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Forum Discussion
HomeKit Router Support for Netgear Orbi
To the Netgear Support Team, When will you integrate Apple HomeKit Router on the Orbi and Nighthawk systems? It's pretty sad that other vendors like Linksys and Amazon have been able to do this ...
Rioo wrote:
To the Netgear Support Team,
When will you integrate Apple HomeKit Router on the Orbi and Nighthawk systems?
It's pretty sad that other vendors like Linksys and Amazon have been able to do this with a firmware update. For the high prices consumers pay for your products you should be adding in features like this to stay in the market.
There have been multiple community posts about this as well with no response from the engineering team and it's been 2+ years. If you want customers to pay for your own security system that's basically free now from other vendors you should rethink your business strategy.
Rioo , I'm not sure what you mean by HomeKit integration? Do you want Orbi to have Thread support, that is to act a a Thread Edge Router?
Otherwise, I have all types of HomeKit devices, including Thread devices at home working perfectly with Orbi. I have many HopePod units as well as Apple TV devies acting as home hubs. I really don't see any issue with that.
The only thing that is missing, and is likely what you are asking for is to add the Thread support in Orbi so that you won't need an Apple HomePod as a hub, is this what you are asking for? đ
- ekhalil I answered above, But basically you still need a HomePod, Apple TV or iPad. It's the management of the router and it's secure functionality that apple HomeKit for routers provides is what we want. The ability to have security and for eg if you have security cameras then Apple HomeKit would manage the recording by itself. Actually using the HomeKit API as a core component in the software that runs on the Orbi.
If it's confusing then the Linksys and Eero routers have examples on their homepages. ekhalil I think you should look up Homekit Secure Router and learn what it is and what benefits it provide (and why people demand it) before commenting and acting like people just ask a random question.
It basically provides a user-friendly dropdown boxes to let user firewall each Homekit accessory in the Home app. It allows users to choose whether to allow an accessory to communicate with outside network or to only allow it to communicate with the home hub (e.g., Homepod, apple TV). You can accomplish the same thing with firewall on the router, but users need to learn certain things. With Homekit Secure Router, users don't have to mess with the firewall settings in the router, they just have to select the boxes in the Home app.
This is useful when Homekit and smart home devices are growing, and there are many from untrusted companies. It protects users when some of those devices may quietly transfer data back to a foreign server (e.g., to China, etc.). Or users simply don't want any devices from any companies, trusted or untrusted, to upload data to those companies' servers. Homekit Secure Router let user block all outside-the-home connections. As a result, it will also block any software updates.
Maybe Netgear is ignoring this feature because it can't charge a subscription fee for such feature...
Cynical but I think you may be onto something đ. This is the last Orbi product that Iâll purchase. Theyâve gone from best in class to one of the worst.