Support & FAQs

Question 1

Which home routers are compatible with Starling Home Hub?

Answer

Starling Home Hub is compatible with practically all modern home Internet routers, including HomeKit Secure Routers like the Eero. The only router we are aware of that has compatibility issues is the Arris TR4400/RAC2V1A. This router does not fully support multicast, which is needed by many home devices (such as Sonos and Chromecast, in addition to Starling) to work correctly.

Question 2

Does Starling Home Hub work with Ring, SmartThings, or other non-Nest products?

Answer

No. Starling Home Hub works only with Nest and HomeKit.

Question 3

Does Starling Home Hub work with Nest Accounts and Google Accounts?

Answer

Yes. Starling Home Hub works both with Nest Accounts (for Nest customers signing up before August 2019) and Google Accounts. We support Two-Factor Authentication for both Google Accounts and Nest Accounts.

Question 4

Do you ship internationally? Does Starling Home Hub work outside the US?

Answer

Yes, and yes! While we're based in the US, we have happy customers around the world. Starling Home Hub includes a micro-USB power supply with a North American style plug (for US, Canada, Mexico and Japan), but it supports worldwide voltages (100-240V) and can be used in any country with a travel adapter. Or, simply use your own micro-USB power supply. We'll ship anywhere in the world, but be aware that you may be responsible for import fees, duties and/or taxes (for example, VAT in the EU/UK) when you receive Starling Home Hub. We only collect sales tax for shipments to California. We use DHL Express for international shipments, with transit times to most countries of 2 - 4 days.

Question 5

Can I trust that Starling Home Hub is fully secure and respects my privacy?

Answer

Starling's top priority is ensuring the security of your home. What could be more important? So, we put security and privacy first when we designed Starling Home Hub. Starling does not have a cloud service, and no home data, usernames, or passwords are ever shared with us. Starling Home Hub accesses the Internet only to connect to Google/Nest's service, and to receive firmware updates. Starling uses industry-leading Greenbone OpenVAS testing technology to make sure that Starling Home Hub provides enterprise-grade IoT device security in your home, and is not vulnerable to any published CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures).

Question 6

Which Apple and Nest products does Starling Home Hub work with (HomeKit/AirPlay)?

Answer

Starling Home Hub adds to HomeKit all models of Nest Thermostat, Nest Temperature Sensor, Nest Protect, Nest Cam Indoor/Outdoor/IQ, Nest Hello, Nest × Yale Lock, and Nest Secure (Guard and Detect). We also support Dropcam and the Google Nest Hub Max's built-in camera. Starling Home Hub adds to AirPlay (not HomeKit) all models of Nest Audio, Nest Mini, Google Nest Hub and Google Nest Hub Max. We also support the older Google Home Mini and Google Home Hub products. Starling Home Hub does not currently support AirPlay 2, although we plan to add this in a future firmware update. Starling Home Hub works with any Mac, iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch sold in the past 5 years. We also support any Apple TV running tvOS 14 or later for viewing Nest cameras.

Question 7

Does Starling Home Hub work with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)?

Answer

Starling Home Hub does not support PoE natively. If you wish to power Starling Home Hub using a PoE connection, you can use any PoE micro-USB power splitter. We recommend the UCTRONICS PoE Splitter, available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/UCTRONICS-PoE-Splitter-Gigabit-Raspberry/dp/B07CNKX14C

Question 8

Does Starling Home Hub support HomeKit Secure Video? AirPlay 2?

Answer

Not at this time, although we are aiming to add support for both via a future software update. So, to view recorded Nest camera video from the past, you'll still need to use the Nest app. All other camera functions can be controlled from HomeKit. Nest speakers also won't be visible in HomeKit. Instead, they will function like any other standard speaker or headset for the purposes of audio streaming from any iOS device.

Question 9

Is Starling Home Hub approved by Apple or Google/Nest?

Answer

No. Starling Home Hub exists because Google/Nest does not offer an approved way to connect Nest devices to Apple HomeKit. Starling Home Hub is not affiliated with or approved by Apple or Google/Nest in any way.

Question 10

I have more than one home. Do I need more than one Starling Home Hub?

Answer

HomeKit cannot place devices from a single bridge (like Starling Home Hub) into multiple homes. So, while a single Starling Home Hub can connect Nest devices from more than one Nest Home into a single HomeKit Home, if you want to bring devices from more than one Nest Home into more than one HomeKit Home, you will need one Starling Home Hub for each home.

Question 11

I just read about Matter. How does it relate to Starling Home Hub?

Answer

Matter is a set of future connectivity technologies (hardware and software) for smart home devices that's under development by Google, Apple and others. It's effectively an alternative to HomeKit, but it has much broader industry support, which is a great step forward. Matter, assuming it delivers on its promises, hints at a world where future products won't be burdened by the politics of ecosystem conflict, and that is something that we very much look forward to. Unfortunately, Google's announcement has resulted in a number of misleading articles in the tech press with titles like 'Nest is coming to HomeKit' written by 'journalists' who should know better: Nest is never coming (natively) to HomeKit, and to its credit Google has never said otherwise. Matter is about future products: it has nothing at all to do with the Google/Nest products you own today, and (with the possible exception of the October 2020 model Google Nest Thermostat) cannot be added to them. It isn't competing with, or an alternative to, Starling Home Hub. Every Nest device you own today will always need Starling Home Hub to connect to Apple Home.

Question 12

How do I set up Starling Home Hub?

Answer

We've included a Quick Start Guide in the box to get you up and running in 2 minutes or less. You can also download a PDF of the Quick Start Guide from this page. Setting up Starling Home Hub is so easy: 1. Connect the supplied Ethernet cable between Starling Home Hub and a spare port on the back of your Internet router or switch. 2. Connect the supplied power adapter between Starling Home Hub and a convenient outlet. 3. Browse to setup.starlinghome.io using any computer or mobile device on your home network, and follow the on-screen instructions to connect to your Nest account and pair with your Apple Home. That's it! All of your Nest devices will now appear in your iOS Home app, and any other HomeKit-enabled apps.

Question 13

Does Starling Home Hub need Internet access?

Answer

Yes. Starling Home Hub connects to the Nest service to access your devices, and also to Starling's servers for firmware updates. At Starling, we are paranoid about security. Your Starling Home Hub is accessible on your home network only, and does not share any home or account data with Starling.

Question 14

Why does Apple's Home app say 'this accessory is not HomeKit certified'?

Answer

Nest products, and Starling Home Hub, are not HomeKit certified. If Nest products were HomeKit certified, we would not have needed to create Starling Home Hub! You can safely ignore this message - when adding Starling Home Hub to the Home app, simply press 'Add Anyway'.

Question 15

I've connected Starling Home Hub to my router, but setup.starlinghome.io can't find my device.

Answer

Starling Home Hub, and the device you are using to configure it, must be on the same network. For example, if Starling Home Hub is plugged into your home router, go to setup.starlinghome.io on a Mac or iPhone connected via Wi-Fi to your home router. If your iPhone is on LTE, or connected to a VPN, it will not work. As an alternative to going to setup.starlinghome.io, if you know the IP address of your Starling Home Hub, you can enter it directly in your browser. Most routers have an option to list the IP addresses of connected devices in their web-based administration tool - consult your router's manual for details. If you are still having problems, please contact Starling Support at support@starlinghome.io. We're here to help.

Question 16

How do I update the firmware on Starling Home Hub?

Answer

Just go to setup.starlinghome.io. We'll automatically notify you if a firmware update is available for your Starling Home Hub, and give you the option to update. We periodically update Starling Home Hub's firmware to improve reliability and add new features, so applying new firmware updates as they are made available is strongly recommended.

Question 17

When I scan the QR code, I get an 'Accessory not found' error.

Answer

Starling Home Hub needs to be on the same network as the iOS device you are using to scan the QR code. If this is not the case, you will get an 'Accessory not found' error when adding Starling Home Hub to HomeKit. Common causes are: - Your iOS device used to scan the QR code is not on your home Wi-Fi network (for example, it is an iPhone on LTE, not Wi-Fi) - Your iOS device is connected to a VPN - You are using a mesh router, but your Starling Home Hub is not connected to the primary router If you are using a Linksys Velop router, go into the Velop admin portal in your browser (not the app). In 'Linksys Security Settings', under 'Internet filters' please make sure that 'Filter multicast' is checked.

Question 18

Nest Camera live video streaming gives a 'Camera is not responding' error.

Answer

If you see camera snapshots in the Home app, but live video streaming does not work, it means there is a routing issue between the iOS device running the Home app, and your Starling Home Hub - that is, traffic in at least one direction is blocked. The usual cause is misconfiguration of your router or VPN, or a firewall. Please check your router settings to make sure nothing is blocking traffic between Starling Home Hub and other devices on your home network, in either direction.

Question 19

Why do my Nest Protects not appear in HomeKit?

Answer

In iOS 14 onwards, devices you can't control (including sensors like Nest Protect) do not appear as tiles in the Home app. This was an Apple design decision to save UI space. Instead, sensors appear solely in the status strip at the top of their respective Rooms. If they trigger (for example, if smoke is detected), they will also appear in the status strip in the Home tab.