Hi everyone,
We have about 12 devices, -“Sonoff Basic WiFi Wireless Switch”.
They are scattered all over the factory.
We have two supervisors who have the eWelink app on their SmartPhones. Works very well. The devices control boilers, pumps and fans etc…
Sometimes the maintenance team needs to also turn OFF the boiler and then a supervisor is busy and we do not want to load the eWelink app on their private smart phones.
We thought of a desktop application that could send an API request to an eWelink server/host?
Is this possible?
Is it possible to still have the eWelink app working for the Supervisors, who need afterhours access, but also have a Windows Desktop application to send an API request to turn something OFF or ON or get the STATUS?
We have developed software to integrate with several JSON api services in the past. So the JSON post should not be a roadblock.
You may want to use eWeLink Web. It offers eWeLink CAST, a feature that allows you to set dashboards of your devices and scenes. You can set an access PIN to prevent unwanted dashboard switching.
Another option is to buy a raspberry Pi 4 an SSD and uninstall Home Assistant with the Sonoff integration. This could also be done with the Sonoff iHost. The advantage is that both these systems work locally assuming your Sonoff Basic have a LAN mode. Ask whoever installed the devices to look in the device settings. I think the older Basic R1 did not but the R2 onward does. In the case of Home Assistant it serves webpages locally and you can have Admin or User accounts for everyone. In the case of the iHost the administrator can set each person a local ‘dashboard’, to the limit of 10, instead of the Advanced Plan’s 5. You can share dashboards between people though. Having 1 each makes it easier to keep logs of who did what (if that matters). The Raspberry Pi 4 and home assistant way is more flexible but the iHost way is easier. Both ways mean you only need the local internet to be working (if the Basics are R2+, which they probably are as R2 is quite old).
If I have understood correctly, they also want access from outside the local network. So the Home Assistant solution, while good, is not for them. It will be overly complicated. At least at this stage. In addition, your proposal requires investment in hardware. Let them mature into such a step themselves
Note that factory process management should be strictly controlled. When many people gain full access, an accident may occur when someone turns off the device for service purposes and another person turns it on thinking that it should now work. If an accident occurs, the person who created the remote control system and did not ensure its proper security will always be responsible…
If they installed a Home Assistant they could divide people into admin and users whilst allowing local control and logs. I think the iHost would also keep logs and you could allow people to only control devices that are relevant to them. That is a weakness of Home Assistant, although each person could have page of devices for them they could use other things if they try. With two administrators currently they already deal with the problem you mention somehow.
