How to Add any Smart Home Device to Homekit [Step Guide]

Ever wondered how to add any smart home device to HomeKit? You can bring your non HomeKit compatible devices into the iOS Home App with following solutions.

What are the best ways to add any device to HomeKit?

You can expand the capabilities of your HomeKit setup easily using third party software solutions or hardware solutions. Let's see two main ways to connect any device to HomeKit.

1. Software Based Solutions →
2. Hardware Based Solutions →

Software Based Solutions

Homebridge

Simply, Homebridge is a lightweight NodeJS server that emulates the iOS HomeKit API and also open-source software that supports hundreds of plugins. But, you need to have some coding experience to install Homebridge yourself.

Let's see how to Install Homebridge on your Mac / PC. Click here for step by step Guide →

Can’t install Homebridge yourself?

Kodmy expert team is ready to help you when installing the Homebridge. They’re a very active team and do all the things that you want to do when installing Homebridge. Also, you can ask anything from Kodmy team related to the installation process.

Hardware Based Solutions

01. HOOBS

HOOBS is an improved version of Homebridge. Also, it stands for Homebridge Out Of Box System and adds some fantastic features like pre-built images. It includes a fully-assembled Raspberry Pi along with a copy of the HOOBS Homebridge server pre-installed on a microSD card. If you have any problems with installing HOOBS, Kodmy team or the HOOBS community may help you to resolve any problems.

Get HOOBS all in one for $241.99

02. Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi is the cheapest single-board computer. If you want to integrate your smart device using Raspberry Pi, you have to connect it to your home network. This computer runs on Linux and also provides a set of general purpose input and output (GPIO).

Get Raspberry Pi for $40.98

Step by Step Guide to add any devices to Apple HomeKit using Homebridge

Before connecting your smart device to Apple HomeKit, you need to have a computer that works with Homebridge. Here’re the options for installing Homebridge

• Install Homebridge on macOS
• Install Homebridge on Debian or Ubuntu Linux
• Install Homebridge on Windows 10

Install Homebridge on macOS

Before you begin – What you’ll need

01.  A computer that runs the latest version of OS

02. Terminal app

You need to have access to the terminal. So, you can copy and paste commands from this guide

03. You have to make sure that doesn’t yet have Homebridge (If you installed Homebridge previously, you want to remove any existing installation)

04. Apple Silicon / M1 devices

Step 1: Install Node.js

You’ll need to install Node.js before installing the Homebridge (Homebridge uses Node.js for running Javascript apps on a local machine). Also, you need to install other development environments such as C++or Python. (Note: Additional Homebridge plugins work properly with these development environments)

Download the latest version of Node.js- Download Node.js v16.14.0 x64 macOS Installer.

Once installed the Node.js, test whether it works or not from a terminal window using the following commands:

#test node.js is working
user@local:~# node -v 
v16.13.1

#test npm is working
user@local:~# npm -v
8.7.0

If the above commands does not show the version numbers you will have to install node.js and npm before going to the next step

Step 2: Install Homebridge and Homebridge UI

Run the following commands on the terminal window or over SSH to install Homebridge with the web interface components.

#install homebridge
user@local:~# sudo npm install -g --unsafe-perm homebridge homebridge-config-ui-x

This may take some time to install Homebridge as npm will fetch and install a few dependencies needed.

Step 3: Start Homebridge service

Once homebridge is installed, you can start the Homebridge service. Do remember! The first run takes a bit longer time as it wants to generate its initial configuration. To set up, it uses the following commands from a terminal.

#start homebridge service
user@local:~# sudo hb-service install –-user homebridge

Don’t worry! This will do all the things that are needed to set up Homebridge and the Homebridge UI as a service.

config.json will automatically create under ~/.homebridge if it does not already exist

Step 4: Log in to the Homebridge UI

Once it’s completed, you can see a list of IP addresses and you can use them to connect to the web interface. You’ll need to allow adding devices and configuring them. Also, you’ll see the default username and password.

First, log into the web interface and then use the default username and password (both admin).

If Homebridge is installed and set up to run correctly, the Homebridge UI web interface will allow you to:

• Install Plugins
• Remove Plugins
• Update Plugins
• Modify the Homebridge config.json
• Manage aspect of your Homebridge service

Install Homebridge on Windows 10

Before you begin – What you’ll need

1. A computer running an update-to-date version of Windows 10
2. An account with administrator privilege

Step 1: Install Node.js

Install Node.js and other development environments such as C++or Python before adding the Homebridge to your device.

Download the newest version of Node.js using- Node.js v16.14.0 64-bit - Node.js v16.14.0 32-bit

Next, you need to check whether it works or not (open a new Node.js Command Prompt window as an administrator) using the following commands. (Search Node.js in the search bar > Right-click on Node. js command prompt > Run as administration > click yes)

#test node.js is working
user@local:~# node -v 
v16.13.1

#test npm is working
user@local:~# npm -v
8.7.0

Step 2: Install Homebridge and Homebridge UI

Run the following commands on the administrator Node.js command prompt to install Homebridge with the web interface components.

npm install -g --unsafe-perm homebridge homebridge-config-ui-x

Step 3: Start Homebridge service

To install Homebridge as a service, it uses the following commands from an administrator command prompt.

hb-service install

Once intalled the Homebridge as a service, make sure whether you give Node.js permmisions.

config.json will automatically create under ~/.homebridge if it does not already exist

Step 4: Log in to the Homebridge UI

With Homebridge UI

You can login to the Homebridge UI using the command line or using Homebridge User Interface. See how to login to the Homebridge UI

Using the command line

You can view your pairing code from a Node.js command prompt using this command:

hb-service logs

If you want to edit your config.json, you can open the $HOME\.homebridge\config.json file in a code editor. Do remember! If you have made any changes to config.json, you’ll need to restart Homebridge following commands:

hb-service stop
hb-service start 

Install Homebridge on Debian or Ubuntu Linux

Before you begin – What you’ll need

1. A Debian, Ubuntu, or Raspbian Linux machine
2. Terminal app – You need to have access to the terminal. So, you can copy and paste commands from this guide
3. You have to make sure that doesn’t yet have Homebridge (If you installed Homebridge previously, you want to remove any existing installation)

Step 1: Install Node.js

Now, you have to install the latest version of Node.js and additional dependencies (use following commands):

# setup repo
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_16.x | sudo bash -

# install Node.js
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs gcc g++ make python net-tools

# test node is working
node -v

Step 2: Install Homebridge and Homebridge UI

Next, you need to install Homebridge with the web interface components. Open the administrator Node.js command prompt and  run the following commands:

sudo npm install -g --unsafe-perm homebridge homebridge-config-ui-x

Step 3: Start Homebridge service

Now, you can start the Homebridge service by using following command from your terminal:

sudo hb-service install --user homebridge

Next, you need to make sure you grant Node.js permissions to access your private network.

config.json will automatically create under /var/lib/homebridge if it does not already exist

Step 4: Log in to the Homebridge UI

Let's see how to login to the Homebridge UI

Congratulations! Now, you have installed Homebridge to your device successfully. The next step is to add your smart home devices to Homebridge.

Let's have a look at the following articles describing Tuya, Ring, and myQ Device support to Apple Homekit.

How to add Tuya to HomeKit?

Once you install the Homebridge, you have to add Tuya plugins, add Homebridge to HomeKit and then you can control your Tuya device on HomeKit.

How to add Ring to HomeKit?

Now, you have installed the Homebridge. Then, you need to add Ring plugins, add Homebridge to HomeKit and then you can able to control your Ring device on HomeKit.

How to add myQ to HomeKit?

After installing Homebridge to your Mac/PC, you need to install myQ plugins, run plugins, and add Homebridge to HomeKit. So that, you can control your myQ devices on HomeKit.

Please note that Kodmy Team has a special technical expert team to Install Homebridge, Install needed plugins and enable your Non HomeKit support devices to work with Apple HomeKit.