homebridge-hisense-tv

Homebridge-Hisense-TV

A Homebridge plugin to control RemoteNow-enabled Hisense TVs.

Note: Starting with VIDAA U6 (2022) and VIDAA U7 (2023), native AirPlay and HomeKit support is built-in. For these TVs, this plugin is not required.

Features:

• Power on/off (requires Wake-on-LAN depending on TV model)
• View current status and input
• Switch inputs and launch apps
• Control volume and use the native iOS remote

Step 1: Prerequisites

• NodeJS 22+ and Homebridge 1.8.0+.
• Compatible TV: A Hisense TV that works with the RemoteNow app (Android).
• Wake-on-LAN (WoL): Must be enabled in your TV’s network settings.
• Static IP: Assign a static IP to your TV (either on the TV itself or via a DHCP reservation on your router).
• Host MAC Address: Find the MAC address of the machine running Homebridge (ifconfig on Linux/Mac, ipconfig on Windows). You will need this for pairing and configuration.
• TV MAC Address: Find your TV’s MAC address in the TV’s network settings menu. If your TV is connected via both WiFi and Ethernet, use the MAC for the interface it’s actively using.

Step 2: Install

Search for the plugin in the Homebridge UI:

homebridge-hisense-tv-remotenow

Step 3: Pair with your TV

Homebridge needs a one-time authorization with your TV.

1. Turn your TV on.

2. Open the Homebridge UI and go to Terminal.

   

3. Run the authorize command, replacing the placeholders:

   hisense-tv authorize --hostname <TV_IP_ADDRESS> --mac <HOMEBRIDGE_MAC_ADDRESS>
   

4. A PIN code should appear on your TV — type it into the terminal and press Enter.

Repeat this for each TV you want to control.

Timed out? Make sure your TV is on and reachable. You can verify connectivity with telnet <TV_IP_ADDRESS> 36669. If that works but the command doesn’t, your TV may already be paired — try skipping to Step 4.

Still not working? Your TV may require a different SSL mode. See Pairing with different SSL modes below.

Step 4: Configure the Plugin

Open the plugin settings in the Homebridge UI and enter your details. Here is what a basic configuration looks like:

{
  "platform": "HiSenseTV",
  "macaddress": "<YOUR_HOMEBRIDGE_MAC_ADDRESS>",
  "devices": [
    {
      "id": "Hisense-LivingRoom-01",
      "name": "Living Room TV",
      "ipaddress": "<YOUR_TV_IP_ADDRESS>",
      "macaddress": "<YOUR_TV_MAC_ADDRESS>",
      "tvType": "default",
      "sslmode": "default"
    }
  ]
}

Field	Description
id	A unique identifier (e.g. your TV’s serial number or any unique string you like).
name	Display name suggested when adding the TV to Apple Home.
ipaddress	Your TV’s static IP address.
macaddress	Your TV’s MAC address (use the interface — WiFi or Ethernet — that the TV is connected with).
tvType	Power detection method: default, fakeSleep, or pictureSettings. See TV always shows as “ON”.
sslmode	default, disabled, or custom. Must match what worked during pairing.
sslcertificate	(only for custom sslmode) Absolute path to the SSL certificate.
sslprivatekey	(only for custom sslmode) Absolute path to the SSL private key.
showApps	Set to true to show TV apps as input sources.
apps	List of app names to show, e.g. ["Netflix", "YouTube"]. Leave empty [] to show all installed apps. Names must match exactly.
pollingInterval	(default: 4) Seconds between power-state polling checks (only used when tvType is default).
wolInterval	(default: 400) Milliseconds between WoL packets.
wolRetries	(default: 3) Number of WoL packets sent (to account for packet loss).

Save your configuration and restart Homebridge.

Step 5: Add to Apple Home

Your TV must be turned on for this step at least once after setting up the plugin. The plugin waits for TV data before publishing the accessory, so the setup code won’t appear in the logs until the TV is reachable.

1. Check your Homebridge logs for a line like:

   Please add [HiSense 123456] manually in Home app. Setup Code: XXX-XX-XXX.
   

2. Open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad.
3. Tap + → Add Accessory → More options… (or “I Don’t Have a Code or Cannot Scan”).
4. Select your TV and enter the Setup Code from the logs.

Each TV has a different Setup Code. Repeat for each TV.

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Advanced Settings & Troubleshooting

1. Pairing with different SSL modes

Some TVs require different encryption. If Step 3 failed, try these alternatives:

No SSL:

hisense-tv authorize --hostname <TV_IP> --mac <MAC> --no-ssl

Custom SSL (requires downloading certificates from here):

hisense-tv authorize --hostname <TV_IP> --mac <MAC> --certfile <CERT_PATH> --keyfile <KEY_PATH>

If you use custom SSL, update sslmode, sslcertificate, and sslprivatekey in your plugin config.

Important: Store certificate files outside of node_modules/ — they will be deleted when the plugin updates. On Linux, /etc/ssl/certs is a good location.

2. TV always shows as “ON” in HomeKit

Some TVs don’t fully turn off their network interface when sleeping. Run this in the Homebridge Terminal to find the right setting:

hisense-tv always-on-test

• If it suggests Fake Sleep: Set "tvType": "fakeSleep" in your config.

• If it suggests Picture Settings: Set "tvType": "pictureSettings" and add the menuId and menuFlag values the script provides.

  For example, one user found that “HDMI Dynamic Range” (menuId: 23) changes to 1 when the TV sleeps:

  {
    "tvType": "pictureSettings",
    "menuId": 23,
    "menuFlag": 1
  }
  

3. Debugging

• Enable debug logs: Turn on Homebridge Debug Mode in the Homebridge UI settings for more detailed logs.
• Watch MQTT traffic: Run hisense-tv listen-to-mqtt in the terminal to see raw MQTT messages from the TV.
• Send raw MQTT commands: Run hisense-tv send-mqtt-command for manual testing.

Known Issues

• Default input names after pairing (e.g. “Input Source” instead of “HDMI 1”): This is an Apple HomeKit bug. During pairing, tap “X” → “Setup Later”. After pairing: Restart Homebridge, and the correct names will load.
• Current app shows as “Unknown”: Some TVs report inconsistent app data — this is a TV firmware limitation.

Known Incompatibilities

Some TV models have been reported as incompatible:

• HU50A6800FUW (50" H8G 2020) — see this issue.

Contributions

All contributions are welcome. Fork the repo, make your changes, and open a Pull Request.

Credits

Originally inspired by the hisensetv Python script by Alex. SSL support was implemented with help from chinedu40 and ryanshand.

License

This plugin is distributed under the MIT license. See LICENSE for details.