[DEPRECATED] Universal Ecobee Suite, version 1.7.**

leo_charles · December 10, 2019, 6:07pm

I’m surprised that HE wasn’t programmed to display app/driver updates from 3rd parties in the same HE update notification area or at least next to the app/driver list itself.

ronv42 · December 11, 2019, 12:01pm

There are two sides to the discussion on notifications of new code. One side is that once a system is running an stable many no longer update the drivers or apps to maintain stability. And then there is always update crowd. Myself I used to be in the always update crowd until I got into mission critical work with automation and now I moved to the "version that always works". That was one thing that upset me with SmartThings they would update without consent but at least they notified. This approach with independent developers could break their code and remember having to code around updates that Samsung put in place until the developer would resolve the issue.

I would like to see that there are updates, evaluate, and decide to deploy or hide that update like I can do in Windows and other operating systems. I have over 60 deployments of various home automation platforms and I find Hubitat lacking in some areas but the big win is local control for most and cloud where necessary. I tend to follow what my clients like but I still have my personal preferences. I have a client that has been running for over 4 years without a update to the base firmware and still is happy with their automation. I don't dare update to the latest version there

storageanarchy · December 11, 2019, 12:57pm

Position noted.

When I get A Round Tuit, I will be sure to implement a selector for users to decide if they want update notifications or not (default will be "no").

I will probably do something like presenting a link to the update notice, so that you can see what changed and decide from there if you want to install the update or not. At present, the code does not insist that everything be at the latest version, so you have some flexibility, but often an update will be dependent upon changes in other modules - I will strive to make that clear as well.

When I get A Round Tuit..,

leo_charles · December 11, 2019, 1:15pm

Same here. I’ve done enough beta testing over the past 20 years and have had so many things break in that amount of time, that I prefer not to be bleeding edge in most cases these days. The last straw was installing Win ME on my brother’s work computer... Just no time for it any more with family, work and renovations. For me it’s simply not worth the hassle especially when it starts tinkering with water heaters and temperatures. I think updates should be responsibly labeled as “bug fixes” or “feature updates.” In some cases, I see some software versions labeled as “stable.” But, it’s hard if not impossible to get all coders using the same good practices.

Curious, which areas in particular? Localization is the dealbreaker for me. I’ve seen an incredible difference mainly moving my smart vents off of their cloud handshaking with Ecobee just to having the vents in house. This erased all doubts. Secondly, I’m fed up with devices that were supposed to work together but either no longer or are charging fees. There’s so many things that just don’t need to phone home or rely on the cloud in order to work. Also with the cloud, there’s additional points of failure and lag which adds to troubleshooting.

Although I was tempted to install HA on my Qnap NAS and test it out, after reading I’ve decided upon HE.

I guess I’m insular as I didn’t realize people could be doing this for a living. That’s pretty cool. I’m starting to wonder if I’m in the wrong business...

leo_charles · December 12, 2019, 3:32am

Hey, by any chance do you have a fan scheduler and if not, is that something possible to go beyond Ecobee’s settings?

Example of my use: I only use 2 rooms at night and my smart vents keep the rooms stable and bills low. The fan is set X minutes/hour for air circulation throughout the day, although I’d prefer it to be scheduled completely off at night. Currently with a fixed schedule, the fan pushes out warm air from the 2 rooms and the furnace needs to reheat cold replacement air more often (hence we’re spending more energy and money.)

storageanarchy · December 12, 2019, 12:10pm

The Smart Circulation Helper should do exactly what you need. Create more than one instance if you want different parameters at different times of the day or for different Location Modes...

storageanarchy · December 17, 2019, 1:55pm

Ecobee Suite Open Contacts updated on 17 December 2019 at 9:00am

Ecobee Suite Open Contacts, version 1.7.40
- Fixes (another) issue that was preventing custom notifications from being sent/spoken

This update is recommended for all users of the Open Contacts & Switches Helper

murzik · December 18, 2019, 3:19pm

Could you add an option to turn off fan, not just HVAC? Turning off HVAC does not turn off FAN...

storageanarchy · December 18, 2019, 6:16pm

Are you asking for this to be added to a specific Helper?

If you are using Rule Machine, you can simply call the following existing Custom Actions for the thermostat device:

        thermostat.off()
        thermostat.fanOff()

If the HVAC is off when fanOff() is called, fanOff() will set the fan to auto mode, but with a circulation time (fanMinOnTime) set to 0 (zero) - this is the (only) defined way to turn the thermostat completely off...

murzik · December 18, 2019, 6:27pm

Yes, to Open Contacts & Switches Helper.
Thanks...

storageanarchy · December 18, 2019, 7:41pm

As noted in the Open Contacts & Switches Helper: Use the Quiet Time Helper for additional control options.

leo_charles · December 27, 2019, 10:49pm

Hey. Not a biggie but FYI your github page anchors for “Start here for Hubitat installation instructions” and the SmartThings anchor link isn’t working/navigating to anchor point.

Separately, I’m trying to set up Smart Circulation and want to make a couple different versions (different circulation settings for Home and Sleep modes) but I’m unable to rename them. For example, I tried renaming the first instance “Smart Circulation Home” but it defaults back to “Smart Circulation.” Then I’d like to make a different one for “Smart Circulation Sleep.”

One more note: I didn’t see any support for Darksky.net Weather Driver via Smart Mode, Programs and Setpoint Helper. Is there any way to enable this as an option for those who don’t run a PWS?

Side note: are you in Tyngsboro, MA (noticed this on a Meteobridge driver screenshot) or was that another fellow Masshole?

storageanarchy · December 28, 2019, 10:28pm

Yup - just install one of the Weather Stations available for Hubitat: here's one for Dark Sky... [RELEASE] DarkSky.net Weather Driver, no PWS Required

storageanarchy · December 28, 2019, 10:28pm

Yes, I live in Tyngsboro, MA

storageanarchy · December 28, 2019, 10:58pm

Quick fix - pick a name that doesn't start with "Smart Circulation" - I'll fix it when I get back home this weekend...

leo_charles · December 28, 2019, 11:49pm

Update: Found the weather drivers listed under Hubitat Sensors and not the Hubitat Weather-Based Station drop-down menu.

Btw, I’m out Concord. We’re almost neighbors.

storageanarchy · December 29, 2019, 1:19am

Just select the Hubitat Sensors for now - I will look at the selector when I get back home also.

storageanarchy · December 30, 2019, 8:47pm

Ecobee Suite Updated on 30 December 2019 at 3:30pm EST

Happy New Year!

I found the time over the holidays to clean up a lot of my backlog of issues, optimizations and enhancements. For this update, every single file has been modified, so please be sure to update everything!

Highlights include:

Significant cleanup of labeling for ALL Helper SmartApps, with fixes for the "label doesn't stick" issue recently reported on Hubitat.
Changed Ecobee Suite Manager to use HashMap for all working/state Map data on both platforms. Hubitat defaults its Maps to LazyMap, which is not optimal for the ES use case. This change fixes some issues, and speeds up the code a bit.
Added the HE importUrl definition for all the Helpers, even though I don't think Hubitat uses it. At least it's there in the code if you need it for a future import update on Hubitat.
Added more supported weather station devices to Smart Modes. These include:
- Ambient Weather Device for Hubitat
- DarkSky.net Weather Driver for Hubitat
- Netatmo Outdoor Module for both SmartThings and Hubitat
Miscellaneous performance optimizations for both Ecobee Suite Thermostat and Ecobee Suite Sensor devices, including ornamentation for all the command parameters on Hubitat.

This update is recommended for EVERYONE!

And please be sure to update all 12 Helpers and both device Drivers/DTHs

ronv42 · December 31, 2019, 1:15pm

Thanks for this update. Since I am in "change freeze" I will have to wait until the weekend to do this update.

jonathan.mesh · January 4, 2020, 4:11pm

Just found and installed this - very excited to try out all of the features, and I'm extremely impressed with your thoroughness and detail! I do have one question/request for you. A big reason for my search for a better Ecobee driver - which led me to your Suite - is that Ecobee's Frost Control humidifier setting is very poor. Specifically, you can't set an independent humidify-to setpoint, and the automatic functionality results in poor control for frost.

Have you considered a "Frost Control Helper"? It should ideally have various humidify-to settings that map to forecasted outdoor temperatures, with adjustable "lead" time. An example is here, but would ideally be customizable. Thanks a ton!