I have my U100 connected with HomeKit and I have an automation that runs when I arrive home to unlock the door. I have to open HomeKit in order for it to run as it won’t do it itself. Sometimes when I arrive home it shows as “no response” or “updating”. Do I need an Aqara hub as well to make this work properly?
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Do you have any HomePods or Apple TV? They act as HomeKit hubs and can run this automation. If you don’t have any of those devices then your phone needs to connect to the lock first via Bluetooth, which may not be triggered automatically if the phone is locked
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Oh yes, sorry I forgot to mention that. I have an AppleTV. The automation runs automatically but I always have to go into the home app to actually unlock the door. This is where sometimes I get the “updating” or “no response” errors.
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When in HomeKit it requires you to confirm due to it being a lock (safety reasons) I have this problem to.although I like the Aqara app,my preferred method in my home is all HomeKit based.Try running the protocol only from Aqara and see if that helps.
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To add to what @LLGuapo said - you need an Aqara hub to run this automation via the Aqara app.
You can also make a scene in the Aqara app that unlocks the door. Then you can synchronize this scene with HomeKit (you will see this scene in Apple Home), and from Apple Home, you can run an automation that activates this scene when you come back home.
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Thanks, I never thought of that. In using the Aqara app I would need a hub then right?
I know about the safety reasons for it being a lock, but it should work when I agree to it though.
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Oh yes that’s what I thought using the Aqara app you would need a hub.
Setting up a scene in the Aqara app, and run that scene in HomeKit, will it unlock without the verification? Or do you still have to go into the Home app to accept it?
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Yes, the unlock action in the Aqara automations and scenes doesn’t require face ID/touch ID. So if your HomeKit automation activates the Aqara automation, then it will work even if your phone is unlocked.
For example, I use the following automation to unlock the door from the another end of the hallway, and I don’t need to unlock the phone.
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In the scene settings there’s “Add to Apple Home”. Using this button will synchronize this scene with Apple Home and it will appear just as if it was an Apple Home scene.
Then you can use it to create an automation triggered by “when someone comes home”
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This is great!! Thanks for your help. Now I will just have to get a hub. Any recommendations on which one to get?
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Personally I use the M3 because I wanted a separate hub connected via Ethernet. And it has a built in IR, so it can imitate remotes like TV or AC remotes. But if you want a 2in1, then you might consider :
- Camera Hub G3 if you also need a camera inside (and it has IR),
- or a G5 Pro if you want an outside camera,
- or G410 video doorbell.
Those are camera hubs, which means those can act as an Aqara hub while being a camera.
The M3 and G5 Pro are Matter controllers, so you can connect third-party Matter devices to them, and they can be integrated into other Matter ecosystems. So if you plan on expanding your smart home, those are the best options
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Awesome thank you. I will look into those.
Ahhh ok now I get it.Even when you confirm it still doesn’t follow through.That happens to me as well more then often when using HomeKit
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Your problem is 100% an Apple home problem. I have the same problem as I too only have an Apple TV 4K with Ethernet. My lock is currently a U50 and I have the M3 hub and I’m still having this issue unless I somehow wake up my TV or just use the Aqara app. The Apple TV doesn’t have the option that I’ve been able to find to keep the hub alive. Even the Samsung TVs when you turn the hub on give you an option to keep the hub alive. This would be a game changer for me. I really want to upgrade to an Apple Home Pod but with the possibility of a new one launching soon…ish I don’t want to spend $300 on it when I just bought the U400.
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I have 3 HomePods Mini so maybe it’s working differently in my case because of that? Because all my devices in Apple Home (including the lock) are always online and I don’t have the “updating” issue
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Yes, this is something that Apple needs to fix. Either with a new device or with an update. I feel like this is something they could easily do with an update, but I’m not sure the right avenue to suggest that.
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I use the doorbell camera (G410) which acts as a home hub as well
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Yes, I am only using HomeKit
That makes sense, I didn’t know that the AppleTV doesn’t keep the hub active. That seems like a pretty obvious feature to have.
I really like the U400 feature of walking up to it and it unlocks. I thought that the U100 was going to work that way.
That makes sense, the HomePods must be awake all the time.
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