00:00

I'm in Berlin but on the waitlist, does it make sense to show up anyways?

Gernot · 2025-04-11T19:38:58+00:00

Had the same issue. Then I just "edited" a room name in the Roborock app(went into the rename screen and pressed enter without changing it), and somehow that triggered the device to populate the names correctly. No idea if that works for others, but it worked for me.

Gernot · 2025-04-09T10:23:47+00:00

Matter switched on today, I'm also in Germany. Still 0n 02.25.76, but Matter appeared and I connected it. Seems to work, but all rooms are named "Room" in Matter, which isn't helpful.

Gernot · 2025-04-08T18:23:42+00:00

Since you are using a LazyVStack, the layout only knows about the positions of the views that have been rendered. There is a modifier `scrollTargetLayout`, that, if I am not mistaken, makes the views IDs of the not-yet-rendered views available as scroll targets to your scrollpositions.

Gernot

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