I have not started using openHAB yet, I’m asking about this because I want to know if its possible and what I need to buy to get it to work.
Basically, I have a respberry pi 3 that I had set up with openHABian, but never got into it enough to figure out what it can all do. I currently just have Plex running the Pi under Raspbian, but I want to keep using them and others to add smart devices to our RV since we live in it full time.
I searched the docs and see that openHAB can control Plex, but I have no idea how it works. Plex on the Pi is I think server only and there is not a client for it, so I need to have something has a Plex client and can interact with openHAB. I was thinking about just getting a Pi Zero W so I can cheaply get a way to control our music while we are sitting outside and have it play through the outdoor speakers. I want to be able to change the song or playlist from a tablet or iPhone without having to go inside.
Problem is, I have no idea how this works. There is Kodi that I’ve seen can run on the Pi and have access to the Plex library, I just have no idea if this works or if I can do it.
So I guess the question is, can I use openHABian on one pi to control the player on a second Pi through Kodi?
I don’t use this binding so I can’t answer specifics but I do know the answer is yes, to some degree. You can control basic playback functions for most clients, but you can’t, for example, select a specific playlist or video directly. You might be able to navigate to the files using the navigation commands.
But since you are looking to use Kodi anyway, why not user the Kids binding? It has more playback options.
I know you mention adding devices later on… but if you just want to quickly get music playing and controllable via your phone how about something like Volumio
I haven’t used Kodi at all so I really know very little about it. If I can control Kodi (and thus access the Plex library) through openHAB, then that would be the best solution. I know it does a lot more than I’ll be using it for, at least for this part of the project, but I’m fine with overkill if I can remove some functions or just ignore them.
Eventually, I’d like to be able to control as much as possible through the openHAB app on my tablet. Not sure if I should do this little by little, or jump in with both feet and try and make everything work with my end goal.
If you plan to go beyond standard home automation stuff like media control I strongly recommend using HABPanel instead of the apps. There after far more wishes available and far more customization possible which will give you a more satisfactory UI than you will get through the sitemap UIs.
Given that Plex, Kodi, and openHAB are all free, I suggest just diving in and playing with what is possible. You might find you want to go somewhere other route (e.g. Pi Musicbox).
