Thinka for Z-Wave — FAQ

Yes, we support 'Garage Door' via our beta channel.

See instructions here.

Thinka for Z-Wave has been certified by the Z-Wave alliance for the entire Z-Wave family of products. For HomeKit we have been certified for Switches, Lightbulbs (including dimming and color), WindowCoverings, Temperature, Motion, Contact Light and Humidity sensors.

We are currently certifying more HomeKit device types. If you are interested in beta testing, please let us know. See beta channel for more information.

‍

See product information for an overview of supported device types.

‍

Yes, Thinka supports Adaptive Lighting via our BETA channel, firmware 4.3.1300. In order to make use of Adaptive Lighting from HomeKit, you need a Home Hub from Apple and your light bulbs need to be Colour or Tunable White lights.

Push buttons allow you to trigger actions in HomeKit by pressing Z-Wave buttons.

After adding your Z-Wave push button device on Thinka you will see supported scenes and events under Information tab on the device detail page

‍

The device has 4 buttons(or scenes). And you see the supported events of the scenes underneath of each of that.

‍

If you click the button(s), you will see the triggered event on the web page with red color background

‍

If you are on the beta channel you'll find the device In Homekit too:

‍

The Aeotec Nanomote Quad in HomeKit

‍

When you click on the details of the Push button you'll see the option to configure each button:

‍

Recently the new version of our Companion app was accepted by Apple and released in the App Store. The app now allows you to monitor the status of your network and KNX system. Furthermore it supports Thinka's that are protected with a password.

Just like before it still assists you in pairing your Thinka with HomeKit on your phone, and putting all devices in the proper rooms. The app will show a notification of the number of Thinka accessories that are out-of-sync with HomeKit as well.

If you have any questions or requests, please let us know via support@thinka.eu If you like the app, please leave a review in the App Store, we really appreciate it.

‍

Apple HomeKit limits the number of Accessories a Thinka (or any other bridge) can control to 150. Or 149 if you include Thinka itself.

However an accessories can be a lamp that has 4 lightbulbs, that can be switched and dimmed. In this case, one accessory (the lamp) has 4 services (the bulbs) that have 4 group addresses (on/off set and listen, dim set and listen). So in this case 1 accessory can have 1 * 4 * 4 = 16 group addresses. So the limit of 150 accessories in practice means you can have a multitude of group addresses.

Most accessories will have two group addresses, but you could combine multiple services into 1 accessory. The Home app shows services, not accessories. Services in the same accessories will always be in the same room though. It just depends on how you define an accessory.

If you still need to control more accessories, you can use multiple Thinka's in the same network.

For more on HomeKit see our article.

We support Switch, Lightbulb (including color and tuneable white), Window Covering (curtains, blinds, awnings, shades, roller shutters), Thermostat (heating and cooling), Temperature, Humidity, Carbon Dioxide Sensor, Light Sensor, Motion Sensor, Occupancy Sensor, Contact Sensor, Smoke Sensor, Leak Sensor, Fans, Push Buttons and Garage doors. Apple does not allow for Thinka to bridge IP Camera's. In case you to control an IP camera via Apple Home, you have to use a HomeKit certified IP Camera. Apple does not allow for Thinka to bridge door locks that give direct access to the home.

See our section on HomeKit

Yes, you can. You can mix all these assistants. And for instance use HomeKit for visualisation on your iPad at the wall, while using an Amazon Echo in every room for voice control. And a Google Nest in the kitchen.

‍

On a first installation and sometimes after a network change your Thinka may fail to connect to HomeKit. You might see the "Connecting to Bridge" message appear and then "Accessory not found".

In most cases this points to a network problem.

If this is your first time you connect to Thinka make sure to reset HomeKit under Settings -> Apple HomeKit on the web interface of your Thinka.

If you have been connected before, use the same iPhone or iPad to install the Thinka Companion app and check whether it can find your Thinka. Your Thinka should be visible. otherwise you need to resolve your network issues. In most cases this is due to routing problems in a complex network or a misconfigured IPv6 network.

HomeKit uses the Bonjour/mDNS protocol for discovery. In more complicated networks (multiple routers, VLANs) or with some access point configuration this traffic might be blocked. You can use the Discovery app  to see if the Thinka is always visible under the _hap._tcp key when your iOS device is connected to the same network.

Yes, With the Home app, you can set up a home hub to control your HomeKit accessories remotely, and automate your accessories to do what you want, when you want. For more info see the Controlling Accessories Remotely.

Yes, With the Home app and hub (see above), you can grant access to the people you trust. All you need to invite them is their AppleId. See Family sharing.

No, not with HomeKit. Unfortunately Apple does not allow Thinka (or any other HomeKit bridge) to bridge any devices that allows physical access to your home.

Apple states in their specification:

Any accessory, regardless of transport, that enables physical access to the home, such as door locks, must not be bridged.

‍

We've used DayView, see https://www.macrumors.com/2018/11/04/dayview-a-personal-dashboard-for-apple-tv/