HOT 198: Connecting An iPad to an Android Smart Home - A Unified Smart Home Experience

Hands-On Tech (Audio)

Leo Laporte

Reviews, Technology, Product Reviews, Tech, Gadgets, Twit

4.4 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah Sargent tackles a unique smart home dilemma from a viewer named John, who runs his home automation through Android while his wife uses Apple devices. John wants to know if he can use an old iPad as a home hub to give his wife easier access to their home's smart features, like thermostats, greenhouse controls, and outlets, without having to go through his phone.

Android-first setup is actually advantageous, as it means devices are already configured independently rather than being locked into Apple's HomeKit ecosystem
For HomeKit-compatible devices, adding them to the wife's iPhone/iPad is as simple as scanning the HomeKit codes in Apple's Home app

Some suggested approaches for the iPad hub:

Use as a portable control panel that can move between rooms
Mount it permanently as a dedicated control center using a device such as elago's Home Hub Mount, which allows for clean cable management.
Mikah recommends using Home Assistant (home-assistant.io) as a powerful third-party solution that works with more devices than just HomeKit or Google Home, has robust automation capabilities, and has apps for multiple platforms, making it accessible to both users.
Mikah also emphasizes the importance of "smart," which means proactive automation, giving examples like automatic fan control based on humidity sensor readings, proximity-based lighting control, and custom scenes triggered by pressure sensors.

Host: Mikah Sargent

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Coming up on Hands on Tech, let's take a look at what's involved with setting up a home hub.
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1:13.7	p o d k a tz nine terms and conditions apply hello and welcome to hands on tech the show where i
1:20.7	micah sergeant take your tech question and answer it or try to at least and occasionally i also
1:26.4	review a gadget but today is a day for questions
1:30.4	and today's question comes in from john uh who writes we are a divided house i use android my wife uses
1:41.0	apple i have all the home automation apps and devices hooked up through my phone and accounts. I'm wondering if using an old iPad she has as a home hub. My thought is she will have access to everything, thermostats, greenhouse controls, outlets, etc. on the iPad or her phone without having to access my phone? Do you have any tips for this, or am I making things too difficult?
2:03.0	It's a seventh generation iPad, and then John shares the model of the iPad.
2:07.7	So, John, first and foremost, it's interesting because when I get these questions, I tend to get them in the reverse.
	...

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