HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

Posted on
Tue Mar 10, 2020 7:42 am
AutoMation01 offline
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Joined: Mar 18, 2018

HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

Is there a way to start the embedded HomeKit server with the -I flag? I need the server to run in insecure mode so that I can control the HomeBridge published devices through another HomeKit server. The process I am looking to use seems to need the publishing server to be in insecure mode to control the published devices.
Last edited by AutoMation01 on Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Posted on
Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:26 pm
AutoMation01 offline
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Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

Never mind ... I found it.

This worked out well for replacing the failing discovering problems with the Alexa Hue Bridge Plugin .

Now have things running through the HomeKit Plugin with a HomeBridge interface to Alexa. This allows her (Alexa) to control all of light and switch devices that are published through the HomeKit Plugin. Works well to not only to have the more visually pleasing Home App views on the iToys but also have Alexa integrated voice control support without all of the discovery issues that the Echo / Dot devices have recently experienced through the Alexa-Hue Plugin / Echo / Dot firmware compatibility problem.

Sweet ....

Posted on
Wed Mar 11, 2020 11:53 am
durosity offline
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Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

I did wonder if using HKB as a platform for publishing devices to Alexa may work better than the current format. Not that I use Alexa (and I am very much of the side of “are you crazy letting amazon collect all that data?”) it might be a good idea for you to publish a how to guide for anyone else who’d wanna do this!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Computer says no.

Posted on
Wed Mar 11, 2020 1:47 pm
siclark offline
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Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

Does that method still rely on pretending the devices are hue bulbs or does it pass on the proper device type from homekit?

Posted on
Wed Mar 11, 2020 2:33 pm
jay (support) offline
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Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

No. But it does rely on a 3rd party authentication server apparently run by the guy(s) who built the alexa plugin for homebridge.

If that server is compromised, then so is your house... :|

Jay (Indigo Support)
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Posted on
Wed Mar 11, 2020 4:31 pm
siclark offline
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Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

Cheers. I'll go back down the self hosting my own server to provide Alexa connectivity

Posted on
Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:06 pm
AutoMation01 offline
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Joined: Mar 18, 2018

Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

Yes .. The authentication bit appears to be necessary for the Alexa skill to interact with your locally running Homebridge Plugin. Certainly this is a weak link in the overall process.

The control of the plugin itself is ultimately hosted on your local infrastructure and you can isolate the span of control that it see's to a single HomeKit server (and then still run any number of other HomeKit servers isolated from this process for more critical devices as needed) using a simple filtering command in the Homebridge plugin Jason configuration, one can isolate the communications of the plugin to your chosen Indigo HomeKit sandbox instance.

As such, one can limit the overall exposure of the interaction from the skillset to this one specific Indigo HomeKit Plugin definition and only allow the devices published through that Indigo HomeKit plugin configuration to be controlled as the targeted isolated sandbox for span of control. While this does provide some level control span for what could be comprised, ultimately, no exposure is good exposure .... Even for this isolated batch of seemingly mundane lighting controls.

On the positive side, the configuration appears quite stable from an operational perspective and runs with very little overhead on the same platform as the Indigo Server. I was already running Homebridge anyways to serve my Nest Cameras to the Apple Home App, so this was an easy extension as a temporary workaround to the other Indigo Alexa Plugin issues experienced of late.

Would be great if there was Indigo supported / hosted authentication method & Alexa skill that could bridge the account interaction and allow Alexa control of the Indigo HomeKit Plugin published devices .... I will certainly welcome a more holistic solution rather than chasing the Rube Goldberg configurations of buying obsolete echos on eBay and hoping they do not get firmware updates that render them useless.

Posted on
Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:13 pm
jay (support) offline
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Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

AutoMation01 wrote:
Would be great if there was Indigo supported / hosted authentication method & Alexa skill that could bridge the account interaction and allow Alexa control of the Indigo HomeKit Plugin published devices .... I will certainly welcome a more holistic solution rather than chasing the Rube Goldberg configurations of buying obsolete echos on eBay and hoping they do not get firmware updates that render them useless.


It's a top priority for us.

Jay (Indigo Support)
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Posted on
Sun Jun 28, 2020 3:47 pm
jaj737@gmail.com offline
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Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

jay (support) wrote:
AutoMation01 wrote:
Would be great if there was Indigo supported / hosted authentication method & Alexa skill that could bridge the account interaction and allow Alexa control of the Indigo HomeKit Plugin published devices .... I will certainly welcome a more holistic solution rather than chasing the Rube Goldberg configurations of buying obsolete echos on eBay and hoping they do not get firmware updates that render them useless.


It's a top priority for us.



I started having problems with HomeKit bridge on 05/24/2020. Now for the last month I cannot start the plugin. I would really like to see native support for HomeKit and Alexa for that matter. I guess I don't really understand why plugins are necessary. I have never found them to be as solid as native support in indigo. I cannot get the Tesla plugin, Alexa, or Harmony remote to work anymore. I have 10.15.5 on my new iMac. Or would it be simpler to have "hey Indigo open my garage"? One more name to call out in my multilingual Alexa, Siri, household.

Posted on
Tue Sep 08, 2020 7:48 am
James offline
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Joined: Aug 16, 2011

Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

AutoMation01 wrote:
Never mind ... I found it.


Hello! Could you let us know where to make this edit? I am also using the homebridge-alexa plugin and would like to get my Indigo HomeKit server in insecure mode. Thank you.

Posted on
Tue Sep 08, 2020 11:07 am
James offline
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Re: HomeKit Server Start Options (-I Flag)

James wrote:
AutoMation01 wrote:
Never mind ... I found it.


Hello! Could you let us know where to make this edit? I am also using the homebridge-alexa plugin and would like to get my Indigo HomeKit server in insecure mode. Thank you.


I found the exec command in the runhomebridge file within the plugin and added the -I option.

Code: Select all
exec "$DIR/homebridge" -I -D -U "$CDIR" -P "$CDIR" > "$LOG" 2>&1

I also made sure the Indigo instance of Hombridge was using the same PIN as my new Homebridge instance.

It still isn't working, but I'm getting closer.

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