Hey everyone, I’m excited to share my recent experience integrating Chromecast and smart lighting in my home setup. It’s been a journey of trial and error, but I’ve learned a lot along the way!
First, I wanted to set up my Chromecast to display a slideshow from my Google Photos albums. I remember it used to work effortlessly, but after updating to Google Home 3.30.1.6, I couldn’t find the option anywhere. After some research and reaching out to the community, I discovered that this feature was removed in newer versions. It was a bit disappointing, but I adapted by using a third-party app that integrates with Google Photos and Chromecast.
Next, I wanted to tie my smart lighting into my entertainment system. I have a Xiaomi temperature sensor and Comet Z-Wave radiator thermostats. The goal was to have the lighting adjust based on the room’s temperature. Initially, I struggled with setting up the rules, but with some help from the community, I created a triggered rule that adjusts the lighting based on the temperature reading from the Xiaomi sensor. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s a huge improvement!
Another challenge I faced was with my MQTT setup. I added a special panel and configured the item, but the MQTT topics weren’t behaving as expected. The Chromecast kept sending unexpected topics like sim_switch_1 instead of switch_1. After some digging, I realized it was a naming conflict in the MQTT configuration. Renaming the topics resolved the issue, and now everything works smoothly.
I also explored using timers in my rules file, but I encountered a problem where timers weren’t rescheduling correctly after a refresh. This led to unintended executions. I found that manually deleting and recreating the timers was the only workaround, which was frustrating. I hope future updates address this issue.
Overall, this project has been a fantastic learning experience. It’s been rewarding to see how different devices and systems can work together to create a seamless home entertainment setup. I’m still tweaking things here and there, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come. If anyone has tips or suggestions, I’d love to hear them!
Cheers, [Your Name]