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T2 AutoTron 2.1 - Getting Started Guide

Welcome to T2 AutoTron, a visual node-based automation editor for smart home control. This guide will help you get up and running quickly.

📋 Choose Your Installation Method

🏠 Home Assistant Add-on (Recommended)

Installation

  1. In Home Assistant, go to Settings → Add-ons → Add-on Store
  2. Click ⋮ (three dots) → Repositories
  3. Add: https://github.com/gregtee2/home-assistant-addons
  4. Find T2AutoTron in the store and click Install
  5. After installation, click Start
  6. Click Open Web UI or find T2AutoTron in the sidebar

First-Time Setup

Once T2AutoTron opens, click the ⚙️ Settings button in the Control Panel (right side) to configure:

📍 Location Settings

Your location is used for sunrise/sunset calculations and weather features.

For Home Assistant Add-on Users: Location is auto-filled from your Home Assistant configuration! You'll see a green confirmation message in Settings. No action needed.

For Standalone Users:

  1. Enter your city name in the City field
  2. Click the 🔍 Search button - coordinates and timezone auto-fill
  3. That's it!

🌤️ Weather Services (Optional)

If you want weather-based automations:

📱 Telegram Notifications (Optional)

To receive automation notifications on your phone:

  • Bot Token: Create a bot via @BotFather on Telegram
  • Chat ID: Send a message to your bot, then visit https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getUpdates

💡 Philips Hue Direct Control (Optional)

Control Hue lights without going through HA (lower latency):

  • Bridge IP: Your Hue bridge IP address (find in Hue app)
  • Username: Press the Hue bridge button, then use the pairing process

Note: Home Assistant connection is automatic in the add-on - no token needed!

After entering your settings, click Save. Settings persist across add-on restarts.

💻 Standalone Installation

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

  • Node.js 18+ installed (download)
  • A Home Assistant instance (optional but recommended)
  • Any smart devices you want to control:
    • Philips Hue – Works with or without HA (direct bridge API)
    • TP-Link Kasa – Works with or without HA (direct local API)
    • Other devices – Via Home Assistant integration

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

# Navigate to the project
cd v3_migration

# Install backend dependencies
cd backend
npm install

# Install frontend dependencies
cd ../frontend
npm install

2. Start the Application

Terminal 1 - Start Backend:

cd v3_migration/backend
npm start

Terminal 2 - Start Frontend:

cd v3_migration/frontend
npm run dev

Open your browser to: http://localhost:5173

3. Configure Your Integrations (via UI)

No need to edit config files! Use the built-in Settings panel:

  1. Click 🔧 Settings & API Keys in the dock (top-left)
  2. Enter your credentials for each integration you want to use:
    • Home Assistant: Your HA URL and Long-Lived Access Token
    • Philips Hue: Bridge IP and username
    • OpenWeatherMap: API key for weather nodes
    • Telegram: Bot token and chat ID for notifications
  3. Click Test Connection to verify each one works
  4. Click Save Settings - done!

Tip: You only need to configure the integrations you'll actually use. Start with just Home Assistant!

Getting a Home Assistant Token:

  1. Go to your Home Assistant Profile (click your username)
  2. Scroll down to "Long-Lived Access Tokens"
  3. Create a new token and copy it

🖥️ The Interface

Control Panel (Dock)

The floating dock in the top-left provides:

  • Graph Tools: Save, Load, Import, Clear
  • Connection Status: Shows what's connected and device counts
  • Settings: Configure API keys and integrations

Node Editor

  • Right-click to open the context menu and add nodes
  • Drag from output sockets to input sockets to connect nodes
  • Scroll to zoom in/out
  • Middle-click drag to pan the canvas

Bottom Panels

  • Event Log: Shows real-time device state changes and triggers
  • Upcoming Events: Shows scheduled automation events

🔌 Your First Automation

Let's create a simple "toggle light on button press" automation:

Step 1: Add a Pushbutton Node

  1. Right-click the canvas
  2. Navigate to Inputs → Pushbutton
  3. Click to place it

Step 2: Add an HA Generic Device Node

  1. Right-click the canvas
  2. Navigate to Home Assistant → HA Generic Device
  3. Click to place it

Step 3: Connect Them

  1. Drag from the Pushbutton's output (right side)
  2. Drop onto the HA Device's trigger input (left side)

Step 4: Select Your Device

  1. In the HA Generic Device node, click "Add Device"
  2. Select your light from the dropdown
  3. Set Trigger Mode to "Toggle"

Step 5: Test It!

Click the pushbutton - your light should toggle!

📦 Common Node Types

Input Nodes

Node Purpose
Pushbutton Manual trigger button
Integer Selector Pick a number value
Time of Day Outputs true during specified hours
Sunrise/Sunset Triggers at solar events

Logic Nodes

Node Purpose
AND All inputs must be true
OR Any input can be true
Comparison Compare two values
Conditional Switch Route signals based on conditions

Device Nodes

Node Purpose
HA Generic Device Control any Home Assistant entity
HA Device State Read device states
Kasa Plug Control TP-Link Kasa devices

Color Nodes

Node Purpose
HSV Control Set hue, saturation, brightness
Color Gradient Animate between colors
All-in-One Color Full color picker

💾 Saving Your Work

Quick Save

Click 💾 Save in the dock to save to the server.

Export to File

  1. After saving, your graph is in v3_migration/Saved_Graphs/
  2. You can also use browser localStorage (auto-saved)

Import from File

Click 📂 Import File to load a saved .json graph.

⚙️ Settings & API Keys

Click 🔧 Settings & API Keys to configure:

  • Home Assistant: URL and access token
  • Weather Services: OpenWeatherMap API key
  • Philips Hue: Bridge IP and username
  • Telegram: Bot token and chat ID for notifications

Each section has a Test Connection button to verify your settings.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Backend won't start

# Check if port 3000 is in use
netstat -ano | findstr :3000
# Kill the process if needed

Plugins not loading

  • Check browser console (F12) for errors
  • Clear Vite cache: rm -rf v3_migration/frontend/node_modules/.vite
  • Restart with npm run dev -- --force

Home Assistant not connecting

  1. Verify HA_HOST and HA_TOKEN in Settings
  2. Make sure your HA instance is accessible
  3. Check the "Test Connection" button in Settings

Nodes not responding

  • Check the Connection Status in the dock
  • Make sure backend is running and shows "Connected"
  • Verify device is online in Home Assistant

📚 Next Steps

  • Read PLUGIN_ARCHITECTURE.md to create custom nodes
  • Check RETE_NODE_GUIDE.md for advanced node patterns
  • Browse existing plugins in backend/plugins/ for examples

🆘 Getting Help

  • Check the browser console (F12) for error messages
  • Look at the Event Log panel for automation feedback
  • Review the README.md for API documentation

Happy automating! 🏠✨