Hi everyone. So after ditching all my amazon devices and picking up a couple of original HomePods as well as a couple of HomePod minis, I decided to try and smarten up my home. I got a Roomba which sadly doesn't work with Siri out of the box though there are work arounds using IF Then Then That, if anyone wants me to point them in the direction and help with that just let me know. Anyway, I decided to get some smart lights. Discovering all my new fittings are the rarer GU10 fitting, I ended up getting the starter kit from hue which contains three bulbs, two click switches and a hub.
Set up was a bit funky, though that might have been due to the hub having to update. After resetting however it was easy to add it to HomeKit through the hue app in settings.
A note about the app: accessibility, as you might expect for something that deals with visual output, isn't the best. A lot of unlabelled elements but it is possible to use. The idea is automation anyway, so set and forget if possible.
Back to Siri and the lights. With sighted assistance I established that I could get Siri to change lighting levels, and colours. This is all well and good, also useful for my table top gaming sessions, for the other players at least. But what I really want to check out is automations that can help me as a blind host. Too often friends come into a darkened house.
I was wondering what everyone else has experienced? Doessetting timers through the Hue app work best, or should I be looking at getting a light sensor to bring up the lights when it gets dark and set them to fade later at night?
It feels like a technology that could be useful to us, any home automation really. On top of that there is the security aspect. I live alone and having lights on from time to time is a good way to let would be intruders know that people are home.
Thoughts? Experiences? Are there any other apps or shortcuts on IOS that any could recommend?
O
Comments
I use the motion sensors for exactly this.
I have about 8 motion sensors in different parts of the house and outside for security lighting. You can set the light sensitivity that triggers them to turn the lights on so now my lighting is completely automated. Neither me or anyone else who comes to the house has touched a light switch in a few years now. I agree the app is kind of annoying but once its set up it works very reliably. Its handy for my dog to be able to see too lol.