If you’re looking for an Apple HomeKit hub, you don’t have a lot of options. While many users will pick up a HomePod or HomePod mini to serve as the brains of their smart home, there’s nothing stopping you from using Apple TV as a home hub.
Setting up a HomePod will automatically turn it into a HomeKit hub, but the same isn’t true for Apple TV. That means you’ll need to carry out a few additional steps before you can start dishing out commands from the comfort of your couch.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to set up Apple TV as a HomeKit hub.
How to set up Apple TV as a HomeKit hub
To get Apple TV working as a HomeKit hub, you’ll need to first add it to HomeKit. Once you do this, it’ll automatically start working as a Home hub. Thankfully, that process is straightforward and should only take a few minutes. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Step 1: Head over to your Apple TV and open the Settings menu.
Step 2: Navigate to the Users and Accounts menu and ensure your name is set as the Default User.
Step 3: Ensure that you’re connected to iCloud with the same Apple ID that’s connected to HomeKit in your Home app.
Step 4: Head back to the Settings menu on Apple TV and select AirPlay and HomeKit.
Step 5: Navigate to the Room option, then create a new room for Apple TV or add it to an existing room.
Step 6: With that done, your Apple TV should be sync with HomeKit.
Apple TV has a few cool perks when using it as a HomeKit hub. For one, you can navigate a visual interface instead of just giving voice commands (which is all you can do with HomePod). And because Apple TV is connected to a screen, you can check in on live video feeds from cameras around your home, or quickly adjust settings directly from your TV. This makes it especially enticing for large properties with tons of cameras – or if you simply think it’s easy to control HomeKit with a screen instead of just voice commands.
