HDAnywhere MHUB Home Assistant Integration

Ensure the MHUB is compatible with MHUB API v2.1, otherwise please go to the api_v2.0 branch for a compatible version.

This custom Home Assistant integration provides support for controlling HDAnywhere MHUB devices (API 2.1+) as media players. With this integration, you can monitor and control the power, as well as switch available inputs to available outputs from within Home Assistant.

Features

• Control MHUB Outputs: Each output is represented as a media player entity in Home Assistant.
• Power Control: Turn MHUB on or off from the media player entity in the Home Assistant dashboard.
• Source Selection: Change the video input source for each output.
• State Monitoring: Monitor the state of the MHUB (on/off).
• Unique Entity IDs: Automatically assigns unique IDs for each MHUB output entity.
• For backwards compatibility with API v2.0, please see the api_v2.0 branch for a compatible version.

Installation

Manual Installation

1. Download the Repository:

   • Download and extract the contents of this repository.

2. Move Files:

   • Copy the contents to the hdanywheremhub folder in your Home Assistant configuration's custom_components directory.
   • If this directory does not exist, create it.

Configuration

To set up the integration, you need to configure it through the configuration.yaml file. Add the following configuration under the media_player domain:

media_player:
  - platform: hdanywheremhub
    ip_address: 192.168.1.100  # Replace with your MHUB's IP address

You can similarly configure a switch entity alongside the media player entites, just for power control:

switch:
  - platform: hdanywheremhub
    ip_address: 192.168.1.100  # Replace with your MHUB's IP address

Restart Home Assistant

Once the configuration is added, restart Home Assistant to load the integration.

Features and Capabilities

1. Power Control

The media player entities created by this integration allow you to turn the MHUB on and off. You can control power using Home Assistant's media player controls.

2. Input Source Selection

You can switch between available input sources using the source feature. The available sources are dynamically fetched from the MHUB device and displayed in Home Assistant.

3. Entity Names

Each media player entity is named based on the zone name allocated to it, along with the actual output port and the type of connection, ie: "Living Room (B) (hdbaset)"

4. Unique Entity IDs

The integration automatically assigns a unique entity ID for each output based on the zone names mentioned above. This ensures persistent tracking across Home Assistant restarts, and also means they are completely customizeable within HA.

Logging

The integration logs detailed information that can be useful for debugging. You can enable debug logging in Home Assistant by adding the following configuration to your configuration.yaml:

logger:
  default: warning
  logs:
    custom_components.hdanywheremhub: debug

How It Works

• Platform Initialization: On setup, the integration makes an API request to the MHUB device to fetch the list of video input and output ports.
• Entity Creation: For each zone created that's assigned to an output port, a media player entity is created in Home Assistant. Each entity is assigned a unique name and ID based on the zone names and the output ID.
• Media Player Features: Each media player entity supports turning the matrix on/off and selecting available video input sources for each output. Currently, there is no way to remove sources from specific media players, like you can in uControl.

Known Limitations

The MHUB device does not push state updates, so when it’s turned on or off, the integration sends an API call to verify the command was executed successfully. Although the MHUB responds with the "off" state immediately, it may take a few seconds to confirm the "on" state. Home Assistant, which polls the device every 10 seconds, may still catch the update within this interval by chance, even though the response can vary. This polling interval also means that other media players experience a similar potential delay of up to 10 seconds before accurately reporting their true state in Home Assistant.

Making use of the Universal Media Player

• Home Assistant is a very powerful and customizeable tool, thus, there are ways to bypass most limitations found in this integration. "A universal media player can combine multiple existing entities in Home Assistant into a single media player entity. This is used to create a single media player entity that can control an entire media center." Simply put, you can embedd these media players into your existing endpoint devices (AVR's, Media Players, Consoles, etc) and create a holistically integrated entity.
• Paired with third party integrations like Universal Remote, as well as SmartIR (For controlling non-smart IR appliances), you can create a similar, yet much better, more integrated experience than the one found in uControl.

Future Enhancements

• Refactoring API calls into a PyPI library to fit HA guidelines
• Implementing more error handling and feedback when API requests fail.
• HACS integration and graphical setup screen
• Discovery of MHUB devices on network with auto-configure
• Control for stacked MHUB Systems
• Control for audio matrices, including holistic integration back into the video matrix media player entity.
• Adding IR and CEC control for existing control packs.
• Adding passthrough control for IR and CEC for custom codes
• A way to remove sources from specific media players, like you can in uControl.

Troubleshooting

First place to start

• Ensure the MHUB is compatible with MHUB API v2.1, otherwise please go to the api_v2.0 branch for a compatible version.

If the media player entities do not show up, ensure that:

• You have restarted Home Assistant after configuring the integration.
• The correct IP address is configured in the configuration.yaml file, and that the MHUB is on the same LAN as your HA instance.
• Enable debug logging and check the Home Assistant logs for detailed information if issues arise.