Sep 18 Podcast #705: Yonomi - The Automation Consolidation App
Podcast Tags: Android, Automation, Smart Phone, iPhone 
Being able to control anything and everything in your home from your smartphone is pretty cool. Having to open multiple apps to do it is kinda lame. That’s what the developers behind Yonomi are hoping to solve for you. Sure if you have a central server or hub, you can do it all there and control everything with one app, but is there really one server that can control any smart device? We haven’t seen it yet.
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Being able to control anything and everything in your home from your smartphone is pretty cool. Having to open multiple apps to do it is kinda lame. That’s what the developers behind Yonomi are hoping to solve for you. Sure if you have a central server or hub, you can do it all there and control everything with one app, but is there really one server that can control any smart device? We haven’t seen it yet. Of course, Yonomi can’t control any and every smart device you can imagine, but because their approach is different, they have support for more than you can imagine. And it feels like it will be easier for them to add support for more devices faster than a server or hub product could do. From the Website: “Smart devices are here: Wireless thermostats, activity monitors, networked music systems and a whole host of devices in the home. Wouldn’t it be great if they all could communicate together? Wouldn’t it be even better if they worked in unison to make your daily routines easier and more enjoyable? Now there is an app that does all that and works in the background so you can get back to the things that really matter.” “Yonomi resides on your phone and in the Cloud. No need for a hub, controller box or other additional hardware. Yonomi magically finds and enhances your existing connected devices allowing them to interact with one another in ways never before possible.” First of all, the app is totally free. We aren’t sure how they plan to make money and stay around for the long run, but hopefully they have a plan. It is a bit scary to rely on it as your home automation server to only have it disappear out from underneath you. But then again, it’s free, so you’ve lost nothing but the time it took to get it up and running. Installing the app is as easy as any other app. Then you register by providing your name, email address and a password. Once done, it scours your WiFi for compatible devices and adds them. Once you have some devices in the app, that’s when things get really fun. It starts by suggesting routines that match with the devices you have. Almost like a Harmony remote, when you add a TV and it tells you that you should really have a Watch TV activity, etc. But it goes way beyond just the devices it found. You can tell it where your home is located and it can use date and time, sunrise and/or sunset, the location of the phone (you leave home, you arrive home, etc) and a lot more to customize your routines. Much like an automation hub or server, you can configure all kinds of routines to occur based on your life, and even things you didn’t know your devices could do. You can have your Sonos speakers talk to you, like saying ‘Don’t forget your lunch’ at 7:45 in the morning as your kids are headed out the door for school, then play Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) by Bananarama as they’re walking out. Or it can say, “Welcome home, Dave” when you get back from a long day at work, then start playing your favorite relaxing slow jam mix to help you de-stress. Even turn on some lights and start a pot of coffee. Events that occur on the phone can set off routines in the smart devices as well. Flash the lights in the whole house when you get a phone call. Mute the Sonos speakers, or pause the music, when you answer or make a call. Have the Sonos speakers announce the weather when you shake the phone. It’s fun, easy to use, and very easy to configure. Because the app works with the Sonos Playbar, there are a bunch of cool potential routines to tie into your home theater as well. We didn’t get the chance to try it on multiple phones, to make sure they could set independent routines, like different slow jam mixes when different people arrive home, but since the phone was added as a supported device during setup, we assume it would be as simple as logging into the app with the same account and creating some new routines. We’ll try this later and report back.Yonomi - The Automation Consolidation App
About the App
Supported Devices
Using the App
Reader Comments (5)
This reads more like an ad than a review. Not pointing out that the system doesn't support Insteon, the biggest system out there was a major omission.
I have no BBQ or oven cooking ability whatsoever so I have been using the Crock Pot™ to make meat dishes. A terrific reason for internet control of the slow cooker might be if you are making chicken rather than a large roast. Chicken takes about 3.5 hours on Low and will get more overdone the longer you leave it in. I can see leaving frozen chicken in there and then starting it about 2-3pm while offsite. Probably true for other dishes, too.
Love the "Encino Family" idea! It certainly sounds better than most of the obvious garbage listed in the Fall TV episode.
Oops. Our <1mb internet connection is most definitely lowering the average. My son and I both watch a lot of YouTube, at 144 or 240p (with accompanying pauses) and hickok45 just doesn't look good at that resolution. Speaking of, do you guys know anything about "radio" internet delivery? See totalhighspeed.com. I do like the concept but I have asked the guys at the provider if there is any possibility of upcoming technology widening the pipe a little. Or a lot. Does anybody out there know if there is any potential for this technology to carry a better/"bigger" signal? AT&T claims they can set us up with DSL but one can only imagine how bad DSL might be out here in the country. Or maybe there have been improvements in DSL since I had it?
Hey guys, great show. Only thing, sometimes spell out the names of products in order fro us to find the product easier. For example the Speaker giveaway, I'll need to find the brand you mentioned, and this yonomi app, I kept looking for you know me, or know me app.... Thanks.
Enjoyed this episode guys. I appreciate that you take the time to do the show and bring new information to your fellow enthusiasts and listeners.
Do you know of a way to bridge Z-Wave between buildings using Ethernet?
My garage is remote from the house but I have Ethernet over power line connected to a wireless access point in teh garage for network access. I'd like to control my garage door over my Z-Wave home automation system (InControl HA + Aeon Labs Z-Stick).
Hi Henry,
Don't know if a way to do this with an Ethernet Bridge. I am assuming that your garage is too far for a repeater to reach. Unfortunately that is one of the drawbacks of a completely wireless solution. I'll ask for help from the listeners on the next show.
Ara