Broadlink pro with RF

[MrWolf]

Anyone seen these yet?  Anyone had a play with them?...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Broadlink-RM-Pro-Intelligent-Automation-Black/dp/B00LWO7GM8

I've literally just received mine but haven't taken it out the box yet.  Has anyone looked at whether it could be controlled by Vox?  It claims it can control IR and RF and can do  433MHz & 315 Mhz frequencies!

It's ridiculously cheap so seems like a really good thing for the community if we could get Vox working with it.  I have no idea what protocol it uses

What do you guys reckon?

There are a couple documents and SDK's here but totally beyond my comprehension...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B65vYtefY0h2d1NZbEtCUFgwc2hCeHNXMnFmOEdRU1VrcUl3/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B65vYtefY0h2aE1LdWF5RG9sX00/view?usp=sharing

Thanks,

-P

[jitterjames]

It should be possible but it doesn't look like it will be easy.  Their SDKs appear to be (currently) only for iOs and Android which is most unfortunate. 

[Haddood]

I have been watching those for a while ... I tried to find if anybody was able to control them from PC .. but couldn't find anything
if you figure a way to use it with VC, please let us know ... it will save me building my own with arduino

[MrWolf]

James, Is is a project you'd consider or is it just too ugly until they release a windows SDK?

My brain immediately starts jumping to ugly work arounds because I'm not skilled enough with coding.  Maybe something with this:

http://www.andyroid.net/

?

-P

xxx

[jitterjames]

I don't actually know what project you are talking about but my guess is that I'm not interested.

[MrWolf]

 

I am of course talking about the project where my British charm convinces you to give up hour after hour of your valuable time to butcher the Broadlink device into being controlled with Vox commando

No worries bud, I know it's yet another big ask from the idiot from across the pond.

Does anyone have any recommendations on which way to go?  I'm thinking two possibilities, both of which I would need to go do some learning!...

1. Robo browser controlling BlueStacks
2. Vox commando -> Eventghost on PC -> Eventghost on Phone -> Tasker -> Broadlink

Does anyone have any other suggestions?  If not, which of the above do you think I should pursue?

Thanks as always,

-P

xxx

[Kalle]

You can use Wireshark to sniff the Wirless communication between the devices to see how the format of the command looks like. Maybe than it is possible using the scrape action in VC to send a command to the Broadlink.
It looks like this device works similar the HALx - only an idea 

[Haddood]

anyone with android programming experience who can take a look at this thread http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,27643.30.html
the SDK offer an android example app ... i think that can be ported to something that can be used with vox commando

[Vahe]

Here, this guy has a solution. But its an ugly solution: requires an android device (a cheap set-top box) with e-control, as a bridge, and then his software will control the android device to control RM PRO. Kind of, too complicated, therefore not too reliable.

I can see two approaches to this:

1. To use wireshark, as it was suggested, to analyze the packets sent to RM Pro and, based on this, to write a PC software that will send such packets.
Cons: may require quite a lot of time and effort

2. To build an Arduino-based device with the same functionality as RM-pro. This can be even cheaper than RM Pro and, using ready-made libraries for RC-2 and 433MHz RF modules, might require even less effort than method #1.
Cons: This will only be controllable from PC or from any browser, there will be no native application for iOS/Android, unless someone is willing to develop one.

I feel more inclined and interested in method #2, but I am not sure I will find time in the near future

[nime5ter]

I feel more inclined and interested in method #2, but I am not sure I will find time in the near future

Welcome to the forum.

I'm not sure if you've been following Dave and Kalle's progress developing an Arduino RF/IR blaster integrated to work with VoxCommando via an Arduino gateway/bridge. http://voxcommando.com/forum/index.php?topic=1921.msg19356#msg19356

... In terms of working with an Android device, I guess it depends what you mean. The VoxWav Android app allows both voice and touch control of VoxCommando commands, so in that sense one would have Android control over RF and IR.

This is totally outside of my wheelhouse, though, so I'll let others more familiar with this work chime in now.

[Vahe]

I'm not sure if you've been following Dave and Kalle's progress developing an Arduino RF/IR blaster integrated to work with VoxCommando via an Arduino gateway/bridge. http://voxcommando.com/forum/index.php?topic=1921.msg19356#msg19356

Yeah, thanks for pointing me there, this looks similar to what I had in mind. I was also thinking that the arduino-based IR/RF control unit could be hooked up to WiFi (using cheap esp8266 modules), so that not only the PC with VoxCommando, but also other control servers on the network can send commands to it. 

... In terms of working with an Android device, I guess it depends what you mean. The VoxWav Android app allows both voice and touch control of VoxCommando commands, so in that sense one would have Android control over RF and IR.

Well, I am using iOS-based gadgets therefore I am afraid this app is of no use to me. I was only considering to buy an android device solely as a bridge between the PC and RM Pro, but as I said, I believe this to be an ugly solution having to send all the commands through a java-based device.

[Dave]

Hi Vahegan,

in terms of touch control of VC with an iPhone you could probably use the TCP-Plugin:
http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Plugin_TCP#WebServer

I was also thinking that the arduino-based IR/RF control unit could be hooked up to WiFi (using cheap esp8266 modules), so that not only the PC with VoxCommando, but also other control servers on the network can send commands to it. 

We already have some of those modules here and Kalle is probably going to start tinkering with it today. I really hope we can come up with a wifi based version

[Haddood]

in terms of touch control of VC with an iPhone you could probably use the TCP-Plugin:
http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Plugin_TCP#WebServer

@dave, I think Vahegan meant control the blaster directly through wifi from iOS.. so the missing part is iPhone app ... on a second thought, your idea would work, from iOS to VC through web api..and VC to blaster ... not very elegant ... but works. on a third thought  that means a udp server on arduino (not sure how practical that with memory limitation) can receive calls directly from iOS

[Haddood]

I am just thinking the fourth thought .. what if we have a webpage residing on TCP plugin server, that is designed for iphone interface and has control of the IR-blaster through VC?

[Simeon Tuitt]

Hey Guys, this may just be what the programmers on here have been looking for to control the Broadlink RM pro from a computer, most of this is all alien to me since I am not a programmer, but from what I can tell, this Bridge to the RM Pro which consists of an Android App and a Windows program which learns the codes from the Broadlink should allow someone to make a plugin that connects it to vox and gives us access to the broadlink by voice commands.

So programmers, take a peak and let me know if you can see a way forward for broadlink being controlled by vox now. 

UPDATE: Sorry James I missed the link since it was hyperlinked wording.

UPDATE 2 July 13th: Well it is entirely possible to control the Broadlink RM Pro and Broadlink RM Home with Vox, after days and sleepless nights trying to work it out I finally got my head around how to do it, it turns out @Vahe post « Reply #8 on: July 08, 2015, 01:56:16 PM » had the answer and if anyone had ran with it,  it would of worked fine as a means of controlling the Broadlink with Vox.

Above is a demo video of me using vox to control the Broadlink, you'll have to excuse the delay between commands and them being actioned, I am having Broadband issues and my net keeps hanging.

When the internet is working properly the commands are pretty much instant from vox to the Broadlink, I've got some more testing to do but will keep you all updated.