Hey everyone,
So I’m kinda new to the smart home game—not totally clueless, but definitely not a pro either. Thought I’d share a recent journey that started with a simple idea: “Why not bring my existing (non-Apple) smart gear into the cozy world of HomeKit?” Yeah… easier said than done.
I have a couple of random smart devices—some Aqara stuff, a few cheap WiFi plugs, and a G4 cam. The problem is, apart from a handful of my Aqara devices, none of them were ever meant to work with HomeKit. But HomeKit’s clean interface and automations had me hooked. So I went hunting.
After way too many Reddit rabbit holes and three cups of cold coffee, I stumbled on Homebridge (shoutout to whoever built that unicorn). I’ll admit—setting it up wasn’t “just plug and play,” but once I got it running on a Raspberry Pi, things started clicking. Got my non-HK plugs showing up in my Home app like they belonged there.
As for the Aqara G4 cam… oof, that was trickier. I ended up switching modes and using Home Assistant as a bridge, which kinda saved the project. Still playing with automations—like having my hallway light trigger when the cam sees movement. Not perfect yet, but 100% possible.
Anyway, if you’re on the edge about mixing non-Apple devices into HomeKit, just know it can be done. It’ll take some tinkering and patience, but it’s weirdly fun figuring it out.
Anyone else doing weird integrations with HomeKit? Tips? Horror stories? Let’s hear 'em.