PollenPal Home Assistant Integration 🌾

A custom Home Assistant integration for the PollenPal API that provides real-time UK pollen data and forecasts directly in your Home Assistant dashboard.

Features

• 🌍 Real-time pollen monitoring for any UK location
• 📊 Multiple sensor types for grass, tree, and weed pollen
• 🚨 Alert level monitoring with health advice
• 📍 Flexible location support (cities and postcodes)
• 🔧 Dynamic API URL support for self-hosted instances
• 🏠 Native Home Assistant integration with proper device grouping

Sensors Provided

The integration creates the following sensors for your configured location:

• Grass Pollen Level - Current grass pollen level (Low/Moderate/High/Very High)
• Grass Pollen Count - Numerical grass pollen count
• Tree Pollen Level - Current tree pollen level
• Tree Pollen Count - Numerical tree pollen count
• Weed Pollen Level - Current weed pollen level
• Weed Pollen Count - Numerical weed pollen count
• Pollen Alert Level - Overall alert level with health advice

Each sensor includes detailed attributes with additional information such as:

• Location coordinates
• Detailed pollen breakdowns by species
• Health advice recommendations
• Current day information

Installation

Method 1: Manual Installation

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Copy the custom_components/pollenpal folder to your Home Assistant custom_components directory
3. Restart Home Assistant
4. Go to Settings → Devices & Services → Add Integration
5. Search for "PollenPal" and click to add it

Method 2: HACS (Home Assistant Community Store)

Note: This integration is not yet available in HACS. Use manual installation for now.

Configuration

1. Add Integration: Go to Settings → Devices & Services → Add Integration
2. Search: Look for "PollenPal" in the integration list
3. Configure:
   • API URL: Enter your PollenPal API URL (default: http://localhost:3000)
   • Location: Enter a UK city name or postcode (e.g., "London" or "SW1A 1AA")
4. Submit: Click submit to validate and create the integration

Configuration Options

Field	Description	Example
API URL	URL of your PollenPal API instance	http://localhost:3000
Location	UK city or postcode to monitor	London or M1 1AA

Usage Examples

Automation Example

Create an automation to notify when pollen levels are high:

automation:
  - alias: "High Pollen Alert"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: sensor.pollenpal_pollen_alert_level
        to: "high"
    action:
      - service: notify.mobile_app_your_phone
        data:
          title: "High Pollen Alert!"
          message: "Pollen levels are high in {{ state_attr('sensor.pollenpal_grass_pollen_level', 'location') }}. Consider staying indoors."

Lovelace Card Example

Display pollen information on your dashboard:

type: entities
title: Pollen Levels
entities:
  - entity: sensor.pollenpal_grass_pollen_level
    name: Grass Pollen
  - entity: sensor.pollenpal_tree_pollen_level
    name: Tree Pollen
  - entity: sensor.pollenpal_weed_pollen_level
    name: Weed Pollen
  - entity: sensor.pollenpal_pollen_alert_level
    name: Alert Level

Template Sensor Example

Create a template sensor for combined pollen information:

template:
  - sensor:
      - name: "Pollen Summary"
        state: >
          {% set grass = states('sensor.pollenpal_grass_pollen_level') %}
          {% set trees = states('sensor.pollenpal_tree_pollen_level') %}
          {% set weeds = states('sensor.pollenpal_weed_pollen_level') %}
          Grass: {{ grass }}, Trees: {{ trees }}, Weeds: {{ weeds }}
        attributes:
          location: "{{ state_attr('sensor.pollenpal_grass_pollen_level', 'location') }}"
          advice: "{{ state_attr('sensor.pollenpal_pollen_alert_level', 'advice') }}"

API Requirements

This integration requires a running PollenPal API instance. You can:

1. Self-host: Follow the PollenPal API documentation to set up your own instance
2. Use existing instance: Point to an existing PollenPal API deployment

Supported API Endpoints

The integration uses these PollenPal API endpoints:

• /pollen/{location}/current - Current pollen data
• /pollen/{location}/advice - Health advice (optional)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Integration not appearing

• Ensure the custom_components/pollenpal folder is in the correct location
• Restart Home Assistant after installation
• Check the Home Assistant logs for any error messages

Cannot connect to API

• Verify the API URL is correct and accessible from Home Assistant
• Check that the PollenPal API is running and responding
• Ensure there are no firewall issues blocking the connection

Location not found

• Verify the location name or postcode is correct
• Try alternative spellings or nearby locations
• Check the PollenPal API directly to confirm location support

Debug Logging

Enable debug logging by adding this to your configuration.yaml:

logger:
  default: info
  logs:
    custom_components.pollenpal: debug

Data Update Frequency

The integration updates pollen data every hour (3600 seconds) by default. This frequency is appropriate for pollen data which doesn't change rapidly throughout the day.

Privacy and Data

• This integration only communicates with your specified PollenPal API instance
• No data is sent to third parties
• Location data is only used to fetch relevant pollen information
• All communication follows Home Assistant's standard security practices

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

Support

For issues and questions:

• Check the troubleshooting section above
• Review Home Assistant logs for error messages
• Open an issue on the repository with detailed information

License

This project is open source. Please check the license file for details.

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Note: This integration requires the PollenPal API to be running and accessible. Make sure to set up the API first before configuring this integration.