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brianpeiris / switchmate

A python-based command line utility for controlling Switchmate switches
MIT License
35 stars 12 forks source link

Status of project? #19

Closed jlippold closed 4 years ago

jlippold commented 5 years ago

Hey Brian,

I tried to use this project a while ago and maybe it was right in the midst of firmware changes, so I couldn't get anything working reliably. If I have the latest iOS app, and the newest firmware, does your library work against it? Are there any limitations?

I know I could try it and see for myself, but I'm hoping you don't mind filling me in

Thanks a bunch

brianpeiris commented 5 years ago

It's been a while since I've used it myself, and I don't use apple devices, so I'd encourage you to try it yourself and report back if you run into issues! I'm not sure what limitations you had in mind, but I can't think of any.

Thomasbomb commented 4 years ago

has anyone successfully used this with the switchmates? I am considering buying some but I want to confirm I can control via raspberry pi first

jlippold commented 4 years ago

@Thomasbomb I found it to be unreliable. I purchased a bunch and regret it. If anyone wants to buy them from me, hit me up lol

lavahot commented 4 years ago

Yeah @jlippold, I'll bite. Are they brights?

jlippold commented 4 years ago

@lavahot I have 10 rocker switch models

lavahot commented 4 years ago

Oh, was looking for toggle. Thanks anyway, @jlippold

brianpeiris commented 4 years ago

@jlippold When reliability issues did you run into with the script? What type of computer were you running the script on, a Raspberry PI? Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, but it would be helpful to share more details about the problems that you ran into. Perhaps the script can be improved.

jlippold commented 4 years ago

I was running a rPi3, so maybe it was the bluetooth range? I'm not 100% sure. I had it wired it up to a web UI and alexa, and I found it took a while to toggle, which wasn't ideal but bearable. The bigger problem was that they sporadically stopped working.

One day, I'll try again since I have 10 of these things collecting dust, lol. When I do, i'll get better debug logs

brianpeiris commented 4 years ago

Thanks. If you think bluetooth range was the main issue, I'd suggest trying an external bluetooth adapter connected to the PI with a short USB extension cable. I've seen range issues in the past as well. There might be ways to have the script boost the bluetooth power, but there still might be limits especially if you've got walls in the way. Perhaps you could do a simple reliability test by keeping the switches in short range over the course of a day and switch them on/off periodically.

brianpeiris commented 4 years ago

I finally got around to testing the script with my devices. I can confirm that it still works with the latest firmware updates from switchmate on both the original and the slim models. I am running into inconsistencies with status checks, but the switch commands seem to be more reliable. I'm not sure if there's much I can do on that front. My guess is the underlying bluepy library is buggy, but it hasn't been updated in over a year. I'm open to suggestions if people have specific ideas. For now I will close this issue, but feel free to open new ones.