[RELEASE] Unfolded Circle Remote 3 Integration

⚙️ Custom Apps and Drivers
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Hi all,

Thanks for taking a look at my (unofficial) integration for the Unfolded Circle Remote 3 remote control.

At this stage, tested functionality is limited to starting and stopping activities and emulation of the remote's power button (stop all running activities). Installation of entities is included, but this driver is untested as I don't need that functionality personally, but if there is demand, I'll work on it...

OK, here's how to get up and running:

1. Update remote firmware

Note: For this integration to operate, the remote must support WiFi connection in standby mode, when was added in beta firmware 2.7.x onwards, so at the time of writing, you must use beta firmware on the remote.

You can update and configure the remote from either the remote itself, or the Web Configurator, but the easiest way to get the remote's IP address is from the remote as for some reason the IP address is missing from the Web Configurator...

  • On the remote, open the configuration page (click the battery status far top right on the home page), go to Software update, ensure Beta updates is enabled (I think you can do this from the remote, I can't remember now), click Check for update and follow the process to update if available. The remote must be on at least firmware 2.7.x, however at the time of writing the latest beta is 2.8.1 and I have found this to be significantly more stable and is the firmware version on which I did the majority of development and testing.

  • Go back to the main configuration screen, go to Settings, Power saving, ensure that Keep WiFi connected in standby is checked. Note this WILL significantly impact the battery life of the remote, but is essential for this integration to function (it also makes the remote much more responsive, as it doesn't have to reconnect to WiFi every time it comes off standby)

OR

  • If you're updating from the Web Configurator, you can update the firmware from Settings (tab top right), General (category top left), Software update, ensure Beta updates is checked, click Check for update and follow the directions.

  • Click Power saving (category middle left), ensure that Keep WiFi connected in standby is checked. Note I've found this setting doesn't stay checked in the Web Configurator, nor does it reflect the status the setting on the remote, so I recommend checking this on the remote to be sure

2. Get the remote's Web Configurator PIN and IP address

You must complete this step on the remote:

  • Go to the remote's configuration page, note down the four-digit Web Configurator PIN (if it is blank, press the refresh button)

  • Go back to the main configuration page and select Wifi & Bluetooth, select the WiFi network the remote is connected to under Known Networks and note down the IP address.

3. Install the integration using HPM

  • Open Apps on your Hubitat
  • Open Hubitat Package Manager (Hubitat Package Manager (HPM))
  • Click on in Install
  • Click Search by Keywords
  • Enter "unfolded circle" in search criteria and press Next
  • You should see Unfolded Circle Remote 3 Integration by Paul Harrison, select this and install

4. Link the app to your remote

  • Open the Unfolded Circle Remote 3 Integration app (I think it should automatically open after installing with HPM)

  • On first run (or if you reinstall the app or factory reset the remote) the initial setup page will open

  • Enter the IP address and PIN, then press Enter (or click `Connect & Verify)

  • The app will now attempt to connect to the remote and obtain an API Key (used internally for all further communication with the remote, you shouldn't need the PIN again).

  • If all is well, the app will direct you to click Done, this will complete initial installation and setup and the app will close. If there are issues, the app will give an error; this is sometimes caused by the remote not responding, I've done my best to make the app resilient to this, but sometimes you just need to try again (you can also try manually waking the remote if it is being stubborn). You should also double check the IP address and PIN, but the app should tell you if these were in error.

  • At this stage the app will also install the Remote3GlobalDriver at this stage. This creates a device which emulates the remote's power button (it has three commands, off which will turn off all active activities, refresh which will update the state of all activities, and on (which does nothing, as per functionality of the button on the remote.

5. Install Activities and Entities

  • Open the Unfolded Circle Remote 3 Integration app again, you should now go straight to the discovery page, where you can see the Activities and Entities that the app has detected (detection is automatic), or that are already installed. If the remote can't be contacted, you will get an error saying to check the IP address, note that this can be caused if the remote is on a configuration page as this (sometimes, but not always) prevents the remote from responding.

  • The Activities are listed at the top in a drop-list, select those you'd like to install

  • Entities are categorized by type, Media Players (entities that report media player type functions like play, pause, etc.) and Smart Home & Other (simple entities like lights that report functions like on and off - this will also include macros defined on the remote)

  • Select everything you'd like to install (or deselect any drivers already installed to automatically uninstall), then press Sync Devices (Add/Remove/Update)

  • The app will then report success, partial success (not all selected devices installed) or failure. For partial success or failure, the app will give you a warning or error as to what the problem was - it will also report if there are orphaned devices installed, e.g. if you delete the app and reinstall, list them and give directions on how to manually uninstall them

6. Add the devices to your rules etc. and have fun!

That's it, you can use the app to add or remove activities and entities.

Activities each have three commands, off, on and refresh. Note that I don't recommend polling refresh too frequently as this wakes the remote every time and will drain the battery. off, on and the global device's off automatically refresh the activity's status.

Entities are, at present, untested. Media devices map standard commands that may or may not work (the probably don't...). on and off should work for the simple devices. Please feel free to try them and report back!

Paul

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Change Log:

Version 1.0.0 Initial public release.

Item Version
App 1.0.59
Global Driver 1.0.30
Activity Driver 1.0.25
Entity Driver 1.0.0

To Do:
No guarantees but some potential future features:

Custom entity commands: implement custom commands for entities, as reported by the remote. This would add a lot of functionality, but I briefly tried it during initial development and couldn't get it to work. I don't need this personally, but if there is interest, I'll have another go...

Notification when Activity Status Changes: This would allow the Hubitat to be notified when the status of activities changes and would be helpful for e.g. dashboards. This would definitely be handy, but would require a lot of development including a custom integration in the remote and an external intermediary device (e.g. a Raspberry Pi) to maintain a connection to the remote and signal to the Hubitat when an activity changes state. Honestly, I think this would be worthwhile, but it is a lot of work. I've got something similar in testing for connection to Legrand Adorne devices, so I've done some of the groundwork at least...

3

Never heard of this remote before, and see it is in pre-order, so are you associated with this brand?

The remote looks extremely polished and evokes Bang & Olufsen vibes.

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It looks good but if you read the comments page on Kickstarter, many are having issues.

5

Yes, also saw that after I posted. Seems strange that this has now also been on pre-order for 18 months already.

I backed the Sofabaton X1 remote at the time, their new X2 looks to provide similar features, but both are quite expensive for what they are, imho.

6

I did the Kickstarter and literaly got mine today... people in other countries got theirs a while back but there were issues with terrifs to the US.

Haven't set anything up yet, but the hardware is very impressive and feels solid and high quality.

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No, I'm not affiliated in any way, I was part of the original Kickstarter and was lucky enough to receive the remote before the tariff issues with shipping to the US began.

Generally I've had no issues with the remote, it is very well built. The only issue I've found is that the battery life isn't great (you basically need to leave it in the docking station when you're not using it).

From a home automation perspective, the fact that the remote itself carries out all functions is limiting (until the latest firmware) in that when the remote goes to sleep, it shuts its WiFi off the conserve the battery life. I think having the docking stations able to send commands would have been a better idea as they are obviously powered so there are no batter life issues.

Overall, I'm happy with it. Device support is growing and there is a pretty active community developing integrations, all my devices are supported (only one through a third-party integration)/ As I say, my only issue is that the battery life isn't great...

Apologies for the delay uploading the app / drivers, I stumbled across an issue I've fixed but have been testing. All seems to be working again now, so I'll get everything uploaded hopefully later today or tomorrow.

Paul

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I love the remote. Their Kickstarter orders are something like 95% filled and will be able to fill new orders much faster once they get that done. I pre-ordered (not Kickstarter) and got my remote in November. It works great for me - its super configurable and is able to control devices over RF, IP, and Bluetooth. It's built really well and is all local. There's no subscriptions or dealer fees to set it up.

@paulh2 I'll take a look at the integration this weekend. Appreciate it!

9

I really wish that they would include a list of supported devices on their web site. I have some very specific needs, including RS-232, IR, and Wifi control of a remotely-located rack, and would like to know that my hardware is supported before dropping $500 on something that may or may not work for me.

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Yeah, the documentation is a bit lacking in a few area - the API wasn't the easiest to work with but was OK, but there isn't even a comprehensive change log or even an easy to access post on the forum with the latest release and beta firmware. I also agree, a comprehensive list of supported devices (both official and third-party) would be a big help. The community is responsive though, so, your best bet might be to post there with a list of devices you want to control and see if others have already done so.

Its a great device with huge potential, but it really needs some polish on customer interface side to answer questions like these...

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Good news, the repo as been added to HPM, so I'll edit the first post with installation instructions. I'd love any feedback and suggestions. Remember this is a first release, so its not yet feature complete, but basic functionality is working.

I hope it proves useful!

Paul

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Great work Paul!

This is allowing me to eliminate the Harmony Hub - I've already moved to using the Remote 3 for all interactive stuff and have retired the Harmony remote; I still have the Harmony Hub set up so I can control my A/V system using the Hubitat integration to turn things on and off as part of my beginning of day and end of day processes.

Are you planning on having the Hubitat integration be able to access the Remote 3 buttons? This was such a pain with the Harmony integration that I never bothered with it, but having it as part of the Remote 3 integration would open up a bunch of possibilities for me. The big thing for me would be able to issue the "Home" and "Ok" buttons for the remote's Android TV integration via Hubitat.

Thanks for the work on this!