HOOBS Part 2: Device & Software Updates

14/09/19 14:49 Filed in: Technology

I had the guys at Homebridge Out Of the Box System or HOOBS contact me about checking out their new device. HOOBS was created to make the whole Homebridge set up process easy for those who may not want to go through the process of setting everything up manually or who may not want to run a full computer themselves. HOOBS can be purchases in a few different ways. If you want the software only with a clean interface you can buy an SD Card with the installation on it. You could also buy the hardware which includes a Raspberry Pi set up in a compact case that includes all you need to set up an always on Homebridge installation.

For those of you who may be wondering what all of this is about, Homebridge is software you can run that includes plugins that will make devices that are not naturally HomeKit compatible visible to HomeKit so you can include them with your other devices and automation through the Home App. Homebridge has worked well for me running on a Mac Mini and I have done a series of screencasts demonstrating how that works. But running a Mac mini all the time as a Homebridge server doesn't make as much sense as running a low power device dedicated to Homebridge which is what makes HOOBS or even a roll your own Raspberry Pi a much better option.

In this screencast I demonstrate how to change out the SD Card on the device and walk through how to update the main software on the device when updates are available.