Almond PLus support for 3rd Party HA Apps?

[BrownChiLD]

Hi Guys
I've heard mixed reviews on the quality (or lack thereof) of the almond app, and i was wondering if there was a way for us to use 3rd party apps, such as with Vera HA gateway and other gateways in the market, or are we stuck w/ the Almond official App?


How are your impressions so far?

As I plan to get serious in HA now, I'm struggling about dropping another $$$ investment on Securifi product. I was a customer with the first ever almond and I have to say though it was pretty, and their support was superb, it was a major disappointment in 2 main areas: Functionality and Updates..

I don't know how things are better now w/ the company, and their products. I dont mind trying it out and spending for it, but frankly I barely have the spare time try different systems, i just want something that works and offer the best value....

Thanks guys

[mparadis]

The app is not as aesthetically appealing as some apps but it has support for scenes and rules, ifttt and echo support are also available. Do you have any almond devices with ha? Or just the original almond from 2012?

[BrownChiLD]

I've got the original with me, the first version. still works but have really not used it in years.. basically used it for few months only then switch back to my TPLINK and ASUS router options due to Almond's lack of features , instability, and painfully slow updates.

Now i'm in the market for home automation and i'm really just purchasing almond for the HA features supporting both zigbee and zwave, and that HTTP API (websocket) .. im a web developer and i plan to play with the platform, really.

But i'm feeling a bit concerned w/ Securify based on my earlier experiences with it. So I'm really looking to this community to tell me where the Securifi HA platform is right now and how well is it moving along towards improvements, reliability, and meeting customer and developer requests.

So you say the app is meh... are there any 3rd party, even paid, apps compatible w/ Almond? or are we stuck w/ what Securifi produces?

[Ohiomedic]

No third party apps that I know of, besides some use of IFTTT and Do button type services. As for the app being meh, it's not the function that is meh at least for me. It's just compared to some HA apps it is meh design wise. It is a minimalist and functional design, but does the job.

[BrownChiLD]

hmm.. i dont mind if it's not the best looking app, as long as it's stable, reliable, functional and all logic is local.
hmm.. thinking.. thinking really hard...

[fillibar]

Opinions may vary but I definitely think the HA rules are stable, reliable, and they are most definitely local. Functionality is tougher. They can definitely handle most things but dependent on your needs you may need to do a bit of a workaround or such. That is one that is tough to answer without a sample of things you are looking to do.

[mparadis]

I'd agree with Fillibar, it may lack some of the most advanced functions but for the vast majority of users it is very fledged out. A few things could be improved but it is highly stable and reliable. All rules run on the local unit and not in the cloud, which is an advantage over several systems available, and of course everything can be accessed locally by the LCD and Local WebUI as well as the app itself can connect directly to the Almond units (bypassing the cloud) when connected to the Almond network.

[BrownChiLD]

Thanks for the updates guys

@Mparadis, thanks very much for highlighting Almond's being cloud independent across all its UIs (Onboard hardware, PC/web, & App)! this is one thing i can hugely appreciate. I hate all these systems being so cloud dependent lately.

Has anyone around here played with the websockets api? Coz if im unsatisfied w/ the app, I plan to build a personal app that takes advantage of the WebSockets, so long as the API gives complete access "CONTROLS"  .. Configurations i dont mind to do on the official app or web gui, but controlling my smart devices, and reading statuses (like power consumption when the device offers it such as the aeon labs power meter and z-wave outlets/plugs w/ power meter features) .

YOu see, for those wondering what I need, later down the road I plan to build a customized "monitoring and control" system dedicated to specific user-cases... For example, i'm developing an access control management software for a School and have integrated door controllers, rfid readers, exit buttons, no problem. Now I want to extend the functionality to automatically control Lights and AC in a classroom when the teacher enters the classroom (taps her ID onto the door controller) .. and then turn everything off when she taps out and locks the room

This gives the school the following benefits:
1) Guarantee that the room doesn't consume power unless class is in session
2) logs/monitors power consumption per class/session

This is just one "integration" that i will be needing or wanting to play with.