LightwaveRF Binding Updated

I’ve posted a query re LightwaveRF binding, but it seems no one is monitoring the forum for those, so I am hoping one of the followers of this thread may reply. I am new to OpenHAB but I have managed to set-up a few items, however, I am finding the LightwaveRF binding troublesome (dimmer status not being read properly and having had to switch send/receive ports). Is the version of the binding included in 1.8.3 the newest there is, or is there a more current version somewhere? This thread refers to 1.8.0-alpha, which seems older considering its name. Or am I hopelessly lost?

Any suggestions would be welcome before I throw the towel in on LightwaveRF… Thank you.

Hi,

The latest binding can be found in my github here: https://github.com/foxy82/openhab/releases/tag/1.8.0_alpha9

I no longer push updates back into openhab, for details see here : https://github.com/openhab/openhab/pull/3457

Note I no longer use this binding at the moment so it may have issues.

Thank you, Neil. Does it mean this binding is no longer maintained by anyone? I am asking because it might be better for me to avoid using LightWaveRF devices in that case. I would rather go with something more supported.

I guess it really depends what you are trying to do… Lights, heating, energy…?

I use this to control my LightwaveRF light and power devices : http://www.rfxcom.com/epages/78165469.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/78165469/Products/14103&Locale=en_GB

That being said Lightwave have just changed the API which could make this binding a good option again.

Thank you, Neil. I had a look at RFXCom433E and it seems attractive, as it also seems to do Somfy, for which I have no integration at the moment. Is RFXCom able to only send commands to LightwaveRF, or can it also receive? I am finding that if I turn a dimmer on or off using its physical buttons even the LightwaveRF own app (via Wifi Link) do not receive that information. I do not know if I have a faulty device or if it is a limitation of the LightwaveRF system.

I was hoping to use LightwaveRF dimmers as a retrofit for some existng ceiling lights, and their relays for a few other ones, while the remainder is new Philips Hue, lights and sensors. In the near future I would have liked to add heating valves. I would still need to figure out a replacement for some wall switches that now need to be left permanently on (Hue), and I have a few remotely controlled Mercury outlets that work well through a small 433 transmitter wired to my Raspberry Pi 3 running OpenHAB.

I expose everything through Homebridge and HomeKit.

This is all early days for me, so I can still decide against LightwaveRF and go with z-wave, but the nature of Irish/UK wiring makes LightwaveRF attractive. Thank you for your help.

The Lightwave light switches don’t send any information ever. So when they are switched at the actual switch nothing knows about it. This is one of the limitations with Lightwave. However the RFXCom433E can receive commands from the remotes… so you don’t have to pair a remote with a switch you can push a button on a remote get an update in Openhab and then do whatever you want with it (switch on your Hues for example)

For my hue lights what I have done is take off the switch and crimp the wires together inside the back box - I’ve then screwed in one of the Lightwave battery mode switches to the back box (https://www.ledbulbs.co.uk/megaman-lightwaverf-3v-mood-lighting-controller-stainless-steel?kw=&fl=1000&ci=49439925273&network=pla&gclid=CjwKEAiAvZTCBRDvnoOaoa2j3xISJABxPjN9w4_NcrA6xvjbuvU8uyPxySA2B3C3dSUj_8eOmJXPjBoCXpHw_wcB) - I’ve then paired that with Openhab so that when you push the buttons it will turn the Hues on.

Regarding zwave - I don’t think in the UK there is any way to easily replace a single gang two switch light (e.g. http://www.directtradesupplies.co.uk/product.php/16919/lightwaverf-250w-2-gang-dimmer-switch--black-?gclid=CjwKEAiAvZTCBRDvnoOaoa2j3xISJABxPjN9KF4uv4IkbaCUJmud0QjikJ_KFRQoqN6sWCldc3pu2hoCx1bw_wcB) with zwave as the modules you get don’t seem to switch.

In my opinion stay well away from Lightwave for heating - I found it clunky and unreliable and not very smart. Having started with ZWave TRVs, moving to Lightwave TRVs I’ve now gone to EvoHome and I’m much happier with it (and I created a binding for that as well also in my Github repo).

Final note - this weekend Lightwave have announced some changes in their API - it isn’t ground breaking but before the link would just send “ok” whether it sent a message or not - this meant you could swamp the wifi link with requests - you’d get an ok message for them all but it would never transmit some of them. Now they seem to have a message when the wifi link actually transmits - that will mean I can make the lightwave binding useful again. (Although still no way to know if the transmission made it from the wifi link to the actual switch as no feedback - as per the start of this message).

Hey @neil_renaud

Great work, I am interested to hear more about your Evo Home experience as I read this didnt play well with LightwaveRF as it uses the same freq band.

I am guessing the API updates are why I am seeing some error messages in the logs, everything is working but there are now larger packets received from the Wifi Link with more information including room and device ID etc.

Thank you, Neil. I have just got RFXCOM433E and I can confirm that it does a good job of controlling my LightwaveRF devices (and Somfy). Cannot see a reason for keepig the LightwaveRF wifi link anymore.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the remainder, esp on heating, as I will definitely stay away from LightwaveRF valves now: I cannot imagine using those in a 1-way mode, without the ability to query the devices.

Hi not sure if this is in the right section of the forum, Id just like to say the guys who donate and write this software thank you, I’m currently setting up lightwave rf to switch a relay within openhab…
I have set the file binding of lightwave had flash to confirm on lightwave link… the problem I have now is grabbing info from wireshark to display item id and devices id etc Ive tried and Ive read so much to the point now its time to ask lol… anyone any ideas

You could always go with trial and error to find the IDs.
The rooms may we’ll be numbered in the order you find them in the smartphone app and the devices in the order you created them in the app (the step before pairing).

Try room 1, device 1 and go from there. My system has grown organically so I have some room and device allocations missing but yours may be simpler.

An alternative that I haven’t tried but might work is to create items for device addresses that don’t exist, put the physical device in to pairing mode and then trigger the item. The physical devices don’t have addresses, they just remember the command that was sent when they were in pairing mode. That’s why you can control two devices with one remote control button.

Thanks Barny

Will you be supporting the new lightwave products, that do give feedback over?

They are being released in the next week

This depends on a number of things.

  1. Me getting some to use
  2. The API allowing it.

for (1) that will depend on the spec and cost. I want feedback on my light switches and was on the cusp of going to zwave modules so the announcement might change my mind.

Hmm… at just under £100 for a double dimmer it may be a while before I get any…

https://www.lightwaverf.com/generation2

Are you sure you don’t need some smart lights for a broom cupboard? It would be the best broom cupboard with smart lights.

I’m thinking about going with Zwave mainly because you can get on/off light switches. I don’t want dimmers for my outside lights plus my experience of using LightwaveRF with LEDs wasn’t good.

Neil, I have the new “LightwaveRF Link Plus” and a couple of the new smart dimmers. Happy to experiment, just got these set up on a test bench at the moment.
Don’t see any messages in the logs when switching.
edit Using Wireshark, there is no visible traffic when operating the switches paired with the new hub unfortunately. All I see is periodic “Standard query response”.

Yeh they don’t send the commands over the local network anymore. If you use a phone it calls out using an encrypted connection to the lightwave server and that responds to the hub. They also haven’t released an API. They claim that local control is coming in a few months until then not a lot you can do.

Also they are using a proprietary protocol over 868 MHz so any 433 adapters won’t work even assuming the message can be decoded.

It’s not looking good at the moment but hopefully it will improve…

Neil are you saying lightwave require you to connect to their server to be used??

@neil_renaud is there any way to get the energy monitor readings working? I am getting errors in the log file for each power update. I have seen new fields mentioned on another topic (“pkt”:“868R”,“fn”:"meterData). I would like to get the energy stuff working but have no experiance in Java.