Things You’ll Need

A Raspberry Pi (I used Raspberry Pi 4) A TP-Link Bulb (I used TP-Link LB100) Wi-Fi and Internet An iPhone (running iOS 13) HomePod (optional) A little bit of elbow grease

Step 1. Install Homebridge on a Raspberry Pi

The first step is getting the Homebridge server up and running on your Raspberry Pi. It will act as the mediator between the incompatible TP-Link bulb and the native Home App. Installing Homebridge is fairly simple, visit this Github page and follow the step-by-step commands to install it on your Raspberry Pi. Just make sure you install Homebridge with UI X support. UI X is a GUI for your Homebridge server that allows you to monitor devices, install plugins and change settings.

Step 2. Access the Homebridge Interface

Once you have the Homebridge server up and running on your Raspberry Pi, you can access it from any device on your home network. Open the Terminal on your Raspberry Pi and run the command “hostname -I” to find out your IP address. Note it down somewhere as it is the address of the Homebridge Server interface.

Now open a web browser on your Raspberry Pi and enter http://YOUR-IP-ADDRESS:8080/. You should see a webpage with a login interface. The default login and password are admin and admin respectively that you can change afterward.

In order for Homebridge to detect the TP-Link device connected to the home network, we’ll install a TP-Link Plugin. This Plugin supports the majority of the TP-Link smart home products including LB100 but you can visit the webpage to check if your device is included in the list. Open the Homebridge Interface on your web browser and go to Plugins. Type TP-Link and click Install.

Now, we will update the Config.JSON file. Click the Config tab on the webpage and paste the following command to the Homebridge Config Editor as shown in the image below and Click Save. Once done, Restart your Raspberry Pi and while it does, proceed to the next step.

Step 4. Install the Kasa App

The Homebridge is now ready, we just need to add the TP-Link bulb to the network. To do this, we’ll have to configure the device using the Kasa by TP-Link app. It manages all the smart devices made by TP-Link. Install the Kasa Smart app on your iPhone from the App Store and log in to your account. If you don’t have an account, you can easily create one by signing up.

Once you have the account set up, add the TP-Link bulb to the app by tapping the + button on the top right. Enter the model number, tap the relevant icon and follow the on-screen instructions to set up the bulb on your home network.

The TP-Link device should now be visible in the Homebridge interface. Open the Homebridge interface on Raspberry Pi and click the Accessories tab.

Step 5. Add Homebridge to Home App

Now, we’ll connect the Homebridge server running on your Raspberry Pi to the Home app on your iPhone. Open the Homebridge interface on a web browser, you should see a QR code on the Status page of the server.

Open the Home app on your iPhone and tap Add Accessory. Scan the QR code by pointing the Camera app on your iPhone. It may show a warning “Uncertified Accessory”, tap “Add Anyway” to proceed.

Your TP-Link device should automatically show up on the Home app and you can simply tap the icon to cycle the power and long press to reveal additional settings.

You can also ask Siri to turn it on and off for you. Give it a try. “Hey Siri, can you turn on the lamp please”

Final Words

Well, that’s all you need to do to control your incompatible smart devices with Siri. If you face any problem while configuring the Homebridge server or while installing the Plugins, you can reach out to me on Twitter and we can look for a solution together. What are you going to connect with Homebridge and control with Siri, let me know in the comments below?