Notifications

Struggling newbie!
Can’t get the infamous notifications to work. They ONLY work when my interfaces are logged into the hub. Those being iPhones and iPads. Anyone else face this and resolve?
Thanks in advance David

I would always recommend installing Pushover.... It's rock solid and has never failed me. It also can send specific tones per level...

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Pushover is the best!

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Believe I found the answer, working as designed. Either Pushover or Hubitat must be logged into and running on the device receiving push notifications.

Thanks

Pushover doesn't have to be running as it's done via oauth. I believe the same is for the Hubitat app.

I’m not sure if I’m clear on what you mean here.

Are you referring to the iOS mobile app? Or logging into the hub’s admin interface from safari (or any other web browser) on your iPad or iPhone?

Following the instructions for both HE and Pushover, it doesn't quite work for me. I found in the documentation of Pushover that the client app had to be running? If I don't have it running it gives me a push notification that isn't related to my device, but instead to an inability to decrypt the notice, it does go to correct device. If I open the Pushover client, it works like a charm. Not interested in Pushover if HE would work. I get absolutely nothing with HE, unless the client app is logged into. I'm getting comfortable with this new environment. Ex-coder, but it has been 15-20 years ago. It finally popped into my head, duh!, in the olden days, to speak to another app, one must speak in an "application programming interface", API. After searching the community, I actually found a gentleman that put the script required to make notify happen. I believe Rule Machine, but I'm off to find out how and where that happens. I've only had this for a short while, kept banging my head against the wall trying to get it to setup properly with just 4 switches and 2 plugs. It kept freaking out. Finally figured out that one must do ALL setup on a computer, not an iPhone/iPad. I couldn't keep HE running for more than a couple of days and then it would quit working, albeit, it was running just not doing anything. I've now had it up and running for 8 days, yee-haw. As long as I leave clients logged in, on each iPhone/iPad, I get notices, shut them down, nada.
Anyway, API is the way to go, just have to find the time to do the exploration.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving
David

@ddavis1958 I almost never open pushover. It doesn't run in the background. It receives the notifications via oauth. In fact the last time I opened it was when I was choosing a high priority sound and wanted to play through some. Other than that it's closed. I've never gotten a push notice not related to my device... thats kinda a weird statement. (I may be interpreting it wrong) You can also verify this with the free version of pushover (only limitation is amount of notifications per day)

Thanks Rick, but it isn't how it works for me, unsure, what I'm doing wrong. I read that folks have HE working, I can't seem to make so. I read folks have Pushover working, errr, not me. I think I'm going down a dark cave in seeing if I can figure out how to get an API to work. In MHO, this is way harder than it needs to be. I just wanted to change control of my Z Wave devices to get rid of the overly expensive ADT system that has controlled them flawlessly for 11 years. Willing to upgrade to Plus Z Waves for new technology. Heck non Pluses were being controlled by an old GE ADT system flawlessly. Now they didn't notify me when they were on or off, and voila, I still don't have that notification, as well, HE is unstable with turning on/off switches. Needless to say, 3 weeks in, I'm greatly disappointed. And reviews said this was the primo hub. Hate to see what the others are like.
So, if you will stick with me for a bit, I would greatly appreciate it. I think I understand a bit more on the setup of this system. I will hit some high points, please tell me how to help you, help me out of this frustrating situation I'm in.
I have created a working out of the box dashboard.
I have 2 iPhones, new 6S's, 2 iPads.
I have 2 non-Plus Z Wave plugs, 2 Plus Z Wave plugs. 4 Plus Z Wave switches. They are all included, and functioning.
I have 2 out-of-box notifications, outlets, outside lights
I have 4 out-of-box Simple Automation Rules, On/Off plugs, On/Off Switches, all basic control by sunset/sunrise.
All "seems" to be working as designed, but I can't get HE to tell me On/Off without HE/3rd Party app being logged into on each user interface.
I'm down to 14 days on my free trial of Pushover. It isn't helping any more than HE. So I keep bouncing from one to the other trying to get something to work. Eventually I'll run out of trial time on Pushover. 5 bucks is meaningless to me, but I can't see paying for something that is no better than HE, primarily it's just something else to keep up with, might as well just leave HE up and running as add Pushover and leave it up and running.
So, when I created Pushover, I created a virtual device. One place I read it said change the ID to anything I like, like PSH01, I tried that, it didn't help. So, I destroyed device and let it create it back to a long string ID. If we take Pushover out of the equation, I have in each notification, all 4 user interfaces selected. That notifies us, if HE is logged into on each device. To add Pushover, I took out all 4 user interfaces and added virtual Pushover into the 2 notifications. That works IF Pushover app is loaded and each user interface is logged in. During the frustration I tested whether it could see one of the UI's and I noticed the screen scrolled, got excited, wow, got it working, uh, no you didn't, once I logged out on specific UI, it no longer received the notify. The system is doing what it is supposed to do, the devices just won't display them unless the HE/Pushover app is logged in.
So, HE knows the DNI for each UI, but can't find it unless HE/Pushover is running on said DNI?

At your leisure, please help as you can. Presently, I've concluded that each UI must have HE logged into on each device and that's just the way it is. Not what I like, but there is so much going on that I don't like, what's one more.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide
David

I have read all of your posts but struggling to understand what you mean by "logged into". You do have to login to your account both on HE and Pushover on your iPhone but you don't need to have either app open on that device assuming that within settings you have both Background App Refresh and Cellular Data turned on. This way they can continue to work in the background and via cellular data if you aren't on Wifi. Please note these settings are not within those apps, they are within iPhone Settings and then you scroll to find each app and toggle those settings accordingly.

As @rlithgow1 I barely open Pushover and notifications are presented to me all day with no issues. I don't use the HE app that often to be honest since I predate its existence using HE for 2.5 years well before that app was released, but know it works similar.

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Wow, for someone that's not sure they understand, I think I finally got someone to agree with me. That got me to thinking, what exactly do I mean? I have been back and forth so many times. First off, right or wrong, I'm a beginning of time, PC person. I caved to "the best phone on the market, iPhone", but don't think like an iPhone developer. So, if a PC needs two apps to be logged into, up and running, account active and open for misdeeds, that'd be my definition of "logged into". Let me back up a bit, give some learning history here, and maybe I'll make myself clearer.
To stop from running upstairs, downstairs, etc. etc., I attempted, initially, to include my devices, create my devices, modify my devices, create my notifications, etc. on my tablet. Oh man, ran into all sorts of crashes, device is there one moment, gone the next. For days I was cussing out HE, with the delete the device, delete the app, re-download from Apple store, identify the device, really, this can't be. Without knowing I had to do it, from trial and error, I found it was REQUIRED to do setup/development on PC, using UI's (phone/tablet) to only interact via dashboard. Ok, so now that creates a conundrum. If I get into the IOS HE app and it corrupts my setup, then by God, I do NOT want it available for me (really wife which is not highly computer literate) to access. So in essence, I do NOT want it on my phone or tablet. I put the dashboard on my UI device ONLY. I use my PC to access HE, I'd refer to it as my admin. But, I believe with you agreeing with me, I can't do that. I have to place the HE app, on my phone, log into my HE account, let it "identify" that this is my UI device and leave it "connected". Oh but what does that mean, ie your thought. Well, if anyone so happened to "steal" my phone/tablet, talking spouses and mine, 4 altogether, then they have access to my HE account by simply clicking on the HE app, because it is already "logged into". This is a security fault, sorry for the drama, big time! It has been a number of years since I programmed, but I believe that was where we used API's to talk to another app without having it up and running/logged into. That was where I was duh!, I need to do an API call so that my UI can access HE. Seemed rather difficult to go to that length to just get a notice. Your question got me to thinking, hmm, my IOS HE app isn't "running in the background", like it would be on a PC. So, I had to write this response, to think it through. Guess it isn't "up and running", but my distaste is still there, as I brainstormed above. I don't think it is proper to have it "active/open/logged into", as if I actually opened the IOS app and alter my setup, in my rookie experience, I can mess up my setup and have, to in a way, start over. Or if someone picks up my iPhone/iPad, they have access into my HE account by simply clicking on the HE app.
Hopefully I made myself clearer, did I? Do you agree with my assumption, ie I finally get it?
Can't believe I'm the only one that this is concerning to? What am I missing? Really don't want to test my theory, as I will have to redo whatever I mess up by clicking on HE app, argh!

Thanks for your time, guys
David

I see a little more clearly what you're saying. As a network engineer myself I think you're overthinking the security aspect. First off I'm going to assume that your phone is either pin and/or face locked. Unless someone comes up to you, punches you in the face while you're talking on your phone and takes said phone and then proceeds to turn on said lights or delete previous notifications, it's really a non issue. I'll assume you have FB and other apps on your phone that you don't log into when you open (bank software being an exception). (I'm also leaving 2fa out as once you're logged in most 2fa sits quietly until a different device logs in or cache is cleared). Unlikely your wife/kids/etc will open pushover and the only thing they could mess up is their own phone settings. You can't access the admin dashboard from the HE app unless you pay. So only the dashboards themselves. Usually anyone needing access to the dashboards from outside the house will use that anyway. You can add admin access to your account but most of us outside the house use a vpn and a web browser for admin. So I think it's pretty safe for you to add pushover to your phone and have it as a notifier without much risk of someone picking up your phone from a locked position and turning your lights/devices on and off..

Understand about dashboard, yes all I want/need is "user" dashboard on UI devices. Why we have a password to access the UI app, to do alterations. But in our cases, we don't need to worry about securing the password, because the app isn't secured being open at all times, SMH. I get your point, probably highly unlikely for me to worry about, but........ I personally can't believe this is the way it is designed, but that obviously is just me. I wonder if the folks that have alarms using this understand that their alarms can be disabled without a perpetrator knowing their password?
I'm very old school, I don't do financial transaction on a cellphone, land line only. Never had a need/want for Facebook.

Thanks to all that assisted me
David

If it's set up the same way, unlikely it could happen as your phone times out and locks. I could see that happening should one not use a pin/face/fingerprint id on their phone but other than that's it's pretty much a non issue. I do a good bit of network security in my job and I just can't see the security issue, especially since the app isn't accessing the admin UI. Even that can have restrictions per dashboard to specific users. Overall though the apps are very safe and neither can directly affect the core functioning of the hub.

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Do you mean a banking mobile app on a cell phone?

Or calling your bank to make transactions on your cell phone?