HS3 with Echo and UPB Lighting longer or alternate names

[joels]

Hello, I am having a small problem using my UPB lighting with HS3 and Echo. It applies to both the skill and the api. My problem is that for using UPB lighting modules, you have to setup the modules in UPB Upstart, then export the config to HomeSeer. My problem is that Upstart only allows 16 characters for naming modules, also in other modules it inserts an identifier such as a switch which adds 'CH:2' to the end of the name.

This creates a problem with using nice names for Echo, I cannot make a name that says 'Living Room Light', and Echo doesn't understand 'Livingroom Light' and it is difficult to get Echo to understand 'Patio Lights - CH:2'. I understand I could make virtual devices to do some things but that seems very cumbersome and some of these devices dim so there is not just an On/Off virtual device. I also don't have much experience with making virtual devices. (I don't really want 10 virtual devices and events for a single light)

Does anyone have any other recomendations or ideas of how I may be able to get around this? I can make longer names in HS3 once the UPB config file is uploaded, and that works with Echo, but as soon as anything is restarted, the default config names pop back up.

Thanks in advance for your help.

-Joel

[Daweeze]

Hi Joel,

I am curious, are you using the HS3 UPB Plug-In or Spud's UPB Plug-In? I don't recall having any trouble with the renaming with Spud's UPB Plug-In Devices returning to the truncated Upstart versions even after an Upstart Import to the Plug-In.

-Travis

[joels]

Thanks for your quick reply,

I'm using the HomeSeer plugin.

I have the current updates of HS3 (3.0.0.280), Upstart (v8 b38), and HS3 UPB (3.0.0.2).

I have not tried Spuds plugin. Using his plugin may solve the problem if the names don't revert back to Upstarts config file names after a restart. I would prefer not to spend another 39.95 for a plugin that is included with my Hometroller Pro. Are there any other benefits to using Spuds plugin? It would certainly be eaasier than trying to make virtual devices and events for each device.

Otherwise, if anyone from Homeseer sees this, is that something that may be able to be added / changed in the HS plugin?

Thanks
-Joel

[Daweeze]

Hi Joel,

I can tell you that the support that Spud provides for his Plug-Ins is really top notch. Also, his Plug-In is much more flexible to code change when a new UPB device is released and not yet supported. It's a no brainer and worth the money especially when you trigger a need for code change in the Plug-In and realize that the money you paid for the Plug-In isn't anything compared to the time and work he must have done on his side. I may be wrong but I think the HS3 UPB Plug-In is just an HS2 Port and not really seeing any attention to updating. Spud's UPB PI would be the one that is HS3 Native and considered currently supported.

-Travis