Switchbot - Simple “power on” for some TVs (IR blaster)

Props to @JDRoberts regarding the Switchbot Mini. I had been looking for a cheap IR blaster to turn on my cable box and TV via Alexa. This nailed it!

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Yeah, after I got the one set up for the new guestroom TV, my roommate liked it so much he got the Switchbot mini for the TV in his room, same issue. It’s a smart TV but there was no way to turn it on with Alexa.

There’s also the ST_Anything IR library. If you’re a fan of Arduinos or the ESP8266, this is a very good implementation. I use it in two rooms of my house.

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connecting my Switchbot with Smartthing, I can see the Devices Switchbot created in smartthings, but I can only turn them on and off with the IR blaster.
Has anyone gotten any further control through smartthings, like, Volume or input with Switchbot IR?

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You can get more controls through Alexa, which gives you two choices.

  1. Create a scene in the SwitchBot app. You can then activate that scene either through Ifttt or through an Alexa routine (not a smartthings routine)

  2. set up two Alexa devices and have one speak commands to the other. This may allow you to access some commands that are not available in the scenes. It sounds goofy, but it does work.

So just depends on what you’re trying to do.

In my case, as I explained in the first post in this thread, all I needed was on/off with voice control, so I haven’t really explored the other options available.

How to add controls in Switchbot to be used by smartthings other than ON/OFF.
So thanks to @JDRoberts I got this figured out.

Starting in the Switchbot app, under your hub, click “Add Appliance”
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Select a random item from the list (I choose Fan) and add it.
Note: Do not use “Others”. It would not show up in smartthings for me.


Go back into the newly added Appliance and select EDIT at the top. Re-Learn the Power button to any button of your choice.
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Click the checkbox and you are done.

Let me know if there are questions or if anyone figues a better way to do this.

EDIT: you need to go back into the smartthings app and add device by brand and re-add the Switchbot (dont delete)

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Can you post a screen shot of how it looks in smartthings?

Looks like any other on off switch

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Also, if you have Action tiles, you can use the method above to create a custom remote for any device.

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I have a big problem with my device TV and Amplifier emulated in smartthings by SwitchBot. The button for ON is te same of the button for OFF. In the app SwitchBot I have 2 separate button for OFF and ON. Can I use this in smartthings? :thinking: If I have the TV off, and I ask turn off the TV with my voice… My TV understands correctly and nothing happens becouse I make a routine in google home, that if I ask turn off TV, google turn off with the button OFF and if is already OFF, with the press an other time Off, TV not change status. But if I make a routine in smartthings that turn off the TV already off, it wake up On! :unamused: Because the routine use the button “on/off”. Can I change this situation ? Many thanks for your help

I’m sorry, I rely on text to speech, and I can’t understand your post. Hopefully someone else can help.

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Sorry JD. I’m Italian :it: and my English is very bad. Now with Google traslatore I have try to correct my past message. Please try to reload and tell me is now is Understandable

I add a custom projector (have 2 different button to power on or off),

and now smartthings create a device with only on button on/off visible, but in real the button is two different ON and Off.
With this, now in smartthings and in google home I can use this. Fantastic for automation in smartthings and for sólve the problem di power off TV when this is on and I ask power On with voice.
Many thanks for your help @JDRoberts and @granzy.

@granzy

Now this looks interesting. Mind elaborating a little please? I love actiontiles. At the moment it’s a cumbersome webcore ‘url link’ and/or a virtual push button switch approach. Not the best for multiple buttons.

@djh_wolf The Switchbot hub control through Actiontiles can be a bit slow due to it not being locally executed, but it is fast enough for me.
I placed my switchbot mini hub under my TV to control on/off, and then have a simple USB powered IR extender that sits next to the switchbot hub that relays any command down to the basement theater rack.
My TV is only connected to a PC so I only need it on/off. The IR extender controls my Receiver power, volume and input.
As you can see from my post 14 above, I have added created an actiontile panel for TV watching.

EDIT: If you are interested in controlling smartthings devices from a PC or the other way around, search eventghost. http://www.eventghost.net/

I use it to create keyboard shortcuts to control the PC as well as Smartthing devices, like lighting, and even the switchbot hub.

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@granzy

Sorry to ask the obvious question, but I can’t get my head around it and can’t seem to find any clarification googling etc.

Could you explain how the actiontiles setup works?

For reference, my fan remote is in actiontiles. But that meant creating a piston for each physical button, then adding to actiontiles by using a weblink to each piston.

Not the most intuitive.

How did you make yours? Cheers!

@djh_wolf
see my post 10 above. This will add a “placeholder” device in smartthigns.


Then just add that device to actiontiles.

@granzy

So the custom remote you made… is the whole thing created in the switchbot app, and imported as a single device into actiontiles?

I presumed it was an actiontiles screen with multiple buttons.

Any chance of a screengrab of the device in the switchbot app please? Also, do you know if it works on the classic app, or is it a standalone app anyway ?

Ta! I’m virtually sold on this I think. Just want to be clear. =)

The custom remote I made is just a panel with individual devices added, not a single device.


(see post 10) You add the device in the standalone switchbot app, then use the new app to add the switchbot into smartthings (not sure if it will work to add in classic app)

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