HS3 Pushover Plugin

[Guest]

Thanks for the lightning fast response! I have updated the plugin and the link works great now as a message URL.

[mrhappy]

Thanks for the lightning fast response! I have updated the plugin and the link works great now as a message URL.

Not entirely sure where and when I implemented it to start with so I'll just release the version with the latest amendment, if it does not work for anyone with this change let me know and I'll go back to putting some thought into it.

[noopara]

Why Pushover?

I try and keep my HS3 implementation simple with the minimum of moving parts. I've never used Pushover or anything like it. I understand that it doesn't use email or text messages. Why would someone use it instead of text messages with HS3?

I have been using text messages from my HS3 system for years because it requires little bandwidth and will work in a lot of places where there is no data connection. I have often found that text messages will come through even in areas where you can't make a phone call.

[mrhappy]

I try and keep my HS3 implementation simple with the minimum of moving parts. I've never used Pushover or anything like it. I understand that it doesn't use email or text messages. Why would someone use it instead of text messages with HS3?

I have been using text messages from my HS3 system for years because it requires little bandwidth and will work in a lot of places where there is no data connection. I have often found that text messages will come through even in areas where you can't make a phone call.

Different people will have their reasons for this, Email-SMS or HTTP-SMS solutions here in the UK are something not routinely offered by communication service providers. As there is a marketing (and potentially abuse) potential then third party providers have this as a business with them offering all sorts of solutions, this comes at a cost. I used to use one but it became a chore to keep topping up the credits (as well as obviously costing me money). As such there is no 'free' solution for this provided already here. I appreciate that is not the case elsewhere in the world.

Pushover adds additional functionality in terms of different message sounds (like I can tell instantly in my pocket whether someone has pressed the doorbell or the washer has finished), priority levels (IE an emergency priority message will go off until you acknowledge it), go to different users without the need for holding phone numbers etc. It can also be deployed on devices like iPads which may not necessarily have mobile data access. Having to go into my text messages list every time I had a message would annoy me - they are all contained in an app with Pushover.

I find it relatively rare to be without 3G/4G reception and still be in receipt of 2G service. As such me using push messaging is going to be probably as reliable as SMS although I appreciate there are more things involved with a push messaging service which can go wrong.

It is perhaps not for everyone but for a number of reasons SMS just does not suit me.

[Ltek]

Different people will have their reasons for this, Email-SMS or HTTP-SMS solutions here in the UK are something not routinely offered by communication service providers. As there is a marketing (and potentially abuse) potential then third party providers have this as a business with them offering all sorts of solutions, this comes at a cost. I used to use one but it became a chore to keep topping up the credits (as well as obviously costing me money). As such there is no 'free' solution for this provided already here. I appreciate that is not the case elsewhere in the world.

Pushover adds additional functionality in terms of different message sounds (like I can tell instantly in my pocket whether someone has pressed the doorbell or the washer has finished), priority levels (IE an emergency priority message will go off until you acknowledge it), go to different users without the need for holding phone numbers etc. It can also be deployed on devices like iPads which may not necessarily have mobile data access. Having to go into my text messages list every time I had a message would annoy me - they are all contained in an app with Pushover.

I find it relatively rare to be without 3G/4G reception and still be in receipt of 2G service. As such me using push messaging is going to be probably as reliable as SMS although I appreciate there are more things involved with a push messaging service which can go wrong.

It is perhaps not for everyone but for a number of reasons SMS just does not suit me.

I agree with mrhappy - except that having AT&T in the US, I often have phone service and no 3/4g .. yes, cuz AT&T SUX

This plugin REALLY helps those of us moving from Vera because the HS3 notification system is crap. Once you drive a Lexus, you don't want to drive a Chevy kinda thing.

Notifications in Vera were better in every way natively (we could set notifications directly on any Devices, any Scene (event), and with a $5 plugin you could customize the HELLOO out of it.

I had different phone audio notifications for doors opening, house mode setting, occupancy / proximity, motion sensors, etc... and could make the sound different (for EACH notification) based on the House Mode, time of day, etc.

I've found nothing in HS3 that compare and suspect even if you can do the same stuff through hundreds of event - the level of work would be like the difference between walking barefoot in winter, from LA to NYC vs Flying there in a 747. Maybe extending the Pushover script could fill the void?

[noopara]

OK, thanks for the information. It makes sense to use it if texting is a cost issue or performance issue. Here in the US texting works better than phone or Internet connections and in more locations and is cheap to use. It uses so little bandwidth that I think the phone providers would rather you use it than any thing else which is why it's cheap.

The feature of a different sound for certain notifications is a good idea. Here in the US and Canada there are a lot of locations where phone service is poor or non existent but texting works. I travel a lot in an RV which takes me to a lot of these locations. Text messages are more reliable than anything else when it comes to phone service. I think I will look into an app for my phone that will serve up a different sound based on the subject or content of the text message. There seems to be some apps that claim that they do that.

[mrhappy]

I agree with mrhappy - except that having AT&T in the US, I often have phone service and no 3/4g .. yes, cuz AT&T SUX

This plugin REALLY helps those of us moving from Vera because the HS3 notification system is crap. Once you drive a Lexus, you don't want to drive a Chevy kinda thing.

Notifications in Vera were better in every way natively (we could set notifications directly on any Devices, any Scene (event), and with a $5 plugin you could customize the HELLOO out of it.

I had different phone audio notifications for doors opening, house mode setting, occupancy / proximity, motion sensors, etc... and could make the sound different (for EACH notification) based on the House Mode, time of day, etc.

I've found nothing in HS3 that compare and suspect even if you can do the same stuff through hundreds of event - the level of work would be like the difference between walking barefoot in winter, from LA to NYC vs Flying there in a 747. Maybe extending the Pushover script could fill the void?

I made the suggestion when HS3 was coming out that the condition for events could have a place also attached to the event actions (like a nested if..then). This would make things like this somewhat easier, unfortunately without this it becomes a fair bit more difficult to have actions that change say the sound of the message depending on another condition.

You can use the scripting method exposed to write a script that checked a device and sent a message with a different parameter depending on a factor (that option already exists) however you then are reliant on editing the scripts if you need to change the message.

[Ltek]

@mrhappy
I didnt see this in the documentation... can we use system variables like $$DSR:<refID>

?

I'd like to have 1 event, per chosen device(s), that will pass the device status text.

thx!

[Ltek]

@mrhappy
I didnt see this in the documentation... can we use system variables like $$DSR:<refID>

?

I'd like to have 1 event, per chosen device(s), that will pass the device status text.

thx!

Just tested, looks like it works

[mrhappy]

Just tested, looks like it works

Yes it should work, only in three fields IIRC without checking the code, message title, message body and the URL. Supports the HS standard variables and also a couple of custom ones that are detailed in the help file.

[Ltek]

@MrHappy
Small / Easy feature request... can you add an option inside the Event Condition to 'disable' that message from sending?

Two reasons I ask for this...

1. While developing my event system, I have used your plugin extensively. Both for long-term use notifications and for troubleshooting-type notifications. I'd like to turn off the later without removing them, in case they are needed later.

2. Since there is no HS3 feature to add Comments to Events (huge gap IMO) your plugin can fill this gap nicely

thank you for considering, and for the REALLY useful plugin.

[randy]

@MrHappy
Small / Easy feature request... can you add an option inside the Event Condition to 'disable' that message from sending?

Two reasons I ask for this...

1. While developing my event system, I have used your plugin extensively. Both for long-term use notifications and for troubleshooting-type notifications. I'd like to turn off the later without removing them, in case they are needed later.

2. Since there is no HS3 feature to add Comments to Events (huge gap IMO) your plugin can fill this gap nicely

thank you for considering, and for the REALLY useful plugin.

https://forums.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=173363

There has always been a place to add comments to events, no gap. Look at post #3
https://forums.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=171892

[Ltek]

https://forums.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=173363

There has always been a place to add comments to events, no gap. Look at post #3
https://forums.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=171892

Thank you, much appreciated.

I have done several different worded searches for 'event comment' and never saw anything in the Wiki or your post. I thought it was strange that if it didnt exist. Would really like to see a 'Note' section on each line abd the ability to show/hide it inline with the event.

I forgot about the Never option, I never (haha) used it so didnt know really what it did. Very odd (not intuitive) naming structure for an inline comment. Should be simply named "disabled"

[Guest]

is there a way to send a notification to pushover when hs3 crash?

[mrhappy]

is there a way to send a notification to pushover when hs3 crash?

There is but it is outside of the scope of this plugin and I already have my solution to that problem, if HS crashed then there is no guarantee that the plugin would continue to run (it might continue, it might not) to enable the message to be sent. You would need to create and run an application outside of HS and watch whether or not you could communicate with HS (suggestive of it running or not), if not then you send the message through the Pushover API.