Automate my Home

[gamerx365]

Hey guys, its been about a decade since I was active on this forum lol but i came back on a quest here. I dont know how I started this project, but this is where I am now.
So I'm trying to automate events when I come home. Have tv on something I enjoy, wake my computer from sleep and start a video game, lights on, etc. Right now I have a pretty big mix of applications and services to do what I'm doing.
-I trigger Google or Alexa, she sends a text from myself, to myself.
-Tasker(android) receives that message and sends a WakeOnLan packet to my computer.
-She turns on my smart lights and plugs
-[Alexa waits 4 minutes/google counts to 30, eight times].
-Then I have her use TriggerCMD(with IFTTT) to start a batch file i made to
   A. Trigger a second .BAT to timeout and close the.   
        BlueStacks App
   B. Start a RokuRemote app in Bluestacks on my computer. - BlueStacks has a macro set to  run on startup, this turns on the TV, selects channels>Hulu>User>search>'futurama', selects it and resumes last episode.
-I have trigger command run a .BAT to start a retro emulator in fullscreen

And thats about it right now. Its getting to be a lot and I almost can't remember what app does what. Is there a way I can have my assistant just send script to the pc to run a .BAT and everything runs off that instead of using a lot of these apps I dont need? Would I be able to communicate back from the computer to Google and Alexa?(i use both)  and this is hardware, but could I get like, an IR blaster and send signals to the TV/camcorder webcam/color changing lights/etc?
Thanks so much you guys rock.

[gamerx365]

I don't know how i missed this option, but I guess i already have a way to open a .BAT on the PC, im using triggerCMD. I'll just make one Batch that runs the other batches. So that answers one of my questions. I need the batch to do the automation probably and send commands to the Assistant, echo dot in this case because i keep her on my desk. Google doesn't have a pause function so I need the timing done by cmd prompt. If I can't send signal, I could figure a way to turn on a pc-connected speaker and start a recording of my saying "alexa turn on lights" I guess.
And i thought of an additional question, could I use WINE(android) or some sort of emulator/VM to run all this on an android phone set up on my desk? Maybe look into an inexpensive mini-pc or PC stick for that? I'm kind of wanting something with low power consumption i can leave on all the time, but also able to run my ipcams/webcams through editing software and stream it over LAN at least to my main rig.

Pic 4 Attention

[gamerx365]

I'm dumb for asking lol. Pretty much figured it all out and more. If anyone is interested, its pretty much all done by an app called Tasker. You can easily automate pretty much anything, especially with all of its plugins. Like $3.50 on the play store.
The Roku buttons can all be done with HTTP POST with a few HTTP GET for bonus functionality.
I linked Tasker (using AutoRemote plugin) to EventGhost on the PC side for a anything i need automated there.

[strollin]

That's cool that you were able to do what you wanted.  I have a few things setup to be controlled by Alexa but I wouldn't want to go to the extreme you did.  For instance, I can't see the value of having the TV turned on and set to a specific channel when I come home, mainly because when I come home I don't immediately turn on the TV and start watching.  I don't have a set routine and stuff you are talking about requires a specific set of actions to occur. 

My home automation is pretty basic, I can control my Roku (to a point) via Alexa, I can access my car to remote start it (tested this but never use it), I can open/close my garage door, and I can turn porch light on/off (I mainly did this because the kids would leave the porch light on all night).

A buddy of mine gave me some modules that you plug lights or whatever into and then you can control them via Alexa.  I had those modules for over a year before I finally found a use for one of them.  I have a light on my 3D printer that I can turn on/off.  I have a camera pointed at the printer and can view my current print's progress remotely.  The problem is that at night, it's dark in the room so I can tell Alexa to turn the light on so I can see, then turn it off again.

I recently retired as a robotic automation consultant but really don't have a desire to automate my home beyond what I have now.

The problem with most automation is that it is rule based, meaning that it requires an exact set of rules for it to determine what to do in a given situation.  However, with AI quickly coming on the scene, we will be able to create much smarter automation.  Getting closer to robots becoming self-aware.

[patio]

Skynet...

[gamerx365]

Ahhh its my old pal Patio.
Skynet is what I used to watch the star wars thing in cmd back in the day no? Never used it otherwise, will have to look it up. Ty and hope you've been well.

Strollin, do you have a wifi connected garage door or some kind of IR blaster? I still want to look into those some more but im not finding a lot of information for USB connected blasters, aside from one arduino video i watched.
I also need to find a couple more wifi plugs, I have a lamp in one but I'd like my powered USB hub on a second. (I could turn on and off my midi keyboards, microphones, and some of the cameras remotely.

I'd like to make my roku commands run a little smoother as well. Right now its all HTTP POST.
1)192.168.1.10:8060/launch/11?contentID="Futurama"&mediaType=series
(This doesn't pull up futurama, which would be nice, but it does bypass the user selection screen for me)
2)192.168.1.10:8060/keypress/Up
3)192.168.1.10:8060/keypress/Left
4)etc
(Just getting to the search input)
5)192.168.1.10:8060/keypress/Lit_F
6)etc etc (input futurama)
7)etc resume last episode
If there's anyway to find out the content ID and make it launch as a hulu parameter maybe, I'd like to know that. That way I could replace futurama with a variable and be able to input what I want to watch without hard coding each show i might view often. Maybe make that input variable a voice command from my phone if im already watching and want to change it.

Was getting pretty into the tasker app, started on an interface to keep all my controls in one place. I can export as standalone apps, but everything is specific to me. It'd be nice to eventually learn the android language a little bit (not sure what it is, shell, python? I've worked with both trying to get this running.) Maybe be able to to make options for other setups. I know I have at least one good idea for a very simple app that a lot of people I know would use. It's a button that stays in your phone notifications, you can pull down and click "yes" instead of frantically looking for your remote at 3am when netflix is asking if you're still binge watching.

[strollin]

...
Strollin, do you have a wifi connected garage door or some kind of IR blaster? I still want to look into those some more but im not finding a lot of information for USB connected blasters, aside from one arduino video i watched.  ...

I have a wifi connected module, similar to a lamp on/off module.  However, there's also a sensor so the module can tell if the garage door is currently open or closed.  If you just add an on/off module then you could open/close the garage door but you'd have no way of knowing what the current state of the door is.

[patio]

Doin well Gamer...thanx for askin...