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Room control

Integrates a vast array of smart hardware, customizes control panels and scenes, and enables one-click intelligent management of the conference room environment.

VCA's room control feature integrates with the powerful open-source home automation platform Home Assistant to allow you to conveniently manage and control various smart hardware devices within the conference room, such as lights, curtains, air conditioning, and display equipment, using the Controller tablet. It also enables the execution of preset smart scenes.

This feature relies on a properly deployed and configured Home Assistant system. VCA serves as a bridge, displaying the control views you've meticulously designed in Home Assistant on the Controller, making operation easy.

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Prerequisites and Preparation

1

Deploy Home Assistant OS

  • You will need a Home Assistant Green hardware device, or to deploy and run Home Assistant OS on a server/virtual machine within your local network.

  • Ensure your Home Assistant system is running normally and can be accessed over the network.

2

Install the kiosk-mode Plugin

For the plugin and installation instructions, please visit: https://github.com/NemesisRE/kiosk-mode

3

Install the ha_rest_api Extension

Execute the following command in the custom_components folder within your Home Assistant configuration directory:

git clone https://github.com/vcaapp/ha_rest_api.git

Add the following configuration on a new line in your Home Assistant's configuration.yaml file:

ha_rest_api:
4

Verify Installation

Restart Home Assistant, and the extension will load automatically.

5

Configure Smart Devices and Control Views in Home Assistant

  • Add and Configure Smart Hardware: In your Home Assistant system, add and configure all conference room smart hardware devices you wish to control via VCA.

  • Design Control Views: In Home Assistant, create one or more control views specifically for conference room control. Within this view, you can customize the layout and add various device control cards (e.g., light switches, brightness sliders, curtain controls, air conditioning controls, scene buttons).

  • Create a Long-Lived Access Token: In Home Assistant's user configuration, create a long-lived access token. Be sure to copy and securely store this token, as it will be needed later when configuring VCA Host.

Important: For detailed steps on how to install Home Assistant OS, add hardware devices, design Dashboards, and create access tokens, please refer to the Home Assistant Official Documentation (https://www.home-assistant.io/docs/). VCA's help documentation does not cover the configuration details of the Home Assistant system.

Configure Home Assistant Integration in Host

After completing the preparation on the Home Assistant side, you need to perform the following configurations in the VCA Host software to associate your Home Assistant system:

1

Access Room Control Settings

  • In the Host software's main interface, or through its system tray/menu bar icon, go to "Settings".

  • In the Settings interface's left navigation bar, select "Room Control".

  • If no control views are associated, the page will display the message: "You have not associated any control views."

2

Associate Control Views

  • Click the page middle or upper-right "Associate Control View" button.

  • The "Associate Control View" window will pop up.

3

Enter Home Assistant Server Information

  • In the pop-up window:

    • URL: Enter the complete URL address of your Home Assistant server. The default is usually http://homeassistant.local:8123, but if your Home Assistant is deployed at a different address or port, be sure to enter the correct address. The system will prompt "Ensure there is only one Home Assistant on the local network" to avoid conflicts and automatic discovery of Home Assistant.

    • Access Token: Paste the long-lived access token you created and saved earlier in Home Assistant.

  • Click the "Connect" button.

4

Select and Associate Control Views

  • If VCA Host successfully connects to your Home Assistant server:

    • The system may first prompt "Control view has been associated" and advise "Please go to Home Assistant to complete the design of the control view". If you have already designed your control view, click "Continue".

    • Next, the "Select Control View" window will appear.

    • From the "Control View" drop-down menu, select the specific control view you designed for this conference room in Home Assistant.

    • Click the "Associate" button to complete the association.

5

View and Manage Associated Views

  • After successful association, the Host's "Room Control" settings page will directly display the Home Assistant control view you selected.

  • You can click the "Control View" drop-down menu in the upper-right corner of the page for subsequent management:

    • Design Control View: This option may attempt to open your Home Assistant interface, making it convenient for you to adjust the view design.

    • Home Assistant Observer: Used to view the running status of the Home Assistant service.

    • Edit Control View: Allows you to re-select or change the associated Home Assistant control view.

    • Unlink Control View: Disconnects the Host from the current Home Assistant control view.

Use Room Control on the Controller

After configuration is complete, you can use the Controller tablet to operate the conference room's smart devices. The way the Controller is used depends on its role mode defined during initial pairing or setup.

  • Typical Deployment and Use: Usually placed on the conference table, making it convenient for participants to adjust the room environment anytime during the meeting without getting up.

  • Operation Steps:

    • In the Controller app's main interface, click the "Room Control" tab on the left navigation bar.

    • The interface will fully display the associated Home Assistant control view synchronized from VCA Host.

    • You can directly click controls for devices like lights, curtains, and air conditioning on this view, or trigger preset smart scene buttons (e.g., Enter, Speech, Discussion). All operation commands will be sent to your Home Assistant server for execution.

Smart Scene and Automation Suggestions:

For a better automation experience (especially in "Room Controller" mode), it is recommended that you combine devices like human presence sensors with the Home Assistant system to configure automation rules. For example, when the sensor detects someone entering the conference room, automatically trigger the "Entry" scene (turning on lights, air conditioning, etc.); when it detects no one for an extended period, automatically execute the "Exit/Energy Saving" scene. These advanced automations must be configured within Home Assistant.

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