Desktop Client

I know I am posting late on this thread, sorry.

I think a good approach is a browser based app. However, I would serve the app from the SmartHub. Cloud, errr… running stuff from servers on the Internet, is great, but, I think its important for my apps to work, even if my Internet connection goes down (which happens a lot…). The hub can serve as a buffer to my less than reliable ISP.

Bump! There are TONS of ways to integrate other technology if we have a PC/Mac client! Personally, I would prefer a local client as apposed to a web based client. Easier to script local client.

It would be a lot easier to setup all my rooms, rules, devices using my PC and keyboard instead of my little iPhone screen. +1 for windows 10 app or webapp - something to use on my PC

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+1 For a linux client or if you’re going to make a windows client make sure that it will run in WINE. I’m sure the linux user base here is not as large as say the mac/win users but give Tux some love.

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The desktop application would be so useful. It gets hard to manage multiple devices on a phone. I’d love to see an application that enables me to create a wireframe of the house and let me manage and monitor he house room by room.

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Looks like it only works if you already have an Android device.

I could never get this working

No, you don’t need an android device… just the android smarthtings client package. I run it on my macbook air. Yes, i’m all Apple. :smile:
@Lgkahn You do have to be a bit geek to get the Android client working in chrome, Google has not made the process of running android apps in chrome easy yet. Though http://www.smarttiles.click is a better desktop solution anyway. For desktop device control I’d highly recommend using and donating to support it.

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I have the SmartThings app running in BlueStacks on my Windows Desktop just fine. Not as nice as running it in Chrome would be, but BlueStacks gives me no issues.

That was cool…
Thank you. Did you do this?

I’ve been running SmartThings in BlueStacks on my MacBook Pro for several months. Works great.

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SmartTiles is a project of @625alex with community support (and other things) by @tgauchat

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SmartTiles? Oh no, I could only wish I could code that well. Alex Malikov and Terry Gauchat are the smart cookies who wrote that. I know Alex spent ~1 yr writing it solo before it was released and other community members joined in to help.

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Yup… So do I. SmartThings inside BlueStacks is actually particularly handy to take Screen Shots / Clips when I write and post help for SmartTiles configuration questions.

Your idea would be exactly what I am looking for, I have a webcam and a desktop PC in a great location to record the street/my mailbox. I want to trigger an instant 15-30 second recording when my mailbox is opened so I can watch for any shady activity! A desktop app would be what I need to do this, or some sort of way to integrate my webcam with smartthings… right?

Has anyone had any luck with anything like this?

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For the above scenario, specifically, check out Perch – they are officially integrated with SmartThings (as they were sponsored by the Samsung Accelerator).

(Regardless… if you can run a simple web server on your PC (such as node, IIS, or Apache), you can have SmartThings communicate to it via REST-API and perhaps shell out to issue camera commands. But it’s quite a project … let’s see what you think of Perch.)

Cool, thanks for the idea!

After a bit of digging around, I have developed a SmartApp which will monitor for contact sensor events, and then call an HTTP get request through a hub command which hits an iSpy server which switches on my desktop webcam. Not sure how well it will work in practice with an actual contact sensor, but seems pretty snappy in testing (including use on my phone!)

Now I am daydreaming about how I could possibly integrate actions from my Cox security system into this, possibly via text message or something else. Really wish I could integrate them directly though!

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Do they publish any API? Do you know if Cox is using a whitelabel service like iControl? (There are, what, perhaps 3 major vendors that are used by various resellers and internet service providers, etc.; PEQ uses iControl, for example).

Not sure what they use, I would think they would be as closed as possible because they want to sell their own overpriced, minimally capable equipment. This shows the control panel/tablet they provided: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8p8DmvvYS4

Edit: “At iControl—whose technology powers connected home services for ADT Security Services, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox and Rogers—the company works with vendors and partners to ensure that device development, software development, and server side management are up to snuff.”