Automate the Holidays with HomeKit! - My Christmas Smart Home Setup! -

Using smart home tech and automations makes the holidays even more fun and efficient. I'm going to show you how I'm using HomeKit to control my holiday setup. I'll put links to all the HomeKit devices that I'm using for my Christmas setup below.
Video sponsored by Twinkly.
Details for entering the Twinkly giveaway here (thru Nov. 18): shanewhatley.c...
How Many Days Until Christmas Shortcut: geni.us/XmasSh...
*****************************
▬ Subscribe for NEW HOMEKIT VIDEOS EVERY WEEK! ▬
www.youtube.co...
▬ JOIN This Channel to get Access to Member-Only Perks! ▬
geni.us/shanem...
▬ LET'S CONNECT ▬
► Instagram - / shanecreates
► Twitter - / shanecreates
► Website: shanewhatley.com
▬ RECOMMENDED VIDEO ▬
🎥 How to use Twinkly Christmas Lights with HomeKit
• How to use TWINKLY Chr...
▬ RECOMMENDED PLAYLIST ▬
🎥 HomeKit Holiday Playlist
• Smart Home Holidays!
*****************************
HomeKit Products from my Christmas Setup:
Lights:
Twinkly Christmas Lights: geni.us/Twinkl...
Twinkly Music: geni.us/Twinkl...
Vocolinc Smart Color Bulb: geni.us/VocoLi...
Vocolinc Lightstrip: geni.us/VocoLi...
Eve Flair: geni.us/EveFlare
Eve Light Strip: geni.us/EveLig...
Phillips Hue Lightstrip (requires bridge): geni.us/HueLig...
Smart Plugs:
iDevices Outdoor Smart Plug: geni.us/iDevices2
Meross Outdoor Smart Plug: geni.us/Meross...
VOCOlinc Smart Plug: geni.us/VocoLi...
VOCOlinc Power Strip: geni.us/VocoLi...
Eve Energy Smart Plug: geni.us/EveEnergy
Eve Energy Power Strip: geni.us/WvQ2CrW
iPad Wall Mount: geni.us/VidaMount
Hoobs Starter Kit: geni.us/HOOBS
Apple HomePod: geni.us/HomePod
Apple TV 4K: geni.us/AppleTV4k
NOTE: This description contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this video at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
*********************
▬ SHARE THIS VIDEO WITH A FRIEND ▬
• HomeKit KZbin Channe...
#HomeKit #SmartHome #Christmas

[@davidquirk2105]

Shane, great video and yes, smart plugs make so much of this easy now that their prices make them much more affordable to incorporate. I just created a Siri shortcut where my daughter can ask if there is a Grinch in the house. Siri randomly picks one of our names or “nobody”. If it is one of our names, smart lights turn green, Siri says who the Grinch is and our HomePod plays “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”. If ‘nobody was selected, Siri says ‘Nope, the coast is clear-Merry Christmas!” and plays another song from our Christmas playlist. I’m waiting to let her try it right after Thanksgiving but should be fun.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks David! Wow that's really cool! Great idea! I bet your daughter will love that.

[@kellanstevens]

Who also watched through 2 30 second ads to support this amazing guy!

[@ShaneCreates]

Wow thanks so much for the support! 🙏🙏

[@ReyG_HKSH]

Great vid and ideas Shane! I wish I watched this during your giveaway time, those Twinkly lights look awesome but a bit over my budget, LOL!

[@ShaneCreates]

Haha thanks Rey!

[@melvintan5117]

Ho...Ho...Ho...merry automation. Nice video Shane!

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks Melvin!

[@justinrsmith21]

I need to get more smart plugs. This is the perfect use for them.

[@ShaneCreates]

Yea they definitely come in handy. I feel like I have way too many that never get used, and then the holidays roll around and I’m glad I have them! Fortunately you can find pretty inexpensive HomeKit smart plugs these days on amazon.

[@Soupy101]

@@ShaneCreates what is your favourite plug to use?

[@myHomeKithome]

Sweet kit, Shane! I haven’t even got my decorations up yet! Thanks for the inspiration!

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching Dustin!

[@Pinefenario]

Those twinkly Christmas 🎄 lights look amazing, but I think is an incredible low waf. Isn’t? 😜😆

[@ShaneCreates]

LOL. For anyone who doesn't know...waf = wife acceptance factor (a very important factor in any smart home project). I can honestly say that this one passes (they wouldn't be on the tree otherwise, I assure you). My wife is very particular about how her Christmas tree and decoration look. Like I mentioned, it's nice because I can set the colors to whatever nice, elegant colors to match her decorations each year. Then when she's gone, we crank up the cool effects!

[@sebastienrobert6767]

So great as your other’s videos ! Sad to see that non US can’t enter giveaway! Don’t forget your EU friends 😬 I’ve purchased the new special Twinkly 400, so beautiful, impatient to add Hoobs to be able to control with HomeKit !

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for the support Sébastien! I never forget about you guys! 😀 I hope to do some international giveaways soon. I'm often limited to US only but any chance I get I'd love to do some international giveaways as well.

[@uniqueflh2941]

Good stuff Shane. Very cool setup.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching Brad!

[@AdamsTechLife]

Great setup! Smart plugs are amazing year round. The light strips around the window is a good idea. 👌🏽

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks Adam!

[@BenBazan]

Started getting the decorations up last weekend and HomeKit accessories have definitely made it easy to automate and enjoy the holidays!

[@JoseMartinezNino]

When did he make the change from "affordable" to "easy" HomeKit Smart Home?

[@puffdaddy4537]

Damn bro you certainly deserve more views / subscribers. It seems like you put more effort into these videos than the multi million sub channels. Super informative and produced beautifully. Hopefully your channel blows up with how many people are buying the HomePod mini and realizing it’s smart home capabilities.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thank you!! 🙏 I appreciate the support!

[@edwinwallace1825]

That's pretty kool..... I was shopping around for dancing lights and I almost bought another brand when I came across Twinkly. They're a lil pricey, but they're exactly what I was looking for.... Watching your videos here on KZbin was enough to convince myself to go ahead a get a set of lights Can't wait to tey them

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching Edwin. I agree, they are a little pricey, but I don't think you'll be disappointed. Hope you love them as much as I do. 🎄

[@breemodee66]

Entered!!! I’m so excited I’ve always wanted Christmas light like these!!!

[@ShaneCreates]

Good luck!

[@drewstemen9597]

I had never heard of you until KZbin just recommended this video - which I enjoyed. :) Now, if only I had a bigger house to decorate... lol. HomeKit outlets are awesome, but they never seem to be useful outside of Christmas. But I’m definitely going to go learn more about Twinkly.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thank you Drew! (and thanks to the KZbin algorithm also I guess). I agree, I usually have a number of smart plugs that go unused most of the year. But once the holidays roll around I'm happy to have them. Fortunately you can them up on Amazon for much cheaper than they used to be. Oh, and yes, Twinkly is awesome btw!

[@dsoboslay]

Love the videos! I look forward to seeing them every Sunday morning!

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks so much for the support David!

[@Andrewstech]

Some very interesting automations here. Loving your tree

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks Andrew!!

[@scottieo23]

I look forward to your video every Sunday. Thank you for sharing your affordable HomeKit home with us; I’m building one too. Great idea with the LED light strip in the window; did you run the it around the perimeter of the window or just along the bottom?

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks Scott, I appreciate the support! To answer your question, I only ran the lightstrip along the bottom of the window.

[@kroqfan001]

thanks for showing the music function!

[@Polkster13]

How are you doing the Christmas countdown on your TV?

[@Trevorben18]

Same question

[@ShaneCreates]

Hey Frederick, there are a few "Christmas Countdown" apps available on the Apple TV. This one is called "Santa Tracker." I actually set up Siri shortcuts in the past that would open this up as a part of the Christmas Shortcut, but I was having some trouble getting it to work reliably this time so I didn't include that in the video. Regardless, still a cool app and I like the design of this one.

[@ModernDayTech]

I can't watch this. It's too early. Shoot just did! It's not even Thanksgiving yet. We need some Thanksgiving day decorations! Good stuff bro!

[@ShaneCreates]

Haha. Thanks for watching!! Now go put up that Christmas tree!

[@BruceBurke]

Hi Shane 👋 I got my new HomePods today and set them up. But neither the Dolby Atmos nor Dolby Vision is showing up in the settings. The best picture setting I can get is 4K HDR & best audio setting is Dolby Digital 5.1. The support I did get from Apple is saying that my TV isn’t HDR 10 capable, and that I also need a HDMI 2.0a cable. But even if the TV isn’t capable of pushing DolbyVision content in a video. Shouldn’t the speakers be playing Dolby Atmos as they are connected directly to the Apple TV wirelessly? I saw some video of others who had older TVs but still were able to push Dolby Vision & Dolby Atmos. I’ve had almost no help from Apple and want to get this setup right. Why isn’t Dolby Atmos & Dolby Vision in my settings? I have all the latest updates on iPhone, Apple TV & HomePods. Any help you can provide would be great. Thank you 🙏

[@adiankonina]

Thanks a lot

[@danoliver7161]

What’s your best practice for taking holiday accessories out of homekit when January hits. Like to have them ready for next year again but don’t want a year of “no response” accessories.

[@ShaneCreates]

If you don't want to remove them completely and re-setup next year, I'd look at the Controller for HomeKit app. They have some features that can allow you to restore devices, etc. My most recent video showed restoring a whole home from a backup using that app.

[@Viggen61]

Shane, Love your videos! Very well done. Not sure the Twinkly light are for me, but seeing your whole home automated is pretty cool. Have you ever done a video on your Ecobee thermostat? I’m strongly considering a switch from a non-HomeKit compatible smart thermostat, and would like your thoughts on the Ecobee. At th3 risk of being too early, Merry Christmas!

[@ShaneCreates]

Thank you Larry, much appreciated! I have not actually done a dedicated video on the Ecobee. But I can tell you that I’m happy with it. The primary reason I went with Ecobee (aside from homekit support) is the ability to use room sensors. I love that I can set priority to certain rooms, such as the master bedroom during certain hours. That way it will heat/cool based on the temperature in there as opposed to the thermostat’s location in large open spaces with high ceilings.

[@Viggen61]

@@ShaneCreates Well, if you decide to make a video about the Ecobee, you've got at least one watcher! Keep up the good work!

[@iamdjremedy]

Can you share the shortcut you made for the countdown? It is much better than the generic response!

[@ShaneCreates]

Sure! Here it is: geni.us/XmasShortcut

[@manuelrodriguez3468]

Hi again Shane, I saw that you already start to use your Meross Plug... nice. I don’t have any smart bulb yet. I’m thinking on buying some Vocolinc color bulbs. Do I have to let the light switch always on in order to use them in my holiday scene automations? Can I control the on/off directly with the bulb without using the light switch right?

[@ShaneCreates]

Hey Manuel, thanks for watching! Yes, you must keep the light switch on at all times to maintain connectivity to smart bulbs. And yes, you can control the on/off directly within the home app or with your automations.

[@manuelrodriguez3468]

@@ShaneCreates Great! Thanks for clarifying me this. 👍🏽

[@charlesprocsal432]

I'm looking for some canned light solutions, any suggestions? For use in the kitchen..

[@pharoahmikey]

Do you remove the Christmas accessories from the Home app after you are done? Is there a way to archive them?

[@MR-lp5zj]

Great video! 💯

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks! 😃

[@stockadeproductionsaustral6035]

Are Twinkly lights able to be connected into a single line? Or did you use your two lines with two plugs?

[@ShaneCreates]

Good question. They each have their own plug. I don't think there is a way to connect/extend them.

[@hoppy6250]

The real question is why are your decorations up in mid November 😂 Merry “nearly” Christmas Shane!

[@ShaneCreates]

Haha, I do it for ya’ll! Plus...it’s never to early if you ask my wife and daughter.

[@Razorgirl]

It’s after Halloween. What more do you want?! 😜

[@mhiggi02]

Hi, Shane. Question - I joined the channel. When/how do I get the discord server link. Thanks!

[@ShaneCreates]

Hey Michael! Sorry about that. The link is posted for members in my community tab every so often. I just posted it again so you should see it first now in the community tab - kzbin.infocommunity Thanks so much for joining and I'm looking forward to seeing you in the discord group!

[@renatobastos3031]

Hey Shane, great videos! I am watching a lot and learning a lot as well... thanks! But I have an issue... I got an Aqara Hub and a Mijia Motion Sensor. They are all OK on my Aqara App and Homekit. I want to make the alarm sound when the sensor is triggered but only when I turn on the away mode (security system button) on Homekit... is there a way? I created an automation on Aqara app, IF motion detected, THEN alarm is triggered, and it works... but all the time. It doesn’t matter if I turn on or off the security system mode on my Homekit... Where is my mistake?

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for the support and I'm glad the videos are helpful! Sounds like you just need to edit your alarm settings. In the Aqara app, tap on the "safeguard" at the top of the screen. Then tap edit in the "security modes." Choose your "away guard" and then add the motion sensor to the "trigger device" list. That should do it... Good luck!

[@RenatoBastosSuD]

@@ShaneCreates OMGosh! That’s it! Now it’s working! I was looking for an answer for over a week... didn’t find the right guy 😁. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!

[@jklo5020]

I live in Austria, it just sucks there’s not really as many decent HomeKit accessories available here!

[@ShaneCreates]

Yea that does suck. Sorry to hear that...

[@cjamesadams]

Is it better to use Apple TV or HomePod as the hub? I recently unplugged all my AppleTVs to take advantage of smart tv appletv app. 🤔

[@ShaneCreates]

I don’t know that it’s necessarily better to use one or the other. I think both work well as homekit hubs. I know I’ve personally had good experiences using the Apple TV as my primary hub.

[@cjamesadams]

@@ShaneCreates thanks. I’m watching your under cabinet video now. Rabbit hole.

[@Rollingstone2009]

Hey Shane, trying to figure out an automation where the outside temperature is used as a trigger to turn on a meross plug. It’s for car block heaters that only need to be warmed for 4 hours when the temperature goes below -4 F.

[@ShaneCreates]

Do you have a temperature sensor outside that you are using? Something like the Eve Degree?

[@Rollingstone2009]

Good question. I don’t, and probably need to get that. I thought I could use a shortcut to get the temperature from the weather app, and then use an if-when to turn on the plug.

[@ShaneCreates]

@@Rollingstone2009 You can probably do that, but you'd still have to initiate the shortcut to run somehow, even if it's time-based. It won't automatically run when the temperature reaches a certain point. It will have to be told to check the temperature, then run actions (hope that makes sense). If using a homekit automation with a temp sensor, you can set it to automatically turn something on when a temperature hits a certain point.

[@derekzitnick3336]

How did you make the Christmas countdown on the tv??

[@ShaneCreates]

I'm using an app called "Santa Tracker" on the Apple TV. There are other Christmas countdown apps but I like the way that one looks.

[@derekzitnick3336]

@@ShaneCreates Thanks can you link it?

[@ShaneCreates]

@@derekzitnick3336 Sure apps.apple.com/us/app/santa-tracker-and-status-check/id1068598529

@Shane, I have two iPad Mini 2 laying around. Would they be sufficient to control Apple’s Home App? Thanks

[@ShaneCreates]

Are you asking about using them as HomeKit hubs or just as an interface to use the home app?

Essentially to use the Home App; I believe they would be underpowered to run the HomeKit hub and I’m adding a HomePod Mini as soon as I can.

[@gregjackson7591]

How do you get the count down on your tv?

[@ShaneCreates]

I'm using an app called "Santa Tracker" on the Apple TV.

[@gregjackson7591]

@@ShaneCreates thanks for getting back to me!

[@Razorgirl]

Booo! Your comp is only open to US residents. Why can’t international peeps get the option to gift it to a friend in the USA? It’d make an epic Christmas present.

[@ShaneCreates]

If you have a US address, feel free to enter! I just typically can't ship outside of the US.

[@Razorgirl]

Excellent! This will make for an *amazing* gift if I happen to win. I’m so in love with these. I’ve been looking for an Australian vendor so I can get it with Australian power plugs. I gagged when I saw the $450 price tag! 😱