Google Home Hub - Anyone using it?

Hardware Home Automation
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Hi all,

I just bought the Google Home Hub when I left from the US - getting it for $99,99+tax was OK to play around with it. I noticed that Google does not mention openHAB on there supported Smart Home Devices section of this product. I wonder why?
I tried it out and it seems to work. The only disadvantage I found so far is the fact that it can only be used in English and it gets a little complicated with that to talk about a German room name i.e. “Büro” - per default it acts on the room you have put the device in - so when you say “Turn on the lights” and have located it in “Wohnzimmer” in my case it turned on all 5 lights in this room (incl. on dimmer light - setting it to 100%).
I think the display has potential and I can’t wait to get such a device with an eInk colored display. Just seem that eInk is not getting the technolody ready :frowning:

How is your experience with Google Home Hub? Anyone using it for special things?

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because openHAB is much more than a device. It’s a complete Home Automation solution (in many ways better than Google’s Home :slight_smile: )

Google has officially listed the integration component here: https://assistant.google.com/services/a/uid/000000f5c61c627e?hl=en-US

I can’t help with the German voice commands towards Google Assistant. This is more of a topic for the Google forums but I think that many German users in this forum work with German language in Google HA without any problems.

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Yes the Google Home itself supports the German language and it’s working perfectly fine.
Just the Google Home Hub is not yet supporting it and thus tries to handle everything in English. Not a problem for now, just wanted to mention it.

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Is it possible for openhab to use the screen of the home hub? Any advantages to get one of them over the cheaper mini? Have a mini already and looking at adding them to more rooms of the house

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I highly doubt it since the Google Home Hub does not have a web browser…

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I use a Home Hub, too. It is possible to display a Paper UI Link on the screen. (I tried to send the url with autocast to the hub). So it has a rendering engine - but it’s not possible to use the controls.
It should be possible to send display alerts from OH to the Hub. Reminder or State-Displays should work… But I don’t know how to initialize a cast-command (except with the autotask android app).

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Hi All,
Any further updates on the Home Hub integration with openhab?
Thanks Neil.

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Like this?

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It works just fine, you now have a UI to see and control your devices.

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I use google home mini (german) and hub (english). Microphone only from mini active, so I control German the hub ;-). everything also compatible with openhab , mini and hub

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Do i understand correctly there is a special UI on the Google Home Hub screen to control your devices?

That would be very nice… I am almost 10 years on Domoticz and time for some change.

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Yes there is

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Rob, can you point us in the right direction, is this the Orrangeassist mentioned above or are you talking about something else ?

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I’m referring to the UI when you swipe down for controlling devices

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OK, now I undertsand, indeed that works as it’s the same lights and switches as Google knows when using voice. I do use that indeed as well and it works, what I don’t like is the fact you don’t see the status of the lights (is very slow to show whether light is on or off) and you can’t see camera streams for example.

For some reason I assumed you were talking about something like this for openhab https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2019/08/06/home-assistant-cast/ a habpanel view on the google hub for example

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