Thanks for your comments @nickrout, definitely appreciated. Part of why I posted here is to get better at describing what Iām trying to build. Let me see if some more detail will help clarify why this might be useful.
Iām trying to make it easier for developers to write apps that interact with other peoplesā spaces. Home Assistant is a great solution for a DIYer automating their own home, but what I was looking for that I couldnāt find and have been working on creating is an API that I can use to connect to other peoplesā homes.
The single API is to serve developers who want to interact with homes regardless of what system they use to manage it. Iām starting with Home Assistant homes, but want to support any home with connected devices including those homes that are orchestrated with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit because there are many homes without Home Assistant.
Iām starting with Home Assistant because the API and Addons system provide many ways to interact. Iād like to add the ability for app developers to request access to only some of the devices within the home instead of to the whole home and give users the power to control that access.
The combination of limited access, a unified API across all homes, and the ability to send commands to users homes from an existing applications seems compelling to me as a developer.
What really turned me off is the statement that the first element of your system is cloud control. It is the very anitihesis of what we are trying to do with ha.
I prefer local solutions to most things as well.
With this project I decided to start with cloud control because the types of apps I have wanted to build will interact with many other services, rely on internet connectivity, and will be installed on many homes at once. Itās easier to build this way as a proof of concept to see if this idea is useful to anyone. I fully expect to do some things locally, but I need to see if anyone wants to use it and how first.
Also, what is all the secrecy. Sign up? Why? Why do I have to book a webinar. If the project is properly documented, the devs here will work it out.
No secrecy, Iām just very early on this project. I only have a proof of concept that is not the simplest to get running right off the bat. I havenāt built any UI for user accounts or things that are not 100% necessary as Iām trying to see if anyone besides me will find this useful before I invest more time in those things.
As for booking a meeting to get access, thatās so that I can help anyone interested get set up and also to find out what their intended uses are so that I can help them and also implement any required features. Iād love to have people treat this as an opportunity to have another developer (me) help them build whatever their idea is.
Where is your code? This is an open source community. Show us the source.
Or is this some money making commercial venture?
I havenāt made a decision yet what parts to open source. One implementation detail is that I may build a Home Assistant Addon. If so, it will be open source.
My focus is first and foremost to solve a real problem. If I can prove that thereās a real problem here and that I can build something that they find value then I will see if thereās any commercial value.
I may have the wrong impression, and if I have I apologise - and will wait for you to hopefully convince me otherwise ![:slight_smile: :slight_smile:](https://community.home-assistant.io/images/emoji/twitter/slight_smile.png?v=12)
I hope that Iāve clarified a bit more about what this is. Definitely eager to hear more of your thoughts. Even if you dislike the idea, I appreciate you taking the time to comment and give your feedback.