Can HomeKit and Siri Control SmartThings?

Smart light bulbs and a smart television are usually the first smart home upgrades. Of course, that’s not the end of the story. More and more high-tech gadgets are added to your home. Keeping track of how to operate everything might be overwhelming. One technology that may centrally manage your smart home’s many components is Samsung’s SmartThings platform.

Samsung SmartThings allows you to integrate various smart devices into a unified system. Even if the devices are from different manufacturers, you can still utilize voice commands, automate tasks, and set up routines.

You can integrate Google Assistant with Samsung SmartThings, for instance. Doing so will allow you to use your voice to operate your smart home gadgets. In addition, you may link your SmartThings with Amazon Alexa to accomplish the same goals. Now everyone is asking: can Apple’s HomeKit and Siri manage SmartThings?

Unfortunately, there is no simple way to integrate Samsung SmartThings with HomeKit, so you may use Siri to manage the former. However, connecting SmartThings to Apple’s HomeKit is possible with the help of a third-party app called HomeBridge.

We will use Apple’s HomeKit and the HomeBridge platform to demonstrate how to connect SmartThings to your iOS device. What is Homebridge, and how does it help to bridge the gap between Apple HomeKit and Samsung SmartThings, two of the most popular smart home helpers available today? So, let’s not waste any time and get started.

SmartThings to HomeKit Integration Comparison: HOOBS vs Homebridge vs ATH Bridge vs AddToHomeKit:

Smart Things Setting Up:

What Is Homebridge?

Homebridge is a small, lightweight NodeJS server that sits between your home network and your gadgets, acting as a middleware platform and relaying signals from HomeKit. When you utilize Homebridge, your Apple HomeKit may communicate with third-party systems like Samsung SmartThings that don’t support HomeKit out of the box using the iOS HomeKit API.

Setting up a Homebridge server is the first step in integrating HomeKit with Samsung SmartThings. Once your HomeBridge server is up and running, you may acquire access to SmartThings by installing the corresponding plugin.

All Apple HomeKit devices are supported by Siri. Since SmartThings have been connected with HomeKit, utilizing Homebridge will allow you to command them using Siri.

How can I start Homebridge?

Because HomeBridge is software, a computer is required to execute it. Homebridge is compatible with several OSes and hardware configurations. If you want the most up-to-date installation instructions for the platform you want to use with HomeBridge, check out this page on the HomeBridge Wiki.

HomeBridge must always be active to maintain a connection with SmartThings and HomeKit. Having Homebridge installed on your computer necessitates that it be on at all times. This is a significant problem for computers since they need more energy. Raspberry Pi is my first choice because of its low power consumption.

The HomeBridge Out of the Box System, or HOOBS for short, is a great option if you’re not very computer savvy. The gadget provides a wide variety of useful functions. For starters, it streamlines the installation process.

Besides that, no coding experience is necessary. The HOOBS system handles everything, from installing and configuring plugins to providing support for cutting-edge plugins and periodic updates. This makes it ideal for use with third-party intelligent home automation systems.

But here’s a question: how exactly does HOOBS make it such that HomeKit and SmartThings can work together without any hitches?

Complete Setup Walkthrough: HomeKit + SmartThings via HOOBS

Setting Up HOOBS With HomeKit and SmartThings

The first step in configuring your Homebridge hub is to link it to your local area network (LAN), wireless network, or router. The next step is to sign up for HOOBS as an administrator. To learn more about creating an account, please read on. Installing SmartThings is the next step after creating your administrator account. I’m curious whether you’re a SmartThings user and if you’ve enabled GitHub integration. If you haven’t already, start there.

Once the integration has been activated, it’s time to adjust the parameters. Using the integrated development environment (IDE), you may log in to your SmartThings account. To pick your device’s location, open the Settings app and tap the “My Location” option.

In addition, choose My SmartApps if you want to install the app manually. In this area, you’ll see the “+New SmartApps” button; you can enter your app’s code after clicking it. Then, you can manually install the new SmartApps by clicking the Create option. Then, go to the SmartApps settings and activate OAuth there. Once satisfied with the configuration, click “Publish” to complete the setup.

My Experience:
When I first set up my smart home, I had Alexa, Siri, and SmartThings all running separately. The frustration peaked when I couldn’t use Siri to control devices connected to SmartThings. After days of trial-and-error, HOOBS made my life easy. I now control my Zigbee bulbs, Ring doorbell, and even my old garage opener using Siri—all thanks to this integration.

Now is the time to set up SmartThings for compatibility with Apple’s HomeKit. Simply choose SmartApps from the SmartThings app library to get started. The next step is to set up your SmartThings application inside the Homebridge V2.

The next step is to create your app’s unique identifier, URL, and token. The next step is to check the HOOBS screen for a list of necessary plugins for the integration. The next step is to use Home Bridge Smart Things v2 to install the plugins, after which the previously created data may be added. Now you may begin utilizing Siri to manage your SmartThings setup.

FAQS

Can HomeKit and Siri Control Smart Things?

Siri makes it simple to keep tabs on and operate your Samsung SmartThings devices inside your Apple Home. This enables you to manage your connected devices from afar and see their current status in real-time.

Can only Samsung devices use SmartThings?

Although there are some functional differences between Samsung and non-Samsung devices, the SmartThings app may be used to operate SmartThings hardware and compatible devices on Android and iPhone platforms.

Is ZigBee supported by SmartThings?

The SmartThings Hub has inbuilt Z-Wave and ZigBee radio antennas to connect wirelessly with Z-Wave and ZigBee devices. Regarding Z-Wave and ZigBee networks, the Hub oversees most of the action.

What is the function of Aeotec?

The Aeotec Smart Home Hub is an all-in-one solution for creating a fully customized smart home, from the audio and security systems to the lighting and heating. You may link up to 100 other Zigbee-compatible gadgets to the Hub. You may link up to one hundred Z-Wave devices to the Hub. Allows S2 Security.

Does Aeotec’s hub function similarly to SmartThings’?

The Aeotec Smart Home Hub is identical to the Samsung SmartThings Hub V3 except for the Aeotec name. That’s because the only change between the two devices is that the Hub is now made by Aeotec instead of Samsung.