Somfy Awning - Bond Bridge Cover Entity Customize

I have a patio Somfy motorized Awning connected to HA via a Bond Bridge. I dislike how the awning (cover entity) is displayed in HA.
The State is shown as either Closed or Open but this is seldom true because the state is never reported from Bond as it doesn’t know the state. Bond is just simulating the Somfy remote that has 3 buttons, one to open, stop and close. Also, the switch icons that HA shows don’t make much sense, there’s an up and down arrow and a large dot for stop. This might be correct for a shade that moves up and down but not for an awning that moves out or in. You might think that the up arrow moves the awning out but that moves the awning in, just the opposite of what I think intuitively.

Is there anyway to customize how this is implemented?

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I struggled with this when creating the ESPSomfy RTS bridge device but managed to work through all the issues around state and position. If your awning has an RTS radio this may be a smarter alternative for you.

However, the UI component is at play here as well. You can try going into Home Assistant and change the Show As setting to Awning for the awning entity.
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Thanks for the reply. I thought for sure that was set to awning but it had shade. I made it awning and that did change the icon representation.

I guess it’s a matter of just learning what the directions mean. However, the Big label Closed is harder to adjust to as it implies the awning is closed but it isn’t. Anyway, what position is a closed awning in?
The EPSSomfy-RTS project is a little beyond my attention span anymore. There was a day when that would be exciting but now I just want things concluded without as little effort as possible.

I guess without having position feedback from the Somfy motor it’s hard to manufacture a state condition.

If you want position feedback I gave you an alternative. If you have sun/wind sensors these are supported as well. You will always know the position, it’s easy to set up, and you can run it in parallel with the bond hub, your remotes, and your sensors.

You won’t be able to get around the stupid closed label because the default cover component is braindead. I reworked it for ESPSomfy RTS-HA component so that the icons and status are correct.

So, I’m going over your project and it isn’t immediately clear how you’re powering the unit. It might be obvious to some but I’m missing it. I’ve never worked with the ESP32 modules so this will be a first time project for me.

Power is dependent on the ESP32 that you are using. If you are using it with a WiFi version you can use a 5v usb adapter. If you have it hooked up to one of the POE models you can power it using POE. There is a mix of users out there.

In this wiki there are some examples of different boards out there. Don’t let the ESP32 thing scare you. You don’t need to do any programming and loading the firmware is a snap. Configuration is a point and jab with a desk rodent.

Ok I’m going to give it a shot. It sounds like fun and I should get back to dabbling with electronic circuits. My Amazon order is going in today. I hope you’re available to answer further questions if they come up. Thanks for your project documentation and enthusiasm.

Good luck and happy to help if you need it!

I bought the hardware from Amazon, wired it up, programmed it with the bin file, and I’m not getting the wifi access point on my network. ESPSomfy RTS.
this is the esp32 I’m using:
Aideepen ESP32S ESP-WROOM-32 Board 2.4GHz Dual-Core

I realize the issue could be just about anything. Maybe if I was using the same ESP32 board that you used that could eliminate some of the variables. What was it?

I did try the sample Blink program using the Arduino IDE 2.1.1 software and that worked.
I also used the flash_download_tool_3.9.5 to program the board and that worked without errors.

That should work just fine. Please flash the firmware using these instructions. You can monitor the startup with the serial monitor either with the arduino ide or the online tool.

I was using the Installing Firmware Instruction. I chose the ESP32 Flash Download tool from the Espressif website. It finished fine with no errors. I’ll look into the serial monitor to see what that’s all about.

this is the log entry from the ESP32 Flash Download tool when I did the flash.

*************************** START ****************************

START TIME: 202307301141

CONNECT BAUD: 115200
set state: ESP_DL_SYNC
serial port opened
-----------
baud:115200
root baud:115200
-------------
===============BAUD : 115200===============CALL DEVICE SYNC
connecting...
mac l: 0xe3905e44
mac h: 0xf2a842
crc_cal: 242
crc_read: 242
crc_test: 0
ESP32 MAC CRC OK
get mac res: 1
get flash id : 0x0016405e

manufacturer_id: 0x5e

device_id: 0x4016


Wrote 1101952 bytes (684175 compressed) at 0x00000000 in 62.3 seconds (effective 141.4 kbit/s)...

Hash of data verified.
Leaving...

com closed
Use time: 69 s

Download result: PASS

*************************** END ****************************

Did you flash the onboard file?

Now you’re confusing me. I just commented that I used the Flash Download tool and shared the log file entry that shows it completed. That’s the flash or is there another step?

The number of bytes in that log are less than the 4 mb size of the onboard firmware.

hurray. It’s working now. I must have pulled the wrong bin file from your repository. thanks for the help. I’m proceeding along. Wish me luck.

Good luck you are well on your way though.

I’m up and running.
I’ve added my only Somfy device and that is an awning.
The one thing Im confused about is the ESPSomfy-RTS isn’t in sync with the position. The percentages displayed when setting a target position or the My button favorite are off.
I’m going back over the setup procedure and I don’t see where a sync between the awning and controller are ever set. How does the controller initially know at what position the awning is at?

Set the my position from ESPSomfy RTS initially.

To do this:

  1. Hit the up button and wait until the awning stops and ESPSomfy RTS shows fully open. We do this so that the awning is in an initial known position.
  2. Click and hold the My button on the ESPSomfy RTS UI. A set my position interface will appear.
  3. Move the slider to the desired My position and press set My position. The awing will move to that position and jog when it gets there. The My position will be set.

From here on out the my position will be maintained.

EDIT: Also make sure you have set the timing for open and closed.

EDIT2: One more thing. Make sure you pair your remote to the motor using these instructions. That way when you use the remote it will know where the awning is.

Got it, done all that. It’s good now. So I guess whenever you do a full open or close the ESP controller will synchronize its position tracker?

It will synchronize whenever the awning moves to its full extended or retracted position.