Pilot: Home Automation Control (iOS app)

[patoo77]

Hi everyone,

Please let me introduce a new iOS app to control your Domoticz Home Automation System.

It is called Pilot: Home Automation Control, and is available for free on the App Store: App Store Link

The free version lets you:

• Control your whole Domoticz installation (switches, scenes, utilities, temperatures, etc.)
• See all your connected devices, and all your favorites in one place

You can also get full control with an in-app purchase. It lets you:

• trigger an event based on your phone's location. It can be setup in a few clicks, it is really easy and works just fine on iOS 7.1 without draining your battery that much. Tutorial here.
• Control your dim-able switches
• Be notified when leaving/getting home
• See your device graphs
• Use the security panel

I would really appreciate your feedback, so please don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it!

[BETA/TRANSLATION]
Want to be a beta-tester?
Want to help translate Pilot?
PM or send me an email. [email protected]

[TUTORIALS]
For those interested to know how to use the app location services, I created a tutorial that guides you through all the steps. It is available here: http://pilot.patrickferreira.com/domoti ... on-iphone/

For those interested in PUSH notifications, I also created a tutorial, available here:
http://pilot.patrickferreira.com/tutori ... ions-push/

Want to use Siri with Pilot? Check this out:
https://pilot.patrickferreira.com/creat ... nd-jeedom/


[CHANGELOG]
V2.4

• iOS 12 support
• Siri shortcuts

V2.3

• Face ID supprt
• Works with Jeedom
• Apple Watch: All devices

V2.2

• iOS 11 compatibility
• Huge performance boost
• Search fields

V2.1

• New widget: Scenes
• Revamped Apple Watch app! Get fast access to your favorites and scenes, directly from your wrist
• User permissions set in Domoticz are now correctly used by Pilot
• User variables support
• Polish translation

V2.0

• Passcode & Touch ID
• Apple Watch version

V1.9

• iOS 10 compatibility
• Server logs support
• Some previously premium features are now free
• Light ads now included in the free version

Spoiler: show

V1.8

• iPad support
• Interface tweaks
• iBeacon support
• Selector switches
• Notifications: send a push notification to more than one device
• SecPanel: keep open after entering password

V1.7
4 new features for the full version:

• Graphs
• Revamped swipe for dimmers
• Security panel support
• Turn a device into a favorite directly from Pilot

And for everyone:

• 3D Touch shortcut on the homescreen
• A revamped switch status display
• Counter today support
• Protected switch support

V1.6.0
4 new big features for the full version:

• Multiple geofencing locations!
• Multiple servers!!
• A notification center widget for your favorites!!!
• Cameras support!!!! (Domoticz only)

But that is not all! You can also enjoy:

• A better swipe performance overall
• A simplified swipe interface for your dimmers
• You can Inverting the on/off switch on geofencing
• Custom enter/leave notifications
• Dutch, Swedish, German localization

And for everyone:

• Better display for "On" devices
• Separate SSL local setting

V1.5.0
New features for the full version:

• Push notifications (Domoticz)
• Full thermostat support
• Location services improvements

And for everyone:

• Thermostat temperatures
• Zibase works again
• App won't crash anymore after getting the full version
• English is back!
• Many, many, many, many bug fixes

V1.3.1

• You can now define local and remote server settings
• Native interface for iPhone 6 and 6+

V1.3.0
New features for the full version:

• Regroup your devices by room. Pilot fully implement the Domoticz roomplans system!
• New home screen lets you filter your devices by category

And for the free version:

• The "Login page" authentication system works again!
• You can now use self-signed SSL certificates

V1.2.2

• Fixes all the iOS 8 related bugs

V1.2.1

• iOS 8 support
• Servers using IP whitelisting should now work properly

V1.2.0

• A brand new slider lets you control your home location radius
• Lots of minor tweaks to improve performance and readability
• To all Zibase users, Pilot now lets you use your Zibase home automation system!

V1.1.0
New features for the full version:

• You can now control your dim-able switches with a single swipe!
• Reorder all your devices!
• Be notified when you leave and get home!
• Your home location will now be displayed on a beautiful map!

And for the free version:

• You can now control all your Domoticz devices: switches, scenes, temperature, weather, utilities.
• Pilot now remembers your last open screen: « Favorite » or « All »
• Your server is not accessible anymore? Pilot will now let you know about it.
• Many little tweaks to make the interface easier to navigate

V1.0.1

• Adds support for iOS 7.0
• Connection to SSL servers should now be fixed!
• Other bug fixes

[Dynamic]

Looks very nice, working smooth. But: i can't set the level and temp devices can be switched on and off?

And it would be cool to be able 2 server adresses (1 internal and 1 external). Based on the GPS location and/or connected wifi-network, the app should connect to the right server?

[patoo77]

Looks very nice, working smooth. But: i can't set the level and temp devices can be switched on and off?

And it would be cool to be able 2 server adresses (1 internal and 1 external). Based on the GPS location and/or connected wifi-network, the app should connect to the right server?

Thanks for your feedback
Indeed, in the current version you can't set a dim-able light to a certain level.
I am looking for a simple and efficient way to implement it. That is why I preferred not to ship in first version. It should be implemented in a future version though!

As for multi-server connection, I also have it in mind, however I would like to make the app work perfectly for one server before going multi.

[Dynamic]

Will there be a iPad-version too? Because the interface is really 'clean', it's a good app to put on a tablet on my wall....

Just some ideas for further versions:

• Grouping / ordering devices
• Is a device 'on'? Make the text "on" then bold or another color. You can easily check what devices are currently on.
• Multiple geofencing-locations (for example: 'at work' )
• Graphs (energy consumption/temperature)

[patoo77]

Will there be a iPad-version too? Because the interface is really 'clean', it's a good app to put on a tablet on my wall....

Just some ideas for further versions:

• Grouping / ordering devices
• Is a device 'on'? Make the text "on" then bold or another color. You can easily check what devices are currently on.
• Multiple geofencing-locations (for example: 'at work' )
• Graphs (energy consumption/temperature)

Well you can "already" use it on an iPad. It will look supersized, but should still work. For a proper iPad version, you'll have to wait.
Thanks for those ideas, I actually had thought about most of them (among many others). This version is only a V1, I hope to improve it over time thanks to everyone's feedback.

[HoLeeShiet]

Looks good. Is it possible to add camera support ? Something like the Homewizard app

[bing69]

Looks nice but...hè needs iOS 7.1....

[patoo77]

Looks good. Is it possible to add camera support ? Something like the Homewizard app

To be honest, I don't have a camera to test it out, so it would take some time to get implemented. Can you show me how HomeWizard displays camera equipment?

Looks nice but...hè needs iOS 7.1....

Well, I decided to require iOS 7.1 because location services work best on the latest version of iOS.
However, that is the only feature that requires iOS 7.1. I will try submitting a new version soon to make it available on older versions too.

Can you tell me what version of iOS you're on?

[HoLeeShiet]

Homewizard app with camera support looks like this: https://www.google.nl/search?tbs=sbi:AM ... cLBxHho49X

[bing69]

Looks good. Is it possible to add camera support ? Something like the Homewizard app

To be honest, I don't have a camera to test it out, so it would take some time to get implemented. Can you show me how HomeWizard displays camera equipment?

Looks nice but...hè needs iOS 7.1....

Well, I decided to require iOS 7.1 because location services work best on the latest version of iOS.
However, that is the only feature that requires iOS 7.1. I will try submitting a new version soon to make it available on older versions too.

Can you tell me what version of iOS you're on?

i use a iphone 5s with 7.1 and a ipad 3 with 7.06 and on the wall special for domoticz a ipad1 with 5.1.1

[gerlo]

It forget's the ssl setting. I have to put it on frequently..
Also would be nice to start with the favorite

[patoo77]

Homewizard app with camera support looks like this: https://www.google.nl/search?tbs=sbi:AM ... cLBxHho49X

Thanks! To be honest it looks like it would take some time to implement, and I'm not sure is is technically possible. I will check though.

It forget's the ssl setting. I have to put it on frequently..
Also would be nice to start with the favorite

Version 1.0.1 (currently in review by Apple) fixes the SSL issue. However, please note that it will still not work with self-signed certificates, for obvious security reasons...

As for starting with favorite (and better handling all your devices : ordering, grouping, setting favorite), it will all come in a future version of Pilot (most probably version 1.1).

Thanks for your feedback

i use a iphone 5s with 7.1 and a ipad 3 with 7.06 and on the wall special for domoticz a ipad1 with 5.1.1

Version 1.0.1 (currently in review by Apple) brings supports for iOS 7.0.
For older versions, you will have to wait some more, as I don't have any way (right now) to test my app on older devices.

[gerlo]

Thanks for the ssl fix! I have my own certificate , not self signed.

[dhanjel]

Looks really nice! Looking forward on a iPad version as well!

[patoo77]

I didn't expect so much praise for a proper iPad app
Guess I will have to start thinking about it. It is quite a challenge though, making an iPad would require much design work.


Anyway, I created a tutorial for those interested in creating a Domoticz event that detects when your iPhone gets home, and when it leaves home.
For example, I set it up in my home so it closes/opens my blinds automatically whenever I get and leave home. So much fun

Here is the link: http://pilot.patrickferreira.com/domoti ... on-iphone/

[HoLeeShiet]

@patoo77, nice tutorial. How much battery will it drain when using this feature?

[bing69]

is it possible to create favorite default if the app started??

[patoo77]

@patoo77, nice tutorial. How much battery will it drain when using this feature?

Thanks! Happy it's useful to at least one person
As for battery drain, not a lot. I can't tell you very precisely, but I have been using Pilot and the location service on my iPhone 5S for over a month without a noticeable decrease in battery. I think it should drain a bit more battery on older devices, but not by a lot. I wish I had the time and the tools to benchmark it. :/

is it possible to create favorite default if the app started??

It will be possible in version 1.1, which is scheduled for september and will bring many other features!

[pvm]

Nice app. How to add items to favorites? And indeed starting With favorites would be nice. On ipad it would be nice to have tabs for scenes, weather, util, things like that (sorting items)

[patoo77]

Nice app. How to add items to favorites? And indeed starting With favorites would be nice. On ipad it would be nice to have tabs for scenes, weather, util, things like that (sorting items)

The only way to add a device to your favorites is through the Domoticz control panel, and clicking the "star" icon on your equipment. It is not yet possible to add favorites through the app.


The use case for an iPad version is not the same at all.
I think most people would use their iPad at home, and their iPhone on the go, or to do things very quickly. Hence, the kind of control needed for each version is quite different and requires lots of design work. But yeah, we will get there