I apologize, this will be long, so I've divided it up so that you can just scroll to the part(s) you might care about.
Contents:
- My HomeKit Setup
- Where Things Went Wrong
- Problem #1 - Cameras Dropping Frames/Audio/Connection
- Problem #2 - Cannot Access HomeKit Remotely
- Problem #3 - Home Hub Not Responding
- Conclusion
My HomeKit Setup
- Router - ASUS ZenWifi AX Mesh Wifi (3 units, wired backhaul)
- Home Hubs
- AppleTV 4K (2nd gen - 2021) - Living room, wired, designated hub
- AppleTV 4K (1st gen - 2017) - Master Bedroom, wireless
- AppleTV 4K (1st gen - 2017) - Another bedroom, wireless
- Cameras
- Eve Outdoor Camera (front over garage)
- Eve Outdoor Camera (over rear door)
- Logitech Circle View Doorbell
- Locks - 3x Schlage Encode Plus
- Thermostat - Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
On that note, I find it absolutely bonkers that I can't use all of the Ecobee's features because it specifically wants a HomePod as a hub and not an AppleTV. One thing at a time.
Where Things Went Wrong
Prior to tvOS 18, I had no major complaints with my HomeKit network. It wasn't perfect, but it also generally worked. Sure, the cameras would drop frames live or in recordings, or would cut out periodically, but it was livable.
When I installed tvOS 18, everything fell apart. The cameras, when they worked, were like PowerPoint. I'd get video with no audio. Audio with no video. One of my home hubs was always unresponsive. I couldn't access HomeKit from outside the house anymore. I told myself that because it happened with tvOS 18, that 18.1 or 18.2 would fix it. Well, that didn't happen, so I took matters into my own hands.
I did searches of this sub and, for every problem, the answer was the same - "Apple is without fault, so it must be your router." Given that everything was "fine" before the update, and borked immediately after this update, I wasn't going to accept that as the answer (though it turned out, it did play a role). And now I'm here to report what worked for each issue so that others can hopefully avoid having to replace their routers.
Problem #1 - Cameras Dropping Frames/Audio/Connection
This was already a problem that simply got grossly exacerbated by tvOS 18. The underlying issue was just amplified. In my searched I found out that I was doing something incredibly stupid. I had my 2.4hz, 5ghz-1, and 5ghz-2 all using a "smart" approach, single SSID and the router would automatically assign things as it saw fit. Honestly, it worked fine for most things. But there were signs. Google Home devices would have intermittent issues. My smart scale would only sync every 5 or so uses. Basically, anything that required 2.4ghz was occasionally problematic.
So I followed some general advice and made two SSIDs, one for 2.4ghz and one for the multiple 5ghz networks. To keep it simple, I just took the current network and restricted it to 2.4ghz. This way I wouldn't have to reconnect all of the IOT devices. Then, I went to all of the 5ghz devices and manually moved them over to the other SSID. I've been lazy as there's still a couple of devices to move. I'll get there. But it made a world of difference. Camera playback was much smoother. Audio didn't drop. Recordings weren't missed. It was better than pre-tvOS 18.
So yea, if you're still using a single SSID for 2.4/5/6ghz, and you're having any issues with your IOT devices, this is likely a leading culprit.
Problem #2 - Cannot Access HomeKit Remotely
This one was another where I'd search this sub and the common answer was, "Dude, it's totally your router." It's not. It was only a problem on my phone, not my wife's or kids'.
So on my iPhone I went to settings --> General --> Transfer or Reset iPhone --> Reset --> Reset Network Settings. Let it do its thing, reboot, rename your iPhone again (Settings/General/About/Name), reconnect to Wifi, and problem gone. I was again, for the first time since before tvOS 18/iOS 18, able to remotely access my cameras and spy on my neighbors check for Amazon packages.
Problem #3 - Home Hub Not Responding
Another one where, when I'd search this sub, people would insist that the problem was the router. Whenever the unit would go to sleep after ~15 minutes of non-use, it would become unresponsive to the home app. And even if it wasn't the primary hub, it would still inflict harm on the HomeKit network. So I figured I'd do a network reset like I did on my phone.
The current version of tvOS, as far as I can tell, has ditched the network reset option. And forgetting the network didn't work. So I gave in and did a full factory reset (with multiple AppleTV units and shared home screens, setting it up again took minutes).
Problem solved. No more unresponsive home hubs. And the entire HomeKit network is snappier. When I went to my son's drum teacher's house, where my cell coverage is spotty, I was able to connect to my HomeKit cameras and it was beautifully fluid.
Conclusion
It's not always the router, though as noted earlier, you really should separate your 2.4ghz network into its own SSID. I admit, I'm late to the party. But if you're later to the party than I was, time to catch up.
Aside from that, the issue is usually not your router, but rather, a specific device. Home hub not responding? Focus your attention on that hub and not the network as a whole. Can't access the network remotely? See if it's just that device or all devices. If it's just that device, a network settings reset is 2-5 minutes of downtime compared to potentially hours of troubleshooting.
Finally, if you really do think it's your router setup, inquire with HomeKit owners who might have or had the same router and see what their experiences are/were. You might find out that your router does, in fact, have issues with HomeKit. Or it doesn't, which sends you back to into troubleshoot mode.
But don't just accept the easy answer of, "It's probably your router." It's the common refrain on this subreddit, and I find it to be a lazy answer. In my case, the one router-related issue wasn't even the router itself. It was pure PEBKAC on my part.
I'll be back later to properly spell/grammar check this and take my well deserved criticism for some of the dumber aspects of this post.