I keep buying smart home products that say they don’t need a hub, but I can’t set them up with Siri or Alexa. Maybe I really do need a hub? I have an Apple TV, that should work as a hub, but I don’t have an Echo, I use Alexa on my Sonos.
@Lynessence My home isn't that smart, but it does feature a handful of lamps and light bulbs. None use a hub; they communicate directly with my iPhone through Bluetooth and WiFi. Or via the Apple TV if I'm not at home or just out of range. Are you sure the accessories you've bought are HomeKit compatible?
@sod Yes. I make sure it says home kit compatible when I buy any smart home products. I think it might have something to do with my router. Smart gadgets will only work on 2.4GHZ, but I have the same settings for 5GHZ and 2.4GHZ, so I never know what band I'm using. I'll play around with it today and see if it makes a difference.
@Lynessence @sod If you buy a HomeKit compatible device it needs either an AppleTV or a HomePod to function as a part of a "Home" set-up using the Home app. Once it is in there then it can be used with Siri. It does require the 2.4GHZ wifi. In general I've found that anytime I add a new device I can use either the Home app or the app for the company that makes the device. Use your iPhone or iPad which is on your network. Assuming you've set your AppleTV as a Home Hub in the Home app, you can just add a device from the Home app and then you'll be prompted to scan the little HomeKit lable on the device.
@Denny I do have an Apple TV. It's in my son's room, though, but it still shows up in my home app. I don't know if it's set as a hub, I will check though.