Spotify Connector links your Spotify account to the automation server, writes the playing track to the panels and lets you manage playback, volume, track changes and playlists over KNX, and makes music part of the scenes of the house: a music connection application.
In most installations, music is left out
The automation server runs lighting, climate, blinds and scenes from one place. But when it comes to music everyone reaches for their phone again; music stays outside that order as an island of its own, living with a separate app and a separate remote. And yet music does more than anything else to set the mood of a space, and it deserves to be inside the automation.
It links your account to the server
Spotify Connector links your own Spotify account directly to the automation server. Music then becomes a layer the system runs, like light or blinds. No extra device and no second piece of software is needed; the connection is made once during setup and runs on its own after that. Spotify Connector is an independent application developed by Sona; Spotify and the related names belong to their owners.
It both shows and controls
The link works both ways. On one side, the name of the playing track, the artist, the album art and the playback position are written live to KNX group addresses; that information appears live on the graphic screen and on the panel on the wall, so your guest reads what is playing from the panel. On the other side, play and pause, volume, previous and next track, seeking within a track, repeat and shuffle are commanded from the house's own buttons and panels.
Music lives inside the scenes
Once music speaks the language of the automation, it becomes part of the scenes. When you say good night, the music fades quietly along with the lights; in the morning, as the blinds open, your favorite playlist starts on its own. You define the playlists you use often once, and after that each of them is as close as a single button.
The KNX points are created in one step
During setup you choose the starting group address, and the application creates the KNX points it needs, together with their command logic, in the language you chose. If there are addresses already in use in the range you picked, the application lists them; you can choose a different address or deliberately write over them. The points that are created appear on the same screen with their names and live values.
It does not load the server or the bus
All of the application's logic runs on the automation server. While music is playing it follows the state regularly; when the music stops or the player closes, it slows its polling down on its own. You set the polling interval yourself in the settings, and you can stop the application entirely and start it again.
Your settings live in one file
The effort you spend commissioning is protected by a backup. Your connection ID, your starting address, your playlists and your settings come down to your computer as a single file; on restore the records are applied one by one and the progress is shown on screen. After restoring, you set up the Spotify connection once more.
Setup takes a few minutes
The application installs from the store and is working with your own Spotify account within a few minutes. During setup you obtain a free connection ID from Spotify and grant permission to your account; your account name and password are never entered into the application. The application interface works in many languages, and the language you choose is also written into the names of the KNX points it creates.
How Spotify Connector works: introduction
Linking a Spotify account to the automation server, showing the playing track on the panels, and managing playback and volume over KNX.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Spotify Premium account required?
Yes. The application works with an account that has a Spotify Premium subscription. The account is yours; the application connects only to the account you grant permission to.
What else is needed for setup?
Three things: a license of at least the Home level on the automation server, a Spotify Premium subscription, and a Spotify developer application that you open free of charge during setup. The developer application exists only to produce the connection ID, and the steps are shown in the setup video.
Are my Spotify account details entered into the application?
No. Your account name and password are not entered into the application and are nowhere on the device. The only thing entered into the application is the connection ID you obtain free from Spotify during setup; the step where you grant permission to your account happens on Spotify's own page.
Was this application developed by Spotify?
No. Spotify Connector is an independent application developed by Sona, and it connects to your account using Spotify's own interfaces. Spotify and the related names belong to their owners.
Which device does the music play on?
The music plays on the Spotify player you are signed in to with your account; the application runs that player over KNX and writes its state to the panels. For the values to flow, there has to be an open player on the account.
Can the volume be changed on every device?
No. On some devices, such as phones, Spotify does not allow the volume to be changed remotely. The other controls work on those devices too.
Does it work without internet?
No. Spotify is a cloud service and needs internet. The house's own automation scenes keep working without it; only the music layer depends on the connection.
Spotify Connector is included in the Home license and installs from the store in Sona Application Center.
The application runs on the Sona Home automation server. If a touch panel is wanted in the home, SonaHMI panels connect to the same platform.
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