How do you troubleshoot the button controller plugin? It just stopped working for one Pico for no apparent reason and the logs act like things are working

🛎️ Get Help
1

Basically the subject. I use the Button Controller plugin, the one that came with Hubitat to control Pico remotes and RA2 Keypads. I have a Pico connected to Caseta which is added fine to Hubitat. If I press buttons on it, they show up just fine in Hubitat that they are pressed.

I also have several LIFX bulbs added to Hubitat. I created a button controller last night to have it control a LIFX bulb as well as one button to control a RA2 scene. This worked fine all night no problem. Today I try to use the Pico to turn the bulb on and nothing happens yet the log makes it seem like it is.

As you can see here in the log, it shows the Pico working just fine when I press it on and off and clearly detects the presses. It also acts like it's running actions from the button controller yet it doesn't do anything in real life:

dev:2162021-04-12 09:06:42.389 pm infoMaster Bedroom Table Lamp switch was turned off

app:1482021-04-12 09:06:42.364 pm infoAction: Off: Master Bedroom Table Lamp for button 5 pushed

dev:2182021-04-12 09:06:42.347 pm infoMaster Bedroom Foyer Pico button 5 was released

dev:152021-04-12 09:06:42.330 pm inforcvd: DEVICE,22,4,4

dev:2182021-04-12 09:06:42.313 pm infoMaster Bedroom Foyer Pico button 5 was pushed

dev:152021-04-12 09:06:42.292 pm inforcvd: DEVICE,22,4,3

dev:2162021-04-12 09:06:00.043 pm infoMaster Bedroom Table Lamp level is 100%

dev:2162021-04-12 09:05:59.967 pm infoMaster Bedroom Table Lamp colorName is Incandescent

dev:2162021-04-12 09:05:59.963 pm infoMaster Bedroom Table Lamp colorTemperature was set to 2500

app:1482021-04-12 09:05:59.864 pm infoAction: Color Temperature: Master Bedroom Table Lamp: 2500: 100 for button 1 pushed

dev:2182021-04-12 09:05:59.850 pm infoMaster Bedroom Foyer Pico button 1 was released

dev:152021-04-12 09:05:59.833 pm inforcvd: DEVICE,22,2,4

dev:2182021-04-12 09:05:59.816 pm infoMaster Bedroom Foyer Pico button 1 was pushed

dev:152021-04-12 09:05:59.794 pm inforcvd: DEVICE,22,2,3

In addition, here's me controlling the LIFX bulb via Hubitat's web interface, which works fine and turns it on and off and actually does what it says it's doing:

dev:2162021-04-12 09:02:58.801 pm infoMaster Bedroom Table Lamp switch was turned off

dev:2162021-04-12 09:02:55.010 pm infoMaster Bedroom Table Lamp switch is on

Lastly, here's the button controller that worked fine last night:

image
image1922Ă—1386 197 KB

How do I troubleshoot this? The logs are indicating that the button controller is in fact taking action when pressing buttons but it's not doing anything. Pressing button 3 runs an action "Press button 2 on a RA2 keypad" and even that doesn't work now, so it's not LIFX related. I can control all these devices as well as the Pico by itself (I can even do a rule machine that says if I press Pico button 1 turn on the light and that works). It's just this Button Controller that isn't working. What's extra frustrating though is how it shows in the logs that it is, when it's actually doing nothing.

If it helps at all, all my other button controllers continue to work fine, it's just this one I made last night that won't work.

2

I have not had to do this for a long time, but did you try just opening the Lutron integration, and press Done? That's it. Then try the Pico.

Reboot the Caséta hub? Also, very rare, but I have had to do that once or twice before.

1 Like
3

There's nothing wrong with the Lutron integration, all other Pico's work fine it's the button controller plugin that I find is insanely buggy. When pressing the Pico, Hubitat clearly shows the buttons I'm pressing. Today it's all working and I didn't even do anything. Might look to switch to rule machine even though it's more clunky to write apps for that vs button controller.

Button controller seems messed up as half the time whenever I try to create a new one, you'll press the button to "add a new button action" and you'll select the button you want like #1 and press pushed, and it will add it to let you create an action. Then you do that same step again and it never works. You try to create button 2 or 3 and it says done but never adds anything. You try to add it again, and button 2 or 3 isn't even on the dropdown, so it acts like you have already added an action for it even though there's none. It usually only works if I create a new button controller and then do the "prefill all buttons for pressed, held, released" and have it add them all. So lots of quirks I find with it.

4

It’s something else. Button controller is inside Rule Machine. I’ve had these running for a very long time with no issues that can be traced to button controller.

But, I have had instances where a single Pico didn’t work (again not in a long time) and opening the Lutron integration and doing nothing but pressing the Done button resolved it. This used to be a fix that had to be used often, but that hasn’t been the case for a year or more.

I have also had a single Pico not working, and when clicking Done in the integration didn’t fix the problem, I rebooted the Lutron bridge and the issue went away.

Rare, but also worth checking the battery or just replacing it with a new one. There’s always the possibility the battery either wasn’t good from the start, or there’s something wrong with the Pico (again, very rare but not impossible) and it may be draining the battery.

2 Likes
5

The problem you’re describing with button controller should have been fixed a long time ago. Are you running an old version of the platform? If you’re running the latest and it’s still happening, I’m sure @bravenel would like to know.

The fix used to be, after creating the button controller child app, click OK, then go back in and you should have no problem entering the buttons.

6

Thanks, I should clarify though. When I say the PIco doesn't work I mean on this specific button controller I'm using. If I press buttons on the Pico, Hubitat clearly shows "Button 5 pressed, Button 3 held" etc. I can even create a new rule machine saying "If I press Button 1, turn on some RA2 ceiling light" and that works fine. If I delete the button controller and add it again, it works fine. So the issue I'm having (or at least was until this morning) is entirely with the button controller.

I'm also on the latest of everything and I have that issue with creating buttons every single time I use button controller. As mentioned, I find it's safest to just tell it to add all button actions at once, as doing just the buttons I need I don't think has ever properly worked for me. It's especially frustrating when you program 2 or 3 buttons individually and then it refuses to add any more, so you have to delete it and start over. So easier to just have it add them all at once!

7

Sounds coincidental since the button controller app is within Rule Machine.

If you can duplicate the problem with the buttons not responding, then there’s something to sink your teeth into. I’ve been using HE and the progressive versions of button controller with my Picos and a Smart Bridge Pro (which I had from my Smartthings days) since a month after Hubitat was launched. I have no evidence that a single Pico misbehaving was linked to button controller.

Maybe @bravenel can suggest something to investigate that could help you determine the cause.

8

Thanks, yeah it's not a huge deal. It was more disappointing how the logs indicate it's working when it's not. Like the logs shown in my OP clearly show the Pico being pressed, and button controller taking action and setting lights a certain way, yet nothing happens in real life. So if you were to go by the logs, you'd think everything is working.