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PiP charge notifications

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by Mayank Jain, Mar 9, 2018.

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  1. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    Hey folks,

    I am curious - is there a way to get notices about the car's charging status/begin/completion events without subscribing to Toyota's Etune?

    One of the idea's I had was to build a small Raspberry Pi camera module which tracks the changes in screen & sends a photo when it sees an activity. When parking, pull the module from glove box and set it infront of the screen. It could be powered externally. Since my garage is under my home, wifi works flawlessly.

    Any more ideas?

    Thanks!
     
    #1 Mayank Jain, Mar 9, 2018
  2. gallde

    gallde Active Member

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    Be sure to total up your hours spent on this, including placing and storing the device, times your pay rate, minus the Entune fees for the time you will have the car.
     
    #2 gallde, Mar 9, 2018
    Mayank Jain likes this.
  3. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    If Etune was a one time cost, it was still bearable. Its an yearly investment :(

    Any other aftermarket product which can be bought and used for this purpose?
     
    #3 Mayank Jain, Mar 9, 2018
  4. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    Another idea : this was not possible back in 2012 when Toyota charged folks for Etune, but possible now :)
    One can potentially buy a wifi enabled smart socket and put it on the wall socket. The PiP charger connects to this socket.
    Link : http://amzn.to/2GdNiIU

    These wifi smart sockets have capabilities like
    1. Scheduled on/off
    2. Remote on/off
    3. Push notification alerts
    4. IFTTT integration (for more complex integrations)
    This renders my initial idea of building something with Raspberry Pi obsolete.

    Any more ideas anyone?
     
    #4 Mayank Jain, Mar 9, 2018
  5. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    Check out Wemo Smart switch - http://amzn.to/2oYNS5E
    Fixed 1 time cost of $29 - comes with a ton of IFTTT actions & triggers.
    One could potentially easily build any custom workflows using it!


    [​IMG]
     
    #5 Mayank Jain, Mar 9, 2018
  6. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    #6 Mayank Jain, Mar 9, 2018
  7. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    #7 Mayank Jain, Mar 9, 2018
  8. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    #8 Mayank Jain, Mar 9, 2018
  9. 4est

    4est Active Member

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    You could tap into the ac wires coming from the car socket to the car charger and monitor the voltage/current.
    I guess the voltage gets cutt off when charging is compete
     
    #9 4est, Mar 10, 2018
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  10. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    Trying to be as less intrusive to the car as possible :)

    More threads around this idea of using the Wemo switch for charge automation
    http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2551887

    [​IMG]
     
    #10 Mayank Jain, Mar 10, 2018
  11. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    Quick update : i have the wemo switch plugged into the charger for a couple of days now and it works very well. I schedule charging from 2 am to 6 am.

    1521558511472.png

    The app is a bit clunky but no complaints about the device (so far).

    Best thing : i get notified when charging starts and stops : either by push notifications or by email.

    1521558333295.png

    The energy consumption only shows in the more pricey model : wemo insight. I got the less costly $30 model.

    Cheers!

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #11 Mayank Jain, Mar 20, 2018
    potatoesLOL likes this.
  12. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Glad it's working. I think the energy consumption would be the interesting part for me. But it would need to be 240 volts. :)
     
    #12 jerrymildred, Mar 20, 2018
    Mayank Jain likes this.
  13. Yea Right

    Yea Right Active Member

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    I guess I'm missing something, the PIP has a charge timing ability already built in to the car. The base model is light on functionality, what about the Advanced model?
     
    #13 Yea Right, Mar 20, 2018
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  14. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    Advanced model has it, but you'll have to turn on the timer everytime you put car on charger. That kills the feature right there :(

    Also, Etune software is too pricey for just this kind of functionality.

    Hence, this need.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #14 Mayank Jain, Mar 21, 2018
  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    That's so interesting. I'm the opposite with the timer. I am constantly needing to change the timer anyway on different days of the week. So, if I don't have to change it, it's no trouble at all to just initiate it and check the time setting. Besides, I'd need a smart plug at home for 240V and one at work for 120V.

    I didn't know you had to pay for the Entune software aspect. I spent some time exploring Entune on my Base and soon decided that it had nothing that merited my attention. I haven't messed with it in about a year.
     
    #15 jerrymildred, Mar 21, 2018
    Mayank Jain likes this.
  16. Mayank Jain

    Mayank Jain Member

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    Its subscription based. Had it been one time investment, it was still justifiable. But not paying every year, every month! :(

    https://www.toyota.com/content/entune/responsive/pdf/Connected_Services_Pricing.pdf

    1521731815587.png

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #16 Mayank Jain, Mar 22, 2018
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