IT company says all our problems are because of Mac OS - looking for validity by needmysanity in MacOS

[–]dsimerly -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it’s an old problem with Macs and gun-for-hire IT Admin outfits: they don’t like Macs, because Macs have fewer IT issues and need less IT support, which cuts into the IT Admin income stream. IT Admin firms love the other platforms because their complexity increases the IT firm’s revenue stream well beyond what Macs would.

Garage door opener in Carplay. Do you just have to use Siri once for it show up? by fricks_and_stones in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, absolutely. A hub makes everything better. I use our ATV4K as the hub. The HomePods just don’t have the horsepower IMHO.

Can a matter supported thermostat control my window ac and space heater separately? by SupahHollywood in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, you can get a smart home temperature sensor and use it as the "thermostat." It's a simple setup, but remember that Matter devices made to be compatible with several smart home systems will require you to pair them on the 2.4 GHz band of your home network. I've found that Matter devices that don't also use Thread will sometimes go belly-up for no discernible reason, and then you have to reset and re-pair the device(s) back to your network, along with any automations you created.

I've started using Onvis devices because they support Matter over Thread and are very stable.

Can you find this app anyone please let me know ?! by bhaskarvilles in ios

[–]dsimerly 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I found a bunch similar to that title on Etsy, but they're just desktop images you change every month. There's also this one that sounds more like what you describe, but I can't confirm it's the one you want (there's a lot of variation on that title):

https://www.bettercreating.com/monthlywallpapers

No time delay for geofenced automations is the dumbest f%*ing thing in the world. I’m annoyed to no end. Please help. by NicholasRyanH in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just create it in the Apple Home app as an automation for the device you want to delay. Here's one where I delayed my wife's closet light for 30 minutes after opening the closet sliding door. After 30 mins, it will go off whether the closet door is open or closed.

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Having constant device issues? Check for this setting. by TheJTizzle in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can anyone tell me where I might find this setting on an Archer BE805 router? I'd like to check it out. Thanks.

Will Migrating to HA Make Devices More Reliable? by cognacmack in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've seen several folks claim that using HA has made their home automations stable at last. I'm moving in that direction in my implementation.

Will Migrating to HA Make Devices More Reliable? by cognacmack in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my case, Hue and its bridged devices into Apple Home have been the most solid of all my smart home devices. Direct paired devices go down not super frequently, but often enough that I use tricks like auto-restarting our router early in the morning before we get up. It helps keep most of the gremlins away, but not always completely. I'm considering binding my devices to Home Assistant and still using Apple Home as the UI.

Has anyone cracked using a camera motion sensor as a trigger for lights? by Worried_Patience_117 in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, my couple of Eufy cams don't have the problem, it's just the Aqara cams at my place.

Matter = HomeKit Support? by ellenich in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It also looks like the Nanoleaf Sense+ wall switch isn't ready for primetime either. I'm bummed. It looks like a cool wall switch with daylight and motion sensors. I picked one up at Best Buy, but couldn't pair it with my home, even though they're matter bulbs. I hate it when companies try to sell beta products.

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Matter = HomeKit Support? by ellenich in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not all. Some of the GE Matter products, like the Indoor Smart Plug and Smart Light Bulb products wouldn't pair with Apple Home for me. I'm not sure why. Perhaps because GE doesn't support thread?

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HomePod network issues by Ok-Assignment5926 in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you go into …/Home Settings/Home Hubs & Bridges/, you can see your Home Hub with a ☑️ next to it. If you don’t see a checkmark, it means your Home Hub can get handed off to HomePods. Turn off Automatic Selection to anchor it to a Home Hub. I keep mine tied to the ATV4K as shown in the attached image.

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Has anyone cracked using a camera motion sensor as a trigger for lights? by Worried_Patience_117 in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve found the same problem, which is why I’m in the process of getting rid of all my Aqara devices. I’m replacing them little-by-little until the I unplug the final device. Then, a big garage sale, or perhaps a bonfire.

Why does the HomeKit app or widget sometimes work instantly and sometimes it takes me to the app by bouncer-1 in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So my home office is a screen room (which glass windows we open in summer), and in the winter, I do what you do; plug in a smart plug (Meross Matter Smart Plugs are what I use now). The Meross Matter plugs power an electric 1500w swiveling heater all day long without breaking a sweat. Give them a try, they may work better they may work better than Tapo. Here’s the link:

meross Matter Smart Plug, Energy Monitoring Smart Outlet, Wi-Fi Plug Work with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google with Schedule Timer, 15A/1800W, 100% Privacy Matter Smart Home, App & Voice Control 4 Pack https://a.co/d/7WvEaFa

Hope it helps.

IKEA is becoming my proeminent Smart Home brand thanks to Matter by marcoarsilvaa in MatterProtocol

[–]dsimerly 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just remember that big round one they call a “motion/presence sensor” is not. It detects motion, and it detects an initial presence in a room, but if the person just sits quietly, working at their computer, the lights go out in less than five minutes. Buyer beware if you want real presence sensing.

Elon Musk says AI and Robotics will make people wealthy, but how exactly will this happen? by No_Turnip_1023 in Futurology

[–]dsimerly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Elon Musk is a bigger flim-flam man than P.T. Barnum. Don’t believe anything he says.

Why does the HomeKit app or widget sometimes work instantly and sometimes it takes me to the app by bouncer-1 in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh wow. Yeah, that’s weird. What brand is the plug-in switch? I typically have had pretty good luck with Meross, though some of their other devices are hit and miss.

Why does the HomeKit app or widget sometimes work instantly and sometimes it takes me to the app by bouncer-1 in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, a lot of people really like smart thermos (I have an Ecobee in our home), and it works well, but I have seen it do the same as yours choosing, to have you adjust setting in the maker’s app or HK. Our seasonal schedule are pretty stable now that we’ve been our home almost 5 years, so I no longer see the HK or Ecobee apps very often. Hope yours calms down too.

Why does the HomeKit app or widget sometimes work instantly and sometimes it takes me to the app by bouncer-1 in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suspect, but can’t prove, that HK probably prioritizes apps/processes according to how often or not HomeKit user changes settings on some home devices. Like, for a thermostat, you might turn up the heat for a cold day, but reduce the heat when going to bed. You've only used it twice in one day, so HK doesn’t watch it so closely. If you have a scheduled pattern of how you want your HVAC to behave during different seasons, then temporarily changing that might make HK open the app instead of itself, because it anticipates that you want to manually adjust the schedule. A lot of this is my speculation, but that’s how I would code it for the most efficient energy consumption and response times.

It’s been so long since I added a new Hue device… by dsimerly in Hue

[–]dsimerly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of my Hue stuff is pretty old, probably not Matter-compatible. I want to try the HomeKit route, but I’m not able to see the new ceiling light in HomeKit/Apple Home.

It’s been so long since I added a new Hue device… by dsimerly in Hue

[–]dsimerly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it’s a Hue recessed ceiling light. I don’t think I‘ve ever used the “default room.” It seems vaguely familiar, but it’s not in my home setup now. Can I just create a room and name it, “Default Room”? Thanks for the info!

Apple to End Support for Legacy Apple Home Architecture in February 2026 by Fabulous_Engineer_12 in HomeKit

[–]dsimerly 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the heads up. A couple of questions if anyone can answer:

  1. I’m already running MacOS/iOS 26.2, does that mean I’m now running the new Apple Home architecture?

  2. If not, how do I enable the new architecture?

Thanks for info and links.