MagicHome Scenes

[MJsan]

I've been playing with the MH app and really finding it to be pretty awesome. The ability to group lights into a Scene - with colors and brightness levels - is exactly what I want. I've got scenes setup for "All lights green" and "all lights blue" as well as "all lights on" (uses last setting) and "all lights off"

What I haven't been able to figure out is how to trigger these scenes via EISY... I'm trying to drive everything through one app. 

 

I've figured out how to do it via HA but I am trying to keep it on EISY. 

Anyone have ideas on how to do that? @bpwwer @larryllix

[bpwwer]

In the node server config you can create a group of devices that can then be controlled as a single entity.  But I don't think you can make use of groups created in the app.

[larryllix]

I have software to group MagicHome devices into groups controllable and creatable on the fly within ISY programs. It is not incorporated into a NS though, and requires NRs to send the commands to the NRbridge software so not easily implemented unless you are fairly technical in that respect. My NRbridge currently resides inside my polISY along with my ISY firmware.

It requires the user to set up four NRs with multiple variables and then set up RGBevel, WWlevel, CWlevel, and a list of up to ten bulbs you want set to those variable parameters before initiating one of the NRs to SET levels, ON, OFF, or EFFECTS in that list of bulbs.
A pythin program module also requires the IP addresses of all your devices and they need to be locked down inside your router DHCP reservation table.

These devices do not actually support scene style operation but can be WiFi controlled so fast the human eye cannot detect the sequential operation well. There is no status feedback and thus no query of statuses inside ISY at this time. I keep track of last sent "scene" values inside ISY and use those to detect current levels and colours.

MagicHome bulbs support some nice effects including red, green, blue flashing that can take the load off of ISY programs. I use green to notify of hallway motion outside and red to indicate Midnight as a bedtime reminder. The white strobing is very bright.

[MJsan]

4 hours ago, bpwwer said:

In the node server config you can create a group of devices that can then be controlled as a single entity.  But I don't think you can make use of groups created in the app.

Yes but you can’t control the colors - the MH app lets you turn them on to specific values. I can turn on one light to sever different colors depending on the scene called for.

[MJsan]

33 minutes ago, larryllix said:

I have software to group MagicHome devices into groups controllable and creatable on the fly within ISY programs. It is not incorporated into a NS though, and requires NRs to send the commands to the NRbridge software so not easily implemented unless you are fairly technical in that respect. My NRbridge currently resides inside my polISY along with my ISY firmware.

It requires the user to set up four NRs with multiple variables and then set up RGBevel, WWlevel, CWlevel, and a list of up to ten bulbs you want set to those variable parameters before initiating one of the NRs to SET levels, ON, OFF, or EFFECTS in that list of bulbs.
A pythin program module also requires the IP addresses of all your devices and they need to be locked down inside your router DHCP reservation table.

These devices do not actually support scene style operation but can be WiFi controlled so fast the human eye cannot detect the sequential operation well. There is no status feedback and thus no query of statuses inside ISY at this time. I keep track of last sent "scene" values inside ISY and use those to detect current levels and colours.

MagicHome bulbs support some nice effects including red, green, blue flashing that can take the load off of ISY programs. I use green to notify of hallway motion outside and red to indicate Midnight as a bedtime reminder. The white strobing is very bright.

Larry that’s what I’m finding. I need an in-between broker to do it.  I can execute the MH scene from the MH app,  IFTTT and also from Google Assistant … just can’t do it from UD  

[larryllix]

7 hours ago, MJsan said:

Larry that’s what I’m finding. I need an in-between broker to do it.  I can execute the MH scene from the MH app,  IFTTT and also from Google Assistant … just can’t do it from UD  

Yes, I had some discussion with @bpwwer regarding converting my software into a NS but I don't believe it can be done decently in a NS as Insteon scenes are. However I can operate devices sequentially so quickly that they appear to be operating simultaneously, especially with a slight ramping the bulbs can provide.

The ISY firmware system doesn't like to operate things without long time gaps between operations as the NRs still have timing problems built in, when using variable substitution.

[MJsan]

@larryllix I guess I'm missing something about how MH "scenes" are done - from what you said earlier, I think I undertstand that to mean that a "scene" executed on the MH app from my phone is just a blast of (in my case) 21 commands, i.e. "landing green 100%, hallway red 100%, cabinet yellow 100%" and so on. 

The way MH integrates to Google Assistant is that the "scenes" show up on Google as "automations" and when I call the automation from Google, it's REALLY slow - light...by.......light....by.........light" for all 21. It works in the end, but takes about 20 seconds for all of them to get to where they should be. 

MH from the app is instantaneous. Same for executing a group command from UD/EISY that includes MH nodes - they are almost instant.

I tried - unsuccessfully - to read a tcpdump from my Mac using the MH app to see if I could see what network commands were going out. I'm quickly getting out of my wheelhouse ;( and couldn't interpret the gibberish. 

Any other ideas/thoughts on how to bring over those scenes into a NS would be **AMAZING** - and I truly thank you for putting so much effort and thought into this!

[larryllix]

@larryllix I guess I'm missing something about how MH "scenes" are done - from what you said earlier, I think I undertstand that to mean that a "scene" executed on the MH app from my phone is just a blast of (in my case) 21 commands, i.e. "landing green 100%, hallway red 100%, cabinet yellow 100%" and so on. 

The way MH integrates to Google Assistant is that the "scenes" show up on Google as "automations" and when I call the automation from Google, it's REALLY slow - light...by.......light....by.........light" for all 21. It works in the end, but takes about 20 seconds for all of them to get to where they should be. 
MH from the app is instantaneous. Same for executing a group command from UD/EISY that includes MH nodes - they are almost instant.
I tried - unsuccessfully - to read a tcpdump from my Mac using the MH app to see if I could see what network commands were going out. I'm quickly getting out of my wheelhouse ;( and couldn't interpret the gibberish. 
Any other ideas/thoughts on how to bring over those scenes into a NS would be **AMAZING** - and I truly thank you for putting so much effort and thought into this!

I could never figure out how to create decent scenes inside a NS so I never tried. I continue to use my own software controlled by a few NRs. It works very well so I see no need to use a NS and have never tried the latest one.

As I posted before with NRbridge I can control any combination of MH devices as a group from inside any ISY program.

A slight popcorn effect can be detected upon WiFi congestion problems and when operating more than about 6 to 8 bulbs in a dynamic group.

Multiple groups require 1 second or more between NR commands due to variable substitution problems that have never been resolved in ISY firmware.

It would take some techie capabilities but I can give you a copy of it if you want to try it for yourself. Take a few hours to install it.

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

[MJsan]

@larryllix thanks for the details... I'm going to consider playing with it. What I'm really debating is going down the path of adding another rPI to my setup or trying to figure this out with HA. 

[MJsan]

Just to close this out ... after going through a bunch of gyrations and trials, the best way to "fix" this is to use the Google Home. It can activate MH scenes, so when we want those, we just speak it..

Kind of sucks that there's no way to activate MH scenes through EISY - or to directly address colors and functions  but this appears to be the simplest, most reliable (albeit with a pretty significant lag - 21 lights go on over a period of about 10 seconds), and most "spouse acceptable" method I've been able to come up with.

Now I've added a couple of Govee lights (thanks Amazon Pride Day) which are very cool, but the Govee poly doesn't work with them either. That's another thing Google Home was able to address - automations can directly address both MH and Govee in the same command. 

I *hate* not having everything addressable via a central app and having to go through multiple apps to control things (Automate for shades, MH for scenes, Govee for those lights, and Eisy for everything else) but with Google Home acting as the speech front-end, it works. 

I'm still fiddling with Home Assistant - it appears to be able to do everything I want to do, but it's a lot of work and time isn't something I have enough of for a while!

[larryllix]

8 hours ago, MJsan said:

Just to close this out ... after going through a bunch of gyrations and trials, the best way to "fix" this is to use the Google Home. It can activate MH scenes, so when we want those, we just speak it..

Kind of sucks that there's no way to activate MH scenes through EISY - or to directly address colors and functions  but this appears to be the simplest, most reliable (albeit with a pretty significant lag - 21 lights go on over a period of about 10 seconds), and most "spouse acceptable" method I've been able to come up with.

Now I've added a couple of Govee lights (thanks Amazon Pride Day) which are very cool, but the Govee poly doesn't work with them either. That's another thing Google Home was able to address - automations can directly address both MH and Govee in the same command. 

I *hate* not having everything addressable via a central app and having to go through multiple apps to control things (Automate for shades, MH for scenes, Govee for those lights, and Eisy for everything else) but with Google Home acting as the speech front-end, it works. 

I'm still fiddling with Home Assistant - it appears to be able to do everything I want to do, but it's a lot of work and time isn't something I have enough of for a while!

Here is what a "scene" using the software I mentioned looks like. It takes about 0.5 seconds to execute from the first bulb to the last, 8 bulbs. The scenes are created dynamically by ISY, as needed by the ISY programmer.

 

LivRm.theme.dim - [ID 003A][Parent 0043]

If
        $sTheme.livRm is $cMODE.DIM
 
Then
        $NRb.cwLevel  = 2
        $NRb.wwLevel  = 15
        $NRb.rgbLevel  = 0
        $NRb.bulb1  = $cBULB.LR1
        $NRb.bulb2  = $cBULB.LR2
        $NRb.bulb3  = $cBULB.LR3
        $NRb.bulb4  = $cBULB.LR4
        $NRb.bulb5  = $cBULB.LR5
        $NRb.bulb6  = $cBULB.LR6
        $NRb.bulb7  = $cBULB.LR7
        $NRb.bulb8  = $cBULB.LR8
        $NRb.bulb9  = 0
        Resource 'NRb.set'
 
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')
 

 

[lilyoyo1]

4 hours ago, MJsan said:

Just to close this out ... after going through a bunch of gyrations and trials, the best way to "fix" this is to use the Google Home. It can activate MH scenes, so when we want those, we just speak it..

Kind of sucks that there's no way to activate MH scenes through EISY - or to directly address colors and functions  but this appears to be the simplest, most reliable (albeit with a pretty significant lag - 21 lights go on over a period of about 10 seconds), and most "spouse acceptable" method I've been able to come up with.

Now I've added a couple of Govee lights (thanks Amazon Pride Day) which are very cool, but the Govee poly doesn't work with them either. That's another thing Google Home was able to address - automations can directly address both MH and Govee in the same command. 

I *hate* not having everything addressable via a central app and having to go through multiple apps to control things (Automate for shades, MH for scenes, Govee for those lights, and Eisy for everything else) but with Google Home acting as the speech front-end, it works. 

I'm still fiddling with Home Assistant - it appears to be able to do everything I want to do, but it's a lot of work and time isn't something I have enough of for a while!

The biggest difference between those apps with Alexa/Google and UDI is that the company which makes each products are doing their own coding which allows them to do things that they may not expose using their APIs.