How To Add Vizio TV To HomeKit?

Vizio TVs are top-rated because of their quality and their amount of features.

One of those is HomeKit, allowing you to integrate it with your family of Apple devices. So how to add vizio tv to homekit?

Latest generation Vizio TVs can be added natively to HomeKit via the integrated HomeKit support or AirPlay. Some older TVs might not have such a feature, but they can still be integrated into the HomeKit environment by using a third-party solution such as Homebridge or HOOBS.

All the sections will clear all your doubts regarding the connection between Vizio TV and Homekit.

We will even help you with initial steps that should prevent any troubles. You should be able to control your TV from HomeKit within minutes.

How To Add Vizio TV To Homekit?

Adding Vizio TV to Homekit is a very easy task if your Vizio TV has been manufactured within recent years.

In addition, many Vizio TVs count on AirPlay, an Apple-friendly feature, helping set it up with the Homekit environment.

Models without HomeKit or AirPlay can still be connected through third-party methods.

Preparation Steps

Before trying to connect your Vizio TV to Homekit, you must ensure that your TV and iPhone are updated and connected to the correct network.

Recent iPhones can connect to the 5GHz network of your router, and that is probably the network your TV is already connected to.

So ensuring both are on the same network will make the integration process as smooth as possible.

✅ Ensure You Have The Latest iOS

Ensuring you have the most recent iOS version on your iPhone will prevent eventual incompatibilities along the way.

This is the path you can be sure of on your phone:

Go to Settings;
Choose General;
Tap Software Update;
Download if available.

If no download is available, your iPhone is already running the latest iOS.

✅ Keep Your TV Up To Date

It is also important to ensure that your TV has the latest firmware. That way, it can communicate with the Apple servers without trouble.

Press the remote’s V button;
Choose “System”;
Tap “Check for updates”;
Install updates if possible.

1. Integrate With Native HomeKit

How to add Vizio TV to Apple Homekit? If you have one of the most recent Vizio TV, odds are it has HomeKit native support, which is the best feature you could ask for.

It will make the entire process very straightforward:

Touch the Home or V button;
Select “Extras” on the menu;
Choose “Apple HomeKit”;
A QR Code will show up.

Now grab your phone:

Open the HomeKit app;
Tap the “+” button;
Click “Add Accessory“;
Scan the QR code on the TV screen;
Adjust settings to your preferences.

2. Integrate Via AirPlay

Some Vizio TVs might only have AirPlay but not native HomeKit.

Since AirPlay is an Apple functionality, you will have to work around it so you can sort of integrate your Vizio TV into HomeKit.

Here is how:

Touch the Home or V button;
Select “Extras” on the menu;
Choose “Apple AirPlay”;
Toggle it to “On”;

Now you can open any app on your iPhone with the AirPlay option and use it to share/send content to your TV.

You can also:

Open the HomeKit app;
Select the Vizio TV showing up;
Adjust its settings.

3. Use Homebridge

Suppose your Vizio TV doesn’t have native access to HomeKit or AirPlay. You can’t find those on the TV’s menu.

In that case, you will have to rely on something such as Homebridge.

Homebridge is a third-party software that enables HomeKit to recognize the Vizio TV’s system.

It is usually recommended to run it on your Mac:

Install Node.js on your laptop
Open the Terminal
Write “npm install -g homebridge” to run Homebridge
Write “npm install -g homebridge-vizio” to run the Vizio TV plugin
Create a config.json file in the Homebridge directory
Add the following info to the JSON file:

"accessories": [
    {
        "accessory": "VizioDisplay",
        "name": "Whatever Name You Want",
        "token": "YOUR ACCESS TOKEN",
        "address": "YOUR DISPLAY'S IP ADDRESS"
    }
]

Inserting the correct info above is what will link Homebridge to your TV. Then, when you want to launch the Homebridge plugin, you can open the terminal and type “homebridge”.

Connect To HomeKit

Once you have the correct info on Homebridge, it is time to make it connect to HomeKit.

Here the process is very easy:

Open HomeKit on your iPhone
Click the “+” button
Click on “Add Accessory”
Tap “Don’t Have a Code or Can’t Scan?“
Select your Vizio TV
Adjust settings if you want
Tap “Done“

4. Connect Through HOOBS

If the option of using Homebridge entices you, but you don’t want to deal with code or leave your Mac on to be used as a server, you can use HOOBS instead.

HOOBS stands for “Homebridge out of the box”. It is a smart hub that connects any sort of device to HomeKit.

HOOBS gets updated by users constantly, so it always has the latest plugins.

Here is how you can use it to connect your Vizio TV:

Connect HOOBS to your router (via Ethernet)
Launch the HOOBS app on your iPhone
Find the add-ons section
Locate and install the Vizio TV plugin
Provide your Vizio account details and your IP address

Link HOOBS To HomeKit

Once the HOOBS has your account details, it can interpret the TV as a Homekit accessory.

Next, it is time to add HOOBS to HomeKit:

Launch the Home app;
Click “+” button;
Choose “Add Accessory“;
Scan the HOOBS’ hub QR code;
Adjust preferences if you want.

Note: HOOBS maintains the experience as seamless as possible. You can go to the HomeKit app and select your TV to create scenes, automation, etc.

5. Integrate Via Logitech Harmony Hub

Another hub that can help establish the link between unsupported Vizio TVs and HomeKit is the Logitech Harmony Hub.

It supports a lot of older Vizio TVs and can be added to the HomeKit environment without further apps.

If you have a Harmony Hub at home, do the following:

Ensure the TV and the Harmony Hub are on the same Wi-Fi network;
Open the Logitech Harmony app on your iPhone;
Touch on “Devices”;
Choose “Add Devices”;
Scroll brands and choose “Vizio”;
Select your Vizio TV model.

Add Harmony To HomeKit

It is necessary to ensure the Vizio TV responds to the Harmony app commands. If it does, the next phase is adding the Harmony hub to HomeKit.

Follow these steps:

Open HomeKit on your iPhone
Click on “+” button
Touch “Add Accessory“
Select “I Don’t Have a Code or Cannot Scan“
Your iPhone will discover the hub
Adjust preferences if you want

6. Use Broadlink IR

Suppose you are looking for a cheaper alternative to all the hubs mentioned above. In that case, you will probably love to know about Broadlink’s IR range.

The Broadlink IR products are meant to control devices that answer to IR signals, such as your Vizio TV.

Thus, it will act as a remote control. In addition, however, it is a smart remote control that can connect to HomeKit.

Download and open the Broadlink app;
Power your Broadlink device on;
Put it into pairing mode
Tap the “+” icon;
Choose the correct type of device (your Vizio TV remote control);
Follow the prompts to train the device.

Connect Broadlink To HomeKit

Now it is time you add the Broadlink IR device to HomeKit:

Open HomeKit on your iPhone;
Click on “+” button;
Touch “Add Accessory“;
Select “I Don’t Have a Code or Cannot Scan“;
Your iPhone will discover the Broadlink device;
Adjust preferences if you want.

What We Learned

How to add Vizio TV to HomeKit? Such a task is not difficult if your Vizio TV has native compatibility with HomeKit or AirPlay.

However, if it doesn’t, you can still use some third-party hub or software to create the necessary link.

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Finn Wheatley

How To Add Vizio TV To Homekit? – Complete Steps