I started using my new Hubitat C8 Nov. 30th. I added some devices:
some Aeotec Smart Energy Switches (for lights, coffee pot & cou)
a Zooz S2 MultiRelay (to test with C3 for future application)
…..my plan was to move my zwave devices from a VeraPlus (that appears to be having some issues now) to the C3. It looked like a good device. So after adding the devices above I started to set up some “Dashboards” (that appear to be just a glorified web page) to control them, including one with much smaller tiles for my iPhone. Well, the “buttons” seemed to work ok, on/off and indication of status (yellow on, light gray off) but then I went away for 12 days…
Now after I just got back from trip last night, I get up this morning to turn on my coffee maker and my Hubitat app/“Dashboard” on my phone does not appear to be working. So after playing around with it I realize:
The color of the tiles no longer update. If they were yellow (On) and I turned off that device the tile now just stays light gray, even though the device is On.
I can now only toggle a device on/off one time, thats it. If I want to turn that device on/off again I have to fully close the Hubitat app/“Dashboard” and reopen it.
….anyone know why this is doing this?? I’m having 2nd thoughts about C8 reliability and moving my devices to it.
I also was hoping to re-create the user experience of the HomeWave app (by Ronald In 't Velt) for the Vera (which is amazing, used it everyday for 11 years, Hubitat should try to emulate it) but this seems “hopeful” at best on my part. But that probably a topic for another post.
That sounds like something I’ve only seen when there were communication issues with the devices.
Are you able to properly see the status and control devices from the Devices screen?
Have you seen any errors in your logs?
My assumption based on the information above is that there is a device communications issue, so first thing I would try is to shut down the hub (via settings), pull power for a minute or so, than plug it back in. This will reset the Z-Wave radio, in case it is the cause of the issue.
Maybe before shutting down the hub it may be worth checking one or two more things....
On the dashboard, what template are you using for the tiles you are having problems with? Are you using a button or switch template? Or something else?
Also on the dashboard, in the top right there are typically three icons displayed. At times when you have seen issues, do you see a green tick icon, or a red exclamation icon?
For the devices you are having issues with, when you cannot operate them via the dashboard, are you able to control them via the Device Details pages for each device? Just noticed @Sebastien already thought of this
Hi Guys, thanks for the replies. The devices were communicating with the Hubitat, I could turn them on and off one time (even though the tile did not turn yellow to indicate it was on), then I would have to fully close the Hubitat app on my iPhone to turn that device on/off again. I believe I had the same issue on my Mac with Safari when I was logged into the C8 and tried that this morning. But....when I tried it later the issue seems to have gone away. Sooo.....I will keep an eye on it, and check some of the things above. Also, I do not see any errors in the logs, and I was using the simple "Living Room Light" 'Device' type with "Switch" template. Thanks, Jeff
Thanks for posting the updated info, @jeffy61 , and glad to hear it may now be working again.
Would be good to know if you were using the Dashboard on your Mac or the Device Details page.
Just FYI... One reason for needing this detail about which method of interaction is used, is that the dashboard needs to maintain a connection to the Hubitat Hub, which it is able to recover if it temporarily loses, but can be affected by mobile devices having battery optimisation or other "features" that can impact a reliable connection, which is something outside of the control of Hubitat. Comparing the outcome from the Device Details page is one way to try and rule in or out any communication issues in the use of the dashboard, versus other automation or device related issues.
That is good to hear, and makes me lean towards an issue outside of the dashboard... maybe... Like you said, keep an eye on it for now and check some of the other details we asked about.
Just thought I would address this off-hand comment.... Are you saying this is a bad thing? I don't personally see it as a negative, it opens up a lot of customisation options which people like me have enjoyed digging into during my time using the platform. Not to say I am some kind of authority on the use of this approach, I am very much a DIY-guy when it comes to this stuff, but it hasn't posed any problems for me so far.
I was/am having issues with network connection too. My automations were working but phone and other dashboards were wonky. I rebooted network and the hub and most of it is working again. I say most because something is borked with the Shelly integration still but have no time to deal with it. At least the Shelly app is still working so I can open my garage door.
I have had network issues the last 3 updates. I never remember what I do to get it fixed but it's getting really old.
It's not 100% clear what is exactly the issue for @jeffy61 , whether it is network, automation or device related, or something else entirely. The same could be true for your situation as well @jnosa899, in the end it means you/we need to work through more of the details to work out whether it is something on the HE hub, the devices you are using or something else.
It feels like it may be worth setting up a topic for your own issues to work through them, as they may not be related to the one's here.
I am saying what it is. But, in my opinion, the average Joe or Jane should not gave to learn CSS just to do nice or custom controls, and using CSS may make it difficult/impossible to implement some things in controls. Below is a link to some screenshots of the HomeWave app for Vera. I would LOVE to see something similar for Hubitat. Its easy to set up a control and link it to a device. It then, at a glance tells you the state of your device (depending on color). You can have different size control on the same page too, and some controls are interactive, like the one for my alarm system (Envisalink board connected to my DSC alarm panel) where tapping it gives you immediate options, took me about a minute to set up that control. Can you do that in CSS?? Maybe you can, I don't know, I hope you can because I'd like to, but I need to look into it. But I guarantee you trying to do that in CSS (if you even can) will be way more complicated than in the HomeWave app here.
Look, so far I like the Hubitat. But this is now 2024 and we are still using a (function/layout limited) web page for controlling a home automation system? Sorry, that is a bit lame in my book. And if Hubitat wants to sell more devices I think they need to address that. Hey Hubitat, hire the HomeWave developer Ronald, please.
Yep, I'll admit I would love to see a more appealing dashboard capability built-in. The focus more generally, for both the platform and what feels like the vast majority of users, is more centred around supporting more devices and in the automation capabilities of the platform.
I'd suggest looking at some past discussions around this topic of Dashboard design and the UI, third-party options for dashboards and look at some of the dashboard creations people have posted to get a sense of what is possible.
Other than that, it's probably a discussion for another topic, if you want to discuss it in more detail.
