Almost done migrating off of Smartthings

Is there a difference between SharpTools.io the service and Sharptools the android app which integrates into tasker/SmartThings? I may be confused on this..

I moved to HE in order to reduce my dependence on cloud services as much as possible. I know there will be certain things I will have to do at least initially - like IFTTT for the ring doorbell push trigger.

If you were using ST presence sensors, they too can be used directly on HE
If you configure it correctly, you can even use the ST app (via 'other hub' ) as a presence sensor
(I do :slight_smile: )

Andy

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So I have 2 sets of presence sensor devices from ST - the old ones which I am having trouble pairing right now and the new ones which are already paired. The trouble is those are good for cars arriving etc - trying to get my fam to schlep an additional fob is probably too much to ask. Ideally the phone detection geofence thing like SmartThings does. Although family tracking IS kinda tempting with something like Life360,,

I know it's probably a matter of time.

I'm not really opposed to cloud services but would like to try and limit my exposure.

Same SharpTools. You are using Life360, IFTTT, or HomeKit for presence, there is a cloud component. If you use specific WiFi presence detection methods via a router, or Andy's Presence Central, you can bypass the cloud.

I find IFTTT slow at times (not for presence detection or location services), but I don't find it unreliable. Some cloud services are unreliable and/or slow, but within a platform there can be variation, so pick and choose is a more convenient and simpler path than total avoidance. I don't disagree that local is the way to go, but some things are just lower friction via cloud.

Yeah just trying to figure it out. The great news is HE is so flexible there are or likely will be many solutions available or I can roll my own.

Thanks!

See post below. If you use Amazon Echo you can skip IFTTT and configure this function in the Alexa app. It's almost instantaneous for me.

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Yes I read your post.. good idea! I'm already committed to things Alexa so this would be one less thing. The Ring is not showing up as a device for me. How did you add it to Alexa?

Did you add the Ring Pro Doorbell Skill?

Yessir

Yes, the SharpTools.io platform was released this year and includes a web dashboard and Rule Engine which works across various hubs/platforms.

The SharpTools Android app was released back in 2014 (and has been continuously updated) and supports SmartThings only at the moment. We have plans to update the mobile app to work with the new SharpTools.io platform and connected hubs (including Hubitat), but it's a decent amount of effort to get it done. :slight_smile:

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Huh, that's pretty cool! I had SharptTools when I had Android. Any iOS plans?

The SharpTools.io dashboard works great on iOS devices and you can add it as an 'app' using the instructions in this post. :slight_smile:

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Yea I see that. I won't derail this topic anymore. All I'll say is this is some cool stuff I've been ignoring! Congrats!

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So I have an Aeon Doorbell that I am using the alarm/siren part for the chime. It's much louder and maybe more configurable than the Ring's chime device (haven't verified this - I have both) . Unfortunately it does not show up in Alexa when added to the HE Skill. I think I still need to use IFTTT. Will keep an eye out though - thanks for the ideas.

Not sure I completely understand. Are you saying you have the Aeon integrated with HE and would like to have it "chime" when the doorbell is pressed.

If so, you would have to create a virtual momentary switch in HE and expose that to Alexa. Then in Alexa, create a routine that turns on the virtual switch when the bell is pressed. In HE create a rule that makes the Aeon device chime when the virtual switch turns on.

Virtual momentary switch to added to Alexa

Alexa routine that turns on virtual switch when pressed.

Rule Machine trigger that activates Aeon (replace notification action with your own action)

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That's a great idea! One level of abstraction beyond my reasoning capability apparently..

Yeah I started with an Aeon doorbell on SmartThings then moved to the Ring + Ring Chime. The Ring Chime was less than satisfactory with volume/tones etc so I just used the chime part of the Aeon doorbell. It worked nicely on ST and does work using IFTTT but I like the idea of using Alexa since I'm already kinda committed to that platform.

On a side note I'm having trouble with the HE Aeon Doorbell driver and RM though - I can't get a door opened alert to play the defined "beep" chime - it only uses the default doorbell track. Of course the device only appears as a "switch" not a notification device or speaker.

Is the Aeon doorbell using a built in driver or a custom one? If its built in and is listed as a switch, you should be able to share it directly with Alexa (no need for the virtual switch).

EDIT: I created a device using the built in Aeon Labs Doorbell driver and it seems to have a lot more options than the standard switch. It also does not appear in the Alexa app as you mentioned earlier. Looks like a virtual switch is the way to go.

With respect to the door opened alert stuff... I tried to port krlaframboise's custom ST doorbell code over but could not get it to work.

I had stopped using WebCoRE because it caused my hub to become non-responsive though to be fair it was very likely my not quite so good piston writing skills than anything else.

In the interim until HE updates the driver I may bring WC back carefully. It's very handy to be able trigger the bell as well as doorbell.

My Aeon Door Bell is terrible at doing what it's intended to do. As a doorbell, it burns through the button battery in days. I've replaced the battery 4-5 times and they last about a week, with zero use. The last battery I installed I tested once to verify, then put it on a shelf where it was never touched. 1 week later, the red light on the main unit was telling me the battery was dead. I haven't used that part since.

I've got 11 "phrases" installed into the main unit and they play. However, they mostly play poorly. They repeat and or cutoff. Often both. "There's a vis vis vis There's a visitor at There's a visitor at the front d"

A common complaint with these is they play randomly.. I'm guessing: any power glitch causes it to play a track. Therefore I want to Set Volume (7+), play track, and then set volume to 1, so that the random tracks are so soft, I get no complaints. So far, I haven't found a simple way of implementing.

This is a years old problem for me. I worked with Aeon last year and we agreed it was not defective, per se. It was just not working well. There's a new one due out.. Aeon's site last year said "end of 2017" but as we approach end of 2018, I'm thinking it's the beginning of the window it might get released. (Aeon seems to always announce products 1-2 years in advance.) [edit] Current website says: "Doorbell 6 will be available to our partners in late 2018."

I haven't found any driver that works well. They all drive the device the same, meaning I can tell them to play a track via any driver. The differences between the built in driver and Kevin's is the wealth of options in Kevin's. I love that BUT don't need it. My needs are simple.. when a door contact opens, play a track, ideally at a specific volume. All I need exposed in a driver is "set volume" and Play track number:" so I can verify it's the track I want before entering it into a Rule. Therefore for me, all drivers are adequate.

Yeah - I don't use the doorbell at all just the powered chime. For me it's worked well though now that you mention it there may have been some ghost rings with ST on occasion but they were infrequent enough that I didn't really notice. The issue I've had is sometimes the device status says it's still playing even though it's not - doesn't seem to turn "off" properly. Under HE things appear to be better so far but I just got the beep track working again via a custom command. That doorbell driver on my HE doesn't show up under Music Player or Notification so couldn't do any actions in RM initially. The goal was to have a doorbell tone for the doorbell (Ring in this case) and "Door Opened" alert using the beep track.