VR Basestation Integration for Home Assistant

A comprehensive Home Assistant integration for managing Valve Index® Base Stations (V2) and HTC Vive Base Stations (V1) (UNTESTED) through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Control power states, monitor device information, and automate your VR setup with ease.

✨ Key Features

🎮 Universal VR Lighthouse Support

Valve Index Base Stations (V2) - Full feature support
HTC Vive Base Stations (V1) - UNTESTED/WIP, see #4

🔄 Advanced Power Management

Power Control - Turn base stations on/off remotely
Standby Mode - Energy-efficient standby for V2 base stations
Power State Monitoring - Real-time status tracking
Identify Function - Blink LEDs to locate specific base stations

🛠️ Modern Integration Features

Automatic Discovery - Zero-configuration setup via Bluetooth discovery
Config Flow UI - Complete graphical configuration (no YAML required)
Device Information - Firmware, model, hardware, and manufacturer details
Multiple Entity Types - Switches, sensors, and buttons for comprehensive control

⚙️ Professional Features

Connection Management - Advanced BLE connection pooling and retry logic
Configurable Timeouts - User-adjustable connection and scan intervals
Device Registry Integration - Proper Home Assistant device management
Translation Support - Multi-language interface
Options Flow - Advanced settings without reconfiguration

ℹ️ How it Works

This integration communicates directly with your VR base stations using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

Direct Connection: No SteamVR or additional software required. Home Assistant connects directly to the base stations.
State Polling: The integration periodically polls the base stations to check their power state (Sleep, Standby, On).
Command Queueing: Commands (like turning on/off) are queued and sent efficiently to minimize connection attempts.
Auto-Discovery: Uses Home Assistant's Bluetooth integration to automatically detect nearby base stations.

🚀 Installation

Via HACS (Recommended)

Install HACS - Ensure HACS is installed and configured.
Search for Integration - Go to HACS → Integrations → Explore & Download Repositories and search for "VR Basestation".
Install - Click Download on the integration card.
Restart Home Assistant

Via HACS (Custom Repository)

Add Custom Repository:
- Go to HACS → Integrations → ⋮ (menu) → Custom repositories
- Add: https://github.com/MineTech13/homeassistant-basestation
- Category: Integration
Install Integration - Find "VR Basestation" and click Install
Restart Home Assistant

Manual Installation

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases
Extract to custom_components/basestation/ in your Home Assistant config directory
Restart Home Assistant

⚡ Quick Setup

Automatic Discovery (Easiest)

Navigate to Settings → Devices & Services
Look for automatically discovered VR base stations
Click Configure and follow the setup wizard

Manual Setup

Settings → Devices & Services → Add Integration
Search for "VR Basestation"
Enter MAC address and device type

Finding MAC Addresses

If you need to find your base station MAC addresses manually:

# Using hcitool (Linux)
sudo hcitool lescan
# Look for devices starting with "LHB-" (V2) or "HTC BS" (V1)

# Using bluetoothctl
bluetoothctl
scan on
# Wait for devices to appear

Alternative Methods:

Android: Use "BLE Scanner" or "nrf Connect" app from Play Store
Windows: Use "Microsoft Bluetooth LE Explorer" from Windows Store
SteamVR: Check device serial numbers in SteamVR settings

📊 Entity Overview

Each base station creates multiple entities for comprehensive control:

🔘 Switches

Power Switch - Main on/off control
Standby Switch (V2 only) - Energy-efficient standby mode

📈 Sensors (Optional)

Firmware Version - Current firmware information
Model Number - Device model details
Hardware Version - Hardware revision
Manufacturer - Device manufacturer
Channel (V2 only) - Communication channel
Power State (V2 only) - Detailed power status
Pair ID (V1 only) - Pair identification

🔵 Buttons

Identify Button (V2 only) - Blink LED for device identification

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Device Options

Access advanced settings via Settings → Devices & Services → VR Basestation → Configure:

Device Name - Custom friendly name
Scan Intervals - Adjust update frequencies
Connection Timeout - BLE connection timeout
Sensor Control - Enable/disable specific sensors
Power State Monitoring - Control detailed state tracking

Automation Integration

# Example: Turn on base stations when lights turn on
automation:
  - alias: "VR Room Activated"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: light.vr_room
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: switch.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id:
            - switch.valve_basestation_1
            - switch.valve_basestation_2

# Example: Auto-standby after 30 minutes of inactivity
  - alias: "VR Auto Standby"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.vr_room_motion
        to: "off"
        for: "00:30:00"
    action:
      - service: switch.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id:
            - switch.valve_basestation_1_standby_mode
            - switch.valve_basestation_2_standby_mode

Grouping Base Stations

Create groups for easy control:

Settings → Devices & Services → Helpers
Create Helper → Group
Add all base station switches
Control all base stations with one entity

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Base stations not discovered:

Ensure Bluetooth is enabled and working
Check base stations are powered and not in sleep mode
Verify Home Assistant has Bluetooth access

Connection timeouts:

Increase connection timeout in device options
Check Bluetooth adapter range and interference
Ensure base stations aren't in use by SteamVR

💡 Automation Ideas

Transform your VR setup with smart automations:

🌡️ Climate Control - Auto-adjust AC when VR session starts
💡 Lighting - Sync base stations with room lighting
🏠 Presence Detection - Turn off when leaving home
💻 System Integration - Wake PC, start SteamVR, control displays
⏰ Scheduled Power - Auto-standby during sleep hours
🔋 Energy Management - Smart power saving based on usage patterns

🏆 Credits & Acknowledgments

Primary Developers

@MineTech13 - Complete v2.0 architecture, config flow, device abstraction, and feature development
@Invisi - V2.0 development collaboration and testing

Original Foundation

@jariz - Original basic implementation and BLE communication foundation
@TCL987 - Early improvements and community contributions
@Azelphur - Patches and compatibility fixes

Technical References

jeroen1602/lighthouse_pm (GPLv3) - BLE protocol reference, including the V1 (Vive) pairing/power command structure
Home Assistant Community - Testing, feedback, and feature requests

📄 License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (or later) - see LICENSE for the full text.

📝 Technical Notes

BLE Range Limitation - Bluetooth Low Energy has limited range; consider BLE proxies for extended coverage
Power Management - V2 base stations support multiple power states (On, Standby, Sleep)
Concurrent Access - Base stations can only be controlled by one application at a time
Firmware Updates - Update base station firmware through SteamVR for best compatibility

🔗 Links

Transform your VR setup into a smart, automated experience with the VR Basestation Integration! 🎮✨

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
.vscode		.vscode
custom_components/basestation		custom_components/basestation
scripts		scripts
.devcontainer.json		.devcontainer.json
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
hacs.json		hacs.json
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml

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