Home Automation really does rule, now that the Home Automation Rules feature has been incorporated into the Aragon Maestro toolkit. This feature lets users create recurring automations using natural language input. Aragon Maestro can be controlled in real-time with on-the-spot voice commands. Now, with the new Home Automation Rules feature, actions can also be scheduled to work automatically during a period of the user’s choosing, or in relation to day/night natural light changes.
How It Works
The Home Automation Rules feature provides a web-based interface where users type commands in plain language to create automation rules. The system accepts input in English, French, or German. An on-device Large Language Model (LLM) processes these text commands and converts them into structured schedules that the Maestro then carries out automatically.
Examples of supported rules include:
- “Turn on the kitchen lights 15 minutes before sunset every day.”
- “Activate cozy scene at sunset on weekends.”
- “Set the bedroom temperature to 22 degrees on weekday mornings.”
- “Close all shutters at 10 PM on weekends.”
The web interface displays all active rules and allows users to add, edit, enable, disable, or delete them as needed.
Complete Privacy and Offline Operation
The Home Automation Rules feature operates entirely on-device with no cloud dependency. What’s said at home, stays at home!
On-device processing: Natural language parsing, rule scheduling, and command execution all happen locally on the Aragon Maestro. The system requires no internet connection for its core functions.
No data transmission: Automation rules are stored in a local database on the device. Nothing is transmitted to external servers or analyzed by third parties.
Reliable operation: Because the feature does not depend on internet connectivity, scheduled automations execute reliably regardless of network status.
What Can Be Automated
Any action that can be controlled through voice commands can also be scheduled as an automation rule. This includes:
- Scenes: Activate predefined scenes such as “Movie Night” or “Good Morning” at specified times.
- Lighting: Control lights to turn on at sunrise, dim to a specific percentage, or turn off at bedtime.
- Shutters and blinds: Schedule blinds to open in the morning or close at sunset.
- Heating: Set temperature targets for specific rooms at designated times.
Technical Implementation
The Home Automation Rules feature consists of three main components working together:
Natural Language Processing Engine: An on-board LLM interprets user input and extracts the command to execute along with scheduling details (time, days, solar events, and offsets). The system uses language-specific prompts to accurately parse commands in English, French, or German.
Scheduling System: A scheduling engine converts parsed rules into scheduled jobs. The system handles both fixed-time rules and solar-based triggers. For solar events like sunrise and sunset, the engine calculates precise times based on the user’s geographic location and updates these calculations daily to account for seasonal changes.
Execution Layer: When a scheduled time arrives, the system publishes the command to the same MQTT endpoint used by Aragon’s voice control system. This ensures that any command that works via voice will also function as a scheduled rule.
Multi-Language Support
The system provides native support for three languages. Users can write rules in their preferred language, and the LLM correctly interprets scheduling expressions such as:
- English: “every weekday”, “at sunset”, “on weekends”
- French: “les jours de semaine”, “au coucher du soleil”, “le week-end”
- German: “an Wochentagen”, “bei Sonnenuntergang”, “am Wochenende”
The backend normalizes these expressions into a standardized format for consistent scheduling across languages.
User Interface
The web-based interface provides a straightforward workflow:
- Users enter a rule in natural language
- The system parses and validates the rule, showing the interpreted command and schedule
- Users confirm and create the rule
- All active rules are displayed in a list with options to edit, enable/disable, or delete
The interface also allows users to set their location (city or coordinates) to ensure accurate calculation of solar events.
Availability
The Home Automation Rules feature is available as a software update for all Aragon Maestro users. The update can be installed through the Maestro’s web interface. For more information about Aragon Maestro and its capabilities, visit heyaragon.com.