Just wondering how people are using HomeKit with their StreamDecks, please?
All I’d like to do is turn some lights on and off.
Many thanks.
if you are using Phillips Hue lights there is a Stream Deck plug in that you can use with Stream Deck that allows you to turn the lights on and off.
Otherwise use Shortcuts to create a Home shortcut then use the Shortcut plug in for the Stream Deck, this will work with any light in the Home app.
I use BetterTouchTool to run my Streamdeck but I would imagine the standard software can run scripts and open URLs (sorry, I only used it for a week or two before switching to BTT).
Anyway, assuming you can have a button run a script/terminal command or open a URL, then you have a way forward via an app called HomeControl. It bills itself as a menubar app for controlling your home, and indeed that’s what it does, but it also has a URL scheme.
The URL scheme means you can control just about anything by opening a URL like this:
homecontrol://x-callback-url/run-action?action-type=trigger-scene&item-type=scene&item-name=My%20Scene&home-name=My%20Home&authentication-token=1dhb454hjbsdc3jdsnsd
That would trigger the scene My Scene in the home My Home. The authentication token is unique to you within the app (the one above is random keyboard mashing, not my real token).
If all you need to do is trigger a scene, or turn something off and on, that’s all you need. I have taken things further by using multiple actions including time delays so, which I build into a script in BTT. For instance, I can have my lights go green for 4 seconds, then orange for 4 seconds, then red for 4 seconds then turn off — because my Streamdeck is on my desk and not near the door to my study.
I don’t own a Streamdeck, though I have tried desperately to find a legitimate reason why I should buy one. I understand that you can run Apple Shortcuts through the Streamdeck, so that would be the easiest way to do it. I actually have what I suppose is a similar set up on my iPhone, in that I have a screen that is just various HomeKit shortcuts to important lights all laid out nicely (I pretend I live in the future and it’s my house remote control).
I tried going the Shortcuts route and was sorely disappointed. Shortcuts’ Home actions were (at least pre-Sonoma) rather limited. For instance, you could turn a light on or you could turn a light off. There was no toggle. You could set a specific brightness, but not raise it by a specific amount.
And that’s if Shortcuts decides to work on a given day.
Yes, I added all my Hue lights to my Stream Deck, but it turned out I hardly ever used that.
In fact, the Stream Deck is back in its box right now…
To me the problem with StreamDeck for home automation is guaranteeing the Mac it’s attached to is on.
Generally my Mac Studio is - but not always.
For that reason I have a Raspberry Pi with a touch screen we use to control lights.
1 Like