Is it possible to automate a nightly reboot of a HomePod mini?

Tech Support
#1

Is there a way to get my HomePod mini to reboot/restart itself every night, sometime in the middle of the night?

I’ve always had wifi issues with the HomePod/HomePod mini and never could figure out the problem. I have Araknis networking hardware in our home

Anyway, instead of trying to troubleshoot the issue (which, again, I’ve always had), I think it’s just easier to reboot the HomePod everyday (this clears up the issue 99% of the time)

So, I’m wondering if there’s an automation/shortcut I can create that will reboot/restart the HomePod at something like 3AM everyday?

I couldn’t find anything specific in the Shortcuts or Home apps and not sure how I would go about creating a shortcut to do this on my own

Thanks in advance

#2

You could always go old school and plug it into a timer.
A second option would be to use a WeMo switch and Home automation to automate turning it off and back on (assuming you have an iPad that stays at home, or an Apple TV to run the automation).

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#3

I hadn’t thought of using a Homekit switch - that’s a good idea and should be a cheap, easy fix

Yeah, have several Apple TVs and my kids each have a HomePod mini, so should be no problem

#4

Be careful. Even with multiple devices acting as HomeKit hubs, there is a delay in HomeKit promoting a standby hub to be the primary.

Using an automation with a smart switch can involve HomeKit routines. Don’t “saw off the branch you are standing on” and all that.

I would recommend using a non-HomeKit smartswitch that has a reboot command in the device firmware or app.

A side benefit is that the switch will not appear anywhere in your HomeKit controls, so a bit of security by obscurity for other members of the household.

Also, if your HomeKit hub screws up, as they all tend to do rather frequently, you lose remote access to everything.

Most smartswitches have their own cloud remote access (pro and con, not getting into the tin foil hat discussion here), so you have a chance to reboot your HomeKit hub remotely and then regain access to all your HomeKit devices.

Wyze makes some very inexpensive smartswitches that work perfectly for this. (I use them for rebooting cable/satellite boxes.)

#5

Thank you for that additional info

I just checked in my Home app and I have 7 home ‘hubs’ (4 Apple TVs and 3 HP minis)

I was surprised not to see my iPad Pro listed, but it seems like only Apple TVs (4th gen or later) and HPs can serve this function

I thought iPads were able to serve as a hub as well, but maybe that functionality was removed at some point

Regardless, the Home app is showing one of my Apple TVs as the current hub

Does anybody know - does this change from time to time? If I check my Home app in a day or two, will it list some other device as the active hub?

#6

Apple is opaque about this and many aspects of HomeKit.

The only reliable way to force an active HomeKit hub is to turn off all the other hubs and wait until the remaining device becomes active.

But if then turn on other hubs again, no predicting when the active Hub might switch again.

iPads must be connected to power and the settings option enabled for them to be HomeKit hubs. Not recommended in almost all scenarios unless just for testing.

Note that a hidden feature of HomeKit is that standby hubs are still active Bluetooth repeaters/range extenders, so you really don’t want them turned off.

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#7

$6/each. Un-hackable. No concerns of if this HP is the master, etc.

#8

LOL that’s great, back to the future!

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