Occasionally you may come across times when your Abode devices are showing 'unresponsive' in HomeKit, even though they appear normal in the Abode App.
The important thing to remember in these instances is the HomeKit network setup, and not that it is necessarily a problem with the devices, nor the Abode Gateway. Generally, a No Response will indicate a communication problem on the network between the Abode Gateway, and the HomeKit Hub, and is only a symptom, not a root cause of the problem.
Troubleshooting:
Start with the basics:
Compatible Devices
- Compatible Abode Gateways
- iota
- Smart Security Kit Gateway (Gen 1, 2, 3)
- Compatible Accessories (needs a compatible Abode Gateway)
- Motion Sensor (purchased after December 2018)
- Occupancy Sensor
- Door/Window Sensor
- Mini Door/Window Sensor
- Recessed Door/Window Sensor
- Slim Door/Window Sensor
- Keypad
- Water Leak Sensor
- Smoke Monitor
Wi-Fi
Abode HomeKit accessories communicate using your gateway as a hub via Wi-Fi.
So make sure you are also connected to the wifi. On your iOS device, Open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, and ensure that Wi-Fi is enabled and that you're connected to your home network.
Check that you're logged into iCloud
After you've confirmed that Wi-Fi is working, check that you're logged into iCloud and that Home is enabled for your account. Launch the Settings app, tap your iCloud profile (at the top of the screen), choose iCloud, and check that Home is toggled on.
Update to the latest software
Apple recommends that users experiencing any difficulties with their software or devices update to the latest available versions of iOS and macOS.
To do this on your iPhone or iPad, launch the Settings app, choose General, and select Software Update to check if a new version of iOS is available. On Mac, you'll need to launch System Preferences and choose Software Update.
It is also good practice to update your AppleTV and HomePod firmware as well as part of the troubleshooting process.
If you've encountered problems with HomeKit after updating your iOS or macOS software, it may be that a bug has found its way into the software release. While a further update should fix this in due course, it's worth continuing with the troubleshooting process to check some other issue isn't interfering with HomeKit.
Have you tried using a different device?
If you're struggling to interact with your Abode accessories using an iPhone, have you tried using your iPad, Mac or secondary Phone? If you find that you can control your HomeKit products using a different device, you may need to restart your device.
Ungroup HomeKit accessories in the Home app
iOS 13 brought some pretty big changes to the Home app like grouping of devices that serve more than one purpose. Although this change makes things appear a little more organized, it removes the ability to see any accessories associated to the gateway/iota camera, including the alarm control.
Since iOS 13.2 there is an easy way to separate those devices and bring things back to the way that they were in iOS 12, here's how:
- Launch the Home app.
- Tap on Rooms on the bottom menu bar.
- Swipe to the left or right to navigate to the room that the Abode gateway is in.
- Tap and hold or 3D Touch the iota gateway/camera.
- Tap on the Settings Icon.
- Tap on “Show as Separate Tiles".
Check if your accessories work inside the Abode App
While the Home app is great for connecting all of your HomeKit accessories together, you can also control your products using the Abode App. This can be useful when troubleshooting HomeKit. Make sure all devices are responsive and your gateway is online on the Abode app.
Controlling your HomeKit accessories when you're not home or via mobile network
If you have issues creating automations or controlling your Abode HomeKit accessories when you're not home, follow these steps:
- Make sure that your HomeKit Hub (HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad) is:
- Connected to the Internet and on the same Wi-Fi network as your other iOS devices during set up
- Updated with the latest version of tvOS or iOS
- Signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID with two-factor authentication enabled
- Make sure that you can control your accessories in the Home app on your iOS device. Open the Home app and turn on a light or change the temperature.
- Make sure that your device is set up as a home hub:
- For HomePod, open the Home app on your iOS device, tap , then check under Home Hubs to see if HomePod is connected.
- On your Apple TV, go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud and make sure that your Apple TV shows HomeKit as Connected. If you don’t see HomeKit, then your Apple TV isn't connected as a home hub.
- On your iPad, go to Settings > Home and make sure that Use this iPad as a Home Hub is turned on.
- Restart your Apple TV, iPad, and iPhone.
- Wait a few minutes. If you still need help, sign out of iCloud on your Apple TV, then sign back in. Go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud.
Network
The base of all communication if your network – without a solid foundation, communications will be sporadic at best.
Most routers will allow a steady connection out of the box with Abode, however there are some that may contain other software which may prevent a steady connection.
Steps to look into include:
- Replace network cable with a known working cable
- Power cycle both the Gateway, and the Router, to re establish the connection
- Check your router for things like VPN, firewall, QoS (Quality of Service) and other security software. Either disable these, or give Abode access to communicate through these.
- If you have a mobile app for your router, find the Abode Gateway, and give network access priority (will differ for routers)
- If using a managed Network Switch, Abode may need to be given priority on this device.
- Firmware – we can update the firmware which may help in some instances. Please contact support@goabode.com to request a Firmware update
The last resort: removing and re-adding your Gateway from HomeKit
So you've tried everything else and nothing has worked? The final step is completely removing and re-adding your home. It really is the last resort, since you'll need to individually re-pair your hub and reconfigure all of your scenes inside the Home app.
This will also require a ticket to support@goabode.com to reset the integration from the back end.
To delete and re-add your Abode hub from the HomeKit home, launch the Home app and tap on the house icon in the top-left of the screen. Then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the settings screen and tap Remove Home.
Still stuck?
If you're still not able to interact with your HomeKit devices, there may be an issue with your hardware which can't be fixed through software-based troubleshooting.
For more help setting up your HomeKit hub, please visit this article: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204893 and if the problems still persists, please contact support at support@goabode.com