I found a new solution for home automation, HomeBridge.

If you're on the Apple bandwagon like I am, HomeBridge takes a lot of the complication out of home automation. It is an open source NodeJS server that you can run on a computer in your home that emulates the Apple HomeKit API. It has plugins that allow it to work with smart devices that may or may not play nice with Apple.

I’ve been using it for quite some time, but am finally getting around to writing about it, but let me tell you that it has been a lifesaver when it has come to getting all of my smart devices working seamlessly on the same platform. I initially looked into it because I wanted to use my Belkin WeMo devices with HomeKit. At the time Belkin hadn’t released the WeMo Bridge. I’ve decided to stick with the HomeBridge for connecting my devices because it works with some of the older WeMo devices that are not compatible with the WeMo Bridge.

I have HomeBridge running on a CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3. The Pi is a perfect device for doing something like this because it is small and can be tucked away, it uses very little energy, and it runs a special flavor of Linux, called Raspbian, which is an extremely stable operating system. These qualities make it a solid device for the purposes of running a HomeBridge server.

There are quite a few steps to getting this set up and it probably isn't for the faint of heart, but if you can tough it out you won't be sorry.

Setup

Start with getting your Raspberry Pi set up. Then go and check out the HomeBridge set up. Then you're done.

Don’t you love my instructions? Really though, the respective sites explain it a lot better than I could. They also both have huge, amazing, awesome communities that are more than happy to help if you have questions or problems along the way.

So what are you waiting for? Get your HomeBridge on.