One of the earliest challenges of adopting smart home technology is dealing with compatibility. Devices like Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Ring all exist within their own ecosystems, and they rarely play well together with a device like the Starling Hub.
When I first ventured into the world of smart homes, I started exclusively with Apple HomeKit. It worked well, but the selection of compatible devices was limited, and many of them were more expensive than their counterparts on other platforms.
The Struggles of Early Smart Home Adoption: Compatibility Woes
Over time, Google Home started to take over my smart home setup. We installed the Nest heating system, which came with its fair share of frustrations. The goal was to have a smart, remotely accessible heating system. However, it quickly became clear that Nest’s “learning” feature wasn’t ideal for us since we didn’t have a set weekly routine. The Home/Away Assist was also unreliable, forcing us to install a third-party geofencing app to get it to work about 80% of the time.
Things improved slightly after Google took over the Nest app, but ultimately, all I had was a digital thermostat that simply turned off the heating when no one was home.
I still get my monthly Nest Home Report, but I’ve earned a “leaf” every single day of ownership, without fail. Has it saved me money? Maybe. I have a spreadsheet full of data, but with fluctuating fuel prices and weather, it’s hard to draw any conclusions.
Siri vs. Google: The Voice Assistant Battle
Siri’s voice recognition has definitely improved over time. As of now, it works better for us than Google Assistant does. Plus, with the relatively affordable HomePod mini, we have more access to our HomeKit network and security systems around the house.
Nest Protect and Apple Home
I use a variety of Eve sensors and Hue lights, but there’s still a glaring issue: my Nest heating and Nest Protect smoke detectors are not compatible with HomeKit. This means when spoken is discovered the alert also comes through on Apple HomePod, iPhones and Apple Watch.
Enter the Starling Hub for Google Nest
About six weeks ago, I discovered a clever little device that bridges the gap between Google Nest and Apple HomeKit. I placed an order, and after tracking its journey across the U.S., it finally arrived in Belfast a week later.
The Starling Hub is small, plugs directly into your router (or a switch, if you have a larger network), and took less than ten minutes to install. Once set up, all my Nest devices instantly appeared in the HomeKit app.
There’s no noticeable delay when triggering actions from HomeKit, and a few weeks after installation, the hub received an update that added Google speakers to the mix, allowing them to be controlled within the Apple ecosystem as well.
Google Nest Meets Apple Home App
It’s fantastic to see all the metrics from my Nest thermostats and Protects (smoke alarms) now appearing in HomeKit. The Nest Protects that are connected to mains electricity also offer motion detection, just like they do in the Google Nest app. I can now choose which geo-location platform (or both) controls when the thermostats enter Eco mode. Plus, I can adjust the temperature using Siri and trigger routines through HomeKit.
What About Matter?
Yes, I know Matter is a focus, but the Starling Hub does everything I need right now—and it does it well. Even better, it integrates with the Apple Home App allowing me to view temperature targets in a graphical format. It’s important to note that, as of now, Matter support is limited to the latest post 2020 Nest Thermostats, so my older (UK) “learning” Nest won’t be getting it.
What about Home Assistant?
Although it’s possible to connect Google Nest to Home Assistant, the process is not straightforward. Using the HomeKit interface, however, allows all users to adjust hot water settings, control temperatures, and receive emergency alerts from Nest Protect smoke alarms.
I have my Nest devices integrated with Home Assistant, but I primarily use them for data logging rather than automation. My automations are handled through Apple HomeKit.
Apple HomeKit Automations with Google Nest
I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Google’s Home/Away Assist. Currently, I use the Apple Home app to trigger ECO mode on the thermostats when the last person leaves the house, and to deactivate it when the first person arrives home.
This setup isn’t perfect, as HomeKit doesn’t provide a clear indication of who is at home. Occasionally, the service fails, and there’s no way to determine who Apple thinks is present. While Home Assistant’s location tracking is more reliable, the need for a simple solution that works for all household members makes HomeKit the better choice.
Key Automations
- Activate ECO Mode when the last person leaves (Ensure this option is enabled in the Starling Hub app).
- Deactivate ECO Mode when the first person arrives home.
- Button to boost hot water for 30 minutes (especially useful for active kids).
Starling Hub HomeKit Certification
It’s worth mentioning that while the Apple Home app notifies you that the devices are not “certified,” it doesn’t impact functionality in any way. Thirty days in, and the Starling Hub has truly proven its worth in my HomeKit setup.
Final Thoughts
In short, the Starling Hub connects your Nest Thermostat, Protect, Camera, Secure, and Nest × Yale Lock products to your Apple Home system. The latest update even allows you to stream audio from any Apple device to Nest Audio, Nest Mini, or Google Nest Hub (including Nest WiFi). If you’re looking to integrate Google Nest with Apple HomeKit, this is a fantastic little device that does exactly what it promises—and it works seamlessly.
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