About two weeks ago, my home automation started to misbehave. I then noticed that my homepods were “configuring,” but after a day, they still displayed the same message. Then my Home on the iPhone said no hubs were responding. I have done the following:
-unplugged the home pod, waited, and plugged it back in - the same issue
-reset the home pod - same issue
-removed the home pod, unplugged, kept finger on until red dots and three beeps, setup the homepod - same issue
I kept checking on this issue and Apple Support had to plug into the Mac. I did this and it had an update of 3.45GBs. I let this install for about 20 minutes. Placed it back into the power outlet and then setup the homepod. But still the same issue.
Now, the only way to control any of my devices on Meross or Wemo is to use their apps. The Home app has become useless.
I am looking for any ideas to help me get over this issue. Thanks, Stan
The HomePod Mini is the “newest”, and has a slightly faster processor, but they are all based on the smallest Apple Silicon chip used in the Apple Watch, not the iPhone.
Not what you want to hear, but is there any way you an use an AppleTV as the HomeKit Hub? Ideally, a newer model with Ethernet connection and not Wi-Fi.
That would have the best performance and increased (but not perfect) reliability.
In the next versions of iOS now in Beta, you’ll finally be able to manually designate a HomeKit hub, which would allow forcing the AppleTV to be the primary hub instead of Apple picking a slow HomePod, but that only helps if you already have multiple HomeKit hubs.
Thanks for the comments. Yes, the HomePods are all Minis, with two Apple TVs. Nothing is ethernet; it’s all WiFi (I have eero extenders too). The hubs didn’t have much to do as each room only had one or two Wemo outlets or Meeross light bulbs.
I deleted my Home and created it from scratch. Everything is working as it did before. Maybe something corrupted the Home App.
I am still amazed that the HomePod Mini had the space to accept a 3.45GB update when connected to the MacAir.
Do you have Eero’s with second Ethernet port and is one near one of your AppleTV’s?
If yes, you could connect that AppleTV via Ethernet and be prepared for when HomeKit/iOS finally lets you manually set the preferred HomeKit hub.
In the meantime, keep in mind that the only way to force one HomePod or AppleTV to be the HomeKit hub is to unplug every other HomePod and AppleTV except for one and wait 10 to 30 minutes.
If troubleshooting HomeKit, painful, but very useful to have only one running HomeKit hub.
Note that, unfortunately, as of now, when you plug back in any of your other HomePods or AppleTV’s, they might randomly get promoted to being the primary hub.
You can, at least, see in the Apple Home app which hub is primary and the rest will be listed as standby.
Keep an eye on that to see if perhaps the HomePod Mini’s vs the AppleTV affect whether your HomeKit home is more or less reliable for now.
Correction: AppleTV’s do have the option to NOT be enabled for HomeKit, but HomePods, alas, will always be enabled for HomeKit right now.
Thank you for the additional information. I did not know that you could pick a primary by not having the others on. That is very useful to know. No I do not have the arrow extender next to the TV or even in the living room. My plan is to move the FiOS router out from the one bedroom that used to be used for as an office and moved to the hallway and from there I could drop lines to various areas like the TV, so far everything is working. I’m just glad this happened while I was home and not if we were away for sometime all the best, Stan.
This is getting into the nitty gritty, but you don’t have to move your FiOS router, which might involve moving a fiber line coming in.
All routers nowadays use a direct point-to-point Ethernet cable between the router “WAN” port and the incoming Internet line (from a broadband cable modem or a fiber optic network terminal box (ONT).
Typically, that is a short 3 or 6 foot Ethernet cable because the router and the internet box are right next to each other.
Ethernet is spec’d for 328 feet!
You can move the router away from the incoming device and just use a long Ethernet cable between them.
Not very common, but absolutely nothing special or wrong with doing that. Based on physical setup, sometimes it is a lot more convenient to move the router then trying to moving everything to a more central place in the house.
EDIT: Just don’t confuse this “WAN” Ethernet line (point to point) with your “LAN” Ethernet lines coming from your router or Ethernet switches. If you interconnect them, you’ll hose your network.