Creating a virtual switch

#1

Greetings,

I am a noob when it comes to webcore/groovy although I did program in a previous life. I am migrating my HA setup from wink/stringify to smartthings/webcore. I can see all of my Caseta/Z-wave lights and ceiling fans in my device list. I have loaded in the device handlers and associated smart apps so I can see my Simplisafe/Nest/Weather Underground station in my device list. I’ve created a couple of basic changing light pistons based on time-of-day (e.g. sunset, sunrise, etc). So, I think I’m doing reasonably well.

Until…

The next set of workflows I want to create are based on temp comparisons and HVAC states which drive my ceiling fans. For example:

If HVAC == heating then set ceiling fans (5 rooms) to low speed.
If NEST temp >= 75 then set ceiling fans to low speed.
If HVAC == cooling then set ceiling fans to med speed.

If weather underground temp =< 75 then send me a reminder to open the doors so the whole house fan can run

In stringy I just had to declare some variables, set some “preset flows” and then create the working flows by calling the variables and preset flows.

The issue I’m running into (and I feel really foolish since I can’t seem to find it looking and searching through the documentation) is how to see my Nest/Weather Underground/SimpliSafe as devices to select when building a piston. I get the concept of a virtual switch, but I can’t figure out how to create a virtual switch based on the Nest temperature or HVAC state. The same goes for pulling the weather underground temp so I can so comparison on it.

Would someone please point me to the documentation that will tell me how to create the virtual devices/interfaces/rainbows with skittles I need?

Kindest regards

#2

Weather is built right in to WC, so no need to go anywhere to use that.

https://wiki.webcore.co/Weather

Getting to the Nest though…that’s a bit more…involved.

#3

This is the link for creating virtual devices.

#4

Thank you for the quick reply. I couldn’t figure out how to make the NST manager do everything I wanted. I would like to have the ceiling fans on low when the heater (70) is on or when the temperature is between 75-77. I want the ceiling fans on med when the air conditioner is on (78). That’s also leaving out the part of using the weather station as another condition. I don’t care if the temperature is 76 if the high for the day is 78. So, in my mind I’ve made this complicated.

I do see what you mean about using the WC. If my hub is 30 feet away from my weather station, then that should be values being picked up. I am concerned because there are some fun micro-climate issues where I live.

#5

Ok. Maybe I’m asking the wrong question here. Is it possible to do what I’m asking? And, if it is, how do you tie a virtual simulation to a physical object?

#6

Or, how about this. The devices that I want to query and/or use as monitors are created by installing device handlers. This now includes my leakSmart sensors. Is it possible to use them (e.g. temp, status, etc) in a piston or are they only managed through SmartApps? When I start to create a piston and set a condition, I never see any of them in the device drop-down. I only see those devices/switches that are “native” to SmartThings. I apologize for being a pain not getting this. This seems so simple and I was able to do a lot in Stringify so it strikes me I should be able to do so much more with WebCore. I’m just really frustrated that I’m missing something so basic here.

#7

Maybe I missed what you were trying to do as well… So, let’s start here. You’re saying you have your Nest and your Weather station showing up in the SmartThings app, but not in webCoRE. Right?

You have to give WC permissions to see “things”, have you done that step? it’s in the Automation, SmartApps, webCoRE, then settings, etc. That would be the first step…and only step really if that’s what you were missing.

#8

YEAH!!! THANK YOU!!! I’ve been banging my head against a wall for the better part of 20 odd hours. Of course I started this while there was an outage, but that aside.

I need a shipping address so I can send copious amounts of alcohol! I really appreciated you pointing that out to me. Obviously I’ve been barking up a forest of wrong trees here.

#9

Sorry I missed it from earlier. i ran into the same thing when I was setting up my stuff…but it seems like so long ago that I almost forgot about it. That and we really do have a need to make a “virtual switch” now and then, so I think it took me down that path because of the title of your post. Glad you got it working.