Remoto Universal – Roomie +4

Simple, beautiful interface for integrating multiple systems

I’ve gone back and forth for a long time to try to find a good looking interface for controlling g everything around the home. There are systems that do it well, like control 4 and Savant, but those are really expensive and I don’t want to hire an integrator. There are completely DIY options like Home Assistant that just don’t look as good. Roomie Remote is a great balance between those two extremes.

I just hope the folks at Roomie Remote continue to invest in the platform by adding new integrations and options. I haven’t needed tech support or requested it but I do hope they recognize that their true market is likely tech saavy folks that don’t want to hire an integrator. Users might need a little guidance and assistant from time to time getting everything set up properly and it would really help the platform get adopted if they invested in providing some tech support to users beyond bug reports.

I’m in the process of getting a ton more Apple gear and iPort mounts so I can roll this out all over my house. Since the app is so configurable, I’m sure I’ll find more ways to integrate new stuff and make it even more useful over time!

Highly Capable App but Homekit Devices are limited on all plans but Pro

This is a highly capable and reliable app that I have used for years, including the legacy Simple Control app. There is a pretty steep learning curve so be prepared to invest a fair amount of time up front to learn how to use it. The lengthy manual is informative and I found that to be the best way to gain an understanding on how to start with the app.

Now for the paid subscriptions. If you use Homekit devices in your home and would like to be able to control them from within the Roomie app, you will likely need the $100 per year Pro subscription. This is why. Even though the Home Complete $60 plan says that it supports unlimited devices, pay attention to the 5 room limitation. If you have Homekit devices in more than 5 rooms of your home (as defined in the Apple Home app), you will only be able to see and control the Homekit devices in 5 rooms. If you add a Homekit smart plug to the sixth room and want to control it, the Pro subscription will be required. So while you may only have a total of 6 Homekit devices in your home and each is in a different room, you will have to choose which 5 you want to control from within Roomie if you select the Home Complete subscription for $60/yr. Most homes have more than 5 rooms where Homekit devices might be located, and if your home is like this, you will need to get the Pro $100/yr plan to control those Homekit devices from within the Roomie app.

Once again it has broken my setup

Who runs this product? I cringe every time there is an update, and this one is no exception. My volume controls for my denon receivers have all stopped working. Please for the love of the universe, stop making unnecessary changes. You are not going to replace HomeKit or google, pick your product area and your key customer and make them love your product. I expect that your goal is to to retain customers like me who have complex av systems and multi person families who benefit from ease of use of tech. If this is the case, you should be looking at existing configuration to find the most common components, setups, and integrations and then regression test simulated versions of them before you release new software. Seems to me you are testing new setups from scratch, and maybe that works fine, but you are always breaking your more tenured customers setups. I have managed to simplify my life in one system down to an appletv running everything, including on/off and volume - motivated by being able to stop using roomie. So for that system I have achieved a roomie-free situation that is perfect. For my theater, there is a lot more going on and it helps to have roomies ability to integrate and automation controls. Unfortunately instead of being excited about roomie, I spend time like a clever squirrel trying to find another path and look forward to the day I can finally fire you, and stop paying hundreds of dollars a year.

Resposta do desenvolvedor ,

Designating your Primary Controller in the Homes panel as per the Setup Guide resolves that.