Howto: Switch your devices with Siri via Apple HomeKit

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Hey guys,
i always wanted to use Siri directly to switch my devices and i just found a simple and easy way which i want to share.
“Hey Siri turn off all lamps in the bedroom”

Warning: This project needs Node.js version 0.12 or above. As the official pimatic websites states “Node.js 0.11/0.12 isn’t supported by all plugins yet.” so either you choose the hard way and install some kind of node version manager or you choose the easy way and use another raspberry pi.

So lets get started with a clean raspbian installation WITHOUT pimatic on it.
First you need to install Node.js 0.12 and other dependencies:

$ sudo apt-get install g++
$ sudo apt-get install libavahi-compat-libdnssd-dev
$ mkdir node.js
$ cd node.js
$ wget http://node-arm.herokuapp.com/node_latest_armhf.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i node_latest_armhf.deb
$ cd ..

Now you can go on installing the github project Homebridge.

$ git clone https://github.com/nfarina/homebridge.git
$ cd homebridge
$ npm install

After that you need to create a config.json. In this file you add the pimatic API commands to your devices. There is also a config-sample.json which you can copy and then edit:

$ sudo cp config-sample.json config.json
$ sudo nano config.json

There are many different devices supported by Homebridge and maybe someday we get a full pimatic integration. I do not have the skill for this but i can call pimatic API urls pretty good
Here is a short example of my config:

{
    "bridge": {
        "name": "Raspberrypi Bridge",
        "username": "CC:22:3D:E3:CE:30",
        "port": 51826,
        "pin": "031-45-154"
    },
    "description": "MeinFile",
    "platforms": [],
    "accessories": [
        {
            "accessory": "Http",
            "name": "Uhr",
            "on_url": "http://name:pw@ip:port/api/device/uhr/buttonPressed?buttonId=qlockon",
            "off_url": "http://name:pw@ip:port/api/device/uhr/buttonPressed?buttonId=qlockoff",
            "brightness_url": "http://n:pw@ip:port/api/device/uhr/buttonPressed?buttonId=qlockon",
            "http_method": "GET"
        },
        {
            "accessory": "Http",
            "name": "Deckenlampe",
            "on_url": "http://name:password@ipaddress:port/api/device/Schalter2/turnOn",
            "off_url": "http://name:password@ipaddress:port/api/device/Schalter2/turnOff",
            "brightness_url": "name:password@ipaddress:port/api/device/Schalter2/toggle",
            "http_method": "GET"
        }
    ]
}

Everything’s ready so run npm run start. Now choose a HomeKit App and add the bridge “Raspberrypi Bridge” with the code “031-45-154”. Voila!

If you use Eve it should now look like this:

For autostart Homebridge at reboot i used this tutorial on domoticz.com

DRAWBACKS:
There are many limitations as I just figured out how to get Homebridge working with the http accessories. So be creative and use the pimatic API for crazy ideas.
I also got no dimmers, so the brightness_url is just a place holder.
I first had problems connection to the bridge with the app “Insteon+” so i switched to Eve.
Second raspberrypi running all day

pretty cool!
Thanks for the howto, will try it in the next couple of weeks

@thymian wrote :

“Node.js 0.11/0.12 isn’t supported by all plugins yet.”

there are some plugins who do not run with higher versions, but there are effrots to migrate to node 4.x
see pimatic/pimatic#719

NICE! I have installed the Homebridge server on my Synology nas. Took me a while to find out how … But now it is running very well. A nice extension of the system!

i am sometimes having problems with the connection. I am running it on an Raspberry Pi B with a Wifi stick and often the HomeKit App cant reach the devices.
@dynamite Do you have issues like that or is it because of wifi connection problems?

Thanks - I just finished installing this and have it all working nicely, controlling my Hue lights from the Apple Watch is like living in the future

@thymian sorry for the late reply. I was not at home so did not test that much. Will give you an update on your question as I have to startup the server again.

Hello guys,
I’m always getting this error.
GLIBBCXX 3.4.20 not found
Anyone an idea?
Or some help?

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Chris

Here is the complete error message:
/usr/local/bin/node: /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/libstdc++.so.6: version ‘GLIBCXX_3.4.20’ not found (required by /usr/local/bin/node)
/usr/local/bin/node: /lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/libc.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.16’ not found (required by /usr/local/bin/node)

mfg
Chris

For all who don’t want to use homebridge, i’m currently working on a pimatic plugin (https://github.com/michbeck100/pimatic-hap), that advertises all devices configured in pimatic automatically at startup as homekit accessories.
Currently it’s still wip, but Switches and Dimmers should be working. Until the next pimatic update you have to use the latest version from github, because https://github.com/pimatic/pimatic/commit/bc5f95e61eb2ade65715c17ffa70f2ba10023791 is needed for this to work.
The only thing to configure is to add the plugin to the config.json.

Oh, and by the way: i’m using HAP-NodeJS, too, but as far as i can tell the used version works with node.js v0.10.

Ok nice, but this only works with an developer account from apple.
If i understand the details in your posts.
The way with homebridge works with a usually app from the appstore.

Or i there another way?

and i have tried to install your pimatic-hap.
pimtaic give me the following message:
error [pimatic]: Cannot find module ‘hap-nodejs’

1. You can use the same apps that are working with homebridge, too, since HomeKit is just an framework that advertises the accessories. Homebridge is using HAP-NodeJS, too.

2. You have to ‘npm install’ inside the pimatic-hap directory, so the dependencies are installed. Then it should be working after restart.
   Once I have released the plugin to npm-registry this is not needed anymore.

also the error with:

cannot find module hap-nodejs

installed it like this:

cd pimatic-app/node_modules
git glone https://github.com/michbeck100/pimatic-hap.git
cd pimatic-hap
npm install

the trick from this thread: http://forum.pimatic.org/topic/990/pimatic-plugin-for-wakeonlan/11
does not work

see post 11

I just released version 0.0.1 to nom registry. So in theory the plugin entry in config.json should be enough to install everything. Try to delete the git checkout of pimatic-ahp and restart pimatic. I haven’t tried that yet. You are the first one .

Trier it, but now i geht this.

error [pimatic]: Error running "npm install pimatic-hap"

Yes i got the same error thats because of this:
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/bindings

curve25519@1.1.0 install /home/pi/pimatic-app/node_modules/pimatic-hap/node_modules/hap-nodejs/node_modules/curve25519
node-gyp rebuild

gyp WARN EACCES user “root” does not have permission to access the dev dir "/root/.node-gyp/0.10.24"
gyp WARN EACCES attempting to reinstall using temporary dev dir “/home/pi/pimatic-app/node_modules/pimatic-hap/node_modules/hap-nodejs/node_modules/curve25519/.node-gyp”

if i use git clone i get the same error and updated everything but no luck.

@p4co86 navigate to node_modules/pimatic-hap and run npm install there. This worked for me. Anyway, if this doesn’t work, just delete the pimatic-hap directory and restart pimatic. This will install the plugin from npm-registry just like any regular plugin including the dependencies.

@gekkonl did you run the command as root? That should not be needed. Anyway, see my last post. That makes installation a breeze

i did that also but then you get the error what p4co86 is talking about,
so after that i removed everything again and started pimatic with log and than that error came.