Are folks here happy with Domoticz?
-
Interesting. My earlier thoughts were MQTT and maybe adafruit.io as the quickest/easiest solution to get up and running, but I wasn't sure where to go from there if I did that. I still like that idea, but then I thought that starting with a trail like Domoticz that had already been blazed might, in the end, be even easier and quicker to setup, as any unknown gotcha's would have already been solved.
-
I'm using FHEM as controller.
Pro's:- Open to a huge variety of hardware interfaces
- brings a lot of modules, also to implement standard logic tasks
- is written in perl, so if you know programming (especially in perl), it is pretty easy to implement extensive own logics
Con's:
- Forum is mostly in german, but all documentation is available in english (but sometimes may be hard to understand)
-
Just to clarify I think Domoticz is very versatile and flexible when it comes to hardware but when it comes to GUI and how to visually show everything it's very nice but not configurable.
-
Domoticz is very simple to get it running and if you don't need fancy functions it's OK. Of course there are more powerful solutions but you need to learn more an extra language (either for scripts or programs). I was looking at node-red too, but I don't have time right now to start learning Javascript and same for Openhab you still need to learn the code.
-
To clarify things wrt. to FHEM:
It is pretty easy to set up and getting devices virtualised and browser-usable is also not a big issue, but without additional work not very nice-looking as a GUI (but nevertheless functional).
But as soon as you want to implement logics, it is relatively easy possible within this environment. -
I think I'll first give Pi Dome a try, since that allegedly has an actual MQTT broker built into it, and it's already on the list of mysensors controllers. If there are any other controllers also built around MQTT, I'd be interested to hear which ones.
-
I've been using Domoticz for a while, because it was the most obvious system to use with my RFXTRX433 and my 433MHz modules.
I agree with what has been said: very easy to setup, nice graphs/history but limitations in UI are very frustrating. There's a nice API too, but I'm not feeling like reprogramming the full UI to have something that I enjoy.
I'm getting frustrated with the programming of events too, for very basic scenarios it's fine, but the way it works can quickly make it a mess. For example if you switch a light in a script it will re-trigger scripts based on light switching and you have no way to know if it was triggered by user action or by script, so you you have to start using global variables (declared in another part of the UI) to keep that information etc etcSo, I'll start my controller shopping season too relatively soon I think :)
-
I would like to use Domoticz because of its popularity here in the MyS community, but I've given up every time this far. Lately because there seems to be an issue with Eth-Gws for other MyS-systems on the same network(?). And I've also noticed an annoying 2-3s delay from sensor reading to registration. And the UI doesn't feel flexible, lightweight and reliable. Too much like the Vera I used before. Not to mention other controllers "responsive huge white spaces UI style".
So, I'll continue with Fhem. A pain to master as non-German (nor Perl) speaking, but with a good feeling of old proven quality under the hood.
-
I think I'll first give Pi Dome a try, since that allegedly has an actual MQTT broker built into it, and it's already on the list of mysensors controllers. If there are any other controllers also built around MQTT, I'd be interested to hear which ones.
@NeverDie said in Are folks here happy with Domoticz?:
I think I'll first give Pi Dome a try, since that allegedly has an actual MQTT broker built into it, and it's already on the list of mysensors controllers. If there are any other controllers also built around MQTT, I'd be interested to hear which ones.
Actually, I think I'll start with Domoticz. Except for the last comment above, it seems to at least "work" at some level for most people, whereas I'm not sure if the same can be said for PiDome.
-
I am actually happy with domoticz. I have used it for about a year and its main advantage for was that it's very easy to learn and to use. Recently I discovered dzVents (which is now integrated in the domoticz beta) that allows for easier and more complex scripts. For now I was able to do anything I wanted in domoticz.
The UI isn't perfect (although openhaps is way worse imho) but it gets the job done.I also tried to use openhab (2) earlier but thats a totally different beast. You can do awesome stuff but it's REALLY hard to get started. The new ui in openhab 2 looks great but its still a weird mix of using text files and the ui.
HA also looks great but I haven't tried it yet.So overall I would start with domoticz and switch later if you are missing any features.
PS also domoticz updates (at least for features related to mysensors) seem to be implemented pretty slow. I have opened several tickets in their git where the answer was mostly: implemented on you own ;) Which is fine (I dont pay them afterall) but other systems seem to be way more active.
-
So, I installed Domoticz, accepting all the default settings, and the very first thing I see is a browser page with an error message:
"Access Error: 404 -- Not FoundCannot locate document: /"
Oh, joy. :frowning:
-
So, I installed Domoticz, accepting all the default settings, and the very first thing I see is a browser page with an error message:
"Access Error: 404 -- Not FoundCannot locate document: /"
Oh, joy. :frowning:
@NeverDie - did you forget the :port ?
-
Also pretty happy with Domoticz. Also installed Dashticz on one of my two installations (the other being at the local Makerspace). For me, at least historically, I needed something that could run well on a Raspberry. Domoticz is up and running in seconds obviously even on limited hardware. For me at least Domoticz is pretty flexible, with Blockly, LUA, Python and dzVents. I think there is also some sort of add-on for PHP. The interface and the handling of devices is a bit messy but still.
Haven't tried HA but I would certainly consider it.
-
So, I installed Domoticz, accepting all the default settings, and the very first thing I see is a browser page with an error message:
"Access Error: 404 -- Not FoundCannot locate document: /"
Oh, joy. :frowning:
@NeverDie Have you tried something like this: https://ip.of.your.server/#/Dashboard ? Or with port and no HTTPS.
-
I have used Domoticz for about 2+ years. I like it a lot but wish for something...more.
Pros:
Quick setup for mysensors nodes
One-stop location for data storage and data presentation
Android app is very good
Customizable scripting options once you leave their scripting environment and use API values.Cons:
Event scripting (lua? really?) needs more advanced features.
Has interesting issue lately where if I lose power to the Pi I lose all data back to May 23 of this year. I have a cron job that backs up the DB nightly and send to my NAS so I can lose hours instead of days. But, man, is this annoying - I have not tracked down the reason yet.
Graphs are just sort of...there. I do data viz at my job and use Highcharts (Domoticz' charting library) daily. The charts in Domoticz need a lot of work.I have started writing my own front end that calls data from the Domoticz API (as well as other APIs) for showing info in our house. Nothing crazy cool, but it will eventually work fine for me.
Which brings me to the point - there is no perfect controller. You need to find the one that is right for you.
-
I just now installed Domoticz on a different computer, and this time it all went without a hitch. No problem recognizing the serial gateway that's running on an nRF52832, and also no problem receiving from a sensor node (running on a different nRF52832). :)
I count it as a plus that Domoticz also has a LInux version, since Linux tends to be more stable than Windows for something that needs to be running constantly without downtime. So, I'll probably migrate my Domoticz to Linux after I get more familiar with it.
-
I have used Domoticz for about 2+ years. I like it a lot but wish for something...more.
Pros:
Quick setup for mysensors nodes
One-stop location for data storage and data presentation
Android app is very good
Customizable scripting options once you leave their scripting environment and use API values.Cons:
Event scripting (lua? really?) needs more advanced features.
Has interesting issue lately where if I lose power to the Pi I lose all data back to May 23 of this year. I have a cron job that backs up the DB nightly and send to my NAS so I can lose hours instead of days. But, man, is this annoying - I have not tracked down the reason yet.
Graphs are just sort of...there. I do data viz at my job and use Highcharts (Domoticz' charting library) daily. The charts in Domoticz need a lot of work.I have started writing my own front end that calls data from the Domoticz API (as well as other APIs) for showing info in our house. Nothing crazy cool, but it will eventually work fine for me.
Which brings me to the point - there is no perfect controller. You need to find the one that is right for you.
@wergeld said in Are folks here happy with Domoticz?:
Has interesting issue lately where if I lose power to the Pi I lose all data back to May 23 of this year. I have a cron job that backs up the DB nightly and send to my NAS so I can lose hours instead of days. But, man, is this annoying - I have not tracked down the reason yet.
You may want to consider using a Pi UPS, either for that reason or just in general. Lots of different ones available now--or simply make one yourself--which should allow enough time for an orderly shutdown. I would tend to favor one based on a supercap, for longevity sake, but maybe that's just me. Perhaps @ceech has something you could use that you might like. Ideally, of course, you want one with an auto-restart feature too, to resume after power is restored and your power source charges up (yet another reason to possibly prefer a supercap: charging speed).
-
@wergeld said in Are folks here happy with Domoticz?:
Has interesting issue lately where if I lose power to the Pi I lose all data back to May 23 of this year. I have a cron job that backs up the DB nightly and send to my NAS so I can lose hours instead of days. But, man, is this annoying - I have not tracked down the reason yet.
You may want to consider using a Pi UPS, either for that reason or just in general. Lots of different ones available now--or simply make one yourself--which should allow enough time for an orderly shutdown. I would tend to favor one based on a supercap, for longevity sake, but maybe that's just me. Perhaps @ceech has something you could use that you might like. Ideally, of course, you want one with an auto-restart feature too, to resume after power is restored and your power source charges up (yet another reason to possibly prefer a supercap: charging speed).
@NeverDie
Yes, I do have it on a UPS. What I meant is that if I power down the PI. I think the SD cards is toast on it. Nothing seems to be saved to disk - I made a cron job and saved it. But, after a reboot of the Pi the cron job was no longer there. Oh well.I have stated to mess with dashticz - looks promising but not ready for prime time. Documentation is thin, to say the least. Also, the config switch to use F instead of C works for the numeric value shown - but the suffix is still "C". Also, the culture set is using (for the US, anyway) the wrong thousands separator and decimal point characters. I can add in my Google Maps API key in the locations in the config (with my lat/lon) but it does not appear to "do" anything and I see nothing in the docs on what block or section I need to create to show the maps.
Still, I do like Domoticz.
