Wemo dimmer switch not auto-detected

Setup, Configuration and Use Beginners
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1

I just received a Wemo dimmer switch in the mail and installed it. It works nicely manually, and from the wemo app.

Next step: openhab integration.

I installed the wemo binding but no things are detected (I go to inbox > wemo binding >…searching … searching … nothing except the link to ‘manually add thing’).

I figured this meant manual setup was necessary. That’s fine… unless I’m wrong and I just missed something. So I thought I’d stop by and let someone point me the right way before I get too lost on the wrong road.

Help with manual configuration would also not be refused.
:slight_smile:

2

There is no proven implementation for the dimmer, as these eare not available in Germany. Please feel free to enter a feature request issue at


If you could provide the description.xml, eventservice.xml and basicevent.xml files for the dimmer device, this might help coding and speed up implementing it into the binding.

3

After a quick search, I found some info about the dimmer

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root xmlns="urn:Belkin:device-1-0">
  <specVersion>
    <major>1</major>
    <minor>0</minor>
  </specVersion>
  <device>
<deviceType>urn:Belkin:device:dimmer:1</deviceType>
<friendlyName>Living Room</friendlyName>

This makes clear why the device is not detected. This could be easily added, but I need more information about the devices capabilities.

4

I am also very interested in this topic. What information do you need in order to add this dimmer to Wemo binding?

5

I wish I could help. Or to be precise, perhaps I could help if I knew how (since I do have the device) but, since I don’t know how, I find myself only willing and not able.

Like most people here, I am computer literate, but not necessarily versed in the complexities of openHAB.

Like Bender says, if you have a specific information request (that you can explain or point to documentation or other postings) then I’m happy to help.

6

Hi guys, really appreciate your offer for help.
A did a bit more googleing but could not find more information about the WeMo dimmer.
To move forward, could you please describe what can be controlled with the WeMo app, screenshots will be helpfull.
Out of these information, we can decide what to be implemented in openHAB.
I might then ask fore some whireshark paket sniffing, to see what the WeMo app sends to the device and what the device sends as a response.

7

Thank you for taking interest in this, Hans!

So basically you can turn the dimmer on/off, dim the lights (surprise!), set the timer for a fade-out, set the “Night Mode” (20% brightness time interval). Also, you can control other wemo switches with the dimmer by creating “long press rule” (I am not sure it needs to be implemented)
Screenshots:

IMG_3065.PNG750×1334 61.8 KB

IMG_3066.PNG750×1334 63.7 KB
IMG_3067.PNG750×1334 61.4 KB

8

Thanks @Bender for the screenshots.
Switchin ON/OFF should be easy, for dimming, timer setting and night mode, I need a wireshark paket sniffing with different values, so we can see what message is send to the WeMo dimmer. The long press rules is definitely nothing to be implemented, as this can be achieved with openHABs rule engine.

9

I am happy to help with the wireshark. However, I would need some guidance as to how to filter the capture. Should I use ip.addr==<dimmer_ip> and capture everything while dimming it through the app?

10

Yes, that would be fine.

11

I made an attempt with wireshark, using ‘host 10.66.66.144’ as the filter on the ethernet device. Hopefully there are some useful wireshark results here and another try here.

.144 is the dimmer
.114 is the openhab server

I started the monitoring, then turned on/off a few times and slid the dimmer to different points while on and while off. I’ve never used Wireshark before but it would have been nice if I could have duplicated the results (I tried a number of times without successfully getting same results). There seems to be a flurry of communication when the app starts. Then not as much. Perhaps this is normal. I leave it for your perusal. Perhaps @Bender will have better luck.

12

See https://github.com/eclipse/smarthome/issues/3632 for tracking

13

Thanks Simon, please assign this issue to me.

14

Thanks Brian, I will compare both your findings.

15

No problem, thank you.

If I can do a better job at tracking things with wireshark just let me know and I’ll try again.

16

Sorry Guys, none of the pcaps shows the needed traffic.
I would like you both give it a new try with following preconditions:

  1. Make shure that remote access is disabled in wemo app !!!
  2. We need traffic between WeMo App and WeMo DimmerSwitch, so make shure to set filters accordingly
  3. When sending link in PM, please let me know IP-Address of both devices, if you not already did.
17

Fist Binding version to test can be found here

So far, the following should work:

  • Autodiscovery
  • Switching ON/OFF (channel “state”)
  • Polling ON/OFF state every 2 minutes.
18

Thank you very much!
Please excuse my ignorance, but how do we install this binding?

19

Fair point, sorry for not explaining.
Uninstall your existing WeMo binding and put the new .jar file into your addons folder.
The new version should be activated right away and find your dimmer…

20

I dropped the jar file into /usr/share/openhab2/addons/
I started karaf console and bundle:list shows:

Active | 80 | 0.9.0.b4 | Eclipse SmartHome Wemo Binding

However, I had installed the binding from within the paper-ui should I have uninstalled this first?

And no, it’s not detecting for me. Should I have left the dimmer in the currently configured state (connected to wemo app) or should I be attempting openhab connection by resetting the dimmer?

Sorry for all the beginner questions: trying to eliminate my own error from the equation before saying that it doesn’t work.