I’m trying out some flows using the Vera/MIOS Nodes and while I can do some things, I wanted to ask if there was a way I could check that the request/payload I send was processed successfully.
For example, if I am sending the value ‘1’ to a predefined device (a plug socket) to turn it on, I can send it successfully , but how can I formally check that it actually worked ?
Most of the time I can see it worked as I’m in that room at the time, but let’s say the socket is in another room - what can be done to report that it really did work successfully ?
Unless the device sends a signal back, you can't (and all remote sockets I've worked with don't signal back)
I usually repeat the on or off command a few times over a 10 sec period to increase chances of the message getting thru if the signal is going over IR or RF.
Just send a message on to the nodes that will do the interrogation. If you want it to be on a different tab you can use a Link node to send a message between tabs.
I have a WiFi Edimax plug. While it doesn't send a confirmation response, it does send an update about once a minute so you can check.
For devices that have no feedback at all such as LightwaveRF units, you might consider sending the command more than once with a second between them. The 433MHz units such as the Lightwave and HomeEasy do sometimes miss commands.
We really would need to know what kind of devices you are controlling. Many of the older units, especially 355/433/868MHz based ones have no capability for being queried. Newer models, mainly WiFi based may have a web interface you could query using REST.
The best for HA use are WiFi units you can program yourself. Based on ESP8266. Something like the SONOFF units as they have accessible headers for reprogramming. Then you can use firmware that talks and listens to MQTT and get whatever feedback you want.
Not fully convinced. If you are not a "handy-man" keen on getting your hands "kind-a-dirty" with low-level-stuff, you should consider ready-made z-wave or zig-bee based devices since they do report status changes back
Devices based on those technologies are more expensive but price trends are going down. If you know about IKEA, they do have zig-bee based products called TRADFRI. This autumn, they will also launch socket plugs for various usage, estimated for around $10
If so, this will be a major blow to all those simpler, cheaper RF one-way devices. Once they have flush-mounted devices/devices for installation in electrical boxes/switches, I will throw all my old stuff out
Hi, I’m using z-wave devices, controlled via Vera Control (MIOS) home automation controller, so I’m working with the Vera/MiOS node on this site.
What’s interesting is that there is an Vera/MiOS input node which looks for changes I specify, and an Vera/MiOS output node which is used to carries out any changes I’d like to make.
In an ideal way, it would be cool if the completed flow could immediatelycheck the input to confirm that the change requested was successfully applied.
OK, sorry I did make an assumption. I've been doing Node-RED for some years now and it is easy to forget how far I've come. I do realise not everyone wants to get their hands dirty with this stuff & I started out that way myself not really being an electronics buff (I'm an IT person).
So I agree that, apart from WiFi, the ZigBee stuff seems to be the next best option. But, with the possible exception of the Ikea units, it is a lot more expensive than ESP based WifI.
But even the ikea stuff is still more expensive, in the UK at least. £65 for a gateway kit with 2 white only bulbs (screw fit so I would need converters to bayonet fit as well), a remote and the gateway. I also keep noting that they rarely have any of these in stock in our local Ikea.
For between £2 and £4 I can get a SONOFF smart switch or plug. Then use it with my standard WiFi. But then you will want to flash your own firmware onto it - there are several standard firmwares so you don't really need to learn Arduino C++ programming. I can use those to control any pluggable light unit.
Also, for the same price as the standalone Ikea remote (5 buttons), I can now get an M5Stack which is an ESP32 (WiFi and BT) with 2" colour screen and 3 buttons, TF card slot, USB powered (optional battery), lots of GPIO, small speaker. Also programmable via the Arduino IDE. Just got my first one through the post today!
Room for both approaches of course and each to their own. So as usual, you can trade cost & flexibility for ease. Either way, Node-RED has you covered!
Haha! Good point. I think that only applies to permanently wired devices? I'm not an expert by any means. It's true that I wouldn't trust the older SONOFF's completely. The newer ones seem good enough. Probably not for commercial use though
I've had one of the POW's on the back of the TV for a while now though and it has been flawless. I wouldn't go more than 50% of its rated power capacity though, maybe only 30% for extended use. Good enough for most things though. Never gets even warm. Also, remember to pass through the ground wire if needed.
From this I understand you do not receive feedbacks on status changes even though you are using & correctly configured the mios-in Node?
I do also have (a few) z-wave devices but I use a regular aeotec labs gen 5 usb-stick. I decided to let Home Assistant (HA) handle the z-wave stuff, integrating it with Node-RED (NR) using MQTT. Works very well
In HA it was easy to find & configure devices, automation rules for commands and status feedbacks. So in NR, all is now available thru MQTT Nodes. HA is, in this case, just a service that I only need to touch if I add new devices and rules
With this setup, I send commands from NR and receives feedbacks of status changes thru subscription right away just by using MQTT output/input Nodes
So maybe connecting your Vera to HA and then do as above would help to make it simpler & easier?
Dear Julian, just great to discuss various possibilities I think
I have personally done a lot of soldering & electronics in earlier days, even building my own RF devices, receivers, transmitters & transceivers. Here an early creature from the past: http://wiki.nethome.nu/doku.php/walterduo
But as time goes by, getting older, more comfortable, a bit lazy, and in this case, as @cymplecy says, electrical regulations. Mains will kill if you handle it incorrectly so for power plugs etc it might be a better advice to use CE approved ready-made products. In some regions (like here in Sweden) you are not allowed to modify an existing CE approved device in any way (for you this might change after Brexit ). So changing the relay to a SSR, just forget, it has to be manufactured with the SSR from start to fulfill the CE approvals
Yep, the Vera/MiOS Node’s are I believe configured correctly, therefore any change sent via the output node should be seen/reported via the input node.
The challenge is how to get a flow to look out for the change, that sent , as the changes will happen so quickly, but it will obviously be sequential.
I can manually create a completely separate flow to look out for the change that’s being requested, the ideal end state would be that this would all occurs in one flow, rather than two . (Or to avoid adding other elements like home assistant and MQTT in the mix).
It feels like something should be possible with the Vera/MiOS Input and output nodes, just. It exactly sure how that would look.
). So changing the relay to a SSR, just forget, it has to be manufactured with the SSR from start to fulfill the CE approvals