Navimow Binding

[jimtng]

@max3

Unfortunately, this is short-lived; after a while, no further status updates are sent—as if the connection to the Navimow has been lost.

Hi Max, thanks for testing. Can you please turn on debug logging on the binding and post the logs before / after it stopped updating?

[max3 (Max)]

Hi Jimting,
logging is a bit tricky; there is no notification if the connection is lost. You only notice it when the mower is supposed to change status—for instance, from mowing to docking or vice versa—but the change isn’t reported in openHAB. After about two hours, it attempts to re-establish the connection, but again, there is no indication of whether that attempt succeeded or failed! I do receive a script-generated notification when the status changes to “docking” or “mowing.” Even today, it worked exactly once: the mower returned to the docking station without triggering a notification. One more thing: I don’t want to control the mower via openHAB; for me, it is important that control happens through the native navimow app while the current status is sent to openHAB. The goal is to implement a reliable gate control system.

Here are some logs:

[ErikDB (Erik)]

Try logging at TRACE level. Best to have those logs saved in a separate file. Here’s how to do that:

Logging binding in separate file

I know how to log in a separate file from a rule (Javascript - logging into different file - #6 by ErikDB), but how does one do that for logs of a binding?

[jimtng]

@max3

The goal is to implement a reliable gate control system.

A reliable gate control system would involve no external dependencies, and simply activated by a proximity sensor. I presume you’ve already got the actuator / motor to open the gate. If you want to be super fancy, have some sort of RFID on the mower that is verified by the gate so only the mower can trigger it.

This doesn’t negate the fact that this binding is currently dropping connections on you and indeed that should be fixed. I haven’t had time to work on it since publishing it here. I’m hoping to have more time in a week.

@max3

Unfortunately, this is short-lived; after a while, no further status updates are sent—as if the connection to the Navimow has been lost. Status information transmission only resumes after “disconnecting” and “reconnecting” in openHAB.

So you’re saying that after about two hours the connection dropped, and there seems to be a period where it’s in a disconnected state before it tries to reconnect. After it reconnected then it works again, until the next time it gets disconnected? You didn’t have to intervene to reconnect?

[max3 (Max)]

@jimtng

So you’re saying that after about two hours the connection dropped, and there seems to be a period where it’s in a disconnected state before it tries to reconnect. After it reconnected then it works again, until the next time it gets disconnected? You didn’t have to intervene to reconnect?

So far, the only information I have from the log is that a reconnection is being initiated. Unfortunately, there is no indication—neither in the log nor in the “Thing” status—as to whether this was actually successful; the status remains green/online even when there is no connection. Up to now, manual reconnection has always been required.

[jimtng]

@max3 I haven’t had a deeper look - just made some quick changes. Try this one https://github.com/jimtng/openhab-addons/releases/download/navimow-0.0.3/org.openhab.binding.navimow-5.2.0-SNAPSHOT.jar

[max3 (Max)]

@jimtng

I have installed the new version. So far, the connection seems to be working. I will keep monitoring it. Many thanks.

[jimtng]

It would be good to know if it remains connected after a day or two

[max3 (Max)]

Just a quick update: the script maintains the connection over several days. Today, there was an update from openHAB 5.2.0.M5 to openHAB 5.2.0.M6. Initially, there were issues with the add-on failing to start, but after restarting the entire system a few times, everything was running again. No further errors have occurred so far.

[jimtng]

Thanks for the update. For those who downloaded v 0.0.2, there’s a v 0.0.3 which I posted on the 16th of June. Here’s the link: https://github.com/jimtng/openhab-addons/releases/download/navimow-0.0.3/org.openhab.binding.navimow-5.2.0-SNAPSHOT.jar

I’ve also added it to the main download link.

[Rob69]

Hi, just a quick update.
To this day, I keep noticing a significant discrepancy between the mowed lawn area shown in the app and the area displayed in the binding!
And so far, I’ve only experienced a single connection loss with the Navimow interface.

Greetings from Germany.

My Openhab is 5.2.0.RC1

[jimtng]

@Rob69

To this day, I keep noticing a significant discrepancy between the mowed lawn area shown in the app and the area displayed in the binding!

Are you referring to subtotal area, or mowing week area, or both?

[Rob69]

@jimtng

Are you referring to subtotal area, or mowing week area, or both?

For this week, the app shows 273 m² over the two days, and OpenHab also shows 273 m² this time—though that is often not the case!
For today, Tuesday, June 30th, OpenHab shows only 93 m²!
The robotic lawnmower mows the entire property just once a day, so I always notice this.

[jimtng]

@Rob69

The robotic lawnmower mows the entire property just once a day, so I always notice this.

How many zones do you have?

[Rob69]

one

[ErikDB (Erik)]

@jimtng

Once the bridge has been authorized, the binding will automatically discover all Navimow mowers associated with the account.
Go to Settings → Things → + and scan for new things under the Navimow binding.

This sounds contradictory. I’ve got the impression “automatically” shouldn’t be there? My mower was in any case not automatically discovered, I had to manually start the scan. (I assume you meant that the binding is able to discover mowers, rather than that a Thing must be manually created?)

In any case, my Navimow mower has been fixed, and now doesn’t claim it has no GPS signal anymore. However, I haven’t reconfigured it’s “area/map” yet, so the Items (linked to the Channels) are pretty much all NULL.

I’ll keep you posted if anything changes.

[jimtng]

@ErikDB

@jimtng

Once the bridge has been authorized, the binding will automatically discover all Navimow mowers associated with the account.
Go to Settings → Things → + and scan for new things under the Navimow binding.

This sounds contradictory. I’ve got the impression “automatically” shouldn’t be there? My mower was in any case not automatically discovered

It does background discovery so eventually it should appear in the inbox, IIRC.

[ErikDB (Erik)]

Then I wasn’t patient enough So worthless testing by me already

[jimtng]

@ErikDB

Then I wasn’t patient enough

I don’t really know how it works - never delved into it but often when you needed it, it’s not there (yet), and it requires a manual scan. Happens on all bindings I think.

[jimtng]

I’d like to get an update of the list of models this has been known to work and what issues are still there:

@jimtng i210 AWD
@max3: i208 lidar
@Rob69: I105E
@ErikDB: H500 ?

I’ve published v 0.0.4. See the original post for the download link and what’s new.