Info-services: OpenWeatherMap
We never leave you out in the cold and are expanding our range of functions – with our info-services, your automations and boards can be adapted even more individually to your wishes and needs – completely without your own weather station. Your advantage: Our info-services are completely free of charge and are constantly being expanded.
To get you started, the OpenWeatherMap info-service is now available. Current weather data can be linked as a virtual weather station with your existing boards and automations as conditions. We will show you how to do this and how you can best use our info-services.
Connect info-services: This is how it works
From now on, you will also find our free info-services in your Home Connect Plus app in the service menu.
First, select your desired info-service. The OpenWeatherMap application is currently available. In addition to a brief description of the service, you will also receive further information about the supported devices.
To use OpenWeatherMap, you can integrate the service as a virtual device directly into your created boards or automations as conditions. Your advantage: You do not need an additional app or access data to use OpenWeatherMap in your automations – simply click on “Next” and the service is connected.
OpenWeatherMap: Smart weather data from around the world
OpenWeatherMap offers you the opportunity to retrieve weather data from all over the world and use it smartly for boards or as conditions in automations. Select your desired location. The info-service then appears as a virtual device in the device overview to integrate the current weather situation into your smart everyday life. In this overview, we also give you further inspiration and examples of how you can use virtual weather devices as conditions in automations.
Also add other cities that will be displayed as additional devices. The additional cities can be just as easily removed. If you want to change your first selected city, you only have to disconnect the service once and then reconnect.
Use info-services in three ways
You have not yet had the opportunity to automate your smart home devices with current weather data or to link them to climatic conditions such as temperature, humidity, UV value or wind speed? Now you can – free of charge and in just a few steps. The OpenWeatherMap info-service adds useful functions to your automations and makes your Smart Home even more intelligent. We will show you in detail how you can use the OpenWeatherMap info-service within the Home Connect Plus app.
1. Use info-services as a virtual device
As already mentioned, you can integrate your info-services as a virtual device in your app – this means that OpenWeatherMap acts like an analogue weather station in your app, except that you do not need a new smart home device or another app for it.
After activation, your info-services can be found in the general device overview under “Other devices”. The “main functions such as weather description, temperature, humidity and advanced functions (rain in the last hour, air pressure, wind speed, UV index, sunrise, sunset) are also displayed there.
2. Use an info-service as a condition for automations
In addition to using your info-service as a virtual device, OpenWeatherMap can also be used as a condition for your automations. (Important: Info-services cannot be used as triggers for automations).
Would you like a small example? With the integration of OpenWeatherMap into your “Leaving Home” automation, you will be notified, for example, at 8 o’clock in the morning with “Remember your rain jacket” if the precipitation value is greater than the value you previously set. You will therefore be smartly equipped in the future, even in wind and weather.
How it works: Go to “Add conditions”, then to “Devices”. Now the virtual device is displayed in the list (cloud symbol and selected city). In addition, also use the option of the less-than, greater-than, equal-than conditions in combination with the current temperature, humidity, precipitation of the last hour, air pressure, wind speed or the UV index.
3. Integrate an info-service into your garden board
Smart is when you use your Smart Home – it gets really smart when you combine your smart automations with your boards and pin them there. For example, link a corresponding automation with the OpenWeatherMap info-service to your “Garden Care” board. You can either use the full range of functions of the service or integrate only selected functions that are particularly relevant to you.
For example, your smart garden tools and therefore also your garden care can be adjusted according to the temperature and humidity conditions. The smart result: Even before it starts to rain, your robotic lawnmower automatically returns to the station and the smart watering system switches off early.
