Hub and Device Questions
Hi all,
I’m a huge beginner and just recently got into all the smart devices stuff. My current setup is:
Smart lights from TP Link Tapo, Nanoleaf, and Wiz
1 Ring doorbell and cam
1 Ring camera
I also have 2 Apple TV 4K
My router is the TP Link Deco BE16000
Basically, my question is, I have all set up and connected, but at the moment, managing all through their proprietary apps, and do not have a dedicated hub, which isn’t super easy and not super user friendly for my family. I was wondering if there is an easier way? We all have iPhones so I did try Apple Home and shared it with my family, which I was able to set up all the smart lights with, and it even allowed me to set up my LG TV as well. My biggest gripe with it is that, when we turn the lights off using the physical switch (not smart), and then back on, Apple Home does not recognize they’re on, gives me “no response,” and takes a while before allowing me to control them (but lags when it finally recognizes they woke up). Is there a fix for this or am I doing something wrong? Everything is connected to my Wifi, the hub Apple TV is hard wired, and the Wifi signal is strong throughout the home. I did not set up the Ring cams with Apple Home because it looks like I need a separate thing for it? Also, it looks like my router is super fancy and has an IoT network but I do not have that enabled (fearing that I may mess something up or make my gigabit network slower, idk). So far, the Nanoleafs have been the best because it looks like they are connected over Threads (using the Apple TV it seems), and they are typically the most responsive and least slow to “wake up” on Apple Home. I did read up on Home Assistant a bit but it seems a bit complex and honestly, the Green is $200 and out of my budget at the moment. Any advice?