News about HomeKit and Vera

Community Playground General Discussions
21

I was able to get the server running and the devices to show up in that app you recommended. But whenever I tell siri to do anything she says it’s been done but it hasn’t.

And I get an error on the node console saying something like:
Error ‘Error: connect ECONNREFUSED’ turning the Dining room on/off: undefined

Any suggestions?

22

I figured it out. The default 10.0.0.20 IP is hard coded into the device file. Once I changed this to my device’s IP it worked like a charm.

23

Have to say this is an AWESOME first attempt!

It has some time to go before it’s “ready” for less experienced hands (which I am actually one, as I know next to nothing about NodeJS), but this could be fully functional with a bit of work.

If you don’t have one already, maybe create a repo on github so that people can download easily and contribute?

24

Awesome glad you got to experience it! I totally hacked it together to see if it was possible and I quickly put the code out for others to try out. The entire thing needs to be scrapped and totally rebuilt from the ground up. I think I’ll try and do that this week and get it setup on GitHub

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

25

Yeah, it’s great. I’m going to continue to run what you have right now until newer code is available.

Once it’s on github I’ll see if i can contribute to it. Can’t guarantee anything (full time job, wife, two kids, etc) but it’s something I’m interested in doing. I had previously written the SiriProxy plugin that allowed voice control (before iOS 7 changed the Siri protocol) so i’m somewhat familiar with this kind of work.

Thanks again!

26

Ok, I’ve not used Siri, but I’ve knocked together a really simple Apple watch app that controls my lights, heating and scenes and TV via Vera. if you can programme lua or JavaScript you can use swift and interface builder and do this in about 30 mins. Most of it is hard coded for my house, but it would be trivial for someone to make it universal. Works great in the emulator, can’t wait to see it running on my watch when it arrives.

Home kit looks great as a glue to make it easier to get other devices working - that can only be a good thing - I gave up on micasaverde properly supporting my wave thermostat after about a year of owning it and rolled my own. Apple home kit can only benefit the HA scene. probably like many others on this site I haven’t touched Vera’s interface to actually control stuff for years - the exception being PLEG which finally filled a gap Vera had from day one - one that micasaverde should have filled. All controls are done via iPhone app, or wall panels. Vera is just the dumb box in my loft.

27

Is Z-Way a typo?

28

Their gateway software is called Z-Way I think.

29

Gents,

As no programmer I miss the competence to produce an application.
So I did use the SiriProxy by Plamoni until switching to IOS7 and had enormous fun with it.
Also I think the potential of these possibilities may in general be underestimated.
Probably building a legal bridge may be questionable because of license issues?.

Somewhere in the Apple introduction on Homekit it is specifically mentioned it interfaces with Apps. (software)
Verification of my assumption that an App developer can include Homekit would be appreciated.
Possibility to request Siri to turn on a light via e.g. Homewave if intveltr manages to incorporate it in his great App would be fantastic
:wink:

Jacob

30

Got this working with some lights - but only to turn them on. For some reason - siri doesnt seem to understand “turn off” for me… which is annoying to say the least. Also, it complains it cant talk to my lock, but the lock and unlock unfunction appear to be fine and if I call them manually they work. Going to see if I can hunt down the issue…

oh and yes. There is an artifact in the code. In the accessories files, the IP is hard coded. This should be changed to the variable from app.js

31

Yeah I got that same problem with women.

32

[quote=“Albeebe, post:12, topic:186853”]I guess what I meant was instead of relying on Vera (the company) to build a better UI or a better app or relying on 3rd party developers that have a Vera to build better Vera apps or cool things for people to use… With homekit (at least for us iOS users) you have the potential for a developer that has for example a SmartThings hub or a wink hub to build some awesome tools or apps that can be used by people that have a Vera or a Homeseer hub.

I think what’s possible here is that you could take all your scenes and logic out of Vera and instead put it into a homekit app.

Just to clarify my view on home automation, I have sensors and scenes and logic that automated everything without me having to do anything. However there’s times when I’m in bed and I want to adjust the fan or I’m on the couch and want to dim the lights. Being able to tell Siri, turn the fan to 50% is so simple and easy vs using an app or getting up and going to a switch.

Fantastic!!! That what you said is what at least Im looking for since long ago. My VeraLite is working seamless, but, I miss that, I miss SIRI when laying on the couch and need to send the window shutter down to kill sun refletion, then I need to open VeraMate and bla, bla, bla… SIRI is missing there!!! Nothing like that for those specific moments. Hey, I use reading glasses hehehehehe

Nice work, keep on going!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]

33

Hi @Albeebe

I feel like I am close to getting this working, but just not quite there yet. Can you help me out please?

I tried downloading your .zip and following the instructions, but the sever would not start.

Then I installed HomeBridge per the instructions and i am able to get the server running (the myTouchHome iOS app sees some demo Accesories in it).

If i copy everything from your .zip into my homebridge folder (replacing the files it asks to replace) the server will not start:

However, if i replace everything but /lib with your version (editing app.js to have my vera’s IP), the server does start and all my Vera lights etc are listed in console output, though only some are listed in myTouchHome and trying to turn them on/off results in a timeout.

[code]homebridge mda$ npm run start

VeraHomeKitBridge@0.0.0 start /Users/mda/homebridge
node app.js

Starting Vera HomeKit Bridge…
Create accessory: AV Closet Fan
TCP server accepting connection on port: 51826
HAP Server is listening

…

Create accessory: Master Bedroom Light
TCP server accepting connection on port: 52756
HAP Server is listening
Create accessory: Master Desk Light
TCP server accepting connection on port: 52818
HAP Server is listening

…

New Session 54301
Server Connection Established 50329
Start Verify M1
Verify M1 Finished

…

{ characteristics: [ { aid: 1, iid: 10, value: true } ] }
Turning on the Master Desk Light
{ characteristics: [ { aid: 1, iid: 10, value: false } ] }
Turning off the Master Desk Light
Error ‘Error: connect ETIMEDOUT’ turning the Master Desk Light on/off: undefined
Error ‘Error: connect ETIMEDOUT’ turning the Master Desk Light on/off: undefined
[/code]

What am i doing wrong?

Thanks. I really appreciate any help you can offer!

34

[quote=“mda, post:33, topic:186853”]Hi @Albeebe

I feel like I am close to getting this working, but just not quite there yet. Can you help me out please?[/quote]

I figured it out. in Light.js, DimmableLight.js, and Lock.js the vera’s IP was hardcoded. Replacing 10.0.0.20 with " + this.veraIP + " solved it.

@Albeebe is there a way to make this run Vera scenes? Thanks !

35

Hi

Can someone help me set this up in laymans terms on a windows 7 machine.

I tried setting it up using the instructions and i got the same error that the other guys got on running the command.

I took a look as the homebridge setup and got crosseyed.

Thanks!!

36

I have been asking myself this same question for this bridge as well as the bridge for the amazon echo. I fear that the lack of memory on the vera would prevent the bridge from working… The other problem would be the port mapping. I am not sure what port it is talking to and it may conflict with a port the vera is already using.
Unless someone could create an app which would bridge them directly…

37

I am also getting this error:

Any idea? I am suspecting that the file copy was made on a different OS causing the ELF compatibility problem. Were the ones for whom this worked run it on Windows?

[/share/Public/homekit] # npm run start

VeraHomeKitBridge@0.0.0 start /share/MD0_DATA/Public/homekit
node app.js

Starting Vera HomeKit Bridge…
/share/MD0_DATA/Public/homekit/lib/HAP-NodeJS/node_modules/mdns/lib/dns_sd.js:35
throw ex;
^
Error: /share/MD0_DATA/Public/homekit/lib/HAP-NodeJS/node_modules/mdns/build/Release/dns_sd_bindings.node: invalid ELF header
at Error (native)
at Module.load (module.js:355:32)
at Function.Module._load (module.js:310:12)
at Module.require (module.js:365:17)
at require (module.js:384:17)
at Object. (/share/MD0_DATA/Public/homekit/lib/HAP-NodeJS/node_modules/mdns/lib/dns_sd.js:24:20)
at Module._compile (module.js:460:26)
at Object.Module._extensions…js (module.js:478:10)
at Module.load (module.js:355:32)
at Function.Module._load (module.js:310:12)

npm ERR! Linux 3.4.6
npm ERR! argv “/opt/bin/node” “/opt/bin/npm” “run” “start”
npm ERR! node v0.12.3
npm ERR! npm v2.9.1
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! VeraHomeKitBridge@0.0.0 start: node app.js
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the VeraHomeKitBridge@0.0.0 start script ‘node app.js’.
npm ERR! This is most likely a problem with the VeraHomeKitBridge package,
npm ERR! not with npm itself.
npm ERR! Tell the author that this fails on your system:
npm ERR! node app.js
npm ERR! You can get their info via:
npm ERR! npm owner ls VeraHomeKitBridge
npm ERR! There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! Please include the following file with any support request:
npm ERR! /share/MD0_DATA/Public/homekit/npm-debug.log

38

i get the same error… tried multiple attempts. Replace home bridge data with home kit. doesn’t really like it. Im on OS X fwiw. Tried on win7 machine didn’t like it either. Tried all the suggestions listed so far, nothing helps.

39

I got it working installing node-v0.10.9.

40

can anyone help me with getting this set up? mainly around the manual process.
i have a mac, windows machine and a rpi

thanks!