Homebridge setup

Every device in the house, in Apple Home.

The plugs, lights, air conditioners and cameras Apple Home never listed, brought into the Home app and within reach of Siri - installed and looked after by us.

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Runs on and built with
  • Homebridge
  • Apple Home (HomeKit)
  • Node.js
  • Frigate
My home
An example home. Press a tile or a scene.

One app for the whole house

Homebridge sits between your devices and Apple Home. Each device appears as a tile in the Home app, joins your scenes and automations, and answers to Siri on your iPhone, Apple Watch or HomePod.

  • “Hey Siri, turn off the living room lamp.”
  • “Hey Siri, set the bedroom to cool.”
  • “Hey Siri, turn on the coffee machine.”

Last changeNothing yet

Good devices, missing from the Home app

Many devices never shipped with Apple Home support. Where a Homebridge plugin exists for yours, it can join - and we check each one before we quote.

Not in Apple Home

  • Wi-Fi plugs
  • Lights
  • Air conditioners
  • TVs
  • Alarm panels
  • Cameras

A separate app for each brand, and no Siri.

In Apple Home

  • Wi-Fi plugs
  • Lights
  • Air conditioners
  • TVs
  • Alarm panels
  • Cameras

One app, shared scenes, and Siri for all of it.

Five layers between your voice and your devices

Apple Home is on top, your devices are at the bottom, and Homebridge with its plugins is the translation in the middle. Here is what each layer does.

  1. 01You ask

    A sentence to Siri or a tap in the Home app, on an iPhone, an Apple Watch or a HomePod.

  2. 02Apple Home and the home hub

    The Home app keeps your rooms, scenes and automations. An Apple TV or a HomePod acts as the home hub, which lets you control the house while you are away and lets automations run.

Same local networkHomebridge reaches your devices over the local network, so it sits on the same one.

  1. 03Homebridge

    A lightweight Node.js server that runs on your network and emulates the HomeKit Accessory Protocol, so Apple Home treats each device as an accessory.

  2. 04Plugins

    Small add-ons, one for each brand or kind of device, that translate between HomeKit and the device's own interface. We choose and configure them for your devices.

  3. 05Your devices

    Wi-Fi plugs, lights, air conditioners, TVs, alarm panels and cameras - the hardware you already own.

One command travels down these layers from top to bottom, and the device's state travels back up. Away from home, the request goes through your Apple Home hub, so no port on your router is opened.

How we set it up

From a list of your devices to a house that answers to Siri, and then kept that way.

  1. 01

    Your devices

    We list what you own - brands, models and rooms - and confirm which ones Homebridge can bring in.

  2. 02

    Install

    Homebridge goes on a small always-on device, or in a container on a server you already run.

  3. 03

    Plugins

    We choose the plugin for each device, configure it, and pair the bridge with your Home app.

  4. 04

    Scenes and automations

    Rooms named, scenes built, and automations for arriving, leaving, sunset and bedtime.

  5. 05

    Remote access

    Control from outside the house through your Apple Home hub - an Apple TV or HomePod - with no ports opened on your router.

  6. 06

    Looked after

    Plugins kept up to date and the configuration backed up, so an update or a failed memory card is not a lost setup.

Where Homebridge runs

Either way it sits on the same local network as your devices - that is how it reaches them.

Option A

A small device at home

A quiet, low-power computer beside your router that stays on when everything else is off.

Best for
Homes and offices without a server
Lives
On your home or office network
Upkeep
Updates and backups by us

Option B

A container on your server

If your office already runs a server or a NAS, Homebridge can live there beside your other services.

Best for
Offices that already run a server
Lives
On your existing server or NAS
Upkeep
Updates and backups by us

What you can count on

  • Plugins chosen for your devices

    Not a bundle of everything - the plugins your devices need, set up and tested in your home.

  • No ports opened

    Remote control goes through Apple Home, so no port on your router is opened to the internet.

  • Updates that do not break the house

    Plugins are updated with care, and the configuration is backed up before each change.

  • Room to grow

    A new plug or a new room later is an addition to the same setup, not a new project.

Cameras Cameras we set up with Frigate can appear in Apple Home beside everything else. Frigate camera recording

Homebridge is an independent open-source project. It is not made or certified by Apple, and neither is our setup.

A checklist before you send your list

Seven quick checks that keep the first conversation short. Open any item for the reason behind it.

  • Brand and model of every device

    Whether a plugin exists depends on the device, so the brand and model of each one is what we need. A photo of the label, or the name in its own app, is enough. We check each one before we quote.

  • Which network each device is on

    Apple devices find Homebridge through mDNS on the local network, so it has to be reachable from the same network as your iPhone. Tell us if the house has more than one router or network.

  • An Apple TV or HomePod for outside the house

    A home hub is what lets you control accessories while you are away, share control with others and run automations. A HomePod, a HomePod mini or an Apple TV can be the hub, signed in with the same Apple Account as your iPhone.

  • Where Homebridge will run

    Either a small always-on device beside your router or a container on a server or NAS you already have. Both options are described above.

  • Names for rooms and scenes

    Pick them before we pair: a name changed later inside Homebridge does not update itself in the Home app on your iPhone.

  • How many accessories you expect

    One bridge holds about 150 accessories. Past that, Homebridge can run plugins as child bridges, each with its own limit and each paired once in the Home app. A home with a few dozen devices is far below it.

  • What should happen when you arrive and leave

    Tell us what should switch on, switch off or arm when you arrive and when you leave, and at sunset and bedtime. Scenes and automations are built from that.

Ready? Send the list and we tell you what can join Apple Home.

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Sources: Homebridge project wiki · Apple Support: home hubs

Send us your list of devices

Brands and models are enough to start. We tell you what can join Apple Home, and every setup is quoted after a short conversation.

Get a quote

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