ᐅ Installation and Setup of IoBroker – Still Configurable in Old Age?
Created on: 30 Dec 2020 21:16
B
bauenmk2020
Hello everyone,
first of all: I grew up with computers (C64) and I believe I have good to very good skills in this area (for example, I program as a hobby).
But apparently, building a house has made me so clueless that I’m currently struggling to set up my "Smart Home."
Last week, I installed ioBroker. The installation on my Windows system initially ended with an error message. I couldn’t find any solutions online. The ioBroker forum seems to have problems with a) very long threads, b) dead threads, or c) threads whose content is no longer up to date.
In the end, I found out that I had to uninstall a version of Visual Studio that I had installed beforehand...
Well, I installed ioBroker and it was then accessible via localhost. Now I wanted to connect my Ikea lamps. But first, I had to plug in the ConbeeII USB stick. I connected it to the computer, but nothing happened! No software was included. They say you need some kind of app, but where on earth is it? After some trial and error, I realized that the gateway is accessible via a certain port on my “localhost”! Well, okay. I logged in there and set up a username and password. Then I had to install a “deconz” adapter in ioBroker. To figure out what to enter there, I had to research online again...
In the meantime, I started working on the visualization. The demo view can’t be deleted and is always set as “default.” That means I always have to load this view first and then switch to my project. Accessing the visualization over the network worked well. However, the tablet is not really suitable! After researching, I found out that my Amazon Fire tablet requires a “Fully Kiosk Browser” (or something similar). But I can’t install that because the Google services (Play Store) are missing. Great, now I have to somehow use USB to load this package onto the tablet — which also means some research first...
After some back and forth, I can now turn the lamps on and off. I can even display values from the heat pump and have already created a chart using FlotDiagram.
Finally, I wanted to integrate Alexa. After more research, I found out I’m supposed to build something in “node-red”! I first had to figure out what that even is. Ah, install an adapter. And again, it was available on my “localhost.”
But following the “instructions” online didn’t really work... That’s where I’m at for now – I’ve temporarily lost motivation 🙁
My actual goal is to create scenes (lights, shading), presence detection, securing the house, and detecting open windows, etc.
To do this, I obviously need to “link” the devices and control them centrally.
Right now, I’m just asking myself: What am I actually doing here? Everything I set up, configure, and install feels so fragile! If an address changes somewhere or an update alters something, the whole DIY setup won’t work anymore! Should I really put myself through this at almost 40 years old? Spending hours at the computer (even though most of it is fun) isn’t something I can afford much anymore (house, family, work).
Is this the price you pay for a smart home? Or are there simply easier systems than ioBroker?
first of all: I grew up with computers (C64) and I believe I have good to very good skills in this area (for example, I program as a hobby).
But apparently, building a house has made me so clueless that I’m currently struggling to set up my "Smart Home."
Last week, I installed ioBroker. The installation on my Windows system initially ended with an error message. I couldn’t find any solutions online. The ioBroker forum seems to have problems with a) very long threads, b) dead threads, or c) threads whose content is no longer up to date.
In the end, I found out that I had to uninstall a version of Visual Studio that I had installed beforehand...
Well, I installed ioBroker and it was then accessible via localhost. Now I wanted to connect my Ikea lamps. But first, I had to plug in the ConbeeII USB stick. I connected it to the computer, but nothing happened! No software was included. They say you need some kind of app, but where on earth is it? After some trial and error, I realized that the gateway is accessible via a certain port on my “localhost”! Well, okay. I logged in there and set up a username and password. Then I had to install a “deconz” adapter in ioBroker. To figure out what to enter there, I had to research online again...
In the meantime, I started working on the visualization. The demo view can’t be deleted and is always set as “default.” That means I always have to load this view first and then switch to my project. Accessing the visualization over the network worked well. However, the tablet is not really suitable! After researching, I found out that my Amazon Fire tablet requires a “Fully Kiosk Browser” (or something similar). But I can’t install that because the Google services (Play Store) are missing. Great, now I have to somehow use USB to load this package onto the tablet — which also means some research first...
After some back and forth, I can now turn the lamps on and off. I can even display values from the heat pump and have already created a chart using FlotDiagram.
Finally, I wanted to integrate Alexa. After more research, I found out I’m supposed to build something in “node-red”! I first had to figure out what that even is. Ah, install an adapter. And again, it was available on my “localhost.”
But following the “instructions” online didn’t really work... That’s where I’m at for now – I’ve temporarily lost motivation 🙁
My actual goal is to create scenes (lights, shading), presence detection, securing the house, and detecting open windows, etc.
To do this, I obviously need to “link” the devices and control them centrally.
Right now, I’m just asking myself: What am I actually doing here? Everything I set up, configure, and install feels so fragile! If an address changes somewhere or an update alters something, the whole DIY setup won’t work anymore! Should I really put myself through this at almost 40 years old? Spending hours at the computer (even though most of it is fun) isn’t something I can afford much anymore (house, family, work).
Is this the price you pay for a smart home? Or are there simply easier systems than ioBroker?
Which DIN rail PC are you planning to use @superzapp?
Nowadays, the simplest solution is definitely Alexa and compatible devices. For me, though, it's more of a hobby. That's why I use ioBroker. It has been running stably for years now. Only the SD card on the Raspberry Pi worries me. 🙂
Nowadays, the simplest solution is definitely Alexa and compatible devices. For me, though, it's more of a hobby. That's why I use ioBroker. It has been running stably for years now. Only the SD card on the Raspberry Pi worries me. 🙂
bauenmk2020 schrieb:
I believe I have good to very good knowledge in this field (for example, I do hobby programming). No offense, but I’m afraid there is no one who has good to very good knowledge across the entire IT sector. Programming is different from system administration, which is different from network administration, which is different from hardware development, and so on. Each area also has many subfields that often have little or nothing to do with each other. Someone who can handle Windows/Office or maybe a router/switch/access point/NAS doesn’t automatically have an easier learning curve when dealing with projects like ioBroker, OpenHAB, FHEM, etc. But by now, I guess you know that. 😉
My question is: Why ioBroker? In situations like this, I usually try to get informed first about what the solutions can do and which might be suitable for me. This also includes basic information about architecture and installation. ONLY THEN do I choose one and start testing it myself, preferably in a container, since it is generally at least rudimentarily functional there. Of course, this only helps if I’m familiar with containers; otherwise, I’ve just created a second problem to solve.
Just playing around can be somewhat entertaining, but the potential for frustration is much higher if you expect quick results.
Just some thoughts and IMHO:
In my opinion, this is the major problem with all these (software) solutions. They often get in their own way, and a lot of background knowledge is required—not only programming skills but also rule algorithms, which is practically a science in itself.
In the end, everyone ends up reinventing the wheel to reinvent the wheel...
…but for a third party, it can only be understood to a limited extent, because the world may have already moved on, and the instructions are outdated again, as the original poster also describes.
Alexa and compatible devices are obviously child's play, let's be honest. It’s simply an attempt to collect even more data about users under the pretense of offering an affordable way to combine remote-controlled devices under one roof, so you don’t have to deal with dozens of apps or physical remote controls.
In my opinion, this is the major problem with all these (software) solutions. They often get in their own way, and a lot of background knowledge is required—not only programming skills but also rule algorithms, which is practically a science in itself.
In the end, everyone ends up reinventing the wheel to reinvent the wheel...
…but for a third party, it can only be understood to a limited extent, because the world may have already moved on, and the instructions are outdated again, as the original poster also describes.
Alexa and compatible devices are obviously child's play, let's be honest. It’s simply an attempt to collect even more data about users under the pretense of offering an affordable way to combine remote-controlled devices under one roof, so you don’t have to deal with dozens of apps or physical remote controls.
K
knalltüte1 Jan 2021 13:00K1300S schrieb:
No offense, but I’m afraid there’s no one who has good to very good knowledge across the entire IT sector. Programming is different from system administration, which is different from network administration, which is different from hardware development, and so on. Each field also has several subcategories that sometimes have little or nothing to do with each other. ...That’s exactly right. Fortunately, in our company we cover almost everything, and the rest just gets done “somehow.” If this weren’t also a hobby/passion project of one of our employees (who is way overqualified for this kind of work!), we (especially I) wouldn’t have agreed to implement it this way (OpenHAB …) https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/offenes-smarthome-system-prototyp-fuer-jedermann.36275/post-429950
K
knalltüte1 Jan 2021 13:01ntsa86 schrieb:
Which DIN rail PC are you planning to use, @superzapp? ... See the link a few posts above ...
Without having read everything yet, I can recommend Home Assistant.
Installation (with some experience using virtual machines) took about 15 minutes.
Before that, I also experimented with ioBroker and later with Edomi for my KNX visualization/logic engine. I quickly dismissed ioBroker. I still think Edomi (purely KNX!) is great, but also the most complex to set up.
For me, Home Assistant is the perfect compromise. It offers many plugins, the user interface looks good, there’s a mobile app, and much more.
Installation (with some experience using virtual machines) took about 15 minutes.
Before that, I also experimented with ioBroker and later with Edomi for my KNX visualization/logic engine. I quickly dismissed ioBroker. I still think Edomi (purely KNX!) is great, but also the most complex to set up.
For me, Home Assistant is the perfect compromise. It offers many plugins, the user interface looks good, there’s a mobile app, and much more.