Hey there, I have a suggestion - if you could create a couple of add-on devices - would greatly increase usability of the Bridge:
These will start a whole new era for Bond app - automation!
Are you familiar with Node-RED @alexbk66? You can do everything you’re wanting and more, due to Bond’s API. My shades go up and down now based on the movement of the sun in some rooms.
Sure. And I wrote Bond integration plugin for HomeSeer automation.
This was just a suggestion for Bond - for the users who don’t have home automation.
BTW, what do you use to track sun?
Yeah, I understand - I just think that this is the exact problem facing every single HA developer. Every manufacturer is trying to roll out their own ecosystem and accessories, and it’s a failed model. Amazon, Google, Samsung, etc.
The result is a totally useless, half-baked home automation solution that does maybe just a handful of extra things. And, introduces new problems. For example, now you will need home/away tracking because blinds should not be moved when the user is away from home. Even if Bond for example were to add all these features, I think the result would be a more expensive solution that is only semi-useful. At least, this is my experience with all the other HA solutions out there.
Not to mention that these solutions only partially cover use cases for people, and where they don’t, it creates new problems.
And, why does each ecosystem need its own temperature sensor? A single temperature sensor should be usable across all devices/platforms. This is where solutions like Home Assistant or Homebridge have immense value to bridge the gap, and NodeRED is compatible with those as well.
Regarding the sun angle, I wrote my own version (not open sourced), but something like this should work: https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-sun-position
They implemented something for blinds here as well. This can easily be tied in with the HTTP calls needed to call the Bond API.
I disagree here. The result is minimal automation that users can use if that’s sufficient for them.
I have a lot of systems in my house which have there own logic and mobile apps. But my HomeSeer connects them together using integration plugins. This way I add functionality on top of existing apps, without loosing each system independence.
This adds reliability and redundancy in case something is wrong with Homeseer. That’s my favorite approach to the automation.
Example - I have Heatmiser (UK) multi-zone heating control system with smart thermostat in every room with different schedules. So the system can work on its own, and I can access it via Heatmiser app.
But with my Heatmiser plugin for Homeseer I can overwrite the thermostat behaviors based on home occupancy status and weather forecast (with Homeseer weather plugin).
It doesn’t if you have other sensors and automation system.
But if you say have Bond temperature sensor and integration plugin supports it - you can use the sensor in your automation system
Why not?
The result is minimal automation that users can use if that’s sufficient for them.
Sure, but someone has to develop it, maintain it, and support it. This is a major effort for any developer (I am a developer also). The items we’re discussing here (including home/away tracking) have privacy implications, security implications, and just the amount of code needed to properly implement this on a minimum of 2 mobile operating systems isn’t trivial.
For all that effort, it will raise the cost, and the only point I’m trying to make is that I don’t think there is a worthwhile payoff for it because the only true form of automation is when all of these things are tied together, not just a hodge podge of different ecosystems that don’t play with each other. I’m sure it would be useful for some, I’m just saying from a development point of view I think their effort is better spent on things we can’t do well currently – for example, rolling code support for garage door openers.
I don’t see the point of discussion? Are you working for Bond? If not - let’s leave the decision to them.