Simple Google Home AND Siri Voice Integration with CBus via Homebridge

To be honest...I didn’t know what HOOBS was...

I had to google it as it sounded like some sort of muppet type show my kids would watch on ABC for Kids.

I am now educated.

Thanks.

Jason

 

hi all, first time long time, really interesting reading, but I do have to ask the maybe basic obvious questions.

So with Homebridge, is this or can this be installed on a Windows PC - I ask as I RDP to a dedicated PC for the CBUS / PICED and this has the USB connections to the network. (its reads as Linux but I think I have seen a Windows install, otherwise I can use an older i7 laptop with Ubuntu)

I also have an old Wiser1 not doing anything so will this now act as the interconnect and I will need to re-create a project on the Wiser and this will form the foundations of what I am going to use with the intergration from Homebridge to Google Home?

I have seen the new Wiser2 as well as the NAC and SHAC on the Clipsal sites ball parking around $2k. They are very pretty but the Homebridge seems to achieve the same result.

thanks Trevor.

 

https://github.com/homebridge/homebridge/wiki/Install-Homebridge-on-Windows-10

setting up a dedicated rpi is also relatively cheap

 

Hi Trevor,

As the author of this thread, I can guarantee you that my whole install of Homebridge, Toolkit, C-Gate, PICED, etc is all on a Windows 10 PC and it works just fine. It uses an internal 8 port serial to PCI interface card to connect to a c-bus serial interface into the c-bus network (The PCI card connects to other devices as well). I have two instances of homebridge running as I have almost 300 accessories running on homebridge with c-bus and non-cbus homebridge plugins.

I also have a Wiser 1 and it can also be used as the interface into c-bus, however, if you do this you cannot use the Wiser App and certain things wont work so well on the Wiser. Save the Wiser for logic (if it's the only logic engine on your network) and use the serial interface or a CN2 network interface to connect homebridge to C-bus.

If you choose to go down the raspberry pi route, you will still need either a serial interface or a CN2. As far as a C-Bus USB Interface connection goes, if your PC talks to c-gate on windows, then it should work fine with homebridge. I am unsure if anyone has the C-Bus USB interface running on a raspberry pi with homebridge?

In your case the homebridge install on a Windows PC is simple and probably easier than on a pi and the c-gate configuration integrates better than when on a pi. The instructions for installing homebridge on Win10 are here:

https://github.com/homebridge/homebridge/wiki/Install-Homebridge-on-Windows-10

For example. if you change anything on your c-gate config with Toolkit, you must copy your config file over to the raspberry pi. You do not need to do this on Windows. I also have a raspberry pi running homebridge/c-gate and this is annoying.

My best advice would be, if you have a dedicated PC running toolkit, c-gate, PICED, etc, then just use this. If you don't have this then use a raspberry pi. It will obviously be less power hungry.

Drop me a line at any time if you need help.

Cheers

Jason

 

BTW Trevor,

If you want your homebridge to start when you boot and login to your Win10 machine and access your c-gate (if it is also running as a service) then you will need to tell c-gate which project to connect to and load. See this thread from the homebridge-cbus plugin github repository for reference.

https://github.com/anthonywebb/homebridge-cbus/issues/102

cheers

Jason

 

cool thanks guys...
T