Hello, Excited to be getting my first device set up and going. I've successfully added some strip lights and can add/control from a new dashboard. I've also added 2 of my Sonos speakers and can control them from their individual devices pages. When I try to add them to my Dashboard, they don't appear in the list of items to be chosen. What am I missing? I've made sure that Disable checkbox isn't accidentally marked, but I'm obviously missing something obvious. Thanks for any suggestions.
Welcome aboard. You are not missing anything. A media tile is not currently available.
Ahh, so just not possible? I guess I'm a little confused why there is an integration tool if they can't be added to a dashboard?
I'm curious - what does "automation" mean to you? Does it mean controlling a device via some virtual controller - like a dashboard? From my perspective, all that does is change one type of physical interaction (using a switch or a remote or a custom app) to another physical interaction.
For many of us, automation is something different. I want things to change/happen without my pushing a button (physical or virtual), or turning a knob, or moving a slider.
Here are some of the ways that I have used the Sonos integration:
- My bedroom Sonos speakers start playing the news when I need to wake up, gradually increasing the volume over 15 minutes, while the nightstand lamps brighten at the same rate.
- The music changes to another station, and at a different volume, when I go to the bathroom to take my shower.
- My Sonos Playbar is connected to my living room TV. The volume of the Playbar changes in response to the HVAC blower being on or off.
- The Playbar mutes for 20 seconds if the doorbell rings.
- My Sonos speakers play announcements; for eg. the dryer is done - get your butt up and fold clothes (sadly, this particular announcement repeats a few times before I actually get my butt up).
I used to have automations that played particular Sonos stations or playlists when I had guests over or was hosting a party, but I haven't used those recently.
These are just a few reasons why Hubitat has a Sonos integration. I'm sure others have better examples.
BTW, just noticed you are new - Welcome to Hubitat!
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That's a fair question for someone who is just starting the smart home journey, and one that comes up quite often.
The Hubitat Elevation was designed as a home automation platform, in which rules are created to activate connected devices based on users' routine tasks.
The manual control of connected devices is a secondary option, and one that fades away once the rules are created.
We do understand that not all routine tasks can be automated, or even sometimes, overriding a rule may be necessary. For these exceptions Hubitat provides two built-in solutions. The Hubitat Dashboard that has been part of the Hubitat Elevation from the very beginning. It gives users more control and flexibility to create a functional remote-like control panel, but comes with a greater learning curve. The Easy Dashboard is our newest addition to the remote controls options, but it doesn't cover all of the device types, like media players or video cameras.
Many more tile types are planned to be released with future updates, some sooner than others. I can assure you that a media player tile is in the works, but we don't know, yet, when is going to be released.
You can stay informed about future updates by either keeping an eye on our social media channels, or by simply subscribing to the release notes category, here in the community.
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To add, it can also be used as a trigger. For instance, specific play list=trigger, action=get down and dirty with the SO lighting scene, lock doors, silence all notifications for x amount of time. Also for announcements. Door open for 5 mins, action send message to sonos (or other speaker) Door is currently open. Please close it...Repeat...
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For now, the EZ dashboards are more limited and meant to be basic and easy to use. They had to draw the line somewhere between being easy, and full featured.
The legacy dashboard has the media tile capability, and the ability to have more advanced things exposed to it. If you need this advanced capability, then I think the legacy dashboard will be the better choice for you, at least for the time being.
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Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful answers. I'm understanding that most people are using the tool more for automation than what led me to Hubitat to begin with. I ended up here because my new house had some devices that weren't compatible with HomeKit, which lead me to learning about Zigbee, and ZWave, which started me looking for an integration tool, more than an automation tool. I'll have to grow into its full potential as I learn more.
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