iDevices switch/light via HomeKit problem

[ovcrash]

Hi,

I have a iDevices switch. It’s currently connected through the HomeKit component to Home Assistant. HA can control and automate the switch. But now i want to use the HomeKit plugin to “push” the switch to the HomeKit app on my iOS.

i added HomeKit: in my configuration.yaml, without any include or excludes parameters, and the switch never shows up in the HomeKit app on my iOS. In HA the iDevices switch is seen as a switch.

Anybody else having this issue? The iDevice switch is a HomeKit switch, and it’s paired with HA as a HomeKit device, and i really don’t understand why HA can’t forward the switch back to the HomeKit app on my iOS.

Thanks

[jamhap64]

I am having the exact same problem.

[ovcrash]

Hi,

What is the best way to report this? Is it throught github so the dev can look at it?

[jamhap64]

I have added an input_boolean in home assistant that mirrors the state of the idevices switch. Homekit picks up the input_boolean which I named idevices switch. I can now control the switch in HA and homekit. Works great.

[fmon]

Reviving an old post, but I’ve got the same problem, and there’s precious little about this issue in the forums… @jamhap64, could you post some further details regarding how you used input_boolean to pull that off? The official HA documentation on that topic didn’t help me out much.

Does anyone know if iDevices is meant to be supported by the HomeKit component anyway? One would think that a switch is a switch, but maybe that’s not the case. I don’t see iDevices in the list of supported manufacturers on the HA HomeKit site, but I don’t know how that plays into expectations.

[jamhap64]

1. Use homekit controller to add idevices switch to home assistant. The idevices switch must be removed from homekit if it is currently paired with homekit. I named mine outdoor_switch

2. Create an input booolean in HA. I named mine hk_outdoor_switch.

3. Create automations in Ha that turn on hk_outdoor_switch when outdoor_switch is turned on and turn off hk_outdoor_switch when outdoor_switch is off.

4. Create two more automations that do the opposite. Turn on outdoot_switch when hk_outdoor_switch is turned on and do the same for off.

5. Now use homekit component to expose hk_outdoor_switch (input boolean) to homekit.

Now when you switch on hk_outdoor_switch in homekit, it will switch on hk_homekit_switch and outdoor_switch in HA.

Seems like a lot of work, but it is only adding 4 simple automations and an Input Boolean to HA.

[jamhap64]

Basically, homekit component doesn’t work with idevices, but it works well with input booleans. So, use automations to make idevices trigger an inout boolean that is exposed to homekit component.

[fmon]

Thanks @jamhap64!

In the interim I was experimenting and found a way to do this without setting up the automations. What I did:

1. same as you said above
2. create an HA switch for the iDevice switch (so make a switch that can be sent to homekit out of one that can’t):

switch:
  - platform: template
    switches:
      test:
        friendly_name: 'Test switch’
        value_template: "{{ is_state('switch.idev0001', 'on') }}"
        turn_on:
          service: switch.toggle
          data:
            entity_id: switch.idev0001
        turn_off:
          service: switch.toggle
          data:
            entity_id: switch.idev0001

3. Expose to homekit as per usual. So far this works without any automations… both switches (the one exposed to homekit and the original iDev switch in HA) stay in sync.

[jamhap64]

That is awesome! I’m going to try it this weekend. Thanks!

[fmon]

An update here… after realizing that there’s no way to update the firmware or customize dimmer settings/etc. on iDevices added to HA (because the iOS app doesn’t recognize them), it occurred to me that the easiest way to do this might be to create a virtual switch in HA that can be automated and exposed to HomeKit. Then in HomeKit one could use the automation feature to activate a scene or whatever. Gonna try it this weekend…

[pickerin (Rob Pickering)]

FWIW, this solution works flawlessly…
You can leave the iDevices switches managed by HomeKit
Within HA you need to create a virtual light for each HomeKit light:

# Template Lights for HomeKit
- platform: template
  lights:
    chandelier:
      friendly_name: "Chandelier"
      turn_on:
        #
      turn_off:
        #
      set_level:

Then export this light over to HomeKit:

homekit:                           
  filter:                                         
    include_entities:              
      - light.chandelier                                                       

That will give you a new “light” in HomeKit. From there you need to build four automations in Home.app for full functionality bi-directionally:

1. When HA light turns on, turn on HomeKit light
2. When HA light turns off, turn off HomeKit light
3. When HomeKit light turns on, turn on HA light
4. When HomeKit light turns off, turn off HA light

You should now be able to turn this light on/off from either HA or Home.app. However, the light will remain paired with HomeKit and not HA.

The reason I personally went down this route is that I could never get the iDevices switches to pair with Home.app. If I factory reset the switch, to get it on the WiFi, I had to pair it with HomeKit. When I unpaired it from Home.app, HA wouldn’t pair with it.

If anyone knows how to handle this on the Home.app side with fewer than 4 automations, I’d love to know how. I also cannot seem to manage the dimming either from HA, but that wasn’t really an issue for me.

-Rob

[fmon]

That’s interesting… I managed it using input_boolean.

But now I have this problem:

input_boolean updates in Homekit only after two switch cycles (repeatably)

[pickerin (Rob Pickering)]

Yep, I just switched mine back to lights…works fine.

See over here:

HA boolean to control HomeKit device works every other time

I re-read the entire thread, and it appears there are three options to resolve: Create a second input_boolean for “status” for each device, then create two additional automations in HA (so two input_booleans and 6 automations (4 HomeKit, 2 HA) just to get this to work) Use a different HomeKit application under iOS to assign conditions to the automations Just put them back to lights and have them work flawlessly the way the others work I guess I’ll opt for #3, it’s just disappointing.

[fmon]

Thank you, I’ll try that!!

[pickerin (Rob Pickering)]

Unfortunately, any time you change your device_class (input_boolean, switch, light) you’ll have to rebuild your automations on the HomeKit side as the devices disappear. Oddly, they still sort into the proper rooms, I suppose because they have the same names? It’s kinda weird.

[fmon]

Solution for wall switches anyway: you can add the Currant wall switches to SmarrtThings and port it to HA with no need for a SmartThings hub. Then it comes into HA as a native switch and works reliably when exposed to HomeKit. At $30 each with two controlled outlets, I’d rather spend it than struggle. iDevices products were always problematic for me anyway.

Currant smart plugs

Basic question here with a feature request for those with the skills. After a lot of frustration with a bunch of iDevices smart wall plugs (random rebooting, unable to update, invisible after resets) I branched out and settled on the Currant smart plug (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HKVRGNN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I have to say- this is the best looking plug that I’ve seen, has two separately controlled side-mounted outlets, responds instantly from Currant’s ap…

[Daniel-san (Dan)]

Sorry to high jack this thread - but this iDevice Dimmer has a built in light sensor and motion sensor - can those be exposed to HA?

[fmon]

Mine doesn’t have those features!