This is weird

[JCCccc]

I installed this app and set up widgets for the lights. This evening I went into the kitchen and turned the lights on full using the switch (they are on UPB type dimmers). They immediately dimmed back to about 50%. Every time I turned them up using the switch they immediately went back down. Then I got my phone and turned them up using the homekit app. They immediately went back down.

Nothing had changed except for me installing this app on my iPad so I got the iPad and turned them up using this app and this time they stayed on. I discovered I had the same issue with the dining room lights.

it appears this app is doing something in background that overrides even local control at the switch. How do I fix that?

[avargaskun]

Hi JCCccc that is definitely weird. I haven't heard of something similar before. The app does not make any changes to the devices other than set their value when controlled manually, for that it uses the JSON control API in HomeSeer. If you installed the HSBuddy plug-in on the server, just as an experiment, if you disable it and try controlling the lights via the switch or HomeKit - does the issue remains?

What I'd look into next is what shows in the HS server log when controlling the light via the switch or via HomeKit. It sounds like the switch/HomeKit are both setting the light to LAST rather than ON.

[JCCccc]

I haven’t installed the plug-in. I only installed the app on my iPad. Could it be because the lights are not directly controlled by Homeseer? The lights are directly controlled by my Omni system. Homeseer talks to the Omni through a plug-in so it only indirectly controls the lights. Homekit talks to Homeseer via homebridge.

I agree that it seems like something is setting the lights to last rather than on. Could it have something to do with the fact it all goes through the Omni. Something has to be telling it to go to last. When I control manually I believe the Omni is aware I am controlling the lights and it lets Homeseer know. Something must then get communicated with the app so it knows the status of the light. Maybe instead of just updating status it is sending something back to Homeseer with the last status and causing it to dim again.

i just tried an experiment with my bedroom lights. I turned them on to 50% with the app. Then I turned them off at the switch. I watched the app and it updated to show the lights went to 0%. Then I turned the lights full brightness at the switch. The app did not update to 100%. Instead, In a couple of seconds the lights dimmed to 50% and I saw the app update to show 50%. So when the app learns the lights are being turned on it has to be sending a signal to put them at the last level.

[avargaskun]

Thank you for sending the bug reports. I looked at the logs on the last report and there is no indication of the app controlling the light. If you operate the light manually via the switch, the app will only show you changes in the device value, but it will not control the light. The app only controls devices when explicitly done via the controls in the screen.

First I would recommend doing the following to definitively rule-out HSBuddy as the cause:

• Force-close the app on the phone. Here are steps to do this in iOS: Close an app on your iPhone or iPod touch - Apple Support
• Attempt to control the light via the switch again

If the issue persists, then it is definitely not related to HSBuddy. In which case, I would recommend gathering the HomeSeer logs to see what is going on when you control the light via the switch:

• Open the HomeSeer site on your browser
• Go to View->Log if using HS3 or Tools->Log if using HS4
• Look for activity around the time when you controlled the light using the switch

Does anything suspicious appear in the logs?

[JCCccc]

I have a theory. I disabled the app (in fact I turned off the iPad completely.) Same behavior. Then I enabled the app and set the lights to 100%. After that they seemed to work normally.

You may be familiar with UPB lights, but if not, they are set up through a program called Upstart where you set things like double tapping the top rocker snaps the lights to full brightness, or single pressing the top rocker.ramps the light to the last level etc. This setup is stored on the switch itself.

Is is possible that HSBuddy is not simply controlling the dimmer but is writing to the dimmer so that the way it operates is affected?

[avargaskun]

I'm not familiar with those lights but the effect of using HSBuddy to control the light would be identical to doing so from the web UI of Homeseer. If you try setting the light to 50% from the web UI and then use the switch to turn it off/on in theory you should get the same result.

Sorry I can't five you more details. Did you look into the Homeseer logs to see what is being set to the light when using the switch (not the app)?