well, results of the firmware upgrade. not quite as expected;
did not work via;
Mac OSX
Linux
Windows 10
did work via Windows XP (only old one I had lying around).
I did manage to pull the configuration system from the device, which shows custom voice files should be possible itās just a bunch of Flac files.
some basic config files are on the box, but not much else.
the time settings (time block), basic config for connecting to the right node and silent mode on/offā¦
it seems to have in total 16gb storage and the boot loader part (where the update goes has) 1 gb space, while the firmware is just over 1 mb.
will see if thereās more I can pull out of the usb interface.
I have that part already. Start/Stop auto mode, get battery info, get device info. the voice part you are referring to will most likely come from the home automation system (like Siri with Apple).
At the moment Iām still digging into more commands and traces to see what else I can find, but I could build a working setup in java code to hook into i.e. homebridge. At that point it would be able to connect to Appleās homekit.
Right now all tests have been done on an alive connection to the servers, what I havenāt tried is connect, send command, disconnect (i.e. to send the start command) and in say ten minutes send a return to charger command in a new session. all is in their architecture designed around one live session in which all happens.
most likely it will work, but it will also bring delays in the commands.
another part thatās not completed yet, is the initial authentication over web callsā¦ I have half of them now in the code, but not all. And thereās still one variable (a number in the addressing of the devices that I canāt trace back to anything outside of the machine yet).
the devices are targeted with @<node/variable>.ecouser.net, if the <node/variable> is wrong, it will not do a thing.
thatās the major question right now, how to let someone like yourself figure out what that number is, or how to obtain it from the server. Itās available in the device info command, but I canāt get that without addressing the robot properly first.
maybe for the fun of things, could you send me a S/N on the Botton of the device to see if the number actually matters ? (Donāt worry, I canāt control it, itās protected on user level, one cannot control any device outside of itās userā¦)
ok, found itā¦ your N79 is actually model DN622 which has a fixed value of 126ā¦ so the last unknown is simply the device type as stated in the manual and then a fixed conversion table
I was not able to pull much from your bot, but at least I know the firmware is 0.1.9
I hadnāt had much time to go any further into the code, so the code as it is right now is working for starting / stopping and some more commands.
Itās in java (eclipse project) and can be found at; http://www.ictravi.com/files/ecovacs-v0.1.zip
Hope this helps you guys out into starting your own integrations.
I think we should keep going at this. Iāve been really busy so I havenāt had time to take a look. As the weather starts to get cold Iām sure Iāll have more time. I can tell you I did contact the product team for the vacuum and they claim to be releases and api at the end of the year, but I wouldnāt hold my breath. I heard the same thing from another company (NuHeat floor thermostats), they are 6 months late so far so I did it on my own.
I just got mail that Deebot M80 pro skill has been added to Alexa. You can do three commands activate, pause and recharge. I wonder if they have released the API for all? Can anyone check if N79 got the access as well?
ECOVACS DEEBOT Skill now supports: DEEBOT M80Pro, M81Pro, M87, M88, R95, R96, R98 and DEEBOT OZMO 610.
We are working hard on enabling more robots to be compatible with Alexa.
The 81 is on sale. Looking to get it. How do you guys like these vacs? I mostly need it for hardwood floors where my 6 year old dog likes to pee in front of the doggie doorā¦
I have 2 N79 vacuums for hardwood floors. My wife and I love them.
Pros
Cheap
They clean
They seem to run longer than advertised
Cons
They are dumb, they go in one direction until they get close to an object (or hit it) and then turn to another random direction. Even though they are dumb, they work.
App isnāt that great.
No ST integration, yet!
Has parts that require replacement, but a lot of other vacs to do
I have had other robotic vacuums, and this one is far from dumb. I find this one is more able to negotiate from hard wood floors to area rugs with padding, to a marble threshold onto a tile floor, than my more expensive robot. I have also found if you follow the directions about the distance on the left and right and in front of the charger, the robot always finds itās home. Yes it has gotten stuck under a piece of furniture, but so did my Roomba. I have also found that my N79 cleaned my bedroom floor faster than my other robots and then had plenty of battery to do my living room dining room and family room. But again everything with these robots depends on type of floor, size of rooms and how much furniture is in the way. Example in my dining room with a large parsons table and six chairs, the robot takes longer to clean than my much larger den.
itās just a bunch of Flac files.