Hi all, I recently migrated from ST to HE. For the most part all the device migrations went well with little complications that I have overcome and I've also worked through some of the integrations differences, but I have a few outstanding things that I haven't been able to find a clear resolution to. Any help with the following would be appreciated.
Looking for a device status monitor to ensure devices are indeed still functioning properly. Previously with ST, I would use a webCoRE piston to evaluate if a device was online or offline. It seems as though devices don't report similarly in HE. I have explored the Device Monitor app discussed in numerous threads, but it seems to monitor based on last activity vs. if the device is inactive but still reporting to the hub.
How are SMS or other notifications handled from webCoRE? Previously with ST, I have a number of routines that would send an SMS. I have found in with HE (according to logs) that SMS has been deprecated in favor of push notifications, but after various attempts, I haven't found a method to receive the notifications from webCoRE.
How are folks handling Alexa routines desired to push/activate an HE virtual button? I've found various threads where a physical button has been integrated to activate an Alexa routine, but not the reverse, where I want a spoken Alexa routine to eventually activate an HE button.
And finally, is anyone successfully using Centralite/Iris Smart Plugs to report power usage. With ST, I monitored the plug power usage to determine is a non-smart device was drawing power. With HE, these plugs seem to have a Current Power state, which always reports as zero (0). I have other Zooz devices which do properly report, but this model does not. I haven't been able to find any alternative drivers, etc. and have done normal troubleshooting like factory resets, etc.
Thanks for any support/direction you can provide on any of these individual remaining things for me to finalize my migration. Appreciated.
Those voice virtual switches are added to Alexa and there are Custom Routines.
One for opening, one for closing. Each Alexa routine simply turns on the relevant switch and Hubitat takes care of the rest. Hubitat's Auto-Off function converts a switch into a "button" like result.
I'm not sure how Device Monitor works, though I don't think it's been updated in a few years. The "Last Activity At" data, as seen at the bottom of the device detail page, is available to apps like this one to use (though, again, I don't know if this one does use it) and for many devices is really the only way for anyone or anything to know anything about the device's network status. Many don't report in routinely on their own, just when they need to or at some regular interval (e.g., the wakeup interval, often once or twice a day, for battery-powered Z-Wave devices). This often corresponds to an event on Hubitat but doesn't have to, and looking at this date is generally better than looking at the last actual event (which is an option, but I'm not sure any app like this does).
Two apps I know of that are currently maintained that do something similar are Device Watchdog by BPTWorld and Device Activity Check by me.
You can leave webCoRE out of the picture for a second; you just need a device on Hubitat that can send SMS. A built-in driver is available for Twilio, but there are also other options. I believe all require a subscription, though some cell providers also let you send an e-mail that gets translated into SMS on their end, which is another option and may be free. Hubitat doesn't have a built-in e-mail option, though there are community offerings; however, webCoRE does include an e-mail feature that should also work (though I've never used it).
Most SMS devices, if that is the route you go, "pretend" to be notification devices on Hubitat. That means you can use the regular push notification commands to send SMS to those devices. This works a bit differently on ST than Hubitat; most Hubitat apps let you choose a specific device (or multiple) to send notifications to, but on ST it just assumes you want to use the ST app (on any/all devices you're logged into). On Hubitat, webCoRE is a bit of a compromise by default with a setting in the "Settings" section of the webCoRE app on Hubitat that lets you choose the device used for the push notification action in pistons. (I'm pretty sure it would work if you just ran the deviceNotification() command directly on a selected notification device, too, but I've never tried...)
I don't believe Alexa's smart home skills offer the ability to use buttons directly (at least not from integrated hubs/systems; there is a distinct "buttons" feature for Amazon's own for sure). If a switch would work for you, Hubitat's built-in Virtual Switch driver has an "auto off" option that can make it effectively momentary (and ready to turn on, potentially triggering whatever it is again, nearly immediately afterwards). It would also be possible to write a combo button/switch driver, but I went looking for one last night and couldn't find anything (though it would be easy to write).
@Ranchitat thanks, this driver seems to have resolved the power usage reporting. Side note, I don't know how my forum searches didn't turn this up, but much appreciate the help!
@csteele thanks for this. I was experimenting with dual virtual switches (one to lock and unlock as you noted), but it was getting complicated on how to reset those to their original state for next use, hence why I was leaning towards the button. I'll experiment with the auto-off functions. Appreciated.
You can use the built-in driver to monitor power use. I use many Iris outlets to monitor power, from washer to TVs, to lamps and you name it 15 outlets in all. Just make sure that power reporting is enabled and that you use the correct driver:
@bobbyD interesting, thanks. So is the wattage selected the lower limit when the device will start to report (i.e. in your example, when usage hits 30 watts it'll report but not with less usage)?
Correct, it reports on increments greater or equal to the value selected. For my washer, if it uses 30 watts or more, I know that the washer is running.
15 outlets in all. Just make sure that power reporting is enabled and that you use the correct driver:
