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    Orbit B Hyve Plugin

    Could an intergration/plugin be included for the Orbit B Hyve timer, which can be controlled via smart phone app to work with HS.

    I believe to code is open source and there may be a python library

    https://github.com/sebr/pybhyve

    https://github.com/blacksmithlabs/orbit-bhyve-remote

    Thank you for consideration. I have seen a couple of other irrigation plugins but nothing for this...

    #2
    Back in 2019 this product was brought up with a SmartThings pending integration. Looks like nothing happened. If there are no other volunteers, I can try to do the same thing as I did with Hubspace and an integration using the existing Python code from GitHub. April is when I should have time for new projects. You should now be an expert at the Python integration approach.

    I believe Hunter and Orbit were requested for inclusion in my mcsSprinklers Irrigation plugin, but in both cases they were not good fits since each had their own UI while mcsSprinklers has its own. mcsMQTT provides a generic interface.

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      #3
      Yes, that would be awesome. I feel like I have conquered the Python pitfalls, and anything else using this approach should go much better. I think it all came down to accepting the default location for the installation, anyway, would be more than happy to work with you on it, can even use my account for testing, etc. I am sure by now many people use these. I am feeling a new since of renewed spirit for HS, now some more of things I use are able to be intergrated. Makes the product more desirable overall. The designer is straight forward and easy to use, I hope to build a "one stop shop" dashboard to control all I can in my home. Thank you again for making more and more possible. 🙂

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        #4
        Good morning gentlemen. I would also be interested in some kind of integration with B-Hyve. Though the python stuff scares me a little, no experience with that. Best of luck!

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          #5
          Quite a coincidence. Just yesterday TexJWC gave me access to his account and I have had success via the Python route and now using it with copious debug added to get what I need for a .NET native implementation. Should know soon if I have got past the login credentials sequence and the remainder should be straightforward to provide plugin without need to install Python.

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            #6
            We must be looking at some sort of "universal synchronization" here -- I have just today searched for a plugin for B-Hyve and ran across this thread! Thanks @BigBossSeer for working with this! I have devices but haven't set up an account yet. I can set one up and give you access if that would help.

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              #7
              Thank you for the offer, but one account is sufficient. I struggled some, but eventually did get past the login threshold. Next step is to get the WebSocket setup so Orbit event updates will be reflected immediately in HS.

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                #8
                Michael, Sounds like we are past the log in step. Yea.. I know you said you need my presence at home to test some the next steps in the plan, I am home today and available. Just let me know what I need to do, probably just report to you if the Zones are going on and off, that won't be a problem. Just give me a heads up when you want to start and I can be available. I can also provide you my phone number, if that would make for easier communication during this testing. I can pm it to if that woiuld help... Thanks again, it'll be drying up here in Texas in the next couple of weeks and this will come in handy... Already other interested as well, this will help a lot of to folks. Have a good week!

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                  #9
                  Sorry I did not back earlier, but the step from some test code to evaluation login to actually having something as a candidate implementation is not trivial. I did not want to invest any time with the development if I could not get access to the Orbit server.

                  I have two more hurdles. One is to get the Websocket functional. At this time it accepts the request to connect, but I never get a callback indicating that it had confirmed connection. It seems many of the commands need to go through the websocket. The only one I have found without it is the program request. I do not know exactly what it does. I am hoping it will start a predefined program. I have a Hubitat, Python, and HA integration as reference, but each has their own interface needs so a little difficult to cobble together what is needed for HS. The Python for Hubspace was relatively complete. The HA integration seems also to be relatively complete, but I have never tried to do anything with HA so hard to find tid-bits that are useful from that source. The Python and Hubitat source look to have minimal capability from what I can understand. I can get the data from the Orbit server, but am struggling with what I need to do to send commands to it to affect a change with the controller. Of course there is no official API as a reference.

                  For testing at your end I will provide something for you to install and let you do the evaluation with data collected in the debug file to give me feedback to supplement your observations.

                  While I am not done with the Abode integration, it was about a two week effort to get the point to having something for others to evaluate. I am modeling Orbit after Abode as they both have a similar dual structure of commands to change things and websocket to get real time status of any changes from the product. Doing these reverse-engineer projects is a bigger challenge than one that has an official documented API.

                  There is much information available from the Orbit server with scheduling and history data. The implementation may grow to include such things, but the first cut is to get basic information and controls that affect the irrigation. What I have now is below to control a zone in the auto program, run a zone manually, change scheduling between smart and timed, and run a program hat has been setup. Let me know what other features your would like to see.

                  Click image for larger version

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                    #10
                    The plugin app would probably benefit from many things I may not necessarily use, there many features in the native app I don't really use. Like smart watering, I don't exact remember what that was, but I know that some people have rain gauges and sensors on their irrigation systems, which I figured smart watering was used with those things. We live in an old house and have a pretty old irrigation system. My replacing its Rainbird manual controller box, with the B-Hyve is the most recent thing we have done. I don't necessarily use the historical data other than to look back a day or two to see if watering has occured.

                    The rain delay is something I do use once in a while, when we are blessed with rain in the summer. Rare ; ) I also have an Ambient Weather station, which reports stats to HS. Would be nice if rain delay could be set automatically by detecting rainfall from the weather station. But I know everyone would not have this situation. Maybe could be supported by HS events, if other HS users possess both pieces of equipment.

                    I figured as far as programming a "routine" for watering, one could use HS events for that, if that could be support through events. ie "Water Zones One through Five for 15 minutes, every other day at x time"

                    Maybe others now interested on this thread, that have newer more sophisticated systems will chime in with requirements that would be useful for them supported by their systems. Thanks again for your work on this.

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                      #11
                      Good day today with this integration. I was able to get an event callback on the WebSocket and have candidate commands for the controls. It is at https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/hs...ge-log-hs4-hs3 as delta install or full install as 6.7.0.0. I suggest the full install using Updater Override process.

                      Assure debug is enabled on the top of the MQTT Page, General Tab. I am interested in the feedback from the debug I inserted. At this time the Websocket event reporting is only logged into the debug file. It has no effect on HS. I just want to see what is being produced in response to user behaviors.

                      Two sets of tests to run. One is using the controls on the HS Devices page to try to affect the Orbit controller. Keep notes so I will be able to correlate the action with the debug data being collected. The second is to use Orbit's App to control the controller and see what is reflected in HS. Since event reporting is only being logged the HS update will only occur on a polling cycle. It is now being polled at 5 minute interval when the mode is off and 1 minute interval when auto. The intent for the dynamic polling rate was for 1 minute when running, but I think running status is an event.

                      I believe the Panel Program control will select a program that becomes the schedule to use
                      The Run Mode is suppose to toggle between Auto and Off -- I need to move this to the panel rather than each zone.
                      The Minutes is suppose to run the zone for the specified minutes or stop if set to 0
                      Rain Delay should result in an event with the schedule delay. I do not think HS status has any meaning at this time. I expect it to be updated from the Websocket event.
                      Smart Watering should change the mode and I think it should be reflected in HS.

                      There were several sources that I used as reference. Hubitat, Home Assistant, Python, NodeJS and a second Python implementation to find commands that could be used from HS. No single source provided a full reference. The HA integration did use the primary Python GitHub offering and built around it. HA does have a "landscape" capability. I have not tried to see what it offers. I am not polling the History data. I am only using the Device and Program data plus the WebSocket.

                      Tomorrow is a travel day for me so will be out of pocket most of the day.

                      The concept of using events for irrigation should work, but I would think the better way to do it would be to define a program in the Orbit App and then the event action would be to run that program. None of the integrations tried to define a program through the integration, but relied upon the App for this setup.

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                        #12
                        OK, I backed up HS directory and did the full override process. Now have the B hyve tab, put in credentials, and connected. Hard drive was whirling like when you connect to Hubspace. I believe the device count at the bottom of the device window has increased, however, I am now to the point I have over the 500 lines they allow you of devices so I can't see everything all at once. but when filtering or looking in different sorts, I can not find the Sprinkler Zone devices picture above. I have included debug file for whenever you have a chance to look at it..
                        Attached Files

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                          #13
                          The debug is full of Hubspace data being downloaded each minute. There is no indicaction of any attempt to connect to Orbit server. Confirm the Bhyve tab bottom radio is set to connect to server.

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                            #14
                            Yes, it is checked. I have checked and unchecked, retyped password, restarted the plugin. I looked at debug file and I agree, no indication of any connection with orbit.
                            I went over to the General to see if there was an orbit entry in the T1 filter box, there is not. In fact no indication of anything but hubspace.

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                              #15
                              Back home now and I see what I did when publishing the version. I fixed it in the prior reference links. The change for HS4 is attached here that goes into \bin\mcsMQTT folder which should be easier than another full install.
                              Attached Files

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