Chromecast integration

[Michel Kohanim]

@MWareman, 100% correct!

@Bumbershoot, not going to use RPi. Broadcom constrains how people can commercialize RPi. We designed and developed our own ARM board based on TI AM335x but we had to abandon after the performance/cost became too low (including the cost of developing HW crypto drivers which didn't perform well). 

So, it's not going to be an ARM solution. 

With kind regards,
Michel

[asbril]

On 6/30/2018 at 10:31 PM, asbril said:

Hey Google, play Beethoven on living room speakers

I do this every day. "OK Google play Sky Radio 101 on Chromecast living room" and it plays my favorite Dutch radio station (or any other station, artist, etc) on the living room speakers, with a Chromecast connected to the amplifier. I also connected a Zwave switch so that music plays and stops at set times. I have the same set up in our master bathroom.

The only issue that I have is that music streams frequently stop and then I have to ask Google the same thing again. That is where I would love to have a node server that instructs the Chromecast to play a specific stream at set times. Alternatively, Google Home would allow me to set up a routine to do the same.

[beninsteon]

14 hours ago, asbril said:

I would love to have a node server that instructs the Chromecast to play a specific stream at set times. 

AVRemote can do this with Chromecast devices now. 

[asbril]

7 hours ago, beninsteon said:

AVRemote can do this with Chromecast devices now

Is AVRemote something like a Harmony remote device ? Can I download the App and use it without buying a device ?

Does the App / Software allow me to instruct, as an example, that the Chromecast plays radio station XYZ at 7 am and radio station UVW at 12 pm ?

[beninsteon]

AVRemote is a polyglot nodeserver for ISY that allows you to control and receive status updates from Chromecast devices (GH, Chromecast, Chromecast Audio) with the ISY. Said control includes starting an online radio stream. You could write an ISY program that says 

If time is 7am
Then Family room chromecast play XYZ
Else (nothing)

I am doing something similar with it. I think it's time you buy a RPi and take the plunge. https://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Starter-Premium-Black/dp/B07BCC8PK7

Ben

[asbril]

3 minutes ago, beninsteon said:

AVRemote is a polyglot nodeserver for ISY that allows you to control and receive status updates from Chromecast devices (GH, Chromecast, Chromecast Audio) with the ISY. Said control includes starting an online radio stream. You could write an ISY program that says 

If time is 7am
Then Family room chromecast play XYZ
Else (nothing)

I am doing something similar with it. I think it's time you buy a RPi and take the plunge. https://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Starter-Premium-Black/dp/B07BCC8PK7

Ben

Thanks Ben, I am not yet mentally ready to take that plunge. To be honest what keeps me is needing another screen and keyboard in my already messy office......But let me think about it. Maybe your post pushes me in the deep end of the swimming pool.

[beninsteon]

@asbril Rpi is headless .. no additional screens, keyboards, etc needed. Control is over network with SSH/VNC.

[asbril]

18 minutes ago, beninsteon said:

Control is over network with SSH/VNC

How does this work ?

[beninsteon]

34 minutes ago, asbril said:

How does this work ?

1. Download RPi OS from the RPi foundation (https://downloads.raspberrypi.org/raspbian_full_latest)

2, Plug the SD card into your PC and load the RPi OS on to it (instructions here https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/README.md).

3. Make a few changes to some configuration files on the SD card
   a. add an empty file named SSH to the root directory on the SD card
   b. add a file named wpa_supplicant.conf to the root directory that contains your wifi info (details in link below) * not necessary if you're connecting with Ethernet

4. Plug the SD card into the RPi and give it power

5. Check your router for the RPi IP address.

6. Download VNC and/or PuTTY on your PC and connect to RPi. VNC gives you a virtual desktop for a GUI interface. PuTTY gives you a command line.

7. Install Polyglot by pasting this command into the RPi command line
wget -qO - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/UniversalDevicesInc/polyglot-v2/master/scripts/install.sh | bash -e

8. Configure Polyglot, add nodeservers (eg. AVRemote) by going to https://192.168.0.X:3000 on your PC (where 192.168.0.X is the IP of the Pi)

9. Consider installing Pihole on the RPi which will block all internet advertisements on your network (including on your phone!) without the need for any browser plugins (just another benefit of having an RPi in your house)
curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash

Here's a step-by-step for setting up a headless RPi with more detail than above. Trust me, this is not difficult. 
https://dev.to/wiaio/set-up-a-raspberry-pi-without-an-external-monitor-or-keyboard--c88

[asbril]

16 hours ago, beninsteon said:

1. Download RPi OS from the RPi foundation (https://downloads.raspberrypi.org/raspbian_full_latest)

2, Plug the SD card into your PC and load the RPi OS on to it (instructions here https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/README.md).

3. Make a few changes to some configuration files on the SD card
   a. add an empty file named SSH to the root directory on the SD card
   b. add a file named wpa_supplicant.conf to the root directory that contains your wifi info (details in link below) * not necessary if you're connecting with Ethernet

4. Plug the SD card into the RPi and give it power

5. Check your router for the RPi IP address.

6. Download VNC and/or PuTTY on your PC and connect to RPi. VNC gives you a virtual desktop for a GUI interface. PuTTY gives you a command line.

7. Install Polyglot by pasting this command into the RPi command line
wget -qO - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/UniversalDevicesInc/polyglot-v2/master/scripts/install.sh | bash -e

8. Configure Polyglot, add nodeservers (eg. AVRemote) by going to https://192.168.0.X:3000 on your PC (where 192.168.0.X is the IP of the Pi)

9. Consider installing Pihole on the RPi which will block all internet advertisements on your network (including on your phone!) without the need for any browser plugins (just another benefit of having an RPi in your house)
curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash

Here's a step-by-step for setting up a headless RPi with more detail than above. Trust me, this is not difficult. 
https://dev.to/wiaio/set-up-a-raspberry-pi-without-an-external-monitor-or-keyboard--c88

You are the best Ben and you made me jump. I just ordered the kit. It will take me some time to navigate through the steps but eventually I'll get there. THANKS

[beninsteon]

7 hours ago, asbril said:

It will take me some time to navigate through the steps

here to help if you get stumped

[asbril]

On 12/20/2018 at 9:11 PM, beninsteon said:

1. Download RPi OS from the RPi foundation (https://downloads.raspberrypi.org/raspbian_full_latest)

2, Plug the SD card into your PC and load the RPi OS on to it (instructions here https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/README.md).

3. Make a few changes to some configuration files on the SD card
   a. add an empty file named SSH to the root directory on the SD card
   b. add a file named wpa_supplicant.conf to the root directory that contains your wifi info (details in link below) * not necessary if you're connecting with Ethernet

4. Plug the SD card into the RPi and give it power

5. Check your router for the RPi IP address.

6. Download VNC and/or PuTTY on your PC and connect to RPi. VNC gives you a virtual desktop for a GUI interface. PuTTY gives you a command line.

7. Install Polyglot by pasting this command into the RPi command line
wget -qO - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/UniversalDevicesInc/polyglot-v2/master/scripts/install.sh | bash -e

8. Configure Polyglot, add nodeservers (eg. AVRemote) by going to https://192.168.0.X:3000 on your PC (where 192.168.0.X is the IP of the Pi)

9. Consider installing Pihole on the RPi which will block all internet advertisements on your network (including on your phone!) without the need for any browser plugins (just another benefit of having an RPi in your house)
curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash

Here's a step-by-step for setting up a headless RPi with more detail than above. Trust me, this is not difficult. 
https://dev.to/wiaio/set-up-a-raspberry-pi-without-an-external-monitor-or-keyboard--c88

Ben, I will receive the RPi tomorrow and will probably start the installation on Monday. I read somewhere in the link that you posted that  pibakery.org     could be an easier or alternative way to set up the RPi. Do you have an opinion on this ?

[beninsteon]

1 hour ago, asbril said:

pibakery.org

I don't think this software is necessary, especially if you're going to connect over Ethernet for initial setup. Just make sure there's an empty file named SSH (case sensitive) in the root directory of the SD card you make in step 2 and you're good to go. 

If the vnc server isn't running at initial setup, you can use the command "sudo raspi-config" to enable it over putty. But almost all configuration for rpi is done over local web servers (including polyglot) and I don't think the GUI is needed at all. You'll only need direct access to the rpi command line to install software like polyglot.

[asbril]

On 12/20/2018 at 9:11 PM, beninsteon said:

1. Download RPi OS from the RPi foundation (https://downloads.raspberrypi.org/raspbian_full_latest)

2, Plug the SD card into your PC and load the RPi OS on to it (instructions here https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/README.md).

3. Make a few changes to some configuration files on the SD card
   a. add an empty file named SSH to the root directory on the SD card
   b. add a file named wpa_supplicant.conf to the root directory that contains your wifi info (details in link below) * not necessary if you're connecting with Ethernet

4. Plug the SD card into the RPi and give it power

5. Check your router for the RPi IP address.

6. Download VNC and/or PuTTY on your PC and connect to RPi. VNC gives you a virtual desktop for a GUI interface. PuTTY gives you a command line.

7. Install Polyglot by pasting this command into the RPi command line
wget -qO - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/UniversalDevicesInc/polyglot-v2/master/scripts/install.sh | bash -e

8. Configure Polyglot, add nodeservers (eg. AVRemote) by going to https://192.168.0.X:3000 on your PC (where 192.168.0.X is the IP of the Pi)

9. Consider installing Pihole on the RPi which will block all internet advertisements on your network (including on your phone!) without the need for any browser plugins (just another benefit of having an RPi in your house)
curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash

Here's a step-by-step for setting up a headless RPi with more detail than above. Trust me, this is not difficult. 
https://dev.to/wiaio/set-up-a-raspberry-pi-without-an-external-monitor-or-keyboard--c88

Ben

 

I made it to step 6 and I have the IP address of the RPi. I also downloaded both VNC and PuTTY, but I am stuck as I get error message "the connection was refused by the computer". Is the fact that there is no IPV6 address an issue ?

[beninsteon]

2 hours ago, asbril said:

PuTTY

Ipv6 should not be an issue. 

Did you include a blank file named SSH (case sensitive and must be present on first boot, otherwise you need to remake sd card) in the root of the SD card you made?

In putty, make sure connection type is SSH. Your putty connection settings should look more or less like the picture below.

Worst case scenario, connect HDMI monitor and keyboard to pi temporarily to gain access then enable vnc and ssh by typing "sudo raspi-config" at command line and making the following changes:

2 (boot options), select B4

5 (interfacing options), enable P2 and P3

Default login: pi

Default password: raspberry

[asbril]

1 hour ago, beninsteon said:

Ipv6 should not be an issue. 

Did you include a blank file named SSH (case sensitive and must be present on first boot, otherwise you need to remake sd card) in the root of the SD card you made?

In putty, make sure connection type is SSH. Your putty connection settings should look more or less like the picture below.

Worst case scenario, connect HDMI monitor and keyboard to pi temporarily to gain access then enable vnc and ssh by typing "sudo raspi-config" at command line and making the following changes:

2 (boot options), select B4

5 (interfacing options), enable P2 and P3

Default login: pi

Default password: raspberry

Thanks again Ben. Just one question, how do I know what Port to use ?  I will try all tomorrow or Wednesday

[beninsteon]

Ssh port is 22. But make sure the ssh radio box in putty is selected because it's more than just a port. Ssh is an entire protocol

11 minutes ago, asbril said:

how do I know what Port to use ?

.

[DennisC]

You may also need to open port 22 in your router.

There are some YouTube videos that walk you through from setting up the RPI to installing Polyglot. They can be found here: https://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/23859-polyglot-instruction-videos/

They are very helpful.

 

[beninsteon]

53 minutes ago, DennisC said:

You may also need to open port 22 in your router.

Since this is being done from within your LAN there is no need to open it up on your router. I would discourage you from doing this as it will expose your RPi to internet hackers

[asbril]

I am not making progress and start to wonder whether there is anything wrong with SD card, even though when I insert the card in the RPi my router identifies it on the network as Raspberry.

When I Flash the Raspian file to the card, it does not create 2 drives,as shown in the video, and the Etcher shows a message of failed device (each time).

When launching the VNC viewer and entering the IP address 192.168.86.46 (either with :22 or or :3000 or without) it gives message that computer refuses the connection. I have tried several times, including reformating the SD card, but always with same result.

[mwester]

36 minutes ago, asbril said:

I am not making progress and start to wonder whether there is anything wrong with SD card, even though when I insert the card in the RPi my router identifies it on the network as Raspberry.

When I Flash the Raspian file to the card, it does not create 2 drives,as shown in the video, and the Etcher shows a message of failed device (each time).

When launching the VNC viewer and entering the IP address 192.168.86.46 (either with :22 or or :3000 or without) it gives message that computer refuses the connection. I have tried several times, including reformating the SD card, but always with same result.

<snip>

 

If your RPi shows up on the network, then the SD card is working just fine -- the RPi cannot establish a network connection from the bootloader, and the operating system which starts the network is always on the SD card.  Therefore, we can establish that Raspbian and the SD card are working.

Moving on, you note that the connection is refused.  To clarify, port 22 is ALWAYS used with SSH (PuTTY), so don't use VNC viewer to test if that port is working.  In fact, until you can get PuTTY to work, there's no point at all in messing with VNC.   So, if the connection is refused on port 22, that tells us that the SSH port is not open -- and since you've demonstrated that the RPi is, in fact, on the network, that must mean that the problem is that SSH is not enabled.

So, that leaves this: the instructions tell you to create a file named "SSH" on the SD Card -- have you done so, and can you detail the steps you've taken to do so? (Perhaps you've created the file with a suffix inadvertently (e.g. "SSH.txt" won't work, nor will a folder named "SSH" work!)?  Perhaps you've created it, but it's not in the folder where the RPi will look to see if it must enable SSH at boot?)

(And by way of explanation here -- early versions of RPi software enabled things automagically at startup, but as the popularity of the device has grown, and they've appeared on school networks for example, the automatic by-default enabling of these ports was deemed a major security hole.  Thus the need to go through these extra hoops to open up the ports for use.)

----

I would also suggest attaching an HDMI monitor and a USB keyboard to the device -- then you can dispense with the SSH file and set it all up from the keyboard and display.  I prefer that technique, the diddling about with all the files and the SD card is annoying.

[beninsteon]

@asbril

You are using VNC instead of putty to connect. Download putty, select connection type SSH and insert your pi IP.

https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html

Also agree the videos are excellent

 

[asbril]

I made it to connect with PuTTY and will now proceed with Polyglot.

[beninsteon]

For specific issues related to polyglot it may be best to post that in the polyglot forums. Make sure you give polyglot the isy LAN IP address, username and password (for local and not cloud access).

8 minutes ago, asbril said:

it keeps asking me to change username and password in Settings

Glad to hear you've got the pi running with polyglot installed!

[asbril]

Ben,

Thanks so much

Last step : In the polyglot webpage I added the AVRemote and the Harmony Hub (they show as installed in Polyglot web page) , and it tells me to add these in the Noder Servers of my ISY, but I can not find them in ISY under Node Servers...