How To Add Samsung TV To Homekit? – Step-by-Step Guide

How to add Samsung TV to Homekit? As you might already know, Samsung TVs are not compatible with Homekit.

At least, not immediately. You will have to follow some sort of workaround to make the integration.

Adding Samsung TV to Homekit requires you to use Homebridge. Homebridge, in this situation, can be used in two ways: with a HOOBS hub or by turning one of your Apple devices into a Homebridge server.

The HOOBS hub is a smart hub in itself. That means it will be one more device in your house, but it will be able to integrate every single one of your other devices.

The raw version of Homebridge doesn’t require you to spend money, but it is a bit more complicated to use. 

How To Add Samsung TV To Homekit? – All The Methods

Is adding Samsung TV to Homekit possible? Yes, it is! However, it is not the simplest thing to do because neither system is natively compatible.

As you might know, new Samsung TVs have an OS called Tizen. Unfortunately, Tizen can not integrate automatically with Apple’s iOS or macOS.

The most popular solution is Homebridge. Homebridge is a software that, as the name suggests, makes a bridge between unsupported software and Apple Home.

It works for mostly every brand you can think of. However, there are two versions of Homebridge you can use.

You can either choose the raw Homebridge and design a virtual hub the way you wish or go for the HOOBS (Homebridge Out Of The Box), which is very user-friendly.

Preparation Steps

Before setting up Homebridge to connect Samsung TV to Homekit, there are a few things you must ensure:

• Samsung TV’s firmware must be up to date
• Your Apple device that will be used to add the Samsung TV must be up to date too
• Every device included in the process must connect to the same Wi-Fi network

How To Update Your Samsung TV Firmware

If you’ve just bought a new Samsung TV, it might not be with the correct firmware.

After all, TVs are sometimes stored for months in retail buildings. Usually, it will prompt you to update the first time you turn it on.

If that didn’t happen or you simply want to make sure, do the following:

1. Press the “Menu” button on your remote control.
2. Navigate to “Support”‘ 
3. Select “Software Update”
4. The TV will automatically install the update if any is available
5. Wait for the TV to reboot

How To Manually Update Your MacBook And iPhone

Apple devices usually update automatically. But sometimes, they might fail to do so, or you might have denied that when the update popped up.

Whatever the case, now is the time to check and update your devices.

Here is how to update your MacBook:

1. Open the App Store on your MacBook 
2. Click on the Updates tab
3. Click on the Update button next to the new version if available 
4. Simply follow the prompts after the download is done
5. Restart your MacBook

And here is how to update your iPhone:

1. Head to Settings.
2. Click General.
3. Choose Software Update.
4. Now Download and install. 

Method #1: Use A HOOBS Hub

As we’ve mentioned, there is more than one way of using Homebridge. Acquiring a HOOBS (Homebridge Out Of The Box) hub is the easiest.

A HOOBS hub will act like an additional smart hub on your house. However, unlike smart hubs such as Echo Dot, it doesn’t have a voice assistant. 

Rather, its function is to integrate all your devices, no matter their brand.

So HOOBS is the perfect solution nowadays for people who want to populate their houses with the best technology without caring if they are natively compatible.

Step #1: Set Up HOOBS Hub

The first step is buying a HOOBS hub from the official HOOBS site.

After you have it in your hands, do the following:

1. Plug an Ethernet cable into the hub from your router
2. Plug the hub into a power source
3. Wait a few minutes for it to boot completely

If you have more than one router in your house, remember to connect the HOOBS hub to the one to which your Samsung TV and Apple devices are connected.

Otherwise, the integration will be impossible.

Next:

1. Visit the HOOBS browser interface at https://hoobs.local 
2. Sign up for an account.

Soon after you finish making your account, a QR code will appear on the screen.

If you have a compatible smartphone, you may scan it to immediately access the service.

Step #2: Install The Samsung Plugin

Once signed in, do the following:

1. Find the Homebridge section of the menu 
2. Choose “Plugins” 
3. type “homebridge-Samsung-tizen” into the search bar

It will take a few minutes to complete the installation. However, the process is mostly hands-off, meaning you only need to wait.

Step #3: Configure The Plugin

The system will prompt you to update your configuration file after installation.

1. Choose a name for the TV
2. Enter your IP address
3. Enter the MAC address

We advise giving a unique name to the TV because you won’t mistake it for any other device.

Here is what the correct configuration should look like in the setup file:

"devices": [
            {
                "name": "Bedroom TV",
                "ip": "10.20.30.40",
                "mac": "A0:B1:C2:D3:E4:F5"
            }
        ]

Step #4: Pair With Homekit

Once the Homebridge server is up, you must do the following:

1. Turn the TV on
2. A prompt should ask you to pair with Homekit
3. Choose “Allow”

The above will only be possible if you don’t have another TV already connected to Homekit.

Suppose you own an Apple TV and bought a Samsung TV for another room in your house.

In that case, do the following:

1. Open the Home App
2. Click on Add Accessory
3. Choose “Don’t Have A Code Or Can’t Scan?“
4. The app will search nearby devices
5. Your Samsung TV should now be available
6. Choose it

If a setup PIN is asked, you must look for it on the HOOBS dashboard. After that, everything is done!

Tip: Although it will cost you extra money, this method is great if you don’t want to keep an Apple device on all the time. 

Method #2: Use Homebridge On Your Mac

Let’s say you don’t want to spend another 200 or so dollars/euros on a smart hub.

If you’ve just bought a new TV, that might not be what you want to do, right? 

In that case, you can set up a Homebridge server with your device at home: your MacBook.

Here is how you can do that:

1. Open Terminal 
2. Type “npm install -g homebridge” to install Homebridge:
3. Type “npm install -g homebridge-samsung-tv” to install the Samsung plugin
4. Type “nano ~/.homebridge/config.json” to open the Homebridge config.json file
5. Add the Samsung TV platform to your config.json file. 

It should look like this:

"platforms": [
    {
        "platform": "SamsungTV",
        "name": "Samsung TV",
        "host": "IP_ADDRESS_OF_YOUR_TV",
        "mac": "MAC_ADDRESS_OF_YOUR_TV"
    }
]

Remember to replace “host” and “mac” values with the appropriate IP and MAC addresses.

Add The Samsung TV To Homekit

Now you can do the following:

1. Save the config.json file.
2. Type “homebridge” to start the software
3. Open the Home app on your MacBook
4. Click to add an accessory
5. Add your Samsung TV

After it’s added, you should be able to control your Samsung TV using HomeKit.

Note: Remember that if you want to control the Samsung TV via Homekit, you must keep the MacBook on all the time. After all, it has become your Homebridge server.

What We Learned

How to add Samsung TV to Homekit? Since Samsung TV’s Tizen OS is not readily compatible with the general framework of Homekit, you must use Homebridge.

You can either acquire a HOOBS hub or use one of your Apple devices to create a Homebridge server.

That way, your Samsung TV will be recognizable by Homekit.