Apple Home Hubs: Everything You Need To Know (2023)

[@AdamsTechLife]

🌟 New to HomeKit? Check out my Apple HomeKit Beginners Guide here ➡️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoetnGNvp6aBqdE

[@HughD]

You did another nice job, but I'd suggest folks starting out get a Homepod first because it has Siri that you can use for emergencies should you not have your phone or watch with you. You can call 911 from a Homepod from anyplace within hearing distance, but not so with the ATV unless you have the remote with you. A Homepod can also listen for smoke/CO alarms and notify you wherever you are if it hears them.

[@AdamsTechLife]

This is true if those features are needed. Great uses for a HomePod!!

[@thirsk3]

Buying because of fear. Very senior. It is your right.

[@boazx1]

If you using your Apple TV as home hub what happens when you turn it off ?? Or does it have to stay on always ?

[@AdamsTechLife]

if you have one home hub and it goes offline, you can sill control devices within bluetooth range but none of the automations or remote control will work. an Apple TV doesn't have to be turned on, just connected to power and online.

[@myHomeKithome]

What a great explainer video! It can be hard to choose the right Apple Home hub, but not anymore! I'll definitely send people to this one!

[@AdamsTechLife]

Thanks so much Dustin!! Glad I could help :)

[@Phantomfleetgaming]

You can also also use an iPad as a home hub

[@AdamsTechLife]

not anymore according to Apple

[@jorgepineda9457]

Went down a rabbit hole last night till 6 am because of you lmao… I need everything

[@AdamsTechLife]

it's a deep rabbit hole haha Thanks for watching! 😊

[@lorrainemelissamaestas4202]

@@AdamsTechLife😢

[@rustyfox81]

Any updates on Apple allowing you to choose which device is the default HomeKit hub ? Really annoying that a wired Apple TV 4K cannot be the default.

[@AdamsTechLife]

Nope, still not an option :/

[@amarjitsingh1275]

Hi Adam would like to have help from to have Home pod mini hub , if you recommend to solve issue with Meross 200 series garage door opener. I have it and works even with WIRED carplay in my son's SUV as it creates icon on dash board and works very good. Real issue is with my VF SUV that has WIRELESS carplay as soon i start my SUV then Carplay loads and disconnects my home wifi automatically and connect it's own wifi and i think due to this icon of garage door opener does not work in my SUV. Do you think if i have hub then it will solve my issue with wireless carplay because hub will create remotely controlled environment for appleHomeKIt. please suggest

[@AdamsTechLife]

i'm not sure how wireless carplay works so i can't speak for that but a home hub does allow for remote controls regardless of the active network you're phone is connected to

[@amarjitsingh1275]

@@AdamsTechLife Thanks Adam. I will try it out though.

[@lucassaenz9855]

What device you recommend to start using the home app with Apple, all ready have 2 iPhones and iPad, should start with Apple TV ? To start no in on ?

[@AdamsTechLife]

i answer this question at the 9:47 mark :)

[@henrik8497]

My Philips hue bridge does not work in HomeKit, it says I need a home hub even though I only use it locally. Am I doing something wrong?

[@AdamsTechLife]

are you adding them via matter? if so, HomeKit hub is required. if not, home is not required.

[@cottagekeeper]

I need a detailed tutorial on how to make my 4k Apple TV a home hub. I bought an aqara U200 lock and I have spent hours trying to connect it to my home kit and all I get is a message is the home hub is not found.

[@AdamsTechLife]

support.apple.com/en-us/102557

[@cottagekeeper]

Unfortunately the Apple instructions don’t work. I can only set myself up as a user, my husband is the default user. The Apple instructions state set yourself as the default user. It’s kinda crazy I can’t add my Apple TV to my HomeKit as a user on Apple TV.

[@SolarizeYourLife]

So does homekit absolutely works locally if the Internet goes down??? I can never get an absolute answer...

[@AdamsTechLife]

some devices do work if internet goes down, some do not.

[@GunnyPhillips]

Great overview for someone new to Homekit like myself. Many thanks!

[@AdamsTechLife]

So glad I could help! Thanks for watching! 😊

[@tglenn3121]

I'd have considered the Apple Tv as a hub, but since I already have a smart tv and a streaming blue-ray, both of which have the ability to get Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc, etc, I didn't want yet another 'streaming' device that does basically what I already have.

[@AdamsTechLife]

keep in mind the Apple TV does more than just stream ;) but yeah so the homepod would be a good choice for a non video streaming hub

[@mohamedseddik844]

Hello , please coule you tell me wich model of tv can we use as a hub ? I do have the model number A2169 does it work like a hub or i need a newest one ?

[@AdamsTechLife]

just look up the models mentioned in the video, any of those will work with full features :)

[@davidrinaldis2351]

What if you do not need anything other than the hub functionality? No speaker, no frills. iPad doesn't work as a hub anymore.

[@AdamsTechLife]

homepod mini is cheapest option of the devices that can be a homekit hubs. there's no apple device that is "just a hub"

[@stanthemafia]

I have big and small speakers and they ALWAYS go offline so i'm going to try my Apple TV

[@AdamsTechLife]

Great, hopefully it works for you!!

[@a_d_s5361]

Do you need more than 1 HomePod Mini to act as a HomeHub?

[@AdamsTechLife]

nope, just need one of either a supported apple tv or homepod/homepod mini. having multiple apple home hub does help cause if one goes offline, another one can be the home hub and automations can still run but only one is needed at a minimum.

[@marioprati9237]

Este es el mejor video de home hubs que existe por no decir el único!, está muy bien explicado

[@AdamsTechLife]

Me alegra saber que este video le resultó útil en Apple Home Hubs. ¡Gracias por tu comentario y por mirar!

[@treytrent1999]

I’m thinking about getting a HomePod mini soon, I got a HomeKit tv and soon to buy more HomeKit items for my bedroom

[@AdamsTechLife]

Awesome!! 🔥

[@jasondesramaux8914]

Great job as usual. My question is what do you do when all your home hubs are in standby mode. Sometimes I turn off one of my Apple TVs and I get the dreaded no response since all home hubs are in standby mode. It can last up to an hour. Restarting typically doesn’t work.

[@AdamsTechLife]

I have not heard of all hubs being in standy by mode at the same time but my guess would be there is in internet/isp connection issue or issue with the router/devices getting a connection.

[@jasondesramaux8914]

@@AdamsTechLife I have a mesh wifi system with fibre. It could still be that I guess. thanks for helping a fellow Canadian out.

[@ashleylordess5621]

3:10 looked like a scene from the movie 'Get Out'.

[@AdamsTechLife]

lol that was an editing mistake that I realized days after uploading 🤣

[@fathead657]

Lol I have my wife in my phone the same way Are both of the current Apple TV capable of being a hub

[@AdamsTechLife]

Haha and yes!

[@didierpierre7818]

many thanks for the info. clearly explained..

[@AdamsTechLife]

So glad I could help you learn about apple home hubs, thanks for watching!

[@thiagoattolini4400]

Hi!! Can I play music remotely with a home hub?

[@AdamsTechLife]

you are not able to control music on a homepod remotely, you have to be on the same wifi network as the homepod

[@mele2259]

Hello . I have a homepod set up as a hub then another on standby and an atv also on standby . The hubs are always not responsive when I leave home and my smart lock doesn’t work

[@AdamsTechLife]

If the hub is down when you’re away, could be in an issue with the internet connection with the router when you’re away from home.

[@syamirfitrie7416]

Can i use apple tv as home hub plug in but not connected to tv? It’s able to run as home hub or not?

[@AdamsTechLife]

yes, just needs power and an internet connection and can be home hub. Thanks for watching! 😊

[@syamirfitrie7416]

Thanks 😊

[@guytje1717]

Does Apple homekit works with Sonoff switches? I have 15 of them.

[@AdamsTechLife]

i'm not sure, depends on which switch model. look for the apple home logo or matter support on the boxes or online

[@guytje1717]

Thank you@@AdamsTechLife

[@weeblewooble2]

Hi Adam, I'm hoping you can help. I already have an Apple tv 4k and have a camera and window sensors that support homekit. I have an ipad for my IOS device to add things to my system. My main question is both my wife and I use android phones and all we want is to get notifications like the window was open or motion was detected, is there anyway in homekit to setup different phone numbers to get notifications?

[@AdamsTechLife]

HomeKit only works on iOS devices, so alerts from HomeKit cannot be received on an android device. The manufactures app of the sensor should work on ios and android (depending on the company) and you can receive alerts from their app on an android. ie, i think aqara works on anrdoid too, so you could receive an alert from the aqara app that a door has been opened, but no alerts from HomeKit .

[@vinzleow3817]

How does siri respond back if you are using apple tv as the hub?

[@AdamsTechLife]

what do you mean?

[@user-vg5wz8hn9z]

Great video. Simple and to the point

[@AdamsTechLife]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching! 😊

[@josephbacus9281]

What About The iPhone's Latest StandBy Mode@@AdamsTechLife

[@sarabradley919]

You explain everything so well! Great job!! 🎉

[@AdamsTechLife]

Glad I could help, Sara! Thanks for watching! 😊

[@Boe6524]

Please what brand is that iPhone stand? Good video though thanks 😊

[@AdamsTechLife]

where do you see an iphone stand?

[@Boe6524]

Sorry I must’ve written to the wrong video I need to check.

[@will300c]

why would u put ppl on the home automation if they are not part of the family?

[@AdamsTechLife]

what?

[@Capt-Cran]

Great video ... thank you!!

[@AdamsTechLife]

Glad I could help! Thanks for watching! 😊

[@DrSagaciousone]

Thank you for this very informative video.

[@AdamsTechLife]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the video and found it helpful. Thanks for watching! 😊

[@gianpo]

Those actually aren’t the only things that are home hubs. It can also be an iPad and old iPhone a Apple laptop or an Apple desktop as well as a HomePod or a HomePod mini or an Apple TV.

[@AdamsTechLife]

Actually, they are according to apple (the people who made the hk platform 😉) iPhone/laptop/desktop can not be home hub

[@gianpo]

@@AdamsTechLife that’s funny because I’m using my Mac Studio as a home hub as we speak.

[@brycewilson7805]

@@gianpo You might be confusing a home hub with the Home app. Macs have never had the ability to be a hub, but they do have access to the Home app (which is not a hub). The iPad used to have the ability to be a home hub, but Apple has removed that ability from iPads with the new HomeKit architecture.

[@gianpo]

@@brycewilson7805 I can control my home devices from outside the network and the only thing I keep running in my house is a Mac Studio no HomePods no Apple TV’s

[@AdamsTechLife]

Home hub required to control devices from within home app remotely (apple home hub not required for third party apps). Example: you can control Philips hue bulbs remotely with the hue bridge from the hue app but not from the Apple home app without Apple home hub (HomePod or Apple TV). Home hub not required for local control of devices in the home app.

[@thomastevis8655]

First

[@AdamsTechLife]

❤️

[@rkbaker]

Just don't buy a homepod. It's a bad product by normal company standards, and a horrible product by any other companies standards. And I love apple stuff. I have a house full of it. But for this, skip the Homepod and get an Echo, or even a nest.

[@AdamsTechLife]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience :)