Ubiquiti today has released new firmware for the AmpliFi Alien, with version 3.7.0. This update was posted to the Ubiquiti Community and can be downloaded now for your device. There aren’t many changes, just some time zone improvements and the addition of HomeKit support. Ubiquiti says this release adds “Apple HomeKit security feature to AmpliFi Alien standalone router setups”.
Version 3.7.0 was released at the start of June in a beta capacity and now this release has made it to GA. However, reading the release notes this will only work if you have one AmpliFi Alien, so if you have a mesh network set up, it won’t work unfortunately. However, it is interesting that Ubiquiti hasn’t named “HomeKit Secure Router” (HSR) specifically but we would assume that this update adds support for it.
HomeKit Secure Router
HomeKit Secure Router makes it easier to segregate your IoT devices, without the need for VLANs – something the Alien doesn’t support. Apple offers three modes, Restrict to Home, Automatic and No Restriction. Restrict to Home will allow your IoT HomeKit devices to use your Apple TV or HomePod has a Home Hub, but they won’t be able to individually connect to the internet or any local devices. Automatic will allow devices to use HomeKit and any firmware updates it needs. Then, No Restriction is the least secure – allowing the device to talk to any device or service.
Update 13/07/22 12:22pm: Ubiquiti has updated everyone regarding the iOS app and how to add HomeKit to the AmpliFi Alien. The company said “We will be releasing a compatible iOS mobile app version with HomeKit feature very soon.”
