On our most recent IoT Podcast, Danny called in to our voicemail hotline with a very interesting question. He wants to know if platforms such as Home Assistant or OpenHAB could help support older smart devices that lose support from their manufacturers.
Given that smart home hubs such as Wink and Samsung are either unstable or going away, Danny’s idea to transition platforms makes sense. And the answer to his question is: maybe.
There’s no way to provide a blanket answer and say “Yes, all older or non-supported devices will work with the available open-source smart home platforms”. It’s really going to depend on the device. And even then, it depends on if the API, or application programming interface, for the device is kept alive.
APIs are used to have one device or computer send and/or receive commands from another. So when your automated light bulb is told to turn on by some trigger event, an app, hub or server has to tell the light to turn on. It does this via an API that supports that particular brand of bulb.
Typically a smart home hub routes these commands between devices and the services that run them. And yes, Home Assistant or OpenHAB could be the device that routes them. That’s provided there’s an available API or device handler (think of these as local APIs) for the device.
The good news is that many unsupported or legacy devices do have device APIs and service handlers available to them in these open-source platforms. However, we recommend checking the support forums of the platforms to see what devices are and aren’t supported. Developers often create device handlers and APIs for smart home products that they own and thus the entire open-source community benefits from their work.
But there are no guarantees that such services will exist for your devices. Nor are there guarantees that they will be updated as needed in the future. So again, you’ll want to do your homework.
To hear Danny’s question in full, as well as our discussion on the topic, tune in to the IoT Podcast below:
There is a huge market for the smart alarm that need to replace existing wired ones. But non of available smart alarms are not up to the task. Old wired (OW) were quite sophisticated with customers requirements like, multiple zones and its isolation based on usage and time and garage sensor that was special and metallic. Some even had wireless like spread spectrum from C&K ( no longer in business) which I got in my house. On top of that usage of multiple control pads since I have 3. One for entry, other for garage and 3rd one upstairs. At night press of one button (zone programmed) whole of downstairs sensors are active. Other feature is multiple delay exit/entry based on different exits/entry and individual pad can be on different delays.
Todays smart alarms are just toys or support single room apartment but sell as a security alarm. I even wrote to Google, asking that their alarm was design by a child? They had a Lte dialler built in but user cannot access it but need to have a deal with a US carrier. What kind of insane product is this? Others have followed similar and for god sake I need dialler access so that I have full access to that and I can put my cell and my wife cell info, in case of alarm activation since monitoring is a joke.
Can we use todays products with old alarms? Yes we can with few pain points. One good product is Konnected and they have a cloud app but need Samson smart app to work as an alarm monitoring or access to sensors. ( no need of samsung smart hub). Its the only product that I can connect and other option is to use Homeassistant which I have running with ODROID-N2+ Home Assistant Blue . Konnected got good heart but need some good product people to advise them.
My final advise is, if you intend to design an alarm with smart devices, go to Bosch or similar people and take advise re. operational issues. Old alarms are pain since their programmings are based on yr 1800 and cater for installers but completely ignore domestic customers. They always have some kind of a device for programming so that installers use to program or upgrade and its an another kind of insane marketing that come from yr 1800.
I programmed my C&K in 1997 and still works but got pstn dialler which I want to replace(wifi or cell) or get a modern alarm which does not exist today except toys. C&K no longer in business.
Bosch is still in business but still cater for old installer model although UK Bosch got smart alarm but iOS app only work in EU, another closed shop marketing madness.
Make a smart alarm for global customers with single web site ordering process, so that we can order/import them since some of the local support does not exist.