# Violet + BADU Blue — Pool control for Homey **URL:** \ **Category:** Apps\ **Tags:** homey-pro\ **Created:** [July 10, 2026, 10:16pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/violet-badu-blue-pool-control-for-homey/157109 "2026-07-10T22:16:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Torsten\_Sturm](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/torsten_sturm/32/77900_2.png) [@Torsten\_Sturm](https://community.homey.app/u/Torsten_Sturm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 10:16pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/violet-badu-blue-pool-control-for-homey/157109/1 "2026-07-10T22:16:41Z")
Control and monitor your **PoolDigital Violet** or **BADU Blue** pool controller straight from Homey — live water chemistry, pump and equipment state, dosing, Flow automations, and an optional water‑balance safety net that warns you _before_ your water turns corrosive. All local, no cloud account. > ⚠ **This is a Test (beta) release.** It’s on the Homey App Store’s _test_ channel and > runs well on my own pool, but it hasn’t been through full store certification yet — expect > the odd rough edge, and please report anything that looks off. That’s exactly why I’m > posting here. 👉 **Install (Homey App Store):** > **[Violet Pool Control | Homey](https://homey.app/en-us/app/de.neunbft.violet/Violet-Pool-Control/)** > > Protects your pool's water balance — before problems start. * * * ### What is this? A local Homey Pro app for the **Violet** pool controller by PoolDigital (sold as **BADU Blue** by Speck Pumpen — same hardware). It talks to the controller’s on‑device API over your LAN, so there’s no PoolDigital cloud login involved. Readings feed **Insights** and **Flow** ; an opt‑in control mode lets Homey command the equipment. ### 📊 What it shows The device adapts to your installation — tiles appear only for hardware the controller actually reports: - 🌡 Water temperature, **pH** , **Redox/ORP** , free **chlorine** (if a probe is present) - 💧 Filter **pump** (state, speed stage, runtime today) - 🔥 **Heater** , ☀ **solar** , 🍃 **eco** mode (with runtimes) - 🪟 **Cover** (open/closed/moving), 💡 **light** - 🚰 **Water refill** , **overflow tank** state, **water level** - 🧪 **Dosing** per channel — dosing now, dosed today (mL), estimated days of chemical left - 🔁 **Backwash** running - 🩺 Optional diagnostics — firmware, uptime, CPU temp, memory, last error Plus tile **alarms** : water balance, dosing blocked, chemical low, backwash‑valve fault, overflow dry‑run and overfill. ### 🧪 The LSI water‑balance safety net (the reason this app exists) Most pool integrations show you pH and temperature. This one can also compute the **Langelier Saturation Index (LSI)** — the industry measure of whether your water is **corrosive** , **scaling** , or **balanced** — and warn you when it drifts. Why care? **Corrosive water attacks copper, heaters and heat exchangers** and leaches calcium from cement‑based finishes — permanent damage. Scaling water furs up tile, plumbing and heater elements. Preventing copper corrosion in the heat exchanger is exactly what pushed me to build this. - 🔄 **Live, not a one‑shot test.** The LSI is recomputed every poll from your _live_ pH and water temperature, plus the slow‑changing chemistry you enter once (calcium hardness, total alkalinity, cyanuric acid). You see the _current_ balance and get alerted to drift. - ⚖ **The balanced band is deliberately asymmetric: −0.3 … +0.5** (0 ideal) — a slightly positive value is safer, because a thin protective scale layer shields surfaces while corrosive water does irreversible harm. - The app classifies each reading (severe corrosive → corrosive → balanced → scaling → severe scaling) and fires an edge‑triggered **LSI warning** Flow card with `lsi`, `classification`, `direction` and `severity` tokens, plus an `alarm_water_balance` tile. - Uses the Carrier closed‑form LSI with a pH‑dependent cyanuric‑acid correction (stabilised pools handled correctly); accepts calcium/alkalinity in ppm, °dH or °f. **Honest caveat (DIN 19643):** the LSI covers the calcium‑carbonate/CO₂ equilibrium and metals like copper/iron and cement‑based materials — it is **not** a valid indicator for **stainless‑steel** corrosion. That caveat is shown in‑app too. Sources behind the band scheme and interpretation: - ANSI/PHTA/ICC‑11 (formerly APSP‑11), _Water Quality in Public Pools and Spas_ — [https://www.phta.org/](https://www.phta.org/) - DIN 19643, _Aufbereitung von Schwimm- und Badebeckenwasser_ (stainless‑steel caveat) - W. F. Langelier (1936), original definition - Orenda Technologies, _Understanding the LSI_ — [Understanding LSI: The Langelier Saturation Index](https://blog.orendatech.com/langelier-saturation-index) - Lovibond, _Balanced Water (Langelier Index)_ LSI is **opt‑in** — enable it and enter your chemistry values when you want it. ### 🎮 Control & Flow (opt‑in) Off by default. Enable **Control (write)** and you get control tiles + Flow actions: - **Set pump mode** — Auto/On/Off, duration, speed stage (tile ON auto‑reverts to Auto) - **Set light mode** / **Set DMX scene** (1–12) / **Set all lights & DMX scenes** - **Set PV‑surplus mode** - **Set water chemistry** (feeds the LSI from a Flow) ### ⚙ Setup 1. Install the app, add the **Pool** device. 2. Enter the controller’s host or IP (default `violet.local`). _Tip: the Violet doesn’t advertise mDNS, so using the controller’s static IP is the most reliable._ 3. Tiles appear for your detected equipment. 4. _(Optional)_ turn on **Compute LSI** + enter chemistry; _(optional)_ turn on **Control**. ### 🔒 A note on control security Control is off by default. When enabled, writes use a controller account you provide, over the Violet’s **plain‑HTTP** local API — so use a least‑privilege account on a trusted/ segmented network and rotate the write password before sharing configs. Reads need no credentials. ### 🙋 Feedback / testers welcome This is a fresh release and I’d love feedback — especially from Violet/BADU Blue owners with different equipment combinations (solar, DMX lighting, dosing channels, overflow tanks). Bug reports, missing readings, and Flow‑card wishes all very welcome in this thread — or as a GitHub issue: [GitHub - tnsturm/violet-homey-app · GitHub](https://github.com/tnsturm/violet-homey-app) ### 🔭 What’s next (roadmap) This first release focuses on monitoring, the LSI safety net and basic control. Still planned / in the works for coming versions: - 📥 **Live alarm push** — the controller’s own alarm/error notifications pushed straight into Homey as Flow triggers. - ☁ **PoolLab / LabCOM import** — auto‑import your slow‑changing chemistry values (calcium hardness, alkalinity, CYA) from the PoolLab cloud instead of typing them; feeds the LSI automatically. - 🧭 **Water‑balance recommendations** — advisory help on getting your source/tap water into a good LSI band, which values are the real levers, including CO₂ out‑gassing when you top up with fresh water. - 🎚 **Dosing & setpoints** — adjust target pH/ORP and dosing settings from Homey. - 📈 **More sensors** — filter pressure and flow readings, plus a review of the auto‑detection. No promises on timing — feedback in this thread will help me prioritise. ### 🤖 How this was built (entirely IDE‑free) One meta note that might interest this community: this whole app was built **without a traditional IDE **— start to finish in** Claude Code** in the terminal, with GitHub. I didn’t hand‑write the application code; my part was the domain knowledge, testing on the real controller, and the decisions. It ran as a real engineering process (spec → plan → test‑first → automated security review) and, along the way, grew into its own self‑verifying _agentic development loop_. I wrote the full story up as a separate thread — how it began, how **Superpowers** made disciplined IDE‑free development work, and how the loop learned to run itself: 👉 [[How I built a Homey app without an IDE — with Claude Code, SuperpowersSki, and an automated development loop - Developers - Homey Community Forum](https://community.homey.app/t/how-i-built-a-homey-app-without-an-ide-with-claude-code-superpowersski-and-an-automated-development-loop/157110)] Full source and README (setup details, LSI math, security notes) are on GitHub: 👉 [GitHub - tnsturm/violet-homey-app · GitHub](https://github.com/tnsturm/violet-homey-app) ### 📦 Version Current App Store version: **0.4.4** (Test/beta channel). Starting certification with Athom right now. * * * 🇩🇪 German version of this announcement ([poolsteuerung.de](http://poolsteuerung.de)): [[Violet + BADU Blue in Homey Pro – neue App mit LSI Berechnung - PoolDigital Forum](https://www.poolsteuerung.de/viewtopic.php?t=2493)] **Homey App Store:** [https://homey.app/en-us/app/de.neunbft.violet/Violet-+-BADU-Blue-Pool-Control/](https://homey.app/en-us/app/de.neunbft.violet/Violet-+-BADU-Blue-Pool-Control/) ---
**Author:** ![Torsten\_Sturm](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/torsten_sturm/32/77900_2.png) [@Torsten\_Sturm](https://community.homey.app/u/Torsten_Sturm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 11:31am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/violet-badu-blue-pool-control-for-homey/157109/2 "2026-07-15T11:31:50Z")
**Update: Violet Pool Control 0.4.7 is now live on the Homey App Store** 🎉 Athom has certified the app — it’s now publicly available, no test-channel link needed anymore: [Violet Poolsteuerung | Homey](https://homey.app/de-de/app/de.neunbft.violet/Violet-Poolsteuerung/) And the next update (0.6.2) is already submitted to the store: the app now reads your Violet’s configuration — new input tiles (e.g. filter pressure, flow) with your own names, units and decimals, temperature sensors with your configured names and smarter auto-selection, no more ghost tiles for features disabled in the Violet, plus a fix for canister-range values reported in hours. 0.6.2 is currently available in test channel: [Violet Poolsteuerung | Homey Test](https://homey.app/de-de/app/de.neunbft.violet/Violet-Poolsteuerung/test/) Feedback and issue reports are very welcome! ---
**Author:** ![Torsten\_Sturm](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/torsten_sturm/32/77900_2.png) [@Torsten\_Sturm](https://community.homey.app/u/Torsten_Sturm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 2:31pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/violet-badu-blue-pool-control-for-homey/157109/3 "2026-07-21T14:31:48Z")
# Violet + BADU Blue — Quickstart Guide This app brings your **PoolDigital Violet** or **BADU Blue** pool controller into Homey over your local network — no cloud account, no PoolDigital login. Everything below works the same for both; BADU Blue is Speck Pumpen’s badge of the same PoolDigital hardware. ## Requirements - A Homey Pro (local platform) - Your Violet/BADU Blue controller on the same network as Homey - Recommended: give the controller a static IP so Homey doesn’t lose it after a router reboot ## Setting it up 1. Install the app from the [Homey App Store](https://homey.app/de-de/app/de.neunbft.violet/Violet-Poolsteuerung/). 2. Add a **Pool** device and enter the controller’s host or IP. Try `violet.local` first; if that doesn’t resolve on your network, use the controller’s IP address instead. 3. The device shows up with tiles for whatever equipment your controller actually reports — no empty tiles for gear you don’t have. 4. Reading values (temperature, pH, pump state, etc.) works immediately, without any password. That’s it for monitoring. Two optional features go further — both are off until you switch them on: ## Optional: the water-balance safety net Enable **Compute LSI** in the device settings and enter your calcium hardness, total alkalinity and cyanuric acid (from your test kit or PoolLab). The app then continuously works out whether your water is **corrosive** , **balanced** or **scaling** , using live pH and temperature — not just the day you last tested. Why it matters: corrosive water attacks copper and iron parts (especially the heater), and scaling water deposits limescale on tiles and plumbing. You get a Homey alarm and a Flow trigger the moment the balance drifts out of range, so you can act before either type of damage sets in. ## Optional: controlling the pool from Homey Enable **Control (write)** in the device settings to command the pump, lights, DMX scenes and PV-surplus mode from Homey tiles and Flow. This needs a username/password for the controller — use a dedicated, least-privilege account, since the Violet’s local API is plain HTTP (no encryption) on your LAN. Reading values never needs a password, only writing commands does. ## Showing/hiding equipment tiles Every equipment group (heater, solar, cover, backwash, water refill, overflow tank, dosing, …) has an **Auto / Always show / Hide** setting. Auto — the default — shows a tile only when your controller actually reports that hardware, so your device view stays focused on what you actually have installed. ## Flow automation Everything the app reads or does is available in Flow: triggers for LSI warnings, dosing problems, backwash faults and overflow-tank faults; actions to set the pump/light/DMX/PV-surplus mode and to update your water-chemistry values. Alarms also show up automatically in the device’s alarm tiles. ## Getting alarm push notifications from the Violet The Violet can push its own alarms straight to Homey (separate from the app’s built-in LSI/dosing alarms above), firing an **“An alarm was received”** Flow trigger. To set it up: 1. In the Violet’s own notification settings, set the receiver to your Homey’s IP address, using the **Alarm listener port** shown in the device settings (default `22222`). 2. The Violet’s normal web interface can’t change _its own_ receiving port — that needs an undocumented page. Open `http:///modifyParameter.htm?NOTIFY_http_baseport` in a browser, enter the same port number there, and save. (The device settings screen in Homey also shows this as a hint right next to the port field.) Note: this channel has no encryption or authentication on the Violet’s side, so keep it LAN-only — never forward that port to the internet. It only ever feeds Homey a notification; it can’t be used to control the pool. ## Troubleshooting / FAQ - **`violet.local` doesn’t resolve** — the Violet doesn’t advertise itself via mDNS on every network. Use its IP address instead (and consider giving it a static one). - **Some tiles are missing** — that’s expected if your controller doesn’t report that equipment; check the feature-group settings above if you expected to see one. - **pH/ORP/chlorine show `-` right after startup** — the app only trusts those readings once the pump has circulated water for a bit (configurable “pump warm-up” setting), since a stagnant sensor isn’t representative. - **BADU Blue vs. Violet** — identical hardware, identical setup; everything in this guide applies to both. - Found a bug or have a feature idea? Reply in this topic.