I signed up for remote admin and while I can do many things like updating or rebooting the hub looking at logs or editing Apps, I can't directly control any of my devices except virtual switches.
This is really critical as we are away from home for a month and I can't check my cameras at night if I can't turn on the lights and I'd like it to appear as if someone is home.
When I am away and need to control devices, I typically will use a dashboard where I have added those devices. Then using the mobile app, I can control my devices from anywhere that I have an internet connection.
I have on occasion also used remote admin to control a device directly by going to the device screen, and then selecting the device to control, but since it is much easier to do it with the dashboard I only rarely do it that way.
Also note that even though remote admin is required to update, look at logs, edit apps, etc. when VPN is not an option, it is not required to access the dashboard(s) via the app.
Is the dashboard not working for you? Is there anything specific that you need to do that it won’t permit?
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As mentioned in my email, it sounds like the Remote Admin service is working properly, however without additional details that might help us replicate the problem you are having, it is hard to determine the exact cause of the problem, which might be the browser you are using.
If you just need to control devices remotely, I suggest creating a Dashboard, which comes with free built-in remote access of your devices. You can even build a quick dashboard using Remote Admin service, while you're away and you have 10 minutes available. To learn more about the Dashboard, please check out the following document:
https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=Hubitat®_Dashboard
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I already had a dashboard and it doesn't change anything. If I click on a device to turn it on I get an hourglass on that button that doesn't go away.
That sounds more like a device or a device communication issue, i.e. not related to the remote nature of your access.
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It's not a browser problem as it also doesn't work with the Android app.
Dashboards don't work either. Clicking on a switch gives me an hourglass over that switch that doesn't go away. Direct control through the device manager also doesn't work.
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The device is no longer talking to the hub…
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I’ll second @thebearmay’s comment. If changing the state (on/off) of the device from the device tab doesn’t work, then the issue is that the device is not able to communicate with the hub.
How many devices are having this issue? Is there a pattern to the issue? (Specific protocol - Zigbee, Z-Wave, Etc.)
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Apparently only Z-wave are affected, Zigbee is not. I tried to do a Z-wave repair and all of the nodes fail.
Sounds like an issue with your mesh. Can you post a screenshot of your Z-Wave Details page? From there, we can see some of the sources of issues like:
- There may be some devices that didn’t pair correctly, creating what is called “Ghost” devices. These will break you mesh as devices try to rout through them but can’t
- There may be devices too far from the hub or a repeater causing slow downs
- There may be too many devices paired with S0 or S2 security spamming the mesh
- There may be some incompatible devices paired to the mesh and spamming it (like the 500 series Zooz 4-in-1 sensors)
- There may be power reporting devices spamming the mesh
There are a few on this forum that are very good at detecting some of these issues based on a screenshot of the Z-Wave Details page. Other issues like the incompatible and power reporting devices you will need to share with us so we can provide advice on how to fix.
Did you try a reboot? Sorta risky in one sense, as you aren't there if something were to go wrong. But chances are it might fix this. Maybe look at logs and user stats first to see if there is anything apparent going on that could be fixed before rebooting.
Is there someone with a key to your house? You could do a shutdown remotely, have them pull the power cord at the wall for 1-2 minutes, plug back in and let the hub reboot.
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Did a reboot. Didn't help. I think it may be a power reporting switch that I added a couple of days before we left. I didn't have any problems for those 2 days but when I checked the logs after leaving there were a lot of power reports. I tried force removing it remotely but that didn't help. I imagine it's still broadcasting and will have to be unplugged manually.
That might very well be causing some of the issues you are seeing. Force remove removes the driver association, but it is still on the mesh - you will want to do an exclude on it for it to be removed.
