Smarthome
HOOBS Part 3: Adding Devices to HOOBS
22/09/19 15:07 Filed in: Technology
I also walk through the steps to get your HOOBS hub onto the Home App on your Apple devices and how to add any devices you have connected through HOOBS. I then show you how this particular device, the Harmony Hub works with HomeKit.
HOOBS really is a great devices for making Homebridge simple. To have an option to connect all your devices that are not HomKit compatible to HomeKit gives greater access to devices for your home automation needs.
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HOOBS Part 1: Installation & Set Up
06/09/19 14:28 Filed in: Technology
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 the basic installation and set up of a HOOBS box. It was a very easy process and having the ability to manage it through a web browser on my local network is a great option. Check it out for yourself and if you are interested you can check out getting your own over at www.hoobs.org.
Smart Home Part 12: Harmony Bridge App
18/05/19 18:49 Filed in: Technology
One the application is running, you will see each Harmony Hub and all of your activities will show as switches instead of showing up as separate HomeKit devices. This then allows you to use your Harmony Hubs in your HomeKit automation and with Siri.
Smart Home Part 11: Fuse-Home & Music Control App
16/03/19 16:47 Filed in: Technology
Smart Home Part 10: Ecobee Switch+ Install & Set Up
16/02/19 16:45 Filed in: Technology
In this screencast I cover the installation of the switch and walk through the steps to setting it up an managing it on the Ecobee App.
Smart Home Part 9: Nest Hello Doorbell Walk Thru
12/10/18 15:58 Filed in: Technology
In this screencast tutorial I cover setting up the Nest Hello Video Doorbell. I walk through what is inside the box and the installation of the doorbell itself. I then cover the major features included in the Nest Application for the doorbell including the Nest subscription plan.
This is a part of an ongoing series I am doing on setting up my smart home and working through the issues that come up with the installation and set up of devices that are not always designed to talk to one another. I will also be showing how to do some home automation once those devices are installed so watch for future screencasts outlining this.
This is a part of an ongoing series I am doing on setting up my smart home and working through the issues that come up with the installation and set up of devices that are not always designed to talk to one another. I will also be showing how to do some home automation once those devices are installed so watch for future screencasts outlining this.
Smart Home Part 8: Nest Protect Install & Set Up
05/10/18 15:41 Filed in: Technology
This is a part of an ongoing series I am doing on setting up my smart home and working through the issues that come up with the installation and set up of devices that are not always designed to talk to one another. I will also be showing how to do some home automation once those devices are installed so watch for future screencasts outlining this.
As always thanks for your support and please subscribe, like, share, and favorite these videos so others can find them on the internet.
Smart Home Part 7: Homebridge Harmony Crash Fix
28/09/18 17:24 Filed in: Technology
I show you the cause of the crash and how to fix it on your Mac. Then I go into an automation I set up to fix the issue when I am not at my Mac and need to use my iOS device.
I want to thank you all so much for your support even when I have been MIA lately. My wife had hip replacement surgery, two of my boy started college for the first time and we had to move them in, and I’ve had other projects come up that have taken my time. I am not abandoning the channel even though Apple has chosen to retire macOS server as I have a lot of other interests in doing screencasts to related to the Mac and technology in general.
I couldn’t do this without your support and encouragement. So thanks again and I look forward to producing more content!
Smart Home Part 6: LaunchControl Keep Homebridge Running
21/04/18 14:46 Filed in: Technology
I have received a lot of questions about how to keep homebridge alive when a Mac reboots or the service crashes for some reason. When this happens it can leave you without access to your non HomeKit devices and cause a lot of issues. To help solve that LaunchControl is a front end for controlling launchd which is used to auto launch applications or services and in this case I show you how to set it up to keep homebridge running at all times.
Smart Home Part 5: Homebridge Harmony Hub Set Up
18/03/18 14:37 Filed in: Technology
If you haven’t viewed my previous screencasts please take a look at these below first before you view this screencast as I am building on the previous one’s:
Smart Home Part 1: Homebridge Installation & Set Up: https://youtu.be/iOgtOG4Nvc8
Smart Home Part 2: Homebridge Nest Device Set Up: https://youtu.be/T8vi4cN-JtE
Smart Home Part 3: Apple HomePod Review: https://youtu.be/KRDKwRERSkA
Smart Home Part 4: Logitech Harmony Hub Install & Set Up: https://youtu.be/-eKSaTD6J5I
Smart Home Part 4: Logitech Harmony Hub Install & Set Up
12/03/18 13:53 Filed in: Technology
In this screencast I cover the installation and set up of the Harmony Hub to get you up and running with the device. In a future screencast I will cover how to integrate the harmony hub into your smart home set up.
As always thanks for you support. Please subscribe to get more of my content and like and favorite these videos so others can find them.
Smart Home Part 3: Apple HomePod Review
18/02/18 13:45 Filed in: Technology
The HomePod is Apple’s foray into the smart speaker market which has been dominated by Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Home. Where Apple is different is their attempt to selling the music side of the speaker first with voice assistant technology added in. This comes at a premium as the speaker comes at a $349 price tag and which is their only option while Echo and Google Home have a cheaper entry point. But once you listen to it you can hear that Apple has put a lot of tech into the HomePod. The other advantage is being able to use Siri with Homekit out of the box is a huge plus and is of particular interest to our topic of looking at smart home technology to help us control our smart home devices.
In this screencast we will walk through he unboxing, set up and testing of the HomePod to see if it fits in your own Smart Home set up.
As always thanks for your support. If like my screencasts please like, favorite and share them with others. As always thanks for all your support.
Smart Home Part 2: Homebridge Nest Device Set Up
29/12/17 14:03 Filed in: Technology
Smart Home Part 1: Homebridge Installation & Set Up
19/12/17 13:55 Filed in: Technology
Homebridge is a lightweight server that runs in the background and acts like a bridge that Homekit can connect to and then display the feature of that device so you can control them with Siri or Homekit.
In this screencast I cover the initial installation and set up of Homebridge. In future screencasts I will cover how to set up specific devices like Nest devices to run on Homekit through Homebridge. I also plan to do a series on smart home devices and how to set them up for those who want to have an integrated smart home that can be controlled with your voice, a phone or other devices.