HomeKit Automations Fail

[mattkerwin24]

Hello all,

I have 8 lamps connected to WeMo smart plugs, I have them all connected to my HomeKit via the WeMo bridge...on a typical night when all 8 of these are supposed to turn off, 2-3 generally will not.

While I know WeMos app sucks, I deleted all of these automations in HomeKit and set them all up through my Amazon Alexa, and boom! They all work!

I’m an android transplant who’s been trying to make iOS work for me and get deeper in the iOS ecosystem, but not being able to control my smart home devices through HomeKit has been very frustrating.

Many of these same plugs often show as “no response” in the HomeKit app but when I switch over to Alexa, they work just fine.

Any advice or ideas to get these up and running via HomeKit?

Thanks!

 

[Tartarus]

It looks to me like your Alexa is closer placed to those accessories than your iPad or Apple TV.
Try putting it closer to your WeMo.

 

[mavsguy842]

Is Alexa directly sending commands to the plugs, or does it also route all commands through the wemo bridge? I guess it makes we curious about the placement of the wemo bridge in relation to the plugs, and how the bridge communicates to the plugs; perhaps the wemo bridge is the weak spot.

I have Hue lights, and manually triggering scenes is much more likely to fail if some of the lamps in the scene are turned off (no power to the bulb in the lamp). So my other thought is that the core of your problem is why HomeKit isn't seeing some of the plugs. It seems obvious by what you've said that HomeKit relies on the wemo bridge to see the plugs, so that would also point me in the direction of the wemo bridge being the source of the issue.

 

[camaroz1985]

I've had similar issues with my Hue lights. I just use the automations in the Hue app instead and it never fails. Hue hub and Apple TV are sitting right next to each other on the same shelf so there is no difference there. I bought products that work with HomeKit in hopes of simplifying things (not having to use different apps for different things, Hue lights, Lutron switches, Chamberlain garage door opener, etc.), but I think Apple still has some work to do in the whole home automation front.

Don't get me wrong, it works well most of the time, I would say 90% of the time I have no problem with HomeKit (and using Siri works almost all of the time), but there are still a lot of times where it takes a long time until I am able to use the accessories when I open the app, I just see "Updating" beside everything. Generally that hasn't been the case when opening the native app for each accessory, at least not in my experience.

 

[bamf-hacker]

I have had WeMo's since they came out and they have NEVER been reliable. There are times when the HomeKit app sees the devices, but the WeMo app say they are unreachable and vise versa.

I have removed all but two WeMo switches and moved them to iDevice plugs and Hue bulbs and those work flawless.

 

[mattkerwin24]

It looks to me like your Alexa is closer placed to those accessories than your iPad or Apple TV.
Try putting it closer to your WeMo.

Alexa is right next to my Apple TV

 

[mattkerwin24]

Is Alexa directly sending commands to the plugs, or does it also route all commands through the wemo bridge? I guess it makes we curious about the placement of the wemo bridge in relation to the plugs, and how the bridge communicates to the plugs; perhaps the wemo bridge is the weak spot.

I have Hue lights, and manually triggering scenes is much more likely to fail if some of the lamps in the scene are turned off (no power to the bulb in the lamp). So my other thought is that the core of your problem is why HomeKit isn't seeing some of the plugs. It seems obvious by what you've said that HomeKit relies on the wemo bridge to see the plugs, so that would also point me in the direction of the wemo bridge being the source of the issue.

The bridge is definitely within range of the plugs, actually it’s the closer ones that aren’t working 100%