Can Google (mini /hub etc) be smart? As in ...knowing which devices are in the neigbourhood? The answer is yes!

Devices
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Hi there,

I presume there are some of you, just like me, whose partner is not as much passionate for home automation as we are. For me this means ‘next level automation solutions’, which are working for me AND can work for my ‘I rather use the normal old fashioned light switches myself, when I want to’ wife.

So I am very happy with Google. We have one in every room. There, “OK Google, Radio bedroom on”, it’s a virtual device, will, when triggered, turn off the TV in the bedroom, turn on Sonos Boxes if not yet done, explains that it will cost a minute and then will start her favourite Radio.

The same downstairs. “Radio Living room on”, “TV on”. So far so good.

However… sometimes this is even too complicated. She turns on the TV downstairs (TV On) in stead of TV Bedroom on.

So I was wondering… Can Google be smart? So If I ask Google, while I am in de bedroom, “TV On”, that it knows that I want the ‘local’ TV on? Thus the TV in the bedroom? And if I ask the same downstairs “TV On”, that it will turn on the TV downstairs.

Anybody any ideas or smart suggestions? Makes sense what I want?

FE: Can I pick up the Google Device from which a command is being connected to Homey?

Thanks upfront,

Michel

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Did you make rooms in the Google Home app? As long as the Google home is in the same room as the device it should turn on that device when you ask a generic device status. Devices that are not in a room are in the bottom of the app under in your home.

For example if you ask google to turn the lights off only the lights in the room will turn off. If you ask Google to turn all lights off al the lights in your home will turn off.

edit: I just understand this logic is going through Homey. I have it set up that this is handled by Google Home itself and that works for me but it might not work in your situation.

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Hi Nick, thanks.

I have the devices in the rooms where they belong to. Not all also re-0arranged in Google Home, but that is some future homework :-). But the main devices are well organized. I will give it a try!

Tricky part will be if the flows will be triggered OK. If that works, it is a nice solution! Thanks upfront!

Michel

Update: :frowning: Didn’t work.

I added in Homey a virtual device “Test apparaat” in ‘Bedroom’ and one with the same description/name in ‘living room’. In Google Home I connected them to the right room. Made two flows in Homey to sent me a push-message when the device was turned on (1 in livingroom and 1 in bedroom using the new device off course). Started in the living-room and… the device in the bedroom turned on :frowning: Is it maybe because that was the first one I created? Or the first one with that name in Google Home? (Slaapkamer before Woonkamer)?

Anyway, it didn’t work (with Homey).
Update 11th July 22: it did work! See my post below.

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Hi michel, I recently talked to google home support and managed to find the fix all solution for homey and google home hubs, we have 3 hubs in our home and at least one smart speaker on every room and hallway. its kind of complicated but give me a shout on slack and i can explain there what i did.

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Great Nick, will do! Looking forward to it.

Michel

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Back again. I think it can work if devices are defined in their ‘logical’ environment. @Nick_Pauwels and @Nixjuh Thx for the triggering!

So in Homey a TV can be in different rooms. If you want to address a specific device via Google home, it has to be defined in the room where Google Home resides. Even tough the real device is in another room (or nearby). If the command is given on a google home device which has no particular devices to put on, all of them anywhere will be activated.

Tested with virtual devices of the same devicetype, fe “Vacuum cleaner” (it has an on/off switch possibility).

Device “Thing” in room kitchen (Homey as well as Google Home), Google mini/hub in kitchen (Google Home): “OK Google Thing on”, will put Thing on in Ktichen.
Device “Thing” in room living room (Homey as well as Google Home), Google mini/hub in living room (Google Home): “OK Google Thing on”, will put Thing on in living room.

However, if you don’t have a Google mini in the TV-room, but the device is in the TV-room, Define it in Homey in the TV-room and attach that device in Google Home in the room with a Google mini, where you can address the device in the TV-room.:

Device “Thing” in room TV-room (Homey) and connected to Living room in Google Home, Google mini/hub in living room (Google Home): “OK Google Thing on”, will put Thing on in TV-room!

Whenever addressed form another room in Google Home, fe a Google mini in the attic : “OK Google thing on”. then all Things go on.
Whenever addressed form another room in Google Home, fe a Google mini in the attic : “OK Google thing Living room on”. then thing in TV-room will go on :wink:

So far when I tested it, it went OK! Again, thx to @Nick_Pauwels and @Nixjuh

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This does not mean that this is the exact copy of how it is organized in Homey or in reality :slight_smile:

It’s tricking Google a bit, or… just using it :wink:

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True! I should have put “room” in brackets. :joy: I have the same here, we have three robot vacuums and one is in the upstairs office. But I’m Google Home it’s in the bedroom so you can start it from there without starting all of them or specifying the name of the vacuum.

Good to hear you found a way that works! :smiley: