I am an engineer with URC (Universal Remote Control). I have developed an integration to fully integration our Total Control line of products, specifically our remotes and keypads with hass. Im looking to see if there would be any interest from the hass community to have access to our hardware.
Basically the integration pulls in all lights, shades, access devices, covers, etc into our system and allows you to control them through our hard button remotes and keypads. It also creates a script that can be used in automation programming that will trigger an event to happen on our system that can be used to control anything our system is integrated with.
Currently our Total Control platform is a protected line and only available to our dealers either directly or through distribution. Im posting here to see if there would be any interest from the hass community to have access to our platform so they could expand their hass system to include hard button remote controls.
My personal opinion is that you cant beat a hard button remote for TV/Media watching and it seems like providing an option that is hass friendly could be a desired solution.
This would take work on my end to figure out how to get hass users access to the hardware and our programming software which is why Im asking for the feedback to see if there is enough interest to make it worth the effort.
So you would need the mx5 to use the remotes? Can this be completely local or will it need internet access? It also states programing requires a professional, do you plan on making this software available to the community?
Yes it would require an MRX-5 or any of our other base stations. Currently our platform does require professional programming which is why Im here seeing if there is enough interest for me to find a way around that for this community of capable people.
It can be used fully local with no internet access.
This is the key. Currently users are dealing with the fact the harmony has been dropped by logitech and they may lose use of their remotes when they shut down their servers.
I will be putting in a URC Total Control system in the next two months, and a concern I did have was lack of integration with the extensive HA setup I have. I would gladly help test any integration with URC and HA then!
I’ve just acquired a small URC system with MRX-8 in its core, and all I can say software is terrible… just plain terrible, oldfashioned and unintuitive. So, it would definitely benefit from integration with HA.
Justin, my personal use of Home Assistant would be complemented by convenience controls, as a majority of my automations begin with user input. I agree, you can’t beat a hard button. It’s much easier for guests as well.
I can take discrete actions and turn them into a full flow with HomeAssistant; if I turn on the network AVR by its own remote, HA dims lamps, lowers shades, and slows fans. HDMI-CEC somewhat fills in other gaps for device control
Are you able to share any information on URC’s portfolio, and what an integration would provide for us? The URC dimmer switch is a doppelganger to an Inovelli product that many of us have adopted, so that may not be something we would take advantage of. Would an integration with Home Assistant require URC base stations, or would a WiFi remote talk directly to HA?
Edit: Saw a base station is required. Still curious about what that would open up for in terms of Home Assistant output. Do these remotes have feedback (haptic, visual, audible)?
I’ve got a TC system I installed from when I was working for a dealer, it would be amazing if I could continue updating it without having to rely on them keeping my old login active. Haven’t had a chance to try that HA integration module, I (ab)used a hue emulator to get my HA devices into TC when I first set it up
I’ve just found the URC Module and was super happy after finding it! Thank you for making it. The main thing that I find missing is the ability to easily set an HDA zone volume from HomeAssistant. Is it possible to add this functionality?
Edit: and send the zone volume levels back into HomeAssistant too!