I’m just getting interested in home automation. I have a few “smart” things in the house already and it seems that none of them work together. I see that smart things can bring some of it together with community created apps.
If a device works in smartthings through a community created app rather than official support will I still be able to control it with Google Home?
Specifically I have a Lennox heating/AC system with the icomfort thermostat and a liftmaster garage door opener that’s wifi connected (myQ I think).
So can smart things bring these devices all together and let me control them with Google home (open/shut garage door, check/change house temp)? Or do these user created addons only work with the smartthings app? I’d hate to invest in yet another system and find my devices are still can’t “talk” to each other.
Fortunately, SmartThings allows you to create “virtual switches.” This will look just like a regular physical switch to Google home, but it exists only as a software entry in your account.
Once you have created the virtual switch, it shows up on your list of devices and there is already a smartapp from the marketplace to have that virtual switch turn on a routine or you could use that virtual switch to start a smart app or trigger another smartthings controlled device. So that’s how people usually handle door locks and some other integrations.
Alternatively, you may be able to use the IFTTT channel. This allows you to set any custom phrase you like in google home and use it as the “if” and any device in the smartthings IFTTT channel as the “that.” notice that The SmartThings device that you select could again be a virtual switch to trigger a routine, smart lighting automation, or other smart app.
So between these two options, you could probably get google home to do most of what you want.
Specifics
As far as the two specific devices you asked about, is there already a SmartThings integration with the thermostat? If so, it will just work through the regular SmartThings/google home integration, because thermostats are included.
I don’t remember what works in MyQ light or not, you could ask in that thread.
So basically, if setting up a virtual switch would get it to work with echo, then it will also get it to work with google home.
Echo runs routines which is the only difference and if you have locks or garages in the routine its disabled. So while technically it does and GH doesn’t it moot for me as I have both in my routines so it doesn’t work.
But you can use IFFT and don’t need to say trigger. You can create up to three phrases and even put in what GH will reply when executing. And all you have to say is that one of thise phrases.