Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

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Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:25 am
Different Computers offline
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Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Just went through the docs and I don't see anything about what using this plugin is like if you already have a working CLI HomeBridge up and running.

Does it wipe your existing setup or pick it up? Does it even look at the config.json file that already exists?

Will the Home.app clients lose things like rooms and the assignment of accessories to those rooms? If it's even possible, will forcing HB Buddy to use the same scan code as the CLI home bridge improve any of this?

SmartThings refugee, so happy to be on Indigo. Monterey on a base M1 Mini w/Harmony Hub, Hue, DomoPad, Dynamic URL, Device Extensions, HomeKitLink, Grafana, Plex, uniFAP, Fantastic Weather, Nanoleaf, LED Simple Effects, Bond Home, Camect.

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 11:48 am
Colorado4Wheeler offline
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Right now HBB doesn't install Homebridge, if you already have it up and running then the plugin should detect it. I'm working on a version that WILL install HB with the plugin but it will also be smart enough to know if it's already there - however the installation is going to be slightly different so that may be a case of disabling what is there and enabling the new one.

That whole problem with HomeKit losing rooms, there is an explanation for it - and it has nothing to do with HB or HBB - is that if the app can't reach the server in a timely fashion it things it is gone and kills the local device database. That happens far less to me now because I wait for my device to have a solid WiFi connection to my network before using HomeKit and if I'm really skeptical then I'll do a siri command first.

But, sorry, that problem SUCKS HARD but there is nothing we can do about it. However, the one thing the plugin WILL do is maintain your aliases so if you want to name something "Outside Front Porch Sconce" in Indigo and "Front Porch" in HomeKit you now do that via an Alias or Wrapper device in HBB and that will stick, whereas if you did it in HomeKit and it got wiped then you have to redefine the aliases all over again.

Hope that helps!

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HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

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Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 11:49 am
Colorado4Wheeler offline
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Oh, one more thing, MAKE A BACKUP of your config.json just in case because the very nature of HBB is to manage that file itself and right now there is no method to incorporate what you already had there and the instant you make changes to Indigo that file can (and likely will) get overwritten.

My Modest Contributions to Indigo:

HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

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Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:40 pm
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Thanks!

SmartThings refugee, so happy to be on Indigo. Monterey on a base M1 Mini w/Harmony Hub, Hue, DomoPad, Dynamic URL, Device Extensions, HomeKitLink, Grafana, Plex, uniFAP, Fantastic Weather, Nanoleaf, LED Simple Effects, Bond Home, Camect.

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 1:29 pm
blysik offline
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Oh, one more thing, MAKE A BACKUP of your config.json just in case because the very nature of HBB is to manage that file itself and right now there is no method to incorporate what you already had there and the instant you make changes to Indigo that file can (and likely will) get overwritten.


This is good to know. I also use the homebridge-camera-ffmpeg plugin, and that requires its own config.json entries. So that will keep me from using HBB until there's a way to add/ignore additional configuration.

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 1:38 pm
Colorado4Wheeler offline
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

blysik wrote:
I also use the homebridge-camera-ffmpeg plugin, and that requires its own config.json entries


Can you tell me what you do to the HB config.json to support that? It may be possible to do both and, if not, I'm updating HBB this week anyway and might be able to incorporate things like that in.

My Modest Contributions to Indigo:

HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

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Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:07 pm
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Ditto for homebridge-iTunes, which I imagine has more users. I'd be using it if I could figure out the install when I already have HB running.

SmartThings refugee, so happy to be on Indigo. Monterey on a base M1 Mini w/Harmony Hub, Hue, DomoPad, Dynamic URL, Device Extensions, HomeKitLink, Grafana, Plex, uniFAP, Fantastic Weather, Nanoleaf, LED Simple Effects, Bond Home, Camect.

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:08 pm
Colorado4Wheeler offline
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

By all means guys, give me the deets and I'll work it into HBB. Heck, it sounds like I would find some use out of both of those things too! I'll do some independent research on both add-ins but any thoughts you two have would be appreciated.

My Modest Contributions to Indigo:

HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

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Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:16 pm
Colorado4Wheeler offline
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Ok, on the camera, that's pretty easy for me to add to the build-out:

Code: Select all
{
  "platform": "Camera-ffmpeg",
  "cameras": [
    {
      "name": "Camera Name",
      "videoConfig": {
        "source": "-re -i rtsp://myfancy_rtsp_stream",
        "stillImageSource": "-i http://faster_still_image_grab_url/this_is_optional.jpg",
        "maxStreams": 2,
        "maxWidth": 1280,
        "maxHeight": 720,
        "maxFPS": 30
      }
    }
  ]
}


The only issue is installing ffmpeg on the Mac. I would have to do something about looking to see if that was installed or not. But, at the very least, I can add a device to let you add this with the assumption that ffmpeg is already installed.

For the iTunes, that's even easier (same caveat as above for installing the npm's for it, but I might be able to roll it in like we are with hb-indigo):

Code: Select all
"platforms": [
    {
        "platform": "iTunes"
    }
]

My Modest Contributions to Indigo:

HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

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Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 3:16 pm
blysik offline
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Awesome. Yes, I have 6 cameras defined via homebridge-camera-ffmpeg. Is your thinking that you would add those camera devices as part of HBB, and I would then create them as devices in Indigo? That would be pretty great!

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 3:28 pm
Colorado4Wheeler offline
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

blysik wrote:
Is your thinking that you would add those camera devices as part of HBB, and I would then create them as devices in Indigo?


Exactly. My thought is that I'll simply add a couple more devices for HBB: "iTunes" and "Camera" and you would add as many as you want.

My Modest Contributions to Indigo:

HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

Check Them Out Here

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 5:39 pm
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Alas, I failed my attempt to add homebridge-iTunes. I thought I followed the instructions I found here, but nothing happened and I got distracted by other things.

SmartThings refugee, so happy to be on Indigo. Monterey on a base M1 Mini w/Harmony Hub, Hue, DomoPad, Dynamic URL, Device Extensions, HomeKitLink, Grafana, Plex, uniFAP, Fantastic Weather, Nanoleaf, LED Simple Effects, Bond Home, Camect.

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 6:05 pm
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

My guess is that there's no "alarm" type for HomeKit devices.

How are you folks handling leak sensors and smoke alarms in HomeKit?

Also should my homebridge server device in Indigo be "off"?

SmartThings refugee, so happy to be on Indigo. Monterey on a base M1 Mini w/Harmony Hub, Hue, DomoPad, Dynamic URL, Device Extensions, HomeKitLink, Grafana, Plex, uniFAP, Fantastic Weather, Nanoleaf, LED Simple Effects, Bond Home, Camect.

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 6:42 pm
Colorado4Wheeler offline
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

Different Computers wrote:
How are you folks handling leak sensors and smoke alarms in HomeKit?


Depends on what you want to do with them. I don't link my sensors because Indigo already does automation for me on those, but you can wrap them or alias them in a number of ways in the plugin.

Different Computers wrote:
Also should my homebridge server device in Indigo be "off"?


Is the HB daemon running on the Mac? If so then that's odd because the plug should see the active port running on the computer. Remember that the HBB server device is just so you can define extra settings, you still have to have HB set up and running (for now, until the next release or so).

My Modest Contributions to Indigo:

HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

Check Them Out Here

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2016 6:57 pm
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Re: Installing Buddy on top of a working HomeBridge setup?

It is running on the Indigo mac, and it shows as off. But it seems like everything is working.

SmartThings refugee, so happy to be on Indigo. Monterey on a base M1 Mini w/Harmony Hub, Hue, DomoPad, Dynamic URL, Device Extensions, HomeKitLink, Grafana, Plex, uniFAP, Fantastic Weather, Nanoleaf, LED Simple Effects, Bond Home, Camect.

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