Solved: Did some searching and found an update on github. Taught myself how to compile from source and fixed it
Installed openhab today utilizing the makeuseof tutorial.
Step by step using hue as my first binding. I added the correct IP and uncommented in the openhab.cfg and also did it in the openhab_default.cfg just in case as I was not sure which one to edit.
which notes:
“Currently it is possible to create your own usernames in the bridge (e.g. “newdeveloper”), however, this option will be removed in future bridge versions, so we need to use the randomly generated username that the bridge creates for you.”
Suspecting that the “secret word” used in the .cfg. file and the Hue username are supposed to match, and guessing that since the update that the Hue bridge has to issue the random username, I followed the example on the getting started page, creating a new user using the API tool. That issued a 20-digit or so user ID which I pasted back as the “secret word” in the config file.
And, it looks like that got things going. I had previously tried changing the “secret word” to something else, something longer than 10 characters, recommended elsewhere, but that didn’t work for me.
Today, there was another firmware update for Philips Hue and - a coincidence? - also an update of OpenHab 1.8.3. Just tested the authorization with the new firmware. Still or again not working…
sorry to reply to that old thread.
I bought a hue bridge yesterday. During startup it updated to recent firmware and with OpenHAB 1.8.1 and 1.8.3 bindings I was not able to connect to Hue via described methods.
My solution was following:
go to hue API debugger and create a new user
take the user and maintain it into the openhab.cfg
I also specified the IP of the hue bridge (in openhab.cfg)
started openhab, pressed the hue button
done
You do that by opening http://<BRIDGE_IP_ADDRESS>/debug/clip.html
fill URL with /api
fill MessageBody with something like {"devicetype": "openhabHueBinding#openhab"}
press hue box button
click POST
find username in response.
OK - got it to work. It may be obvious to some, but the helpful information here still needed some decoding by mere mortals (aka low-tec users).
This response from sna_dro provides exactly what is needed to get paired:
but what is not obvious is:
When you browse to your bridge IP address with /debug/clip.html you get a response inviting you to post a command.
Fill in the fields as listed above, press the hue button, click POST and you get back some text.
Within the text is a string of characters after “username”, copy them into your openhab.cfg as the “secret”, restart the openhab service, and you are connected!