The openHAB Community has published the regular summer version 4.2 of the open source platform for smart home control. The focus is on mobile notifications, which are more comprehensive and clear in the current release.
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The release also has a template for the Semantic Smart Home model on board. In addition, the latest LTS release Java 21, published in autumn 2023, can now be used. In addition, like its predecessors since version 4.0, it continues to work with the previous LTS release Java 17.
More overview on your smartphone
Notifications on iOS and Android have gotten a big change. Under the hood, they now work with Google Firebase Messaging on both mobile operating systems, which, according to a blog post on the 4.2 release, improves the reliability of push notifications from cloud services and makes it easier to extend functions across platforms.
Above the actual message, the displayed notification can now display a custom title instead of the default text “OpenHAB”. The software can also include images or short video clips that match the event.
The notification shows the location as a title and an image from the surveillance camera next to the message.
(Image: OpenHAB)
There are also two new types of interactions. On the one hand, actions can be defined when clicking on a notification, for example displaying a page with extended information. On the other hand, you can define up to three action buttons to directly trigger commands such as opening a door or viewing a camera on site.
Low inheritance
The list of notifications should also be clearer in the current release. By default, the client now groups all similar notifications together, and notifications that have already been published can be deleted using rules or actions when they are no longer valid.
Anyone who builds openHAB scripts with JavaScript or JRuby will find additional APIs for extended information.
The Android version now has new notifications on board. There will soon be a completely revised version for iOS, as there were probably technical problems with the App Store identifiers. The previous app will remain available under openHAB v1, but will only receive security and critical bug fixes in the future.
For those curious who don’t want to wait for the new iOS app, it’s available via TestFlight.
Smart Home Templates
Also new are the Semantic Model Templates, which aim to make it easier for newcomers to create semantic models for smart homes. Three basic templates form the basis, which users supplement with appropriate rooms and objects.
openHAB 4.2 comes with templates for apartments as well as one- and two-story houses.
(Image: OpenHAB)
The release also includes a revision of the add-on store and an expansion of the add-on suggestions introduced in version 4.1. It is also notable that the settings UI for persistence data now has its own Persistence Settings menu instead of being hidden under Add-ons as before.
With openHAB 4.2 New add-ons appear for 23 additional devices,
Even more innovations can be achieved including writing rules with OpenHABION and Blockly in conjunction with Raspberry Pi can be found in the openHAB blog,
(RME)
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