Home automation with multiple devices - one app to rule them all....

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#2685775 2-Apr-2021 15:04

timmmay:

@davidcole I'll continue that conversation in this thread I had a while ago about home assistant. I'll give Home Assistant a go I think.

Any advice from anyone how to get started? Obviously I'll go to their website for the basic install (trying that now), but beyond that how might I consider integrating:

A Broadlink RM Pro controlling a Daikin heat pump
A Panasonic ducted heat pump currently using Comfort Cloud
Aqura water sensors (via their hub I guess?)
Shade Connector app (roman blind control)
Kasa timers (controlling a fan heater and a basic on / off for a ventilation system)

Start off small and simple, there is so much you can add and configure it can be overwhelming at first.

You can add most common integrations via Configuration/Integration/Add Integration

Also make sure you check the Integrations sections of the website as there maybe more detail or advanced options shown.

Also bear in mind of the Integration isn't listed in Home Assistant e.g. Comfort Cloud, check out HACS (Home Assistant Community Store) as there are many community options here. I've run Comfort Cloud this way for over a year without much issue.

davidcole

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#2685783 2-Apr-2021 15:40

Yeah try the windows version. Saves you making a vm or anything unless you already have one.

I’m sure there’s a broadlink integration (I use mqtt for mine), but try integrated first.

For the others just need to see if and how they’re supported.

Remember you don’t have to have it al going in the first setting.

Get a system and one integration, even if it’s the weather via the internet

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Handle9

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#2685803 2-Apr-2021 17:44

timmmay:
Thanks all. Is this something that can practically be done in a few hours, or is it more like like dt says that will take ages. I'm very technical, used to be a developer, I still do very technical work, but I'd probably rather use four different apps than waste days on this kind of thing. With kids and work my available time is extremely limited.

Alexa or Google home are the most compete ecosystems for normal people. Home assistant is great but requires a significant investment in time. For GH or Alexa you just link the accounts and the devices appear..

Handle9

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#2685804 2-Apr-2021 17:56

This is the Alexa interface. I used to use home assistant but rapidly came to the conclusion that for me it was a waste of time, especially as offsite access is painful. Alexa does what I need, the automations (routines) aren't the most elegant but they work and I wanted voice integration. Alexa integration with HA is either paid or a crappy node red work around.

If anything Alexa has a bigger range of integrations than HA. It's less powerful but much easier to setup.

timmmay

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#2685809 2-Apr-2021 18:34

Handle9: This is the Alexa interface. I used to use home assistant but rapidly came to the conclusion that for me it was a waste of time, especially as offsite access is painful. Alexa does what I need, the automations (routines) aren't the most elegant but they work and I wanted voice integration. Alexa integration with HA is either paid or a crappy node red work around.

If anything Alexa has a bigger range of integrations than HA. It's less powerful but much easier to setup.

I don't really mind which ecosystem I use. I don't have Alexa, do you need one of those echo devices or can you use your phone? Is it something you can set up timers and schedules for or is it more of a voice control system?

Can I likely like those Aqara Zigbee flood sensors to Alexa, via the Zigbee hub? Can I integrate broadlink and control my heat pump, multiple programs per day? Can I integrate with Panasonic Comfort Cloud and have six on / off events per day with the same sorts of options (mode / temp / fan)? Or is it a simple on / off type thing? I'd probably take some complexity if it's required for flexibility.

How would I learn more and get started? Of course I can just type it into Google.

Handle9

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#2685825 2-Apr-2021 19:26

Lots of questions 😀

I'm not sure if you need an echo device or not. I'd suggest you just download the Alexa app and have a play. It's free. If you want to go down the ZigBee route the bigger echo has a ZigBee hub which means you can pair any ZigBee device to it.

Basically if the data points are exposed you can manipulate them. My RGB bulbs I can set to whatever colour /brightness I want on schedules or based on other conditions (eg if temp sensor > 25 degrees then set fan to high speed). You use routines to do this, which is very straightforward.

There is a comfort cloud skill (integrations are done with Alexa skills) which says it lets you control mode, temperature settings and on off.

There's not much of a learning curve, it's designed for normal people rather than geeks. It's all app based so very simple. There are lots of you tube videos.

davidcole

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#2685874 2-Apr-2021 20:38

Can you do automations with google or Alexa? Like ties a couple of devices together? I think homekit can,,,but I found it too basic - ie I have a automation that runs to start two apps after a time delay when my phone connects to power - one is a backup the other is Nextcloud which triggers a photo download. But it’s so simple I can’t say when phone connects to power and I’m not in a car (ie Bluetooth connected)

That’s where home assistant etc start coming into their own....also when your internet is down or then”cloud” is down. For most home assistant devices they aim to have compete local control over it and not need the internet.

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timmmay

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#2685876 2-Apr-2021 20:54

Hmmm, Alexa sounds interesting. Plus it's from Amazon and I'm an AWS specialist, so I could probably write skills if I needed to. Quite a few things I own do seem to work with Alexa. I don't want to talk to it though, I want to use an app to do things like set timers and such.

All I wanted was one app that could set the timers for my various smart devices and monitor them rather than using a different app for each device... there's some complexity in this whole area. Interesting, bit of a learning curve. I'll do some reading, thanks all.

Handle9

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#2685877 2-Apr-2021 21:21

davidcole: Can you do automations with google or Alexa? Like ties a couple of devices together? I think homekit can,,,but I found it too basic - ie I have a automation that runs to start two apps after a time delay when my phone connects to power - one is a backup the other is Nextcloud which triggers a photo download. But it’s so simple I can’t say when phone connects to power and I’m not in a car (ie Bluetooth connected)

That’s where home assistant etc start coming into their own....also when your internet is down or then”cloud” is down. For most home assistant devices they aim to have compete local control over it and not need the internet.

You can with Alexa but with some caveats. It's not as powerful as home assistant but much easier to get into and maintain.

It's not the be all and end all and probably not the right solution for power users or tinkerers. It's not meant to be, it's firmly targeted at the mainstream user. For 80-90% of users it's probably all they need.

Cloud has strengths and weaknesses but the reliability of AWS is significantly higher than any self hosted solution

Handle9

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#2685878 2-Apr-2021 21:30

timmmay:
Hmmm, Alexa sounds interesting. Plus it's from Amazon and I'm an AWS specialist, so I could probably write skills if I needed to. Quite a few things I own do seem to work with Alexa. I don't want to talk to it though, I want to use an app to do things like set timers and such.

All I wanted was one app that could set the timers for my various smart devices and monitor them rather than using a different app for each device... there's some complexity in this whole area. Interesting, bit of a learning curve. I'll do some reading, thanks all.

If your devices are compatible then Alexa will definitely do what you want with timers and monitoring.

timmmay

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#2685879 2-Apr-2021 21:33

I'll look into Alexa thanks. Seems like many products are supporting it, and I like easy so long as it's going to do what I need. If it works i'll stop there, if not I'll move on to home assistant. Thanks for point this out @Handle9, and thanks @davidcole for your assistance.

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#2685880 2-Apr-2021 21:35

Give Home Assistant a go. I have been using it for years and it has come a long way.

It's great to tinker with. Very powerful!

My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.

timmmay

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#2686858 5-Apr-2021 21:23

Alexa is remarkably simple to get going. I had my account set up, two Kasa timers, Panasonic ducted heat pump, and motorised curtains going with about 45 minutes of effort. The Broadlink RM pro stuff doesn't work, but the software for Broadlink is and always has been pretty awful so I'm not surprised. Alexa voice control works well when you want to interactively do things like change the temperature up a bit, or turn things on or off, and if I had a smart speaker it would be very convenient. Setting up timers seems quite easy. One thing that I can't see a way to do is multiple conditions to start an action, but I may not need that often. The skill for Panasonic is also really basic, on / off temp rather than setting mode, fan speed, etc, but that's Panasonic for you, not very flexible or advanced in general. I think Alexa would be great for most people, and if I just want simple timer based automation or even triggering based on conditions like temperature from a thermostat or triggers like a water detector has been triggered it'd probably be fine it's really easy. I could probably write my own skills to work around some limitations. There are maximum 99 routines which is probably enough, but I may end up with half a dozen major devices and quite a few sensors. The simplicity really is appealing.

I think I'll have a look at home assistant as well, as I think it's more aimed at tech people. I suspect it will take a lot more work to get going, add devices, and set up automation, but I'll spend a bit of time with it on a VM and see how it goes to adding devices and getting started.

timmmay

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#2687565 6-Apr-2021 21:22

I've installed Home Assistant on Hyper-V on W10 pro. It started up no problem and I logged in, did the basic setup.

Interestingly when I ping'd "homeassistant" I got an IPv6 address reply. It'd be kind handy if it was IPv4 since it's easier to type into places - I wonder if it's on IPv4 as well and I just don't know how to find the IP address?

I'm having trouble adding devices. When I tried to add the supported TP-Link Kasa HS100 / HS110 plugs it just says "aborted - no devices found on the network". When I added it to Alexa I was asked to enter my Kasa cloud login and it was pretty easy. I'll probably have to go searching for Panasonic Comfort Cloud and Shade Connector. Oddly Broadlink, which wouldn't work with Alexa, added just fine with no issues. Can anyone give me any suggestions how to get Kasa plugs added?

rscole86

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#2687580 6-Apr-2021 21:51

Have a look for the TP-Link Kasa smart integration. I've got a couple of HS100 working with Alexa and HA no issues.

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