Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experience with setting up a virtual shade for my electric awning. It’s been a bit of a learning curve, but I’ve managed to get it working smoothly with Alexa integration. Here’s how I did it and some tips for anyone looking to do the same!
My Setup:
- Electric awning controlled via an RF remote
- Broadlink universal remote controller programmed with open/close commands
- Hubitat virtual shade integration
- Custom rule setup in Hubitat
The Challenge:
Initially, I faced some issues with the state of the awning getting out of sync. For example, if someone manually opened the awning using the physical remote, Hubitat wouldn’t recognize the change. This meant that telling Alexa to close the awning would sometimes result in no action. It was a bit frustrating, but I figured out a workaround!
Solution:
Instead of relying solely on the virtual shade state, I set up the rules to ignore the current state and simply send the command to the Broadlink remote. This means that regardless of whether the awning is open or closed, telling Alexa to open or close it will always trigger the corresponding command. It’s a bit of a hack, but it works perfectly!
Tips for Others:
- Keep It Simple: Don’t overcomplicate your setup. Focus on the commands you need and ignore the state if it causes issues.
- Test Regularly: Manually test your setup to ensure everything works as expected. It’s a good way to catch any potential problems early.
- Use Custom Rules: Hubitat’s rule machine is incredibly powerful. Take the time to explore its capabilities and tailor your setup to your needs.
Final Thoughts:
While my setup might not be the most elegant, it’s reliable and does exactly what I need it to do. I’m really happy with how it turned out and would recommend this approach to anyone looking to integrate their electric awning with smart home automation. Happy automating everyone! 