Getting your feet wet with home automation can seem like being dropped into a foreign country with a language you don’t speak. There are so many terms and definitions that keeping up with things can be overwhelming. Fortunately, the home automation community is made up of very helpful people. You can always ask if you do not understand the differences between integrations, scripts, and helpers.
Integration, scripts, and helpers are the building blocks of home automation. They are necessary for home automation to do what it does. If you were to purchase a pre-packaged system from a company like Vivint, for example, the amount of knowledge you would need about these things is limited.
I will explain why in a minute. But if you were to build your own system using a platform like Home Assistant, understanding these three things would be vital.
There are advantages to buying a pre-packaged system. For example, Vivint offers free installation with every system it sells. That is a bonus. But there are also advantages to going DIY. Being able to build your own system from scratch offers maximum control. With that said, let us look at integrations, scripts, and helpers in more detail.
1. Integrations: Suppliers and Translators
Home automation integration serves two purposes: supply and translation. On the supply side, think of a chef with a five-star restaurant. He relies on suppliers for the ingredients he needs to make his recipes. The translation side of things should be simple enough to understand.
Although integrations are part of pre-packaged systems, they tend to hide behind the scenes. A provider like Vivint builds the integrations into the system from the ground up. Consumers do not even know they exist. But those building DIY systems from scratch need to work with integrations just to get their devices to work.
A Dedicated Software Package
An integration is essentially a dedicated software package that allows a home automation platform to communicate with a device. Let us say you are building a system and you want to use TP-Link light switches. On its own, your platform might not know how to communicate with a TP-Link device. It also will not know what the device offers in terms of features.
A TP-Link integration exposes each of the light switches to your platform. It tells the platform which features are available. Finally, it acts as a translator between the platform and each of the switches.
2. Scripts: The Recipe Cards
If integrations are the suppliers that keep a chef cooking, scripts are the chef’s recipe cards. They contain every ingredient necessary, along with step-by-step instructions to put them all together. When followed, the recipe card produces a delicious dish.
A script provides a set of instructions for accomplishing something with home automation. Along with the instructions are the details of each device involved. For example, imagine writing a script to prepare your house for your morning routine. It might look something like this:
- Kitchen and hallway lights turn on.
- The coffee maker automatically brews your coffee.
- The TV turns on and navigates to your favorite news channel.
- Your smart speaker gathers the weather report and reads it to you.
None of the devices in your system can do these things alone, but you can program them to all take place at whatever time is appropriate. The script is set to run every morning unless you intentionally turn it off.
Single or Multiple Devices
The beauty of writing scripts is that you can involve single or multiple devices. You could create a script that combines lighting with your thermostat, sound system, coffee machine, and exterior irrigation. On the other hand, you could create a script that involves just a single light switch. The choice is yours.
3. Helpers: The Preparations
In keeping with the chef theme, helpers are like the prep staff. They do all the preparatory work before the kitchen officially opens for business. Common tasks would include things like chopping onions, dicing tomatoes, and grating cheese. All of this is done ahead of time so that the chef doesn’t have to worry about it once he begins cooking in earnest.
In a home automation setting, helpers do much the same thing. They set the stage so that scripts can execute without having to account for all the details. I can explain the idea with an example from my own system. I have written a script to remind me to pay bills on specific days each month.
Furthermore, I also have a helper that tells the script when to send each notification.
The helper includes language that describes every bill due and the day I need to pay it. The script executes every morning at a specific time by checking that list. If something is due that day, the script sends me an email reminder. Otherwise, it shuts down on its own.
3 Kinds of Helpers
Vivint explains that there are three kinds of helpers. Understanding how each one works can make an enormous difference when programming them:
- Group Helper – A group helper bundles multiple devices into a single group, making it possible to activate the entire group with a single command.
- Input Helper – An input helper looks for specific input status. Day of the week is a good example. A helper that gets the date and time, and then exposes it to scripts, allows you to program scripts to run only on certain days.
- Toggle Helper – A toggle helper is like a virtual switch. You can program scripts to run only when the switch is on or off.
Integrations, scripts, and helpers are what give home automation platforms the ability to do what they do. Without them, there would be no such thing as automation as we currently know it.
If you are new to home automation, your journey will be made a lot easier once you understand these three things and how they work. Mastering them opens the door to creating all sorts of automations that can make your home more efficient, convenient, and safe.
