Hi, i have several wifi power outlet which controls my devices at home.
I know that i have to use them as virtual switches using their IP address but i seem to be missing how to do that. Is there a virtual driver that i can use somewhere?
Sorry i am new to Hubitat any help would be much appreciated
What brand are the outlets? Most Wi-Fi plugs are not natively supported but some brands have community apps and/or drivers.
3 Likes
What type of devices are you using?
1 Like
In addition to wanting to know the make / model, and at the risk of sounding like I know something... 
My understanding is that, in a very general sense, "Wi-Fi" defines how things communicate, in much the same way that there are some general principles around sending a package or a letter in the general post. Zigbee (and maybe Z-Wave?) define both the method of communication but also a wide variety of standard types of communication that can occur, i.e. different types of devices like temperature sensors and power outlets, essentially defining what may exist inside the package, not just the details on the outside required to deliver it. That's not to say all those who adopt these "Z" protocols always follow the rules, or don't have added extras they throw in for various reasons.
The reason this distinction is important is that when dealing with Zigbee (or maybe Z-Wave) devices, there are some well understood standards that many devices adopt, allowing for the possibility of "generic" drivers that many devices can utilise. This is where my doubt of my knowledge in particular kicks in, as there are often specific drivers for these type of devices, but I can only assume the work is much less...?
When you step into the realm of Wifi devices, the contents of the package being sent is entirely up to the manufacturer, and even the methods to communicate with these devices can vary wildly, some allow for local communication, some only provide details to communicate via the cloud, some use one form of authentication, or none at all.... It's the Wild West 
The upshot of all of this is that Wi-Fi devices often require specific drivers to be developed every time for each automation platform like HE. There are no real standards that can be applied consistently. So that is why the make / model is important in understanding whether your devices are currently supported, or may need a driver developed either by the Community or the HE developers, you can't just plug in the IP address for it to work if there is no driver available on HE (or an other HA platform).
6 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
