Advanced Virtual Device Setup for Bluetti Power Stations

General
1

Hi everyone! I wanted to share a method I developed for integrating my Bluetti power station with Homey. It’s been a fantastic way to monitor and control my energy setup directly from my smartphone. Here’s how I did it:

What You’ll Need:

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Set Up the ESP32 Bridge:

    • Flash your ESP32 with my custom firmware fork, which converts Bluetti data into JSON format. You can find the firmware on GitHub.
    • Configure the ESP32 to connect to your Bluetti device and ensure it’s on the same network as your Homey.

  2. Create a Virtual Device:

    • Use the Device Capabilities app to create a new virtual device. This will mimic the functionality of your Bluetti power station within Homey.
    • Define the capabilities your virtual device will have, such as monitoring solar power, home power, grid power, and battery levels.

  3. Configure HomeyScript:

    • Write a script to fetch data from your ESP32 bridge and update the virtual device. Here’s a sample script I used:
      javascript
      const b_ip = ‘YOUR_ESP32_BRIDGE_IP’;
      const b_baseurl = ‘http://’ + b_ip + ‘/getData’;

    // Function to format numbers
    function toFixed(num) {
    return Math.trunc((num / 1000) * 100) / 100;
    }

    // Fetch data from ESP32
    try {
    const res = await fetch(b_baseurl);
    if (res.ok) {
    const data = await res.json();
    // Update virtual device tags with fetched data
    if (data[‘dc_input_power’] != null) {
    bluetti.solar_power = toFixed(data[‘dc_input_power’]);
    }
    // Continue updating other parameters…
    }
    } catch (err) {
    // Handle errors
    }

  4. Link Everything Together:

    • Use flows in Homey to automate actions based on your Bluetti’s data. For example, you could set up a flow to turn on lights when the battery level drops below a certain threshold.

Why This Setup Works:

  • It provides real-time monitoring of your power station’s performance.
  • It integrates seamlessly with Homey’s ecosystem, allowing for custom automation.
  • It’s cost-effective and leverages existing hardware like the ESP32.

I hope this guide helps someone looking to optimize their energy monitoring setup. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for improvement! :blush: