Can Hubitat Control Devices via Google Home?

Unfortunately I purchased two smart switches (Smart Life) and four smart plugs (Etekcity) while knowing nothing about Home Automation, neither of which seem to support Zigbee or Z-wave. Neither are listed in Hubitat supported devices. Google Home Hub can control both of my device types, but I want to use Hubitat for the local functionality, but mostly the more complex rules.

My Google Home Hub will control these devices just fine. Can Hubitat control these devices via Google Home? In other words, the devices are configured and working with Google Home. I want Hubitat to be able to talk to Google Home to use it as an intermediary for receiving events and controlling those devices. Possible?

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Welcome to the Hubitat Community Dan!

Yes, but you'll need to build something. Not too hard and it's one of the most valuable tools in my home automation. Works for announcements, silently controlling devices that HE does not support but Google Assistant does (exactly what you're looking for) and you can control devices silently, but receive feedback from your Google Assistant as well if you want.

If you control them through Google home it won't be local -- it will have to utilize the cloud(s).

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SmartHomePrimer,
That is exactly what I want, thank you.

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I get that Eric; however, Google Home is really fast, so if it disconnects too much when I am out, I will buy light switches that HE will control.

I gotcha.

Are you against replacing the firmware on the smart life devices?

With a raspberry pi and carefully reading the instructions this is quite easy:

Once the firmware is gone I don't know if you can go back. Maybe more careful reading shows how to revert it.

The custom firmware works well with Hubitat, but it's not official support.

Based on the app instructions I’m not sure if you need a Rasberry Pi as an intermediary or If this can be done directly via Hubitat?

  1. If it can, what modifications to the posted instructions above need to occur?

  2. I see device references in the silent voice command. Im guessing those are customized for each device? and If so is there some kind of edit replace command that can update the code for each device? I tried copying the code to a word doc and that didn’t work. I’m guessing Windows Notepad is a good way to handle that.

  3. Also, is there a way to verify that Google Home has acted in the command or is that part of the app?

We need more information as to what you're smuggling with.
What type of device are you trying to integrate and what do you want it to do?

The OP is about a Smart Life or Tuya based switch.
@SmartHomePrimer mentions getting in via Google Assistant Relay.
I recommended just replacing the firmware without doing any soldering.

Where are you in this?
We'll gladly help out.

Thanks for responding Keith.

I want to control automation on Google Home through an HE user app via Google Assistant Silent commands.

First several Koolertron smart outlets for Christmas.

When I click the link above and copied here:

  • It is an Outside App to silently control Google Assistant.
  • It also references using a Raspberry Pi
  • I want to silently control devices connected to Google Home via Google Assistant.

When I read the documentation it appears you need to use a Raspberry Pi and you would need to change your "Silent Commands" to match what you have assigned them in Google Home.

In order of confusion:

  1. Do I need a Raspberry Pi for that app to work with HE or does it work on HE or can I use an always on PC? If a PC, any differences between using a Raspberry Pi that I should be aware of?
  2. Would a simple edit and replace work for updating device names throughout the app or do you just edit certain words that reference the device?

Once I have an idea on how to start, I'll reply back with what I needed to do for the next guy or possibly have to ask another question.

Thanks in advance.

I had just started following links and reading the topic knowing where I wanted to go but not realizing that without someone else doing the same the question becomes opaque.

This looks identical to my outdoor 3-relay outlet that I flashed to Tasmota using Tuya-Convert. Very straight forward process that does require a Raspberry Pi. Perhaps it can work on another Linx computer with Lan and WiFi but it's designed for Pi.

In reference to Assistant Relay:

Yes a Pi would be required or some Linux instance.
I have tried to get Assistant Relay working multiple times.
I'm sure it's trivial to some but I've failed at some point in the setup each time.

I've never got as far as using the app unfortunately.


This is just my opinion, there are many opinions on this forum as there are on others, I think the path of least resistance is converting the firmware to Tasmota using Tuya-Convert. (This probably does void the warranty but freedom from the cloud is more important to me.

There are Tasmota drivers that I had working with my 3-relay outdoor switch when I was using Hubitat more. it all worked fine and was local. The Assistant Relay depends on the cloud and many more moving parts for reliable control of your loads, just keep that in mind if you go that route.

I just flashed 4 Smart Life based outlets two nights ago in a matter of 30 minutes, 15 minutes was just getting the swing of it.

Thanks Keith for the insight and I may circle back to that solution.

I've conceded I'll end up using either Google or Amazon. With voice, Google Assistant was my strategic choice. Apparently, HE can play nice with Google Assistant per above which basically means that anything Google Home can control, I can control without voice (silent) via Hubitat. So HE and Assistant combined could provide great functionality.

While other uses have come up with a HE to Assistant relay solution using a Raspberry Pi, I heretofore have tried to integrate as directly as possible with Hubitat. My computer engineer son will be home for Thanksgiving and can bring me up to speed on some basic Linux functionality (by far his OS of choice).

If anyone out there has a direct Hubitat interface that can speak "Google Assistant" silently via a relay app please let me/us know? I'd even be interested in a paid plug in with Hubitat working on a revenue share deal with Google to keep it updated. Currently Google doesn't seem as "closed" minded as others.

I just might be back for the info on converting the firmware to Tasmota using Tuya-Convert but I'm viewing the relay as a solution for other products as well with HE to make the Scene scenarios virtually unlimited.

Good luck.
Hopefully he or you will be more fruitful than myself. Get back to me if you want to go the Tuya-Convert route. I’ll gladly walk you through it.

Check out ryan780 on this

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Did this work for you?
The thread is locked now and the docker container can't be downloaded.

There are options for this. They range from Raspberry Pi, to Docker, to Linux computers. Anything the can run Node.js should work. That’s really what is needed. I run my Google Assistant Relay on an old MacBook Pro, and was using an old 2010 MacBook before that.

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I actually got the hass.io version running. Finally!!

It requires... hass.io which is a thing if you’re not already in that camp.

Hi Keith. I want to register my devices in HE, then reference them in Google Home so I can control them by voice. I'm not concerned about the link to the cloud via Google Assistant. Does converting the firmware to Tasmota allow a device to be directly registered into HE?

My Hubitat hub died, I don't really use it anymore.
I've been exclusively using Home Assistant now.

When I was leaving Hubitat somebody was working on a Tasmota driver.
You need an MQTT broker still I think.

Good luck.

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If you don’t want to flash everything with Tasmota, you can use Sonoff devices directly with HA without flashing. It’s trivial to setup.

Then use this driver to bring the devices back into HE where they can be more easily automated.