I am a newbie and non programmer. I am unable to write any code. I have downloaded both versions and got some HUE lights working in the 1.x version. I have installed and got Version Alpha demo running. I will need a lot of help on getting this going I guess
I have the following items: Philips HUE, Yamaha Wi-Fi Receiver, Sony Wi-Fi TV, Sat Receiver (DSTV Pace) that I want to start controlling. Also thinking about IR remote like Logitech or Oneforall or some such hub in the near future. I still have no idea how to get to discover these devices? I also want to start using Astro and Weather to assist with the automation. Also using IFTTT via my iPhone and iPad.
I have got the bindings and will install them. I also have most information to plug into the config files like IPs, GPS co-oords etc. Any guidance will be appreciated. Also is there a file(s) that I can download that will have most of these plugins configured allowing me to just change my unique details instead of trying to figure out what to do? Or a WIKI that can help? I have looked at most of the info but a lot is still unclear to me even after reading some of the blogs.
The sun (Daylight and darkness) controls most of what I do and when I do this, thus the Weather and Astro is important.
I can’t speak to openHAB 2 but for version 1.x I’m afraid you will have to learn at least a little programming. It has a steep learning curve so I recommend starting very simple and gradually building it up. What you have listed is almost more ambitious than my HA system and I’ve been programming for almost 20 years and using openHAB for almost a year. I don’t want you to be discouraged but I do want you to be aware of that you have a lot of work ahead of you.
Read the wiki and work on getting one binding working at a time. I would start with the weather binding followed by the Astro binding. There are some general information pages, a page for each binding, and a a bunch of examples.
You will have to spend a lot of time researching and reading about the capabilities and how each of your devices work and how to get openHAB to see them and what you can do with them. The programming will come in as you have to write what amounts to code in order to tell your devices what to do and when. This is why I recommend using the weather and astro bindings first, they don’t require much beyond an internet connection and configuration.
To get openHAB 1.x to see your devices you will need to edit openhab.cfg with the appropriate parameters (its different in openHAB 2). Read the logs when you run into problems. That is where you will get hints as to what your problem actually is.
If you run into specific post them to the forum and lots of people would be glad to help. Unfortunately beyond some generic advice like the above, there isn’t much more than I or anyone else on this forum can do to help. Perhaps if you post specific questions about what is unclear it may help.
Hi thank you indeed. That is kind of the reason I lean towards Openhab2. The learning curve is steep indeed
Currently looking into reading as much as possible, its going to take some time. I have set up Ubuntu desktop and Java. Still having a few issues running the start.sh scipt. Does this run on 32Bit or need 64Bit Linux?
Just be aware that OH2 is still a work in progress, in Alpha stage. I wouldn’t recommend it for you because any effort you would save on initial configuration will be more than lost as you fight through the inevitable bugs and incomplete aspects of OH2 and you will need to know more about the underlying configurations and technologies to figure it out than you need to just configure it in OH1 to begin with. For me the killer is that the z-wave add-on is not yet ready for OH2.
I followed the instructions here for the apt-get install. This is the way I would recommend installing it as all required dependencies will also be installed and the start scripts will automatically be installed and configured to run at boot. And it will automatically be updated with apt-get upgrade so you don’t have to keep up with updates manually. The prerequisites only list Java 1.6, not whether it requires 64-bit, but I doubt it does require it. I have it installed on a 64-bit Ubuntu though so can’t say for sure.
