[APP] Desktop Device

[Jero]

Desktop Device

Please note that this app might contain bugs since it’s fairly new and has limited users. Please report any issues you encounter here.

This app provides a way to create connection between your desktop and Homey to do various things. For it to work you need to have both the Homey app and the desktop app installed.

https://homey.app/a/nl.jwienk.desktop-device
https://github.com/jeroenwienk/homey-desktop-device/releases/latest

Features

• input events
• button events
• shortcuts events
• set a display value
• create a desktop notification
• open an url in the desktop’s default manner
• open a path in the desktop’s default manner
• run a CLI command

Desktop

source
There are multiple installer’s available for different operating systems. Visit the releases page to download the latest release. These installers might be marked as not trusted by the OS since I don’t have 500 euro’s lying around to get a certificate. It’s up to you to judge if you trust this software. Since the source is available you can even build it yourself if you want.

Make sure to accept any network permissions required by the desktop app else it won’t be able to do anything.

macOS
Desktop.Device.dmg
Windows
Desktop.Device-x.x.x.Setup.exe
Linux
desktop-device-x.x.x.deb
desktop-device-x.x.x.rpm

The desktop app consist of a main window where you can create triggers and an overlay window for displays which you can fill with Flows.

App

source
After installing and starting the desktop app you can install the Homey app. Follow the normal add device steps for Homey to add your desktop. If the connection is succesful you should see it in the desktop app at the top right corner.

Now it’s up to you what to do

Main Window

Overlay Window

Note: the settings button doesn’t do anything yet.

Examples

Shutting down my pc with a Windows shortcut with a button next to my bed

Forwarding Homey notifications

Toggle a light with a shortcut

Future plans

I’m not exactly sure yet where this whole app is going but some ideas I have are:

• Adding custom tray menu’s to the taskbar to add your own buttons
• Better display management (organize order/position/styling)

[Rocodamelshekima]

Very nice m8, thnx. Now ur favorite website is just 1 click away!

[Jero]

You forgot to open it on thursday.

[Rocodamelshekima]

I did it on mobile app so wasn’t in the log, sorry.

[TheOsirian]

Hmm, i cannot get it to work. The Homey app keeps telling me “Er zijn geen nieuwe apparaten gevonden.” while the desktop app is running and also allowed on the network. Could it be a closed port?

I’m not sure if i’ve got the right app, i would like something to be able to just check if my PC is online, so that a flow only starts when my PC is either on or off.

[Henk_Renting]

Only just came across this app/post, and it sounds very promising!
Do you think it would be possible to create a trigger when a Teams call or meetinf is received or initiated, @Jero?
That would be great!

[Jero]

Few questions:

• Are you sure your Homey is on the same network as the desktop?
• The discovery works via MDNS are you sure this is not blocked somewhere?
• Do you have issues with other Homey apps that use MDNS?
• Did you get any error at startup?

I dont think your use case will work with this app(yet) because the device is marked as unavaiable if it fails to find it via MDNS once added.

[Jero]

I dont see how to be honest. It seems unlikely Teams will broadcast some event when a meeting starts on OS level. What I use myself is just a date card with a set time since the meetings are always on the same time for me. The I open the browser with google meet opened so I can just click the meeting

So what makes more sense to me is some teams/calender Homey app that has a trigger on a meeting event that you use to open teams on your desktop.

[TheOsirian]

I got it to work, thank you. It seems that my PC was set to not discoverable, now it is and i can use your app.

[MarcoRuiter]

Love the app. One thing i never use but is not a manditory field … Maybee it could become manditory so one can save the flow when you dont need it.

Its under “Run a Command”
I’m starting batches to start dialing voip lines and pushing speech thru that.
Those take some time to complete.

The Card has a “output id” field.
I dont want any feedback. But the flow waits until the command on the pc is finished before it goes to the next card. I guess because its waiting for the filling of the output id.

So hope it can be manitory and when empty not used so homey just starts a run of the command and doesnt wait on it 2 complete.

[Jero]

Not sure what OS you are on but maybe you can run a detached command. I think on linux this is something like command &. Can also make a new Flow card that just runs a command without waiting for a result.

[Tiwas]

This is awesome! I was expecting to have to do some heavy cooking to get my monitor to turn off when I go to bed at night (49" inches of awesome picture when I’m working - but 49" of lighting from hell when I want to sleep ), but then I found this one! And being able to turn off my computer remotely when I go away is perfect

Anyone got any other cool stuff they use this for? I would love to see some recipes for ideas!

[Jero]

I’ve added a new option for buttons. They now have a checkbox allowing you to add them to the tray menu. It’s a bit basic at the moment but it should allow for some easy access.

Since this is also the first real update I’m curious if people are able to pick it up without too much hassle. There should be a text in the header of the app that indicates there is a new version available.