Linking Multiple HS4 Installations.

[The-True-Fang]

I have one Google Account and two HS4 installations on two different machines in two different houses in two different states. I got into HS4 after we were all abandoned by Insteon.

I now have two HS4 installations each with the Insteon Plugin. Both the HS4 installations are on the same MyHS account. I linked that account to Google Home yet only the devices for one of the HS4 installations appears in Google Home. I'd like the devices of both HS4 installations to appear in Google Home. How do you do that?

Now this next part is a little tricky. I've been doing experimentation with both the Insteon Plugin groups, HS4 Events and Google Home routines none of which gets me what I'm looking for like the Insteon cloud did. Back in the Insteon day if you created a "scene" it appeared as a device in Google Home. If you had more than one hub in separate locations all devices and scenes were seen by Google Home.
If you create Insteon Groups they do appear in the HS4 device list but they all simply say "Group Controller". So you don't know which is which. Not very useful in the HS4 apps but they do appear in Google Home as devices with the proper name but for only one installation.
If you create events in HS4 you can easily use them in HS4 and they can be used as dashboard widgets in the HomeSeer app. However, Google does not see them at all.
If you create a Google Home Routine you can only do so for one HS4 installation per account (as far as I can see). Those routines are not available in HS4 (for obvious reasons).

What I'm looking to do is to create something that can control multiple devices that can be seen and used in the HomeSeer app, HS4 web page and Google Home without creating multiple occurrences of the same group, event, routine so that each interface and see and interact with it.
Has anyone accomplished that?

[mrceolla]

What I'm looking to do is to create something that can control multiple devices that can be seen and used in the HomeSeer app, HS4 web page and Google Home without creating multiple occurrences of the same group, event, routine so that each interface and see and interact with it.
Has anyone accomplished that?

I'm an Insteon and Google Home user. The part I quoted is definitely possible. I do this. The single Group device is controllable in all 3 of those locations you mentioned.

The part I'm unsure of is getting both Homes' devices to appear in Google Home. Do you have two home locations within the Google Home app? Or are you trying to get both homes' devices to appear as if they are all in one home within the app? Does that make sense?

I can't help you with the naming as I haven't upgraded my Insteon plugin yet. Note in HS4 there is a concept of Root device and Feature device. I believe all HS4-created devices will have 1 root device, and 1 or more feature devices. Could you be overlooking the non-root name?

I also cannot help with the event question as I do not make use of HomeSeer events within Google Home. I've read that it should work, though. I prefer to create virtual devices which I turn on and off via Google Home, and then events that act on that. If I want to say something other than "Turn on ___" or "Turn off ____" I'll create a routine.

[The-True-Fang]

I have two homes, each with their own HS4 software package and Insteon plugin running on their own PC that acts as a file, virtual server so they are on 24/7.
I only have one home in Google Home as I'm not aware of a way to add a second home.

I am trying to get both HS4 systems to show in 1 account as it did with the Insteon cloud. Both HS4 systems are connected through the same MyHS account. This is similar to what I had when we were all on the Insteon cloud. There, I had a hub in each house but on one account. When I linked that one Insteon account to Google Home I saw all the devices in both houses. Such is not the case when you link your MyHS account.

[SteveW]

This is actually a Google Home question, not a HST question.

Assumptions: you have two locations, each location has some home automation stuff (or anything else you can control with Google Assistant/Home), and optionally, you have at least one Google/Nest smart speaker or hub at each location.

You need a separate Google/Gmail account for each location (home). Let's call them Home A and Home B, and assume Home A is the primary. I assume Home A already is linked via the Google Assistant smart home skill to its HS4 installation.

Set up a Gmail account for Home B, and add (assign) a Google/Nest speaker or hub if you have them. Install the HomeSeer service on Google Home signed into Home B's Gmail account and get it synced up. Confirm you can control devices from that Gmail account. You'll need to add Home B's account to your smartphone (so you can use both accounts on the same phone).

On the Google Home app for Home B, go to Settings (the gear cog) and tap "Household". Tap "+ Invite person", and invite Home A's gmail account. Accept the invitation on Home A's account. You should now be able to control both homes from Home A's Gmail account.

[The-True-Fang]

Actually I don't use a Google Smart Hub. I just use my PC or phone to issue commands.
You're right, I could use a guest Google account. However it seems like a lot of messing around when the HS4 installation use the same MyHS account. Since I'm linking Google Home to the MyHS account and not a specific HS4 installation then I don't see why both don't show, as it did when the Insteon cloud was in action.

[SteveW]

OK, so don't use a hub.

I do know that you can have more than one "Home" (location) on one Google Home app; either another home you are invited to join, or a second home you create (add). I also know that I can control some non-HS devices (specifically, the other home's separate TP Link Kasa account devices), from my Home app. For example, my second home location has a device with a unique name (a name different from any in my first house). I can tell Google Home to control that device, while signed into my own Google account in my primary home, with a different Kasa account. So, this seems to be a limitation of HS, not Home.

My guess is that the HomeSeer service for Google Home can only control the primary license on your MYHS account. You'll have to open a ticket with HST and ask them about it. If that's true, then you might have to move the second license to a separate MYHS account.

[The-True-Fang]

I wasn't aware that Google Home could have a second home. I'll look into that and see if I can make that work with MyHS.

[Daniel Meyers]

This is actually a Google Home question, not a HST question.

Assumptions: you have two locations, each location has some home automation stuff (or anything else you can control with Google Assistant/Home), and optionally, you have at least one Google/Nest smart speaker or hub at each location.

You need a separate Google/Gmail account for each location (home). Let's call them Home A and Home B, and assume Home A is the primary. I assume Home A already is linked via the Google Assistant smart home skill to its HS4 installation.

Set up a Gmail account for Home B, and add (assign) a Google/Nest speaker or hub if you have them. Install the HomeSeer service on Google Home signed into Home B's Gmail account and get it synced up. Confirm you can control devices from that Gmail account and write my english paper for me at https://writemypapers4me.net/. You'll need to add Home B's account to your smartphone (so you can use both accounts on the same phone).

On the Google Home app for Home B, go to Settings (the gear cog) and tap "Household". Tap "+ Invite person", and invite Home A's gmail account. Accept the invitation on Home A's account. You should now be able to control both homes from Home A's Gmail account.

This is very good advice, but what to do if, for example, my phone number is already linked two Google/Gmail accounts and a recent attempt to link a third Google/Gmail account was unsuccessful. What to do in this case? Maybe you have any ideas (I would not like to linked the phone number of relatives)