Turn on TV and Switch Denon Amp Input to 'X' Input with Google Voice Command and HE- A Noob's Solution

I've been working on a solution for this for some time and finally have one, this post is just FYI for other noobs while they're still on their way to becoming HE experts.

Aim: Turn on my PC and TV using only the Chromecast attached to it, then turn on my Denon Amp and set the input.

Make sure your Denon Amp has a static IP address and has the input source set up before you start and have the Google apps installed on HE. Your TV should be set to allow devices to turn it on and off and will only work if it has that function.

This solution uses a Chromecast connected to a Denon amp and that connected to a TV that I have no other way to turn on remotely except via the Chromecast. My PC is also connected to my amp and is switched on via a Sonoff SV using Google voice.

So the solution I've finally come up with is-

  1. Create a Virtual Switch to use as your trigger event and start a RM rule, you can use a real button but a Virtual Switch allows you to activate it by voice command with Google Home.

  2. Set Action 1 as turn on your Denon Amp which will show as a switch.

  3. Set Action 2 as speak a TTS message on the Chromecast, I simply use the word 'on'. The Chromecast should switch on your TV but the message should not sound as things are still booting up. 'Stop after TTS' must be on in the Chromecast device settings in HE.

  4. Optional: Set Action 3 as set volume on the Amp using the 'Control Music Player' action, set a 3 second delay to give it time to boot up.

  5. Set Action 4 as Run Custom Action, choose to action a switch and your Denon Amp should be in there. The custom command should be 'setInputSource' and then choose the input. A delay of 12 seconds should be set, this is the minimum I could set without the Chromecast changing the input back to itself.

My ultimate goal was one voice command to turn on my PC, TV and Amp and have the right input selected. I have created a Google Routine that switches on my PC and the Virtual Switch I set up for this, HE does the rest. I would love to be able to control the Sonoff locally but I don't know of a way to do that and I need cloud to use the Chromecast to turn on the TV anyway.

If you know of a better way, let me know.

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