My Journey in building my Apple Home Smart home

Introduction
Lets start from the beginning. I moved into my renovated house early 2022, and immediately put my plans for my Apple smart home into action. The goal was simple, since both my wife and I are iPhone users, we wanted something that would be simple for everyone to use, thus Apple Home/Homekit. Prior to moving, I had been researching, and decided on zigbee (local control and response time), in favor of WiFi (interference and no local control), unless i really had no other choice due to price or range/distance. So since i need to control my devices remotely, i had to buy an Apple Home Hub, and i chose the Homepod Mini due to its price.



And since some of my devices do not run homekit natively, i purchased a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB, installed Homebridge on a 64Gb SSD, and used it to bring non-homekit native devices into Homekit.



House Layout
My house is a 2 storey house, and area is quite large. Therefore, I needed to ensure that all zigbee devices would be in range. The idea was to have 1 hub upstairs and 1 below (add more if needed, as ground floor is larger). There is a Maxis wifi 6 mesh router on the ground floor and another mesh router on the first floor.

Things to be controlled
I had a list of items that i wanted to control, mainly:-
1. Autogate - so i can open it without the RF remote
2. Lighting (indoor to be based on time/motion/door opening/closing, outdoor based on sunrise and sunset)
3. Power points - to remotely reset smart home hubs if they are faulty
4. Exhaust fans - to automate based on temperature
5. Fans - to automate based on temperature
6. Air-conditioners - turn on, on demand
7. Main Door lock - so i dont need to bring a key
8. TV - to control using my phone/voice and automate room lighting
9. Home security - remotely arm and disarm the alarm

Products used
Autogate - Ewelink 2CH Smart Switch
Manufacturer App: Ewelink
Homekit - compatible via Homebridge Ewelink Plugin
Sensor used: Aqara Door and window sensor mounted on my gate, so i get a notification if the gate has been opened or not closed. And if it is not closed, i use the aqara M1S hub to sound an alarm after 10 minutes, and send a notification to my phone via the Mi Home app and also in Homekit via Contact plugin.
Remark:
This was one of the items that i ended up using WiFi due to price and also range. I could not place my zigbee hub near enough to the gate, and thus used a WiFi device. But it works well, and i was able to control it via Homekit via Homebridge. Installed it inside my Autogate control panel, connected power to it from my pushbutton wall switch, and the 2 control signals to the Autogate panel. Setup to connect to WiFi was iffy, but managed to do it via compatible mode. Since my gate is a folding gate, needed to use inching mode at 0.5 seconds for each door.


The ewelink switch must be in WiFi range, else it will definitely drop out, it happened quite a few times to me. I ended up using an old Maxis router as a repeater, placed it as near a possible within my house to the gate, and ever since then no dropouts at all. Able to control it via
1. Ewelink App
2. Apple Home App
3. Google Home App
4. Alexa App
5. Samsung Smartthings App

Continued with next post, due to image limit

This post has been edited by epicure: Apr 5 2023, 03:47 PM

Lighting - Aqara/Tuya Zigbee Switches
Manufacturer App: Aqara and Mi Home, Tuya App and DoHome App
I have 2 Aqara Hubs, but use Aqara App and Mi Home app for each. Reason: My Aqara S1E can only connect via Aqara App. So i split my lighting on my ground floor between these 2 apps. Both work great. I also have a Neo and Zemismart Homekit Hub, which works well. I prefer the NEO, as it’s range is further.
Homekit - Compatible natively
Switches used: Aqara E1 non neutral, Aqara E1 Neutral, Aqara D1 Non Neutral, Aqara S1E Switch, MOES Tuya zigbee switches, Tuyago zigbee swiches, tuya zigbee module.
Light fittings used: Do Home Homekit LED Light strip - used behind my TV
Sensors used: Aqara PIR motion sensor, Aqara Door and window sensor
Remark:
These switches are great. They are well built and offer a good tactile feedback. I also liked the look of them, being that they are large pushbutton switches that make a satisfying sound when the relay activates. I use homekit automation to turn on all outdoor lights at sunset, some to turn off when its past mid night, and the rest to turn off at sunrise. For indoor lights, i use the motion sensor to turn on the kitchen pendant light in the evenings, so i dont need to manually turn on the switch, and also a motion sensor to turn on the staircase light when i am walking up and down the stairs. I needed to place the Aqara M1S hubs to ensure that all of the zigbee devices could be reached and not drop off perdiodiically. Placement is crucial. Door and window sensor is used at all entry points to the house, to make sure that they are closed. these are used in conjunction with the alarm system that i have, which also has a door contact sensor, but the zigbee ones do send me notifcations compared to the rather dumb alarm system. All the lights in the house are fully controlled by smart switches, which is great, to use the automations described above.


The Aqara S1E was an impulse purchase, due to it having a screen. But in the end was a useful addition to me. Its placed at the entrance of my house, where most of the switches are. I am able to control 6 homekit scenes, the 3 circuits that its connected to and all other aqara account devices from it. Pretty nifty.





This Zigbee switch is basically a module that is hidden in the switch concealed box. I would have preferred to use a push button switch like the aqaras/tuyas, but relay type of switches dont work in 2-way configuration, and i didnt want to buy another brand, like Lutron, which is not widely available in Malaysia, and is pricier. This switch works well in 2-way configuration. I use it for my staircase light.

This MOES switch is a disappointment. It’s very hollow sounding when pressed, and the relays do not make a sound when activated remotely, so you can’t hear the confirmation that a switch has been turned on. And the LED light is pretty glaring. Will probably replace it some time down the road.

This Tuyago switch, I’m very happy with. The materials, the tactility and the response is great. I used this generally in bedrooms, paired to either the Zemismart or NEO homekit hubs. It emits a soft white glow through a tiny little LED. Not distracting at all.

This post has been edited by epicure: Apr 5 2023, 04:03 PM

Power-points - Dohome Homekit power plugs, Ewelink Power plugs and Tuya Power Plugs
Manufacturer App: Do Home, Ewelink and Tuya
Remark: These are basically used to remotely reset the hub if it is not responding. I chose wifi for most of these plugs, because if the hub is not responding, the corrresponding zigbee plug would also not respond. However i also do have some zigbee smart plugs from tuya incoming, to extend my tuya zigbee mesh range.

Exhaust fans and fans - Normal ceiling exhaust fans and Xiaomi Bladeless Tower Fan
Manufacturer App: Mi Home for the tower fan, and Aqara/Tuya to control the exhaust fans
Homekit: Xiaomi Bladeless Fan brought into Homekit via Homebridge MIOT plugin
Remark:
I use a Tuya Temperature sensor to automate the exhaust fans and fans. Once the temperature in the house is above 28 degrees, all exhaust fans would turn on, to remove the heat in the ceiling/roof.


Air-conditioners - Daikin
All the airconditioners in my house are Daikin Brand, wifi enabled. Unfortunately, they are not homekit compatible and no homebridge plugin is available for them, because they are protected by a subscription paywall. However, they are Google Home compatible, and i can control them there. I dont automate these aircons based on temperature, cos i dont really need to pre-cool the room/house. If anything, i just remotely turn them on before i enter the room.

Main Door Lock - Aqara D100
Manufacturer App: Mi Home (funnily not supported by the Aqara app)
Homekit - compatible natively
Remark:
I wanted a Door Lock that had no moving parts, and this was perfect for me. To enter, use thumbprint, NFC card, password, app or manual key. Battery lasts around 8 months of usage before needing a recharge. Uses USB C to recharge. I automated the door unlock with the lights, so anytime i open the door, the lights at the entrance would turn on. Solidly built, and responds well. I use a Xiaomi smart plug, which acts as a bluetooth hub, to connect this D100, so i can receive notifications on who has entered the house, based on the fingerprint.




TV - Sony Bravia GoogleTV/Homekit TV
Manufacturer App: Google Home/Apple Home
Homekit - Natively supported
Remark:
This TV is a Google TV (latest version of android TV) and supports Homekit. I automate the TV, once it turns on, the LED lighting behind the TV turns on, and the relevant downlights are turned off.

Home Security - Alarm System, CCTV, Doorbell
Remark:

I use a normal alarm system, with contact sensors and vibration sensors throughout the house. Also have photo-beams installed. Unfortunately not able to link to homekit or google (and dont plan to, as i spoke to them), but they have their own app, so i can remotely arm and disarm the alarm system. Maybe down the line, i will replace the control panel which can link to homekit or google home, since all the wired sensors are plug an play between other brands.

The CCTVs that i use are a mix between wired cameras and IP cameras. All are brought into Homekit via Homebridge FFMPEG plugin. Brand for my CCTV is Imou. Works well, response time is fast, and price is affordable.


Doorbell that i use is a battery operated Tuya smart doorbell. Im not too happy with this doorbell, as it’s slow to respond, maybe due to it not being wired. Ill probably change it out with the Aqara G4 which was just released, IF it is weatherproof to malaysian rain and sun.

Other Devices
I also have Google Nest Minis around the house. Using Homebridge, I can setup dummy switches that link to google home automations. So, when a door is open, the Nest Minis will announce to us that that door has been opened, or has been open for XX minutes. I also use the google home mini to setup time based reminders, such as feeding the dog, or talking to the kids via broadcast (which i use the Homepod Mini’s intercom feature for too).

Final Thoughts

Although my smart home journey has not ended, I’m mostly pretty happy with the sytem that has been built. There are hiccups along the way, like the reliabilty of Apple Homekit itself, which is resolved part by part via their software updates.

Things that i like:-
The FFMPEG plugin for doorbell allows me to link my doorbell to homekit, so when it is pressed, there will be a snapshot send to my phone. It also rings the Homepod with a doorbell ding dong sound. Currently my Tuya doorbell is google home supported, so all the Nest minis will also announce to the house that someone pressed the doorbell. Pretty nifty. My old dumb doorbell did not have video, and was very low in volume, could not hear it if i was upstairs.

PIR motion sensors are neat, they just make you feel like you have a smart home. The feeling wears off after a while, but it is rather convenient.

Sunset/Sunrise and time based automations are very useful. When Im away from home, traveling, or going home late, the lights would turn on. This doesnt leave my house in darkness.

Temperature automations are very useful, as the exhaust fans expel heat from the ceiling and roof, which is where most of the heat is trapped. I love this automation. I have it that once the temperature goes below a set temperature, the exhaust fans shut off.

Devices that i don’t like that i will probably replace:
Tuya Smart Doorbell - too slow, volume low
MOES light switches - very hollow when pressed, and quality is pretty cheap
Do Home smart plugs - not very reliable, because they are WiFi Based. They drop out constantly and are not able to be controlled. The Ewelink and Tuya WiFi smart plugs are more reliable.

This post has been edited by epicure: Apr 3 2023, 01:21 PM

Things i would like to get next

1. mmwave sensor for toilets. I’ve seen some ceiling mounted options from tuya which are zigbee based.
2. more door sensors
3. flood sensor for to use outdoors - to notify me if its raining (rather than checking the cctv)
4. smoke sensor for the kitchen
5. gas leak sensor for the kitchen
6. some more zigbee smart plugs to widen my zigbee mesh

This post has been edited by epicure: Apr 4 2023, 09:04 AM

Current Network Topology of my smart home



This post has been edited by epicure: Jan 10 2024, 03:15 PM

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Excellent post and sharing, thanks. I know u mentioned using homekit as youre apple use, but after doing this, on hindsight, would you have preferred other system instead?
Also, do you think the level of automation is enough?

Hey there Minolta

Hindsight being 20/20, i dont regret choosing Homekit. It’s still my preferred choice, due to :-

1. Design - simple and direct
2. Local control - really quick compared to manufacturer’s apps
3. Built into my iPhones and iPads - quick native access

Other things worth mentioning :-
1. Google home does not support sensors such as PIR motion, therefore lack of automations. As a matter of fact, google home’s automations are really really bad. It still exists as more of a voice-centric smart home solution, rather than automations. It does time based automations well, but the other ones arent really granular.

2. Homebridge - really suited for me. I basically just use it to bring the non-homekit native products into homekit and create my automations from there. I am not really that granular in my automations, because it would drive me crazy during troubleshooting if i have too many if statement automations/shortcuts.

3. Home Assistant. I actually loaded up home assistant on my Raspberry Pi, and it was too granular. Too overwhelming for me. For certain users that want to get into zigbeemqtt and nodered, its awesome, but i just dont have enough time and energy to overthink things. I just need things to work and homekit is simple enough, yet offers enough variety in their automations for me to use. Otherwise, there are also 3rd party apps like Eve which offer deeper automation choices.

4. I find myself using both homekit and google home. Homekit for direct control and automations of devices, and google home for voice based reminders which siri cant do. I use google assistant on my nest mini to remind me of things that i need to do throughout the day, and also to verbally speak out the status of the doors and gate, open or closed or open for xx minutes. The nest minis are good for some ambient music too, cos i subscribe to youtube premium, and thus have ad free music on all the nest minis. I cant justify paying for an apple music subscription due to their pricing and also the fact that i only have one homepod, and its basically used as a hub rather than a speaker.

If theres anything else you want to share or discuss, just hit me up. I love to talk and learn more about smart homes and automations and finding new devices that are useful for daily life.

Hi, I am interested to add smart control to my house autogate as well using HomeKit. But is this possible if I have no backup battery installed in the autogate motor?

I read your post and the devices needed are the raspberry pi (RM700+) and the ewelink device (RM30). Is the raspberry pi worth the money? as it seems like for that price, I can get a decent desktop spec to run homebridge.

Can you further elaborate on this set-up for better understanding? Thanks.

What is the difference between homebridge and home assistant?

This post has been edited by xkaizoku: Nov 30 2023, 12:13 PM

Hi there

You don’t need a backup battery in the autogate panel, it’s just there as backup in case of power failure

To me, its very worth the money for a Pi4. I managed to grab a 8GB model, somewhat future-proofing. To me its worth it cos it’s self contained, and i just keep it in my electrical riser/cabinet with active cooling (2 android box cooler fans running 4 hour shifts). It doesnt take up space, and it’s running headless. I just SSH into it now and then to update node.js and the plugins.

Homebridge just brings your non-homekit compatible devices into homekit. It’s my preferred choice, as i like to control everything in HomeKit cos of its simplicity. I only fall back on manufacturer’s apps if theres a fault.

Homeassistant is very powerful but to me kinda messy. You can bring many devices into home assistant and controlled within homeassistant. Homekit devices can br brought into homeassistant too. But if you are a tinkerer, you can dabble into HA, and then even Node-RED. I just don’t have that type of time anymore with work and kids.

Okay thanks, there seems to be a new model Pi 5. Did you buy the desktop kit that comes with the power supply?

How did you do the active cooling rotating 4 hour shifts?

I read up some guides and it seems like:
1) Set-up homebridge in Pi
2) Use iPhone to scan HomeKit QR on the screen of Homebridge to add 'accessory'.
3) From here, I add ewelink plug-ins to Homebridge. Then, how does the ewelink autogate receiver connect to homebridge? Abit confused here.

Can you briefly sketch/type out your overall set-up design? Like which hub/device connect to what to where. Does the Pi just needs to connect to power supply or lan cable to router as well? Is the apple tv/pod hub necessary in this case if using homebridge?

Thanks a lot.

Do you plan to buy and try the Tapo Doorbell model?

This post has been edited by xkaizoku: Jan 1 2024, 12:20 PM

would you know of any 1-gang/2-gang UK wall socket which are Homekit compatible? Sadly Aqara does not have it and the only one i found was from Lightwave... at GBP80 each.

Yup there is a Pi5 now, but i think it works the same, basically faster and more expensive.. haha. I just got the Pi4, with the power brick and usb cable. I didnt get the keyboard etc.

For the 4 hour shifts, its quite simple. I have 2 cooler fans (the android TV type), below the pi4. They are both powered via 5V1A usb adapters on separate wifi sockets. So, every 4 hours, one wifi socket turns on, the other turns off. This goes on every four hours. Before i installed these larger fans, i had the pi fan installed inside the Pi, and it brought the running temperature down from 90 degrees to 60 degrees. Still kinda how. Now with the larger fans, its running at 48 degrees. One day i probably will install larger fans. The cooler the better.

For homebridge, u just follow the guide to install onto your SD card or SSD (i use this as i read long term sd cards can fail). Then once u run it, u scan the homebridge QR code with your iphone and add it as a bridge into homekit. THen you go back to homebridge, and then install the ewelink plugin. The plugin will allow you to key in your ewelink credentials. You must have installed the ewelink autogate switch already inside the ewelink app. THe plugin will auto add the devices into homebridge, and thus, homekit.

Hmmm. Not able to sketch now but ill kinda list it out below, hopefully its easy to understand

1. Apple Home Hub (Apple TV or Homepod/Homepod Mini) - the main apple hub
1.a. Apple Homekit devices connected/controlled directly by the Home Hub e.g. Aqara, Tuya, (via their hub, or matter over thread or matter over wifi)

2. Homebridge via Pi4 connected to router using Lan cable
2.a Non compatible homekit devices brought into Homekit via homebridge plugins e.g. ewelink (sonoff), xiaomi, cctvs (dahua, hikvision etc via ffmpeg or cameraui or etc)

I wont be using a dedicated camera doorbell. I use my traditional doorbell which is hooked up to a Sonoff MiniR2. I also have one of my gate cctv (Imou Bullet) in homekit, so when the doorbell is pressed, the camera acts as a doorbell viewer, and sends me a snapshot of the person at the gate, and the homepod rings, my aqara M1S rings, my Tuya zigbee siren rings. I get a notification in homekit saying the someone rang the doorbell with the snapshot, and i can talk to the person using the imou app. Works ok for me

This post has been edited by epicure: Jan 4 2024, 03:59 PM

Are you asking about the wifi plugs? If so, then the homekit compatible ones are quite pricey. I did buy some DOhome brand ones, that are homekit compatible, but they always disconnect from Homekit, and i never use them in homekit anymore. I just use them in their manufacturer app.

The more economical way for me was to get a tuya homekit compatible hub like zemismart or Neo, and then get a zigbee plug. With that, all these plugs will work in homekit.

If youre talking about the actual wall socket itself, as in the 13A switch socket outlet on the wall, then you can look at the zigbee ones from tuya OEM manufacturers like smatrul, and then add to homekit via a tuya Homekit hub (zemismart/neo). Should work just as well, but i havent bought or tried these before.

ok thanks, so need to set up switch inside ewelink first. Can I know how to connect the ewelink receiver to the autogate board? I saw that the product does not come with wires too.


Don't really understand 😅, so 1 & 1a is for Apple Hub and Homekit devices while 2 & 2a is a different (not connected) line with Pi4 as the hub and non-compatible homekit devices. If I plan to use the ewelink switch, only need to buy the switch and pi4 with power adapter and cable right? + lan cable

Is your pi4 in a casing or just the board itself with the fan underneath? The Pi4 should be in open space? Would be nice if you can attach a photo of your setup

Did some research again and the board itself for pi4 8gb is rm420 while pi5 8gb is rm440 + power adapter around rm50. Funny this is all 8gb models are out of stock lol. Do I need to buy the hdmi cable as well to connect to monitor for set-up?

Very interested in getting into these smart devices but those hubs are pricey.

This post has been edited by xkaizoku: Jan 4 2024, 08:46 PM

Hi there hmm
I made a diagram for you, but its not fully comprehensive, but should be easy enough to understand

Below is my setup. I use my iPhone/iPad/mac to control the smart home system via Apple Home app. I can also use Google Home or Alexa to control it, but it depends on which platform offers interplatform compatibility. Since i dont have a Google matter over thread border router, i cant control my curtains via google home. But essentially, brands like Tuya allow you to control your devices in Google/Alexa (mostly but not all).

But all in all, i can control the devices in
1. Apple Home app (my preferred choice)
2. Manufacturer app - Tuya app, Aqara App, Mi Home app, Ewelink App, etc
3. Google Home app - Some devices
4. Alexa App - some devices



This post has been edited by epicure: Jan 10 2024, 03:16 PM

My Pi is in a standard case, and i installed the cooler fans underneath it. I dont have a photo at the moment. It should be in a place thats cool. But my one is in my electrical riser compartment, thats why i need active cooling for it.

No need to buy HDMI cable, as you just need to SSH into your PI via a PC/Mac/Ipad/iPhone

Dear TS,

Would you recommend to run neo/zemismart hubs with tuyago switches only? Rather than have aqara and tuyago switches. Thanks