I've been using the RATGDO for about a month now and it has been great. It controls much faster and with more stability than I had with the MyQ before the API was blocked.
Yeah, that's why I switched to homekit years ago from myq, because of the delay. It was super irritating. So when the whole myq thing went down and everybody lost their collective minds, I was over here like "told you so.. Local control is the way to go..." ratgdo offers features that the homekit bridge doesn't, like control of the lights, and the ability to show (and control?) the percentage the door is open/closed.. I'm looking forward to the switch. I do still need to make a video about the importance of local control. It's on my ever-growing to-do list. Lol
@@fasthowto One time I had MyQ go down (their service, not my Wi-Fi) when I went to the park with my family, and my parents had to come open the garage for us. I took my house key with me after that, but it's easy to forget. I'm glad RATGDO fixes that. Not sure how this is related to the "multizone audio" video though :P.
You might also like the last two videos I did then, about August smart locks and how to get local control of them without relying on homekit. Then you'll be ae to unlock the door with Home assistant, too - which will prevent the garage door problem. I haven't carried a house key in years. No need! I also don't have a garage door remote in my truck. Literally the only thing I grab when I leave the house is the fob for my truck (it's keyless), and away I go!
Super video, one question you mentioned in your first video that you use volume controls, are they controlled by HA also or do you have to leave them on
The volume controls I use are simple analog volume controls, and are unmanaged. As mentioned in the video, the maximum volume that can be provided is the volume set on the receiver - which can be controlled from HA. The volume controls can only make the speakers quieter, never louder. If you want to only control volume from HA, then simply leave the volume control all the way up, which is what I normally do. The volume controls are a convenience factor for those brief moments when my wife pops in to ask me a question, and can quickly turn down the music, ask me something, and then turn it back up when she goes back to whatever she was doing in some other part of the house. They are also convenient for guests during a party if the music is too loud in a particular room for the conversation that is being had. *IF* you will only be using one pair of speakers per zone, meaning one speaker per channel (left or right), then there is no technical necessity for the volume controls at all. The technical necessity comes in when you want to drive multiple pairs of speakers from a single zone so that you can have the proper impedance to prevent damage to the amp.
I have a A50+ from a few years back. Can I connect these two to play music in 2 different locations at the same time? Is there a way to do whole home with just my A50+?
As mentioned in the video, patrons have access to downloadable code from all my videos on patreon.com, as well as many other benefits. Thanks for watching!
Am I correct to assume you chose Chromecast over Chromecast Audio to broadcast UA-cam because it only allows you to output to a video source rather than an audio-only device?
/This/ is the video I wanted to see. The other one was too basic for me personally. I also use Chromecast in multiple locations, but I've been looking for a Home Assistant solution that's separate from Google. I hate being tied to Google. Having 1 Chromecast or a few of them, but I can choose one for each zone however I want would be way better.
You're only "tied to Google" in so much as you need to use the Google home app to configure them, after that they are locally addressable and don't rely on the cloud. This is no different than many other products, such as kasa switches. In the video, I demonstrate exactly what you describe. I have 1 chromecast that plays to all zones at once, and I also have individual chromecasts per zone for different music in different rooms. I'm glad you liked the video, though! Thanks for watching!
I've been using the RATGDO for about a month now and it has been great. It controls much faster and with more stability than I had with the MyQ before the API was blocked.
Yeah, that's why I switched to homekit years ago from myq, because of the delay. It was super irritating. So when the whole myq thing went down and everybody lost their collective minds, I was over here like "told you so.. Local control is the way to go..." ratgdo offers features that the homekit bridge doesn't, like control of the lights, and the ability to show (and control?) the percentage the door is open/closed.. I'm looking forward to the switch.
I do still need to make a video about the importance of local control. It's on my ever-growing to-do list. Lol
@@fasthowto One time I had MyQ go down (their service, not my Wi-Fi) when I went to the park with my family, and my parents had to come open the garage for us. I took my house key with me after that, but it's easy to forget. I'm glad RATGDO fixes that. Not sure how this is related to the "multizone audio" video though :P.
Ah, it was talked about at the end of the video.
You might also like the last two videos I did then, about August smart locks and how to get local control of them without relying on homekit. Then you'll be ae to unlock the door with Home assistant, too - which will prevent the garage door problem. I haven't carried a house key in years. No need! I also don't have a garage door remote in my truck. Literally the only thing I grab when I leave the house is the fob for my truck (it's keyless), and away I go!
thanks, for the very detailed and informational video.
You are most welcome! Thank you for watching!
Super video, one question you mentioned in your first video that you use volume controls, are they controlled by HA also or do you have to leave them on
The volume controls I use are simple analog volume controls, and are unmanaged. As mentioned in the video, the maximum volume that can be provided is the volume set on the receiver - which can be controlled from HA. The volume controls can only make the speakers quieter, never louder.
If you want to only control volume from HA, then simply leave the volume control all the way up, which is what I normally do. The volume controls are a convenience factor for those brief moments when my wife pops in to ask me a question, and can quickly turn down the music, ask me something, and then turn it back up when she goes back to whatever she was doing in some other part of the house. They are also convenient for guests during a party if the music is too loud in a particular room for the conversation that is being had.
*IF* you will only be using one pair of speakers per zone, meaning one speaker per channel (left or right), then there is no technical necessity for the volume controls at all. The technical necessity comes in when you want to drive multiple pairs of speakers from a single zone so that you can have the proper impedance to prevent damage to the amp.
I have a A50+ from a few years back. Can I connect these two to play music in 2 different locations at the same time? Is there a way to do whole home with just my A50+?
I have no idea what an A50+ is.
can we download the source (yaml) of your lovely project ?? thanks
As mentioned in the video, patrons have access to downloadable code from all my videos on patreon.com, as well as many other benefits.
Thanks for watching!
Am I correct to assume you chose Chromecast over Chromecast Audio to broadcast UA-cam because it only allows you to output to a video source rather than an audio-only device?
I chose chromecast because chromecast audio was discontinued...
/This/ is the video I wanted to see. The other one was too basic for me personally. I also use Chromecast in multiple locations, but I've been looking for a Home Assistant solution that's separate from Google. I hate being tied to Google. Having 1 Chromecast or a few of them, but I can choose one for each zone however I want would be way better.
You're only "tied to Google" in so much as you need to use the Google home app to configure them, after that they are locally addressable and don't rely on the cloud. This is no different than many other products, such as kasa switches.
In the video, I demonstrate exactly what you describe. I have 1 chromecast that plays to all zones at once, and I also have individual chromecasts per zone for different music in different rooms.
I'm glad you liked the video, though! Thanks for watching!