I've used and developed drivers for HVAC systems. The state you are describing is referred to as idle. Feel free inspect the code for any HVAC driver and you won't encounter the term nothing.
I believe this is what you are referring to:
An HVAC system can have several operating modes and idle mode is when the heating/cooling equipment is powered and awaiting a "call for heat" or "call for cool". In other words, it is enabled and ready to perform work (heating/cooling).
It's important to note that, until about 20 posts into this thread, krzyskonieczny15 had not yet explained the purpose for a 3-state switch (on, off, and 'none of the above'). All of my comments were in the context of that early stage of the discussion. Everything changed when it was revealed the intended application was to control a heating system.
Well, you can only work with what's available and that sounds like the best option so far.
And if I am not mistaken you can't put an HVAC system into idle. In heating mode, it would be heat set point has been reached and the furnace is not actively heating.
There are two concepts here, the HVAC system's operation mode and its operating state. Here are the basics:
The operation mode represents what the HVAC system is allowed to do:
Heat: generate heat when necessary
Cool: remove heat when necessary
Auto: generate/remove heat as required
Off: do nothing
The operating state represents what the HVAC is actively doing:
Heating: generating heat
Cooling: removing heat
Idle: doing neither; awaiting the need to either generate/remove heat
So, yes, you are correct. You do not set an HVAC system into idle mode. You, for example, set it to heat mode and then it may sit in idle state until the need to generate heat is required (i.e. ambient temperature falls below the heating set point temperature).
Any ideas to point 1?
when using door sensor 6 from aeotec i recieve dobule notification when opening and closing doors.
I'm opening the door and receive two notification at the same time , when closing again two notification.
What driver are you using? This is a common issue with many brands of Z-Wave contact (and motion) sensors. In the device page, you may find that the driver has a setting to suppress these that you can turn on, but I'm not sure off the top of my head of the Aeotec has a dedicated driver or if the generic driver includes this.
If you're using the Notifications app or Rule Machine, you can also work around this problem, but doing it at the device level is easier if you can.
I'm also looking for virtual 3 positions switch. In my case it would be OFF-MANUAL-AUTO to control also radiators. Off - will be sending off command to all my radiators and main valve to shut off, auto - heating will be working according to schedule and manual - something like @krzyskonieczny15 - do nothing - if I will set manually 22C it should stay as long as I want to
I too would like to see a 3 state display device in Hubitat. I worked with a SCADA system for 20 years that supported a 3 state display points, I found them very useful for hand, off, auto switches and gate status, open, closed, and in travel. There was a calculation involved for each point, That can be done with RM. Dashboard will need to be updated to display 3 different icons and colors. I will submit a request. Don’t get if you don’t ask.
Many attributes within the current event schema support multiple values, including unknown.
Attributes typically associated with binary devices don't.
The switch capability in particular is over used, misapplied and really should be reserved for devices that have binary states and commands of on and off.
Anything extra needs to live somewhere else.
Let me get my thoughts together and the define my request. This will be mainly an update to Dashboard to display different colors and icons for three or four states of the point / device. It will be for status devices like contact devices.
I understand binary devices only have two states - on and off. I think some questions are arising from different terminologies. Stay tuned for a well defined request in a day or two.
FYI - Some standard capabilities, like the Door Control, Garage Door Control, and Window Shade, include multiple states already. These include states like opening, closing, open, closed, and unknown.
