Philips expands Hue's HomeKit support, Chamberlain ships new MyQ Smart Garage Hub
Philips on Tuesday updated the Hue iOS app and firmware with retroactive Apple HomeKit support for its Tap, Dimmer Switch, and Motion Sensor accessories. Chamberlain meanwhile upgraded its MyQ Smart Garage Hub, which supports HomeKit when paired with the MyQ Home Bridge.
Prior to today, the Tap, Dimmer Switch, and Motion Sensor could only be controlled and configured through the Hue iPhone and iPad app. The Tap is a unique accessory designed to trigger specific scenes on-demand, or shut off all lights simultaneously, rather than just cycle through them as possible on the Dimmer Switch.
The updated Hue app also lets people reset accessories to defaults, manage routines created elsewhere, or jump into the iOS Home app to configure devices. Philips has also added an automatic firmware update option, which lets users schedule a specific time for installations to take place.
Chamberlain's MyQ Smart Garage Hub should now have better communication with its garage door sensor, including improved battery monitoring. It will also automatically identify Wi-Fi networks to streamline installation.
The MyQ Smart Garage Hub is $99.99, and works with a number of garage opener brands such as Craftsman, Genie, LiftMaster, Stanley SecureCode, and Chamberlain's own. The Home Bridge is $49.99 solo, or available in a $149.98 bundle.
Prior to today, the Tap, Dimmer Switch, and Motion Sensor could only be controlled and configured through the Hue iPhone and iPad app. The Tap is a unique accessory designed to trigger specific scenes on-demand, or shut off all lights simultaneously, rather than just cycle through them as possible on the Dimmer Switch.
The updated Hue app also lets people reset accessories to defaults, manage routines created elsewhere, or jump into the iOS Home app to configure devices. Philips has also added an automatic firmware update option, which lets users schedule a specific time for installations to take place.
Chamberlain's MyQ Smart Garage Hub should now have better communication with its garage door sensor, including improved battery monitoring. It will also automatically identify Wi-Fi networks to streamline installation.
The MyQ Smart Garage Hub is $99.99, and works with a number of garage opener brands such as Craftsman, Genie, LiftMaster, Stanley SecureCode, and Chamberlain's own. The Home Bridge is $49.99 solo, or available in a $149.98 bundle.
Comments
- only the Smart Garage Hub was needed to make an older opener HomeKit controllable, and
- only the (cheaper) Home Bridge was needed to make a native MyQ garage opener HomeKit controllable.
There's a graphic in the article that illustrates this.It seems Chamberlain abandoned the Smart Garage Hub's HomeKit feature set, depicted in the 'right side' of that graphic, and now require both products to make an older (non MyQ) opener HomeKit controllable. The Smart Garage Hub only makes the opener Wi-Fi controllable, and the Home Bridge makes the Smart Garage Hub HomeKit compatible.
If you have 2 doors to open, you also need to buy a second door sensor as the Garage Hub only comes with one.
Did Chamberlain run into an issue, or did they just decide to increase profit from owners of older openers?
1) the MyQ Smart Garage Hub (I have two doors opened by an old but compatible door opener)
2) the MyQ Home Bridge
3) a 2nd MyQ Sensor (I have two doors and the Garage Hub only includes one sensor)
Setting up the Garage Hub, using the MyQ app was straightforward. Setting up the Bridge using the app simply didn't work. A couple of calls and hours later, Chamberlain provided a manual (mostly-non-app) method to make it all work. While the setup required un-published steps to get it working, the customer service experience was top notch.
The solution is generally easy to use and meets my needs. A few things I'd like to see improved:
- Prior to setting up the Home Bridge, alerts and scheduled actions were configured in the MyQ app. The UI is pretty good with only some minor flaws (alerts aren't necessarily sorted alphabetically, the setup wizard for the Bridge prompts to you ensure you've installed the very app you're using in one of its steps).
- Post Home Bridge setup, alerts are available in the MyQ app and Home app, but more robust options exist in MyQ so I've configured alerts in both apps. For example, MyQ can alert me if I've left the door open for 10min, while Home cannot.
- Post Home Bridge setup, schedules don't work in MyQ (a message apologizes for this and suggests it might come later). Home can schedule closing the doors instead.
- Not sure if this is Bridge related or Hub related... most of the time the system detects a door is open or closed within seconds. Sometimes it takes 5-6min. I don't like that so much.