HOW TO Install Smart App on Raspberry Pi?

mwolfod · January 11, 2019, 6:39pm

I am trying to set up my DSC Alarm System with SmartThings and am working through the process, but don’t understand the basic process of installing a SmartApp on a Raspberry Pi.

I know the very knowledgeable community here can help. Thanks!

JDRoberts · January 11, 2019, 8:30pm

You can’t. Smartapps are written in smartthings’ own variation of groovy and run in the smartthings cloud.

There are many people who will use a raspberry pi as a “man in the middle” to create an integration with some other Platform, but those cases you aren’t running the smartapp itself on the pi. Just passing information back-and-forth.

The following FAQ explains how you install smartapps to your account:

FAQ: An Overview of Using Custom Code in SmartThings (SmartThings Classic) FAQ

So you’re new to SmartThings, you asked a question, and someone suggested “custom code” as an answer. Or you were browsing the forums, and you found something that sounded like it would be perfect for what you wanted, but again, “uses custom code.” What does that mean, how hard is it to do, and what’s the difference between a “SmartApp” and a “Device Type Handler”? (Note: the official terminology has changed a couple of times. “device type handler,” “device handler,” “DTH,” and “device type” all mean the same thing, and you will find all these terms used in the forums.) SECTION I: SMARTAPPS AND DEVICE HANDLERS: WHAT THEY ARE SmartAPPS: Tiny Programs to decide what a specific device should do when, or to collect the information from a specific device SmartApps, including the various f…

And for questions about working with the raspberry pi, check the developer section of the forum.

https://community.smartthings.com/c/developers

But you’re probably best off by going to whatever thread had the discussion of the integration that you were trying to do and just asking your questions there.

rontalley · January 11, 2019, 8:36pm

It’s not too difficult of a setup but you will need another piece of hardware. Details can be found here:

DSC -> EVL-3(4) -> Alarmserver -> Smartthings Projects & Stories

There are a million threads about this, and I figured I should start my own. I’ve compiled code from 3-4 people here and will give them credit. This set up allows arm/disarm via local LAN so you do not have to worry about https, security, and port forwarding. It creates all devices, you only need device types for contact, motion, smoke, and co2. Very simple, and easy. If you have a raspberry pi you can host alarmserver on it and have this running much much quicker and easier than any other dsc integration method. This is from @sanity, @xero, @ethomasii, @jtt, @rfish8u, @mattmartz, and countless others I"ll name as I remember. If you’re experienced in setting this up you can skip directly to the devices, smartapp, and alarmserver and be good to go. For new users, view the advanced r…

mwolfod · January 11, 2019, 11:37pm

Thanks for the clarification, JD Roberts. I understand about the thread specific focus, but there wasn’t a lot of activity in this area recently, with many recent questions unanswered. So i was trying to get through this myself, just needing help with a generic Rasp Pi question.

I appreciate your input. Thank you.

mwolfod · January 11, 2019, 11:40pm

Thanks rontalley.

I have been able to set this up now…I think.

Parts of this were a bit difficult to follow, as I am new to the ST system, not real comfortable with GitHub, and not always able to bridge some of the areas of assumed knowledge in the instructions.

Thank you for your help!

rontalley · January 12, 2019, 12:44am

You did way better than me. Took me 2 weeks! This was my absolute first dabble into SmartThings and it killed me.

Now looking back, I realize how easy it was but you don’t know what you don’t know.

Good job!

mwolfod · January 13, 2019, 4:43pm

I had some help from another ST user, otherwise I would still be wandering in the wilderness…Ha.

Yes, it is just as you say: The process is relatively straightforward, but if you don’t understand the basics of say Linux , or some aspect of ST, you are going to get stuck. For instance, the question I posited here to start this thread. Also, I had to figure out what the executable file type was to even START AlarmServer. Plus, many other aspects that seem obvious now that I understand things better.

The GitHub instructions are OK I guess, but assume knowledge/experience that many (most?) of us do not have.

rontalley · January 13, 2019, 6:17pm

100% agree with this statement. Glad you got it worked out!

FYI, I had issues using my motions connected to my DSC Panel. They worked too good! They were so quick to report motion/no motion that ST sometimes did not even pickup on the change. I ended up making a webCoRE Piston for my motions that went something like this:

If DSC motion changes to active
Then with Virtual motion
Active
(asynchronous)

If DSC motion changes to inactive
Then with Virtual motion
Wait 30 seconds
Inactive
(asynchronous)

You get to the (asynchronous) setting by clicking on the “with” under the Action block section and then clicking the gear icon when creating the Piston. Asyn allows for each “If” block to run on its own without care to what else is going on in the Piston. You may have as many “If” blocks as you like and can put all of your motion logic in one Piston.

This allowed for a 30 second re-trigger time which helped solve some automation issues I was having. I did this for all of my motions connected to the DSC Panel. Everything else worked perfectly.

mwolfod · January 13, 2019, 10:23pm

Wow, that is some advanced stuff.

I will have to look into the webCore stuff.

Thanks for the information!