AutoIt and Home Automation
AutoIt is an amazing tool for home automation or any Windows automation for that matter. Below we discuss some sample scripts to integrate your PC with most API’s and services with some sample scripts to get you started. Remember that if you are looking to get started with AutoIt and your own automation hub please look at their API. We have listed all the API links on the hub page.
Sample Get Using AutoIt
Our sample GET uses our local PC TouchControl software to run it.
$oHTTP = ObjCreate("winhttp.winhttprequest.5.1")
$oHTTP.Open("GET", "http://192.168.1.xxx:1xxx/zwave/activateSceneGet?password=&sceneName=MainArea30", False)
$oHTTP.Send()
Open a Local Application
You may want your PC to be able to open applications and interact with them. This is the script to open them. You can choose to open any application you want:
Run('C:\Program Files\Google\Picasa3\Picasa3.exe')
Recording Your Tasks
This is the most powerful tool with regards to AutoIt. You can simply click the toolbar ‘Tools’ option and click AU3Recorder and begin doing the task that you would like to run.
Task Scheduler to Run Commands
You could then auto run this outputted task within task scheduler in Windows 7.
Task Scheduler Tutorial
AutoIt Favourite Links
UDF’s are a way to interact with programs using AutoIt’s simple scripting language. We will list a few of our favourites to help get you started.
- iTunes UDF: This UDF allows you to add automation techniques to your AutoIt scripts within iTunes. I use this one to play playlists from my Pebble watch, change the volume, pause and play music.
- Gmail Remote Monitor: I love this one as you can send an email and then launch commands locally on a PC. As long as the syntax is a certain way it can launch commands. Great for IFTTT integration.
- Spotify:Spotify is an awesome music service and software platform to control your music.
Let Us Know Your Favourite Ways To Use AutoIt
[bbp-single-topic id=4132]
IFTTT Home Automation Recipes
IFTTT is an incredible tool. You can do almost anything from creating fancy lighting recipes that once you email yourself it can turn on your HUE lights. We talk about the most useful recipes that you won’t find on other automation websites.
All of these you can do yourself:
Recipes:
IFTTT Home and Phone Automation Favourite Recipes
DIY Home Automation Recipes
We cover some of the least common DIY home automation recipes found on the net. We give you the power to do things that plain old automation hubs can’t do at this moment. These recipes require software either on your Android, Windows PC, iPhone, iPad or MacBook. All these recipes usually help tie in lots of capabilities into your already available automation system. If we display a recipe that isn’t exactly like your system we suggest that you use the same idea and apply it to your own. Most automation systems have an API that differ slightly and can easily be adapted.
Latest DIY Recipes
Recipe: Turn LED Strip Red Before an Appointment (10/8/2014) - Software Used Zapier, AutoRemote, Tasker, Smart Remote(app) Hardware Required IR android device, LED Strips Steps Begin with creating a new Zapier task that has: Trigger: Google Calendar and Event Start Action: AutoRemote and New Message Under #4 Only trigger an event start from Google Calendar when:Time before: 45 minutes #5 Enter the text that you will create a new filter
Talking Tablet Recipe (10/12/2014) - Software or Services Used Tasker, AutoNotification, IFTTT Hardware Any > 4.0 Android Device Possible Uses Welcome home “Hello Rod” Tell you the weather Tell you what’s happening around you Notify you of any earthquakes There is motion in another room Warning This can get annoying for the people around you if this feature isn’t used
Connect iOS and Android Together for Home Automation (10/21/2014) - What is this? Android is a lot easier when doing home automation tasks and this appears to be the best way to link your devices together using a little trick. Software AutoRemote, Now Now, Google Search, Tasker, Activator, GooGiri Hardware iOS 7 with Jailbreak and an Android with AutoRemote and Tasker installed. Steps Setup GooGiri,
iPhone and Home Automation
Apple makes amazingly intuitive products. It also restricts the capability of them to limit the ‘options’ users have to make it easy for just about everyone to pick it up and use it. When using your iPhone with Home Automation you’re limited in what you can do without opening that up.
Step 1: Jailbreak and then keep reading
Don’t want to? You’re going to need to link Siri to an Android device.
Home Automation on an iPhone without a jailbreak (learn how) is pretty painful as there is far more interesting things you can do with your device that you need to unleash.
Activator
The master automator for iOS is discussed with ways to integrate with your automation hub. You can edit your triggers based on applications that open, schedules, events or settings on your phone. Read More
Top 10 Automation Tweaks
Just having activator is a good start but you also need to get some tweaks to make your system more integrated. There are a few MUST haves and we break them down for you.
Custom Remote
Having a remote on the wall is very cconvenient It can allow you to have custom scripts to run all over your house and beyond.
IFTTT and iOS
IFTTT is great to integrate a lot of functionality of the web into your system without a jailbreak. It also allows a ‘no coding’ option to do some complicated tasks. Keep reading to read some interesting recipes.
Link Android and iOS Together
Since iOS and Android are different ecosystems they don’t work well together. We show you a way you can still use an iPhone but take advantage of all the open source work done on the other side.
Best Products for iOS
iOS has a lot of accessories and we breakdown the best accessories for automation that will improve your iPads functionality and make your iPhone double as a wallet/key etc.
Home Automation with the Iphone Basic Checklist
- Find out your hubs API for launching GET requests to your devices
- Create custom commands to launch them via Launch Center Pro
- Jailbreak if possible and create ‘Menus’ in Activator
iPhone Discussion
[bbp-single-topic id=3958]
- Published in Apple iPhone, Phone