Lutron keypad and Roomie Remote v6: Simple Hub replacement?

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1

I am an AV integrator and I have a client using a Lutron Homeworks QS keypad to turn their AV on/off and change sources (the purpose of the Lutron keypad is to trigger AV events). The keypad is linked to Simple Control v5.x with an Apple TV in Single App Mode running as a Simple Hub.

Will the keypad continue to work after an upgrade to Roomie Remote v6? When the Apple TV Simple Hub goes away, how will Roomie Remote be listening for triggers from the Lutron Keypad? Would you recommend running Roomie Remote on an always-on Mac Mini as a replacement to a Simple Hub?

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V6 is also now available on Apple TV. So your setup would simply be identical to what it was before. For now a Mac Mini is definitely not a better choice than the Apple TV because macOS still doesn’t support HomeKit (Home app notwithstanding).

3

Thank you for the thoughtful response. I want to dig into the always-on instance of Roomie a little more.

Our configuration is made of mostly iTach devices and some IP devices such as Sonos. What’s an example of needing HomeKit? Would asking Siri on your iPhone to activate a Roomie function work on MacOS?

Sorry for the naive question. To further complicate things, I need to perform a bunch of configuration changes remotely so making the changes via TeamViewer to a MacOS instance of Roomie really appeals to me. From an integrators perspective, working with an Apple TV in Single App Mode can be difficult to manage. I don’t know how to instruct a technician on site to update it, though I suppose I could set an updated one up and ship it to the site where a technician can install it.

4

If it appears in the Home app, you need HomeKit to control it. With the exception of TVs and speakers. Apple fakes out HomeKit by adding supported TVs and Speakers to the Home app even though they are not real HomeKit accessories. So if you don’t use HomeKit, macOS may be an option, but I still don’t recommend it as the first choice. The best platform for the Primary Controller remains iOS in Guided Access mode on a charger with a USB Ethernet dongle – as documented.

5

Will is this still true today? I’d love to read any documents you have on set-up, or is there YouTube for that?

6

What do you mean by “this” exactly? One topic in old thread above is whether a Mac Mini is a good Primary. That part is indeed no longer true because MacOS 11 now supports HomeKit.

However, the best Primary remains and has always been a modern iPad in Guided Access on a charger. Mac Mini or AppleTV 4K work fine as well. AppleTV 4K these days has a pretty weak CPU so it would be last on the list of all devices.

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