Hi everyone,
I wanted to share a small project idea that I am currently working on and would love to get some feedback from the Homey community.
The idea
We have a camera pointed at a deep fryer. The deep fryer has two physical indicator lights:
- Green light = the deep fryer is switched on
- Orange light = the deep fryer has reached temperature
The goal is to monitor these lights automatically with a camera and use the detected state inside Homey.
So instead of modifying the deep fryer or connecting anything electrically, the idea is simply:
1. Take a snapshot from the camera
2. Look at fixed positions in the image where the indicator lights are located
3. Detect whether the green and orange lights are on or off
4. Expose the result as a small JSON API
5. Use the detected state in Homey Flows
For example:
-
When the green light is on, Homey knows the deep fryer is powered on
-
When the orange light turns on, Homey sends a notification that the deep fryer is at temperature
Current prototype
I have started a small project called IndicatorEye:
IndicatorEye is a lightweight service that can detect fixed indicator lights in a camera image. The positions of the lights can be configured, so it should not be limited to only this deep fryer use case.
The idea is that it can run in Docker, for example on a Raspberry Pi, and expose endpoints such as:
GET /status
GET /homey
POST /analyze
The /homey endpoint is intended to return a compact result that can be used by Homey or other automation systems.
Example concept:
{
"success": true,
"devices": [
{
"name": "green",
"on": true
},
{
"name": "orange",
"on": false
}
]
}
Homey integration idea
I am also working on a separate Homey app for virtual devices:
Homey Virtual Devices
The idea is to use virtual devices as state holders inside Homey.
For example:
Virtual switch: “Deep fryer powered on”
Virtual switch: “Deep fryer at temperature”
Then Homey Flows could be created like:
WHEN:
Orange indicator changes to on
THEN:
Send notification: “The deep fryer is at temperature”
Or:
WHEN:
Green indicator changes to off
THEN:
Set deep fryer status to off
Why this approach?
Many older devices, machines, appliances, UPS systems, pumps, boilers, chargers, or control panels have useful status lights but no API, no smart integration, and no clean way to connect them to Homey.
With a simple camera and image detection, those existing indicator lights could become usable states in Homey.
Possible use cases:
- Deep fryer temperature ready light
- Washing machine or dryer status LEDs
- UPS or battery status lights
- Network equipment status LEDs
- Boiler or pump indicators
- Alarm panel status lights
- Old machines with no smart interface
- What I would like feedback on
I am curious what the Homey community thinks about this approach.
Some questions:
Would this be useful as a Homey app or is a separate Docker service + Homey integration better?
Should the Homey side use webhooks, polling, MQTT, or virtual devices?
Would others use this for detecting fixed indicator lights?
Are there existing Homey apps or workflows that already solve this in a clean way?
What would be the best Homey user experience for configuring lights and mapping them to devices?
My current thinking is:
Camera snapshot
↓
IndicatorEye Docker service
↓
Detect configured light positions
↓
Expose JSON API
↓
Homey reads states or receives updates
↓
Virtual devices / Flows / notifications
For our first real-world use case:
Green light on = deep fryer is switched on
Orange light on = deep fryer is at temperature
Homey sends a notification when the deep fryer is ready
I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and whether this could be useful for other Homey users as well.
