Trouble getting started (no things discovered)

I have read all the website documentation, and searched the forums, but I must be overlooking something really fundamental.
I am trying to set up a very simple openHAB2 system on a Windows 7 PC running the Java 8 SDK.
I have a wemo smart plug installed on my LAN.
I have been able to discover this device using the Alexa skill and can communicate with it using Amazon echo.
I am also able to discover and control this device using a program called wemoserver.
The device responds to a ping.

I set up openhAb2 (and set the value for JAVA_HOME) and created a file named firstpass.things In the conf\things folder with a single line:

Thing network:pingdevice:wemoswitch [hostname="192.168.0.143"]

I launch start.bat, point my browser (chrome) at localhost:8080 and click on Paper UI.
I click on inbox and get the message “inbox is empty”. I click on “search for things” but nothing happens. I click on CONFIG> THINGS and get the message “no things configured yet”. I click on “search for things” and, again, nothing happens.
My log files don’t report any problems.

What am I misunderstanding?
thanks in advance
rekoj

Do you have the Wemo binding installed (you can do so from the PaperUI)?

https://docs.openhab.org/addons/bindings/wemo/readme.html

Also, manual creation/configuration of Things is possible, if that is your preference. But you can also choose to let them be automatically created, which is the default option.

@rekoj
You already defined your thing through textual configuration, therefore will never show up in your inbox, you can find it under Things.

Only new things without proper setup will show up in inbox.

@5iver
For what Joseph wants to achieve, he does not need the WeMo binding at all.

After rereading your post, I realized your Thing configuration was for the Network binding (which can be installed through the PaperUI, if you haven’t already)…
http://docs.openhab.org/addons/bindings/network/readme.html#thing-configuration

In case this was what you were after, Manual Wemo Thing configuration can be found here (but the uPnP discovery will make this much easier, and you can use the information from the auto-discovered Thing to manually create a Thing later)…
http://docs.openhab.org/addons/bindings/wemo/readme.html#thing-configuration

The OP said no Things were showing up in Config> Things.

I agree, if he is trying to create a Thing for the Network binding. :wink:

I did not see this line :frowning:

Thanks for the replies.

  1. If I understand correctly, I have to have the network or wemo bindings installed before I can create/discover my wemo Thing. Yes?
  2. How do I install my selected bindings? When I click on Configuration-> Bindings in the Paper UI nothing happens.
  3. why would I choose one set of bindings over the other (wemo or network)?

Again,
thanks in advance
rekoj

If a Thing is manually created, then it does not need to be discovered. The binding would be needed for discovery. https://docs.openhab.org/concepts/discovery.html

Look under Addons

It depends on what you are trying to do. The Wemo binding will allow you to control your device. The Network binding will allow you to monitor it’s network connection.

Great! I removed the .things file, installed the Wemo bindings, and my device was discovered. I will fumble around and see what I can do with it. I am sure I will be back with more questions.

In the meantime:

When I had a manually created Thing in my .things file why didn’t it show up in paper UI?

Thanks again,
Joe

1 Like

I do not have much background with manually configured Things, and I don’t use them. My guess is that it was incorrectly configured, or the binding is needed before the manually configured Things will show up. Either way, the Things you were setting up was for the Network binding, so wouldn’t have helped much with the Wemo. :wink:

Setup your Items (if you didn’t have them automatically created) in the UI or in files, then setup Habpanel or a sitemap. And read, read, read! Welcome and enjoy!