You can sniff the BLE traffic directly from an Android phone (or emulator?) running the app if you want, so there is necessarily no need for a “special” hardware
I finished a MQTT deamon version that can function as a service and can be called from home assistant via MQTT to control the Aqualin valve. It also reports the battery status of a unit on daily basis. Further more this combines very good with the miflora-mqtt-daemon (see git hub) that measures soil status via BLE via premade sensors.
I am still working on the manual but please do look at the project:
Thanks! I’m already using HA to control based on miflora logic and works awesome. mqtt I don’t use at all but seems awesome for people that uses it!
Great job!
So you owners of this gadget, has it proven to be reliable? In case if it fails does it have a “normally-closed” valve. For example if batteries die while it is irrigating, does the valve close?
The schedule can be created via HA icm with MQTT calls.
You can create a MQTT call to open and or close the valve on a automation rule including sensors. If anyone is interested I combined this with myflora so you can created a fully automated group irrigation system only watering the plant you want to be irrigated
Thanks for the question, I agree I do not know how safe or stable in fault situation the setup is. I solved this by adding a traditional timer valve upfront on the groups. Meaning there is a specific time slot wherein the groups can be used to irrigate the plants.
My appologies for the late response, and a good question.
The code btw runs like a charm except that exception catches have not been addressed (quick and dirty). Meaning if a device isn’t available the BLE stack could get bogged because I did not add a timeout/retry counter.
In the summer I will look at these functions. If you like I can post a version combined with myflora sensors.
The timer calls are available btw, I did not focus on that because I use a controller to start and stop the valve’s. You could debug the calls for the schedule tasks.
I am not sure but I think I wrote down on GIT how I did that
Would be interesting to see also the combined Miflora thing, do you have the Miflora outside?
Cool stuff, it would be interesting to see also how you have the automations and UI made on the HASS side of things.
What about regarding water flow, would it be useful to water the grass on a small backyard with one unit? How much units do you use?
I have six miflora’s in my garden I use groups because I have two maple tree’s two pear trees and a Japanese Nut tree in trays. To keep them healthy I created a automated irrigation sys, afterwards I also want to look a fertilizer, but thats a lot trickier (looking at seaweed axtracts etc). I will upload the code somewhere the coming week, have to tidy it up a little.
By the way the biggest problem is the size of the units to get four next to each other (tested 3 ali sets all do not fit) I have not found a suitable prefab version yet, I have not ordered a Gardena version yet but that one looks like a winner because the sides are slant.
I will look into the code and see if the state can be queried, I don’t think it will be a problem, hope I can check this weekend.
I have seen the latest message that the official store doesn’t sell the Aqualin BLE solenoid valve anymore. I still see some on ebay etc, not sure why this is.
*Correction, I can still find the Aqualin BLE valve on Aliexpress. Just google for: “site:aliexpress.com aqualin bluetooth” second hit is the device.