Chromecast App doesn't work with Group Speakers

I'm having trouble keeping HE communicating with my Chromecast Group speakers using Notifications. It has no problem speaking notifications to individual speakers, but seems to lose connection to the group speakers after a few days - or doesn't work right off the bat. Is there a trick to keeping them connected? Using individual speakers is a fine workaround, but there is latency when broadcasting a single to 7 different speakers.

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I don't believe the Chromecast integration for Hubitat updates the "primary" group host when it changes. That primary changes pretty often from what I can see.

Ideally, Hubitat would continuously listen for the googlecast._tcp mdns protocol and update the IP/port for whichever friendly names you select. It doesn't seem to be doing that though. I've been working around it with node-red and its discovery palette. While a big improvement over the Hubitat implementation, not even that's 100%.

Unbelievable.

Just kidding, it's cool, I can adapt.

Yeah, I mean, it's not the end of the world, but it would be nice if the app were fixed though.

It's been in beta since the Hubitat was released...

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So what's the secret to getting this to work? I'd be interested in seeing your Node-Red setup if that's the only option available.

Anyone else have any examples of updating the speaker group host with node red or otherwise? I do have node red running on a raspi here. I still don't want to use the single speakers because I have 7 of them and when an announcement comes through they are all slightly delayed - making it impossible to understand what it says, a cacophony of voices.

Nobody? I opened a support ticket in Aug about this but it was immediately closed with no response. Kinda gave me the impression that nobody cares about fixing this.

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Checking in again to see if anyone has found a workaround for Chromecast group devices to stay connected.

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I thought it was just me. This is an issue I'm experiencing as well.

Same nodeJS server that I used with ST.

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Gee I thought I was the only one. I wonder how many other people are experiencing this issue.

Okay now I am definitely feeling invisible on this. I was absolutely ignored when I opened a help desk ticket, and I know the staff has read this post many times because I've literally been bumping it incessantly for months. What's the deal Hubitat?

You do understand, don’t you, that this is a community forum, not Hubitat support?

I would try to help except I don’t use Chromecast.

I would try opening another support ticket, if I were you. Sometimes things do fall in the cracks.

Yeah I understand that. It didn't fall through the cracks though. It was actively closed without any response, which is why I'm here and not there. It's not like they don't know about this - it's just clear that they don't care to fix it. If it only works for a couple days and then stops, then it doesn't work.

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I'll open another ticket. I'm an early adopter, I own 4 Hubitat hubs. I've been here since before there was a help desk and the forum was all we had - so maybe it's me that has yet to adapt.

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Any feedback?

@kilowatts Did you ever figure out a solution? I have the same problem.

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I haven't had any problems for at least a couple months. So it's either a miracle, or the staff secretly performed some witchcraft.

2.2.8.141

"ChromeCast integration: settings to enable connection keep-alive through device polling."

Could it be?

OMG, but still in BETA, LOL

Unfortunately I can't get group speakers to work at all with .141