New plugin pimatic-gBridge

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Nice to see the proceed of you plugin! Only a small idea, but maybe are you interested.

First would be interesting if GA is possible to response numeric values of a gBrigde devices. If so this could be used for announcing state of variable devices for example. I tried it with a dimmer devices I am added to gBridge. Maybe I asked in the wrong way, but I only got the answer that the device is on or off. I found no way to get the dim level. But maybe this could be achieved somehow.
You shortly added the thermostat device. Is it possible to let GA anounce the current temp? I have no thermostat device, but many aqara room sensors which provides temp and humidity.
My idea is to use your aux function. The numeric return value of an api call or script could be for example the temp value of a aqara device. This value should be extented by an unit °C/% (choosed from a pre defined list or free text) within the sub device config. Voila I can ask GA for the temp of the living room!

What GA is capable off is combination of functionality gBridge, mapping toward GA actions and smartness of the assistant. The result is unfortunately is determined by the weakest link.

Room temperature

You can create a DummyThermostat and add the temperature sensor device in the aux field. In the google home app you see the temperature value.
If you ask "what is the temperature of ‘DummyThermostat name’ " you get the room temperature and the temperature the thermostat is set to. Not very useful but this is the max I could get out of this.

Dimlevel

I didn’t found any voice questions to get the dimlevel. Sometimes it even resulted in setting the dimvalue
My assumption of GA not supporting this, is that you can see if a lamp should be brighter or should be dimmed. The voice command increase or lower brightness of ‘your device name’ is a more logical interaction than asking for the dimlevel.

GA supporting room temperature/humidity

gBridge is not supporting a temp/humidity sensor. The DummyThermostat trick can be used, but you get funny conversations. gBridge looks the weakest link in this case. Perhaps you can find an option on gBridge

To be continued…

Ohh this would be many new devices. My config is already crazy hugh. Could it be an option for you to extend the pimatic_device_id with an (have no other descrition like following) emulator function. Please do not understand it wrong, it is not my lazyness, but I think this could make the plugin even more flexible.

Just some brain storming…
Something like a pulldown menu could be helpful. There could be selected the “emulated” device type.

Example:
I configure a pimatic_device_id which represents a variable device (temp, humidity… and what ever will come in future) via a pulldown menu could be selected how the device will be processed. In this example as thermostat.

@bertreb said in New plugin pimatic-gBridge:

I didn’t found any voice questions to get the dimlevel.

I typed the command in my phone and got a response for the dim level.

How bright is the {lamp}. -> The {lamp} is set to 25%.

Seems my google home mini hear it wrong…

@ortin you found the magic phrase for this
This also works when I talk to GA.

@ortin

I can emulate a lot in the plugin but I still need to map it to gBridge and GA.
gBridge functionality is the most limiting.
This is the device list of gBridge that defines the possibilities.

Light: A smart lightbulb, for instance
Outlet: A switchable outlet
Switch: A general definition for all kinds of switching devices
Scene: Triggers pre-configured settings for various lights/ thermostats/ etc., e.g. for different moods
Thermostat: Device that controls the heating, ventilation or an air conditioner.
Fan: Ventilation and fan devices
AC Units
Air Purifier
Air purifying devices
Sprinkler: Garden Sprinklers and watering devices
Door: Doors that can be opened/ closed
Shutter and Blinds
Darkening systems
Dishwasher
Dryer
Vacuum: e.g. vacuum robots that can be started/ stopped
Washer: Generic washing machine
Camera: Device that can be played back on a streaming device (e.g. a Chromecast)

The list of devices types the GA supports is much longer.

I will look if I can find ways to mod this. Feel free to post any ideas also.

Yepp, I have in mind that GA is able to handle much more and how it looks like gBridge is running, but not more under development. I really hope, that it became a community project… Google should implement the idea in their environment!

I don’t test the way via the dummy thermostat yet (but I will do).

I like to stick on the emulator idea. If you don’t like the idea I will stop talk about it… It could be a nice way to make serveral things possible. Variable devices are currently not supported. Its clear because you don’t know how to handle all the possible variable contents. But what about following idea, by using aux:

If you could somehow handle it that gBridge interprets it as a thermostat it should response the current temp of a room.

Even light control could be possible. My yeelights are controlled via shell script. With aux and some goodies on your side i could be possible to handle this as well I thing.

I really have to go deeper into js…

@ortin thanks for the brainstorm
If I understand you right, you want to use in GA the ‘thermostat’ set of voice commands to get the temperature and humidity values?

the following setup works already with the dummythermostat

If the wohnzimmer-sensor is a pimatic sensor with temperature and humidity attributes, it is exposed to GA.
I see no other way to get temperature and humidity info to GA

@bertreb said in New plugin pimatic-gBridge:

@ortin thanks for the brainstorm
If I understand you right, you want to use in GA the ‘thermostat’ set of voice commands to get the temperature and humidity values?

Yes, thats it.

I will check your mentioned config soon. I have to create a dummy thermostat for this. Nice would be to use an existing device which also provides this data. In my case variable device resp. raspbee multisensor device.

According to gBridge you can ask:

1. Make it warmer/ cooler
2. Raise/ lower the Temperature
3. Raise/ lower the temp x degrees
4. Set the temperature to x degrees
5. How warm is it in here?
6. What’s the humidity of {thermostat name} (if humidity is enabled)

For command 5 you probably need to assign the thermostat to your home and a room.

Okay, I got it running and I now see what you mentioned.

My gBridge sub device has the name TEST. The dummy thermostat is set to 25°. The measured temp is 22°. auxiliary is a RaspBeeMultiSensor.
When I ask “What is the current temperatur of TEST” I get the response “The temperature is set to 22°”.
When I ask “What is the temperatur of TEST” I get the response "Heating is set to 25°. With a current temperature of 22°. Humidity was always zero.

Seems GA is not able to response only the current measured temperatur.

An other way is to keep auxiliary empty and to change the dummy thermostat via a rule. Tested with a different device. This device does not work via the auxiliary trick. On this way the measured temp is the state of the thermostat. Not perfect, but it is nearly that what I like to hear, when I ask for the current temperature.

when $esp-aquariummodul-mqtt.temperatur gets updated then set temp of pimatic-temperatur-test to $esp-aquariummodul-mqtt.temperature

What I miss is really to use a variable device or a at least °C and % providing (sub)devices as auxiliary.
Would be nice if you could allow such devices. Maybe not everything will work, but most of the possible use cases could be covered this way.

@ortin some progress.

Seems GA is not able to response only the current measured temperatur.

Did you try the phrase “How warm is it in here?” with the dummy thermostat assigned to a house and probably a room?

@ortin said in New plugin pimatic-gBridge:

An other way is to keep auxiliary empty and to change the dummy thermostat via a rule. Tested with a different device. This device does not work via the auxiliary trick. On this way the measured temp is the state of the thermostat. Not perfect, but it is nearly that what I like to hear, when I ask for the current temperature.

If that is the case, you do what you already described: leave the aux field empty and set the thermostat temperature via rules.
I see no other way, and its not about allowing any device to be added, but about which device type and traits I can use that will work and make sense.
For example the temperature question is only possible with a Thermostat device.

GA responses a linked/limited to the device type and used traits. You can’t for example ask “what is the temperature of a ‘door-device’”

It is one possible way. Don’t know if this fits to other user needs.

@bertreb said in New plugin pimatic-gBridge:

Did you try the phrase “How warm is it in here?” with the dummy thermostat assigned to a house and probably a room?

Yes, I got always the combi response with the thermostat state and the current temp. But not only the current temp.

@ortin said in New plugin pimatic-gBridge:

It is one possible way. Don’t know if this fits to other user needs.

@bertreb said in New plugin pimatic-gBridge:

Did you try the phrase “How warm is it in here?” with the dummy thermostat assigned to a house and probably a room?

Yes, I got always the combi response with the thermostat state and the current temp. But not only the current temp.

Ok, thats not what you want to hear.
And what if you only use the thermostat (no temp device). If you ask "what is the temperature of ‘device name’. GA will respond with “the temperature is set to …”. If that answer is good enough than i could fake / translate a temperature sensor into a dummythermostat

Yepp it is really not perfect, but more is currently not possible.

I can select on temperature attribute name.
A device has attributes and one of them should have temperature as attribute name.
Most devices that have temperature readings use temperature.
I’ll give it at try tomorrow (icl the variable variant)

@bertreb said in New plugin pimatic-gBridge:

I see no other way, and its not about allowing any device to be added, but about which device type and traits I can use that will work and make sense.

I have not seen this comment. It is not the idea to allow every device type. But only devices which contains temperature and humidity values. Both can take place even in a variable device. It can be identified by their unit.
As I say, all the stuff I mentioned are just ideas. It is up to you and I am really happy with the plugin already !

@bertreb said in New plugin pimatic-gBridge:

A device has attributes and one of them should have temperature as attribute name.

That was my fault. I doesn’t know that before. My variable device show temperature, but the attributre is named e.g. aqua-temp. Could you allow such stuff like temperature-aqua or aqua-temperature?