[APP][Pro] Gree HVAC app

First of all, I’m not an employee of Athom. Like you, I’m just a user who does the job as a moderator on a voluntary basis in my free time.

Unfortunately, there is no protection if an app developer stops developing their app, for whatever reason.
Apart from here in the forum, you can try to contact the app developer personally via PM. You can also report the problem on GitHub (link). And when I look at the last entry on GitHub (link), it doesn’t actually look like the app developer had any intention of stopping.

This can of course motivate a developer.
If one of you can program, it would also be possible to fix the bug in the app and make a “pull request” on GitHub, so that the app developer only has to review and release the code.
However, both only make sense if the app developer responds to it.

A community app can of course also be taken over by another developer. But for this you have to contact the current app developer and he has to be willing to hand over the app.
Another possibility would be for another app developer to re-program this app from scratch.
You can also use this link to request an app which then might be developed by Green itself. But, since this community app apparently supports other manufacturers besides just Green, I don’t know if the Green would implement also the other manufactures.

I’m sorry I can’t do more for you.

2 Likes

After latest release of the app, my Wilfa heatpump is always stated as offline…

Thank you so much,

You do more than I could have even imagined. Especially that Wish list for manufacturers is very good to know. :+1:

Tuomas

1 Like

Hello there,

I want to address this message not personally to @DirkG but to all users of the Gree app.

Development of the app started in 2019 for personal usage as I bought a Gree-compatible AC and had Homey Pro running. Later I decided to share that work with the community to allow other people who have compatible ACs to control them via Homey.

I implemented most of the critical features and received a couple of Pull Requests (Code proposals from other developers) for features that were not essential for me.

All worked fine until Gree decided to push new firmware, which changed the approach to interaction between ACs and any other client in the local network. This broke many community plugins for ACs in HomeAssist and other home automation tools.

It took quite a while for the Open Source community to find a way to reverse-engineer protocol and understand how the new approach works. And this happened just a couple of months ago.

One month ago the Pull Request was submitted to the library I use for interaction with AC (Thanks inwaar and cont1nuity). It’s not accepted yet and most probably will not be as the developer of the library is not active. But it’s not a problem in general.

I explained the timeline, so you can see what it looks like from my side. It’s only been a month since I’ve been technically able to implement support for a new protocol.

At the same time, a lot of things happened in my life, including the russian invasion of Ukraine and the inability to use/test new versions on my AC because my apartment is located in the affected area.

Due to this, active development of the app is not my main priority right now, but I would be happy to accept Pull Requests from the community.

Also, I would like to add one more thing: This app from the beginning is just a hobby (unpaid) project.

Unlike Google Play/App Store, developers of the Homey apps cannot sell subscriptions nor access to the apps. All that developer could expect were “donations” (which I personally received ~25 EUR in 5 years)

At the end I want to share that eventually support for the new protocol will be added to the app. But I cannot promise when. Weeks, months, maybe years.

6 Likes

Thank you for your feedback and the detailed explanation of your project.
Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked that behind these projects there are people who may have been affected by personal misfortunes and who are then unable to continue their own hobby. Sometimes for a short period, sometimes for a longer period of time, sometimes not at all.
I hope you and your family, friends and loved ones are well and I wish you all the best for the future.

Thank you for your reply, which makes a lot of sense, the app was for me the reason to buy the 2 aircos i have right now, so for me it is a bit frustrating that they do not work on my homey, however i do not have the skills to repair it and i really do appreciate your answer and your explanation, which makes my misfortune here infinitely smaller compared to yours. I do think that Gree should pick it up, and i will try to use the links there. A pull request I have no idea how this works but if it helps you @aivus, i will do it and hopefully the adjustments can be made. Potentially you could share the app with another developer in a less challenging situation to make the adjustments. Thanks again for making this app and bringing it this far !

1 Like

Thank you for your feedback :+1:

It could also be a good idea to introduce a subscriber model at Homey. I would be willing to pay for some apps. As I understand it, the options are for the manufacturer to make it themselves or to pay Athom to make the app. In applications created with the Community model, you can donate, but as @aivus said, so few donate. Athmon could add subscription features to the Community model if the developer so desired.

I have 4 Sinclair SIH-09BIK indoor units, they work with the Gree phone app but not with the Gree Homey app. Is it possible to add this to the app?

Cheers!

Hello all,

I’ve released a new test version (0.9.1) with an experimental support of new protocol for Gree-compatible HVACs with firmware version >=1.21

Next steps should be executed ONLY in case your HVAC is showing constantly offline

Steps to test:

  1. Install the test version
  2. Open the settings of the device, go to “Advanced Settings”, change the setting “Encryption mode” from “Autodetect (…)” to “V2 (…)”
  3. Return to the previous screen and click “Save”
  4. Verify that HVAC is connected successfully
6 Likes

Thanks @aivus , was able to successfully install and connect to and control my AC units.

In addition to the AC units, I also have 2 WiFi wired controllers running firmware 1.40. The Gree/EWPE app recognizes them and controls them, and they are recognized in the Homey app, but are still unable to connect, showing as offline.

I ran a diagnostic report 4c82aa6c-e82b-4443-bdfa-8a3c7f252eb2.

Thanks again.

Doug.

Hello,

the same here. We have 9 Gree devives. None of them are showing online with V2. A restart of the Gree App does not help. If I switch back to V1 they are online again.

diagnostic report: a8e08f38-c38a-48b7-aba9-61f95ac01689

best regards
Andreas

Hello @Bumbum

The steps mentioned in my previous addressed to the users which have HVACs with new firmware installed and Gree Homey app is constantly showing them Offline. You don’t need to do anything if app works fine for you.

Hello @Dug703

Please enable debug in the device settings and send another diagnostic report(please share id here). Both these wifi units do not work with v1 and v2 settings right?

Here is the new ID. 274c9c9a-4193-40a8-9552-e1c86bd3cc4f.

Correct, these units do not work with either V1 or V2 settings.

Let me know if that wasn’t what you needed.

Thanks.

Hello aivus,

sorry for the missunderstanding about your update. But I indeed have issues with offline HVACs. (See my posting #89 in this thread). I was finally hoping there is a fix for this, since this is realy anoying.

I use 3 Homeys: One by myself with 2 HVACs from Tosot with Gree modules, one from my boss at his home with 3 HVACs from Tosot with Gree modules and another one here at my work with 9 HVACS from Tosot with Gree modules.

All of them have the neweset available software (V 3.16 or V 3.75 depending on the module) and are offline multiple times a day.

best regards
Bumbum

Hello @aivus

Installed test version yesterday 0.9.1 and only changed Encryption setting for Gree Pular 2.5kW which stayed offline with Firmware V1.21 to V2 in the advanced setting of the Gree test version Homey App. My Gree Pular 2.5kW In the bedroom is now also online. I have not changed the advanced setting for the already working Gree Pular 3.5kW. For reference and If you want to use for finetuning 40315e88-5d8d-4907-9cb4-979e3b98e1c4

The official Gree app is showing that there is a firmware update version 1.23 available fo both my HVACS. I have not updated the firmware for the HVACS yet as I wanted to be sure the test version would work. Just to be sure >=1.21 means will also work with 1.23? Was no able to find changelog yet for the 1.23 firmware.

I need to test existing flows I had setup with for the already working Gree Pular 3.5kW. It was close to bedtime and could be coincidence but noticed that my bedtime routine did not trigger the lights off on the Gree Pular 3.5kW.

After installing Gree test version 0.9.1:

Gree Pular 3.5kW (already working with stable)
GWH12QCXB-K6DNC2F/I
Firmware V1.05

Gree Pular 2.5kW (working with test version)
GWH09QCXB-K6DNC2F/I
Firmware V1.21

Hello @aivus

I have tested it on 2 Tosot airco’s

TOSOT PULAR GWH18AGD-I 5kw

With firmware version V1.23

and it works fine for them. I can control them and they are online now.

Really happy with it! Thanks a lott.

1 Like

@aivus uodated diagnostic for 9.2 with wired controllers in debug mode set on new encryption.

73e3c0b1-c5dd-4f6d-af6e-3dcb7b93177c

Thanks for all of your help.

1 Like

It started working for me when I installed the test version (0.9.1) of the Gree application.

My device is Cooper&Hunter CH-S18FTXAM2S-BL with firmware 1.23 according to Ewpe.

Thank you very much!!

I sent @aivus a thank you for the quick fix :+1: :money_with_wings: PayPal or Patreon

Br,

Tuomas

Ps. Would it be possible to get the minimum temperature for heating to +8 degrees Celsius? This is an important feature when in Finland we keep our summer cottages with minimum heating in winter when no one is there.

1 Like

Hi,

Thumbs up on this one @aivus . A maintenance temperature of +8 degrees Celsius is important especially when the heat pump is used, for example, to heat the summer cottage in the winter at times when you are not there. :+1: