Can't setup OH3 on Raspi: no addons / no wifi

Ursusprimus · January 31, 2021, 9:18am

Hello,

I’m new to Openhab and Linux/Raspi and just tried the “hassle free installation” on a Raspi without success.

Here’s the short version:
It took a while to get things started (probably a defect Raspi) and now it seems to be set up (more or less), but:

I can’t add addons/bindings
I can’t connect via wifi (don’t know how)

I’d be grateful for help.

Here some info on my efforts concerning wifi:
openhabian@openhabian:~ $ sudo nano /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
openhabian@openhabian:~ $ sudo iwlist wlan0 scan
wlan0 Interface doesn’t support scanning : Network is down

openhabian@openhabian:~ $ rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: yes
Hard blocked: no
1: hci0: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
openhabian@openhabian:~ $ rfkill unblock 0
openhabian@openhabian:~ $ rfkill list
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
1: hci0: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
openhabian@openhabian:~ $ sudo iwlist wlan0 scan
wlan0 Scan completed :
…
sudo nano /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
openhabian@openhabian:~ $ sudo service networking restart
openhabian@openhabian:~ $ iwconfig
wlan0 IEEE 802.11 ESSID:off/any
Mode:Managed Access Point: Not-Associated Tx-Power=31 dBm
Retry short limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Power Management:on

eth0 no wireless extensions.

lo no wireless extensions.

openhabian@openhabian:~ $ openhabian.config
-bash: openhabian.config: command not found

← then tried to open openhabian.config and enter NetworkID/Password there, but don’t know which command to use

Now the longer version (mostly for my own documentation, probably not relevant to the problem, so you can ignore it, I think:
for some reason, Beginners can’t use hyperlinks in this forum , so I changed/deleted them;

My Problem: Can’t install openhab on Raspi
My system: Raspberry Pi 4 Modell B; 4 GB - 32GB SD-Card – Router: Fritzbox 7490

What I’ve done (so far)
I) Tried to install the hassle free setup

Downloaded the latest “openHABian” SD card image file (this one: openhabian-pi-raspios32-v1.6.3.img.xz)
Wrote an image to SD-card using etcher
Plugged SD-card into Raspi, connected to Router via LAN (LAN 2) and switched it on.
RESULTS

only red LED
Doesn’t show in router software. Under LAN 2 I expected something like “raspi”, “openhab” or “openhabiandevice”; but there still is the old “Phillips hue”, even after refresh of router-site
No surprise: openhabiandevice/ shows “website not available”

II) Looks like the router doesn’t notice the Raspi. Possible reasons I can think of: Raspi, SD-Card, LAN-cable or router is defect. So here are my next steps:

Switched the new Raspi 4 with an old Raspi3 (which I use to run a wallbox-software ‘openwb’): Same cable, same port, different raspi, different sd-card  Results: Raspi 3 appears as ‘raspberrypi’on LAN 2 and gets an ip-adress (192.168.178.23) via which I can address it using Putty. (and also via WLAN via 192.168.178.25).  so router and LAN-cable can’t be defect.
(side note: could only see red led, opened casing and destroyed SD card, well done …; created another SD card with openhab as above (4GB this time))
Put old sd card (openWB) in new Raspi 4  doesn’t show in router  so Raspi4 is defect??
Raspi LED is red

III) Put openhab SD card (4GB now) in Raspi 3 

showing in router (LAN 2) as ‘openhabian’ (IP 192.168.178.23);
waited for 1 hour (green led still occasionally blinking, not much internet traffic) – here’s what I get

(still) can’t access via ip (192.168.178.23) or “openhabiandevice” in browser (neither Chrome nor Firefox)
openhabian:8080 works  entered new admin, password, language etc; couldn’t choose addons (e.g. mqtt  nothing found; kodi  nothing found) so I skipped it for now;
IV)

login as: openhabian
openhabian@192.168.178.23’s password:
Linux openhabian 5.4.83-v7+ #1379 SMP Mon Dec 14 13:08:57 GMT 2020 armv7l
…
Last login: Sun Jan 31 08:41:06 2021 from 192.168.178.128

Wi-Fi is currently blocked by rfkill.
Use raspi-config to set the country before use.

###############################################################################
############### openhabian ##################################################
###############################################################################

Ip = 192.168.178.23

Release = Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)

Kernel = Linux 5.4.83-v7+

Platform = Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Rev 1.2

Uptime = 0 day(s). 0:37:52

CPU Usage = 0% avg over 4 cpu(s) (4 core(s) x 1 socket(s))

CPU Load = 1m: 0.00, 5m: 0.01, 15m: 0.00

Memory = Free: 0.47GB (50%), Used: 0.47GB (50%), Total: 0.95GB

Swap = Free: 0.29GB (100%), Used: 0.00GB (0%), Total: 0.29GB

Root = Free: 0.63GB (19%), Used: 2.59GB (81%), Total: 3.41GB

Updates = 10 apt updates available.

Sessions = 1 session(s)

Processes = 108 running processes of 32768 maximum processes

###############################################################################
…
|_| 3.0.1 - Release Build

Looking for a place to get started? Check out ‘sudo openhabian-config’ and the
documentation at …
The openHAB dashboard can be reached at …
To interact with openHAB on the command line, execute: ‘openhab-cli --help’

mstormi · January 31, 2021, 9:58am

What about reading the docs first ?

Ursusprimus · January 31, 2021, 10:05am

Well, I actually have - to some degree. But without any prior knowledge, the learning curve is somewhat steep and the documentation is a lot; not to speak of all the linux-stuff. Anything in particular you’re referring to which might help me?

mstormi · January 31, 2021, 10:15am

No it is not “a lot”. You don’t need the advanced topics at this stage.
So you think it more adequate to ask some volunteer to spend his time to help you rather than to expect you to read the docs yourself ? I hope that’s not what you’re trying to tell.

What about the page I linked to
It tells you which command to use.

Ursusprimus · January 31, 2021, 10:21am

I already looked at that site but as mentioned, it’s quite long and I don’t know what to look for exactly. Could you mention the command explicitly, please?

mstormi · January 31, 2021, 10:43am

No. You’re too lazy to read a single page then.
As I already responded that page contains the answer so if you had read it you would know.
The minimum effort we expect from any user is to read and understand the docs and you don’t even show that willingness.

How to ask a good question / Help Us Help You - Tutorials & Examples - openHAB Community

Ursusprimus · January 31, 2021, 11:10am

Well thank you very much. I don’t expect any help from you, but:

Wifi-Setup-Problem:
Here’s what I find on the page: " WiFi based setup notes

If you own a RPi3, RPi3+, RPi4, a RPi0W or any other model with a compatible WiFi dongle you can set up and use openHABian via WiFi only. For the WiFi based setup to work, you’ll need to make your SSID and password known to the system before the first boot. So in addition to the setup instructions given above, uncomment and complete the lines reading wifi_ssid="" and wifi_psk="" in openhabian.conf.
← I don’t know how to open the config-file, that was the command I was/am asking for. (And yes, I’ve read a few lines above that info, that I could’ve changed that file on the windows-PC before the installation, but that’s too late now and I don’t want to mess things up).

Adding bindings: I found this description Installation of Add-ons | openHAB but my add-on-part is empty, so I can’t select any bindings.

I see no ‘laziness’ on my part (admittedly some incompetence, yes) but never mind, maybe someone else is willing to help.

mstormi · January 31, 2021, 11:27am

The page I linked to right in the beginning contains the answer plus links where else to look so if you still don’t know it you have not read it (or not thoroughly enough). It’s a long page yes but a single one.
That to me is not incompetence (we for sure would never ever blame anyone for being incompetent !) but laziness. That I think is ok to blame you for in this case, given the facts above and that you prefer to ask again rather than to read again (and that for the 2nd time now).

Which I think is not fair to all of our voluntary contributors of SW, docs and support here on the forum.

Sascha_Billian · January 31, 2021, 12:03pm

OK, just to give to a quick start:
you can use any editor which is available to edit the file.
See here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=190204

Make sure to run the command as sudo.
If you’re very new to openHAB and Linux, you might have the need to get a bit of linux knowledge in advance.

But on the other hand (as markus mentioned), openhabian already gives you the possibility to disable WiFi:

To open this, check the last lines of your first post:

openhabian.conf is the configuration file for openHABian, openhabian-config is a graphical front end

And I agree, it’s a bit to read - but without reading and understanding it, you might get frustrated quite often since you don’t know how to proceed if you have troubles and always have to ask in the community.

openHAB has a stepe learning curve - but stick to it, understand it and then you have a stable upmost flexible system.

Ursusprimus · January 31, 2021, 1:38pm

Now I’m not stuck anymore, thanks for your help!

Andrew_Rowe · January 31, 2021, 1:49pm

Holger
Excellent first post, very detail and welcome to the OpenHAB community!!!
Glad you seemed to have gotten it going, good job!
The forum is a great place to ask questions and more folks will eventually read your post and pitch in to get a new person going, keep exploring and don’t get discouraged

Ursusprimus · February 1, 2021, 7:36pm

It’s a little embarrassing (and somewhat frustrating, too):
I got wifi started, but not the add-ons/bindings. So I reinstalled everything and now I can’t connect to openhab via Browser at all, only via PUTTY. With the config tool I upgraded (03 in menu), applied improvements (10) and installed ‘optional components’ (20) and rebootet, but that didn’t help.
Any ideas what I could do?

Just noticed that I (new users) can’t upload files for some reason. So here a verbal explanation:

Router: openhab IP 192.168.178.25
when I enter IP or http://openhabian:8080/ in browser → Website not available
Putty: here’s the text:

login as: openhabian
openhabian@192.168.178.25’s password:
Linux openhabian 5.4.83-v7+ #1379 SMP Mon Dec 14 13:08:57 GMT 2020 armv7l
…ast login: Mon Feb 1 18:23:27 2021 from 192.168.178.128
…
-bash: FireMotD: command not found ← is this the problem?

  |_|                          3.0.1 - Release Build

…
openhabian@openhabian:~ $ sudo openhabian-config
[sudo] password for openhabian:
2021-02-01_19:59:06_CET [openHABian] Checking for root privileges… OK
2021-02-01_19:59:12_CET [openHABian] Loading configuration file ‘/etc/openhabian .conf’… OK
2021-02-01_19:59:15_CET [openHABian] openHABian configuration tool version: [main]v1.6.3-1180(3138ad7)
2021-02-01_19:59:15_CET [openHABian] Checking for changes in origin branch main… OK
2021-02-01_19:59:24_CET [openHABian] Switching to branch main… OK
2021-02-01_19:59:39_CET [openHABian] Updating Linux package information… OK
2021-02-01_19:59:39_CET [openHABian] Installing basic can’t-be-wrong packages (screen, vim, …)… OK
2021-02-01_19:59:42_CET [openHABian] Installing additional needed packages… OK
2021-02-01_19:59:45_CET [openHABian] Installing pigpio package… OK
2021-02-01_19:59:47_CET [openHABian] Installing additional bluetooth packages… OK
2021-02-01_19:59:58_CET [openHABian] Updating myself… OK - No remote changes detected. You are up to date!
2021-02-01_20:03:01_CET [openHABian] Checking for default openHABian username:password combination… FAILED
2021-02-01_20:03:03_CET [openHABian] We hope you got what you came for! See you again soon
openhabian@openhabian:~ $ sudo openhabian-config
[sudo] password for openhabian:
2021-02-01_20:30:18_CET [openHABian] Checking for root privileges… OK
2021-02-01_20:30:21_CET [openHABian] Loading configuration file ‘/etc/openhabian.conf’… OK
2021-02-01_20:30:21_CET [openHABian] openHABian configuration tool version: [main]v1.6.3-1180(3138ad7)
2021-02-01_20:30:21_CET [openHABian] Checking for changes in origin branch main… OK
2021-02-01_20:30:26_CET [openHABian] Switching to branch main… OK
2021-02-01_20:32:16_CET [openHABian] Checking for default openHABian username:password combination… FAILED
2021-02-01_20:32:18_CET [openHABian] We hope you got what you came for! See you again soon
openhabian@openhabian:~ $

Wolfgang_S · February 1, 2021, 7:58pm

What does

sudo systemctl status openhab

show ?
and the output of

sudo journalctl -u openhab -b

mstormi · February 1, 2021, 8:09pm

no

openhabian-config seems to continue installing. Show the output of ls -l /opt/openHAB*.
I suspect you have interrupted the installation process.
Now it’s a little hard especially for a beginner to continue from there so I suggest you install from scratch (flash image).
Don’t boot yet but access the 1st partition while still in Windows and edit boot/openhabian.conf set debugmode=maximum just to have the log in case it should fail again. Then put it in your Pi and boot.

And you must not use option 03, OH3 will be installed already.
It’s all about reading and following the docs …

Ursusprimus · February 1, 2021, 8:30pm

here’s what I get from the command you propose (seems to be installed)
penhabian@openhabian:~ $ ls -l /opt/openHAB*

-rw-r–r-- 1 root root 0 Jan 11 14:22 /opt/openHABian-install-successful

openhabian@openhabian:~ $

I followed the documents Actually I waited >1,5h before opening putty and the config file. And I couldn’t access via browser before to check the installation progress (as the documentation says it would)

So my next steps:

upload the answer to Wolfgang’s question (very long)
create a new image - change openhabian.conf in Windows Editor - boot pi ; let’s see if it works this time …

Ursusprimus · February 1, 2021, 8:48pm

Hi Wolfgang,

the output is way too long (227 pages) and contains several hyperlinks. So the system won’t let me paste it here. And I can’t upload files either. Some restrictions for beginners …
I’ll try what Markus proposes and see the result tomorrow …

Ursusprimus · February 2, 2021, 9:35am

Well, finally
I created a new image (and changed the config file for debug-mode) on a new SD-card and this time everything worked out without a problem incl. integration of bindings. Maybe it was the SD-card.
Looking forward to working with openhab now.
Thank you all for your patient support.