Hello folks,
I'm running a BTicino Gateway controlling over 20 BTicino products and wanted to share my setup strategy, as well as ask for some advice on a rare but annoying issue.
My Dual-Integration Strategy
Currently, I use the HomeKit Device integration as my primary connection, alongside the Netatmo integration as a fallback. All my scripts, automations, and scenes rely exclusively on the HomeKit entities.
I chose HomeKit as the "main" integration because:
- Local Control: It runs entirely locally.
- Speed: Status updates (e.g., stopping rolling shutters at a specific height) are noticeably quicker.
I know many of you might suggest migrating everything to a standard Zigbee coordinator (ZHA/Zigbee2MQTT), but I've held off because:
- Devices would have to be unpaired from the native gateway.
- OTA firmware updates become much more difficult.
- I've seen mixed reports regarding the reliability of these specific devices on generic Zigbee networks. (If you think pure Zigbee is a better solution for this specific hardware, please challenge me!)
The Problem: HomeKit Drops
The reason I keep the cloud-based Netatmo integration active is strictly as a backdoor. About 2 or 3 times over the last 5 years, the HomeKit integration has become completely "Unavailable" for no apparent reason.
When this happens, the Netatmo integration still works perfectly. My gateway is very close to my Wi-Fi access points (I have 2), so I know it's not a network drop. It seems the internal HomeKit service on the gateway just hangs, and the only way to restore it requires a hard reboot via the main power switch. I keep Netatmo around so I don't lose complete control of my house when the HomeKit daemon crashes.
My Questions for the Community:
- Has anyone else experienced these random drops with the BTicino Gateway via the HomeKit Device integration?
- What do you consider the absolute best/most stable integration strategy for BTicino devices in Home Assistant?
Many thanks for your thoughts!