Buttons & Sensors

Buttons & Sensors collect together three types of HomeKit accessories which can be used to trigger automations, either in HomeKit or in IFTTT. These accessories are not connected directly to any physical devices.

Trigger Button is a one-shot switch which you can use as a trigger. One-shot means it will only stay on for a moment, but that is sufficient for the accessory to be used to start or be started by an automation you define in the Home app. Optionally, you can add an IFTTT Webhook, which you can use to trigger an IFTTT service, and pass values from HomeKit accessories when the button is activated. If the bridge is running on macOS, the trigger can launch a named Shortcut.
Smart AC is a virtual AC device, which controls another HomeKit AC (see Tuya AC Controls). It can control another AC to keep the room temperature within a certain range, switching the physical AC device off when additional cooling or heating isn't needed.
Weather Sensor is a simple temperature and humidity sensor for HomeKit connected to the weather report at a given location from Apple Weather, most likely just outside your home.

Trigger Button

To create a trigger button, select Add Trigger Button from the + menu below the list on the Buttons & Sensors page of Settings.

Name the device and optionally add an iFTTT Webhook to the button. If the button is activated, the Webhook will be called. You can select up to three characteristics from any available HomeKit accessories to send their values as arguments to the webhook whenever the buton is activated. Add the Event hook name and your Webhook key (see the Documentation link on your Webhooks page). If you don't want to connect an IFTTT webhook, just leave the event name blank. .

To delete or rename the accessory, go back to Buttons Settings and click on the device in the list.

Once added to HomeKit, you may use it as a button to manually activate the IFTTT webhook, or add it to a HomeKit Scene or Automation to trigger the WebHook when the scene is activated. You also could also create a HomeKit Automation "An Accessory is Controlled" and select the Trigger Button, so it will control other devices when the button is activated.

Smart AC

To create a Smart AC, select Add Smart AC from the + menu below the list on the Buttons & Sensors page of Settings.

Name the device and select the AC to control in the currently selected Home. If you have multiple Homes, you must identify the current Home in the HomeKit settings page. A Smart AC will take its room temperature readings from the selected target AC, but optionally another HomeKit accessory with a teperature characteristic can be used as an override.

A Smart AC estimates if the room would cool or heat up with the AC turned off using either the temperature trend measured while the AC is off, or a measurement of the outside weather temperature (see Weather Sensor below). You can optionally select a HomeKit accessory with a teperature characteristic to determine the outside temperature.

Once added to HomeKit, move the original AC to another room (e.g Default Room) and put the Smart AC in the room it is monitoring. That way the room temperature will be reported to HomeKit via the Smart AC, and you can say "switch on the AC in the Living Room" to Siri and it will switch on the Smart AC.

In the Home app, you set a range of temperatures for the Smart AC, and when turned on it will switch the AC to cool, heat or off depending on the room and outside temperatures.

Weather Sensor

To create a Weather, select Add Weather Sensor from the + menu below the list on the Buttons & Sensors page of Settings.

Name the device and select the location on the map of where to request the weather report from Apple. Click or tap on the map to select a location. The Blue arrow moves to the current location known by the OS (if location Service permission is granted). The black target centers the map on the selected location. A search bar is provided to serach for a place name.

Once added to the Home app, best practice would be to create a seperate room (e.g Outside) and place the sensor there.

Subscription

To use Buttons & Sensors a small six monthly subscription is required. A one week trial period is offered if you would like to try it out first. Select Buttons & Sensors from the main menu and press Unlock Buttons & Sensors.