New to Homey - sort of

Questions & Help
1

This is my third attempt with Homey - I see so much potential and really like it but, previously have run into a roadblock where a critical device is missing or just doesn’t work has forced me to drop Homey.

Having moved on I am trying again.

Having a lot of success moving everything across - with the normal bumps and failures but on the whole going well.

The thing I am struggling with is where to find things in Homey.

I am sure I have seen a page where I could combine the temp sensors for the entire floor into one graph, but cannot find again.

As I move between iPhone, iPad and desktop I suddenly stall, I know I have set custom icons for these type of switch but for the life of me cannot find out where.

I select Insights and on one platform it takes me to a page where I can graph data, on another webpage I get under construction, that can be accessed by using a different URL.

I am sure with time this will get easier but the initial learning curve is unnecessarily made steeper by this apparent inconsistency.

Not a show stopper, not a big issue, but relatively easy to correct and will enhance new user experience.

Just an observation.

2

Welcome back!

Easiest way to change an icon is via the app, click settings (cog in top right) turn select change icon.

Insights will show graphs, but for ease of use you can also use the “group” app to group multiple devices and control / report on them together.

Ie. Ave temp down stairs, max, min, medium, mean, total etc etc.

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3

What I the default - target platform for managing Homey?

iPhone/Android App
Web page
iPad

I don’t mind which but the functionality seems uneven, for the feature use a Phone App to get this data use the Web App.

Maybe it is just because it is new.

4

Ok using the webpage Homey Insights I can group together the graphs for the critical Power Plugs I want to watch.

Created a combined Graph that shows Yesterday’s energy consumption.

How do I save it so I can see it tomorrow ?

It is a really useful graph but it looks at the moment I have to manually recreate the same graph everyday?

Is that right?

5

Unfortunately at this moment yes. There is no save option in that part of the webApp yet.

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6

Maybe ‘too much’, but as a hint: I installed influxdb on a little linux server and installed this app on Homey. This way you can create a persistent graph dashboard.

Screenshot from 2022-08-02 21-56-45

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7

Unfortunately can’t get Group app to install after many attempts.

The link to the developer and report an issue take you to a 404 error, so looks like the Group App is abandonedware now :frowning:

I am encountering quite a few apps that look very promising but either just don’t work and the developer is absent or it is an Athombv owned App that has its functionality removed.

So on paper all looks great but the reality is a little disappointing in usage.

I guess I am just adjusting from the published potential to the reality.

Homey is soooooo close to a great solution for my needs.

8

Why not? It’s in the app store, if you can’t get app store apps to get installed you’re having bigger issues.

9

Oh dear!

Each time I select the Group App to install it reports it will install shortly, but doesn’t.

Have been trying for several days.

Other Apps are installing Ok.

I’ll check if another one now.

10

If it still doesn’t work, contact Athom. There’s nothing app developers can do to fix app store issues :frowning:

2 Likes
11

I have raised a support ticket.

Not sure if related but if I select disable an App it just moves the slider back to enabled.

At some point later I find the App is actually disabled, and can’t be re-enabled, hoping that this is just a normal glitch.

12

On the subject of Apps is there a way for Homey to notice when an App has crashed and auto restart it.

The Athom Philips Hue App needs restarting at least daily, and until it starts working again I lose Temp sensors.

13

Yes you can make a flow with ‘If app crashes’ then restart app.

You can find it in ‘System → If app crashed’ when making a flow.

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14

I had forgotten the basic lesson of IT

If it is not behaving as expected perform a hard reboot

That fixed Homey, got a flurry of App updates, ability to Disable/Enable Apps is restored and the Group App is not installed :slight_smile:

Order is restored to the universe.

Now just to work out why Homey keeps going offline so often. It is less than 5 feet from an access point so is bathed in Wi-Fi.

Maybe it needs a direct Ethernet connection….I’ll run a cable to it.

15

Try a different power adapter. The default one is known to give issues like you describe.

Edit: Oh and before you lay out the Ethernet cable: Homey doesn’t have an Ethernet connector.

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16

Unfortunaly you can’t plug it into Homey.
You beter provide a fixed IP in your router, to your Homey

17

Already done, all my IOT are fixed IPs on their own vlan with routes defined to specific computers/ mobile devices :slight_smile:

I’ll try another usb Power plug, I have 30 or 40 spare ones :slight_smile:

18

image
image1148×1205 155 KB

:flushed:

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19

make sure Homey is connected to a 2.4Ghz network, if possible keep away from triband/mesh network works.

About the group installation, let Homey find and install itself, use the app on your mobile/tablet (not browser) and press the + sign, find here your app and try to install it from here (instead of the browser).

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20

Thanks!!!

I already had Homey on a 2.4GHz, an IOT vlan with a 2.4Ghz wifi - I keep the 5Ghz for a Guest network.

I have moved the Homey onto an Apple iPad charger and that seems to have stopped the continuous drop outs.

@B3rt thanks for the info!!