Announcing MQTT/Android bridging app: Zanzito. Beta testers wanted!

Archive Zanzito for Android
187

Hi,
a new version of Zanzito (0.9.7b) is now available at Google Play store. Here’s what’s new:

  • Added support for FIND (https://www.internalpositioning.com);
  • Added support for JSON subscriptions with value extraction;
  • Added support for gps altitude;
  • Switched to PDF user manual;
  • Preferences and UI improvements.

In particular, the support for FIND includes both tracking and learning and it’s working beautifully in my tests: I’d be glad to hear about yours.
Zanzito’s FIND support works only with local, private FIND servers (Zanzito connects to one MQTT server only). I managed to install it, with some work, see here.
Let me know.

Also, now you can define a custom topic, indicate a JSON key and be presented with the key’s value only, I hope you’ll find this useful.

Thanks,
gl

188

Thank you MrMep,
Find integration working great

1 Like
189

Hello MrMep,
You are a talented android developer.
You have implemented almost all the features required to use the app as a companion with home automation software.
One thing if I can ask you is Do you have any plan to integrate iBeacons to the app.

  • Get the phone to act like an iBeacon continuously

  • Send an update to server if the phone sees a beacon

  • Bookmark locations along with beacons

1 Like
190

Thanks anilet!
I don’t have any plan about iBeacon technology at the moment.
I don’t trust Bluetooth in general: I think it’s a clumsy framework that has never worked properly, generally speaking.
But ok, I take the hint, we’ll see :slight_smile:

1 Like
191

Hi guys,
I managed to write down a notifier component for Zanzito.
Before sending a PR for it to be officially included in HA, I would like to be sure I got it right in terms of functionality.
I hope some of you are willing to test it in their environments and report back.

Please, understand this is not an official HA platform yet, there are still a couple of technical things that need to be discussed with HA boss(es).

You can download the component file zanzito.py from [here] (http://www.barbaro.it/cms/images/android/zanzito.py) (right-click to save the file).

It needs to be copied into your HA notifier custom components directory (within your configuration directory).
The path would be:
<path-to-ha-config-dir>/custom_components/notify/

To setup the component, add to your configuration.yaml something like:

notify:
  - name: My device
    platform: zanzito
    device-name: my_device_name

my_device_name is the name you put in your Zanzito’s preferences. You can call the notification service in the action: part of your automations.

To send a text notification:

  - service: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: 'Message body'
      title: 'Message title'

To send a TTS notification:

  - service: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: 'Message body'
      data:
        say:

To trigger an alarm:

  - service: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: 'Wake up!'
      data:
        alarm: 'on'

To stop an ongoing alarm:

  - service: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: ''
      data:
        alarm: 'off'

To send an SMS:

  - service: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: 'This is an SMS msg!'
      data:
        sms: '<dest-phone-number>'

To send an image from local file:

  - service: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: ''
      data:
        photo:
          - file: '<path-to-your-local-image-file>'

To send an image from url:

  - service: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: ''
      data:
        photo:
          - url: 'http://<your-destination>'
            username: <username>
            password: <password>

username and password are optionals.

All the above types of notification are builtin in Zanzito. If you wish to experiment further, you can setup a notifier with a fake device-name and manually subscribe to it in the Reports section. All topics name information is in the manual.

Latest versions of Zanzito and Home assistant are required.

That would be all for now, thanks!

gl

4 Likes
192

Count on me to do it next week can you also add the sensors automatically? It would be great

193

Thanks,
auto-setup would be work for another component, this is just a notifier, but good suggestion, thanks!

194

Wonderful! Works like a charm. I put this in my custom_components/notify folder.

1 Like
195

HI all, looking to post an image from a raspberry pi via MQTT, and in a way that is compatible with https://home-assistant.io/components/camera.mqtt/ Can anyone point me towards a python package for doing that? Thanks!

196

will this work all time? I mean the zanzito I have I need to wake up all time, to recieve/send topics

197

Hi, have a look at Zanzito’s manual, Technical Addenda: there’s a simple python script that does that, maybe you can start with that.

1 Like
198

Hi Claudio, I don’t understand: what do you mean you need to wake up?

199

I hadn’t tried that, great!

200

turn on the phone (not from totally off, just turn on the screen) and then open zanzito app

201

yeah. it is better to put it there until it is made into the official component.

By the way, I have tried the alarm. It works. But how do I stop the alarm on my phone? I had to reboot my phone to make it stop.

1 Like
202

To send a message, that is normal. But for inbound messages, if you selected “Android notification” for each of the Preferences/custom topic, you should receive a standard Android notification.
Whether it is visible or not on your locked screen, that is an Android preference, not Zanzito’s.

203

To stop an alarm: touch the relative notification.

1 Like
204

I see, so the system should work well for inbound. This shouls work like pushbullet, or is better?

Nothing to do for outbound?

205

IMHO, zanzito is better because it doesn’t rely on third party service (if your MQTT broker is self hosted).

1 Like
206

yes, clear