Fibaro RGBW Controller Manager - FAQ

Posted on
Sun Jun 28, 2015 10:49 am
Chameleon offline
Posts: 611
Joined: Oct 04, 2014

Fibaro RGBW Controller Manager - FAQ

Fibaro RGBW Controller Manager FAQs

The plugin has been designed to be as simple as possible but there are still a few questions that you might have for configuration. Hopefully I've tackled most of these here but you can raise new ones as they arise and I'll update these FAQs

Who is the plugin aimed at?

Basically anyone who uses the Fibaro RGBW Controller http://www.vesternet.com/z-wave-fibaro-rgbw-controller to control LED strips or similar devices. If you've more than one module you'll find that this plug provides you with additional functionality such as synchronisation and linking

What does it do?

The overall use case is shown in the following diagram:

FRGBW Controller.png
FRGBW Controller.png (84.7 KiB) Viewed 2146 times


How do I install it?

It's installed like any other plugin. On the Latest Software post (http://forums.indigodomo.com/viewtopic.php?f=176&t=14351) you'll find two links. The first will download the Alpha code which you can install by clicking the file once it's downloaded. The second file, RGBColours.txt is a text file that contains all of the information for the presets. You'll need to download this file and then copy it to the /Library/Application Support/Perception Automation/Indigo 6/Preferences/Plugins directory. That sounds a lot harder than it actually is. In the next version I'll automate the process I promise.

Ok I've installed it - what now?

You can now create a new type of device - Combined Fibaro RGBW Device

Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 17.17.53.png
Fibaro RGBW Device Screen
Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 17.17.53.png (43.36 KiB) Viewed 2194 times


If you now click on Edit Device Settings you'll be presented with the following dialog

Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 17.25.57.png
Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 17.25.57.png (66.45 KiB) Viewed 2194 times


Click on the dropdown for Available RGB Devices and select the Fibaro Dimmer Module you're interested in. Then click Find RGB Devices and the plugin will automatically find and complete the boxes for Red, Green and Blue channels for you.

Now you need to select a colour. Click on Colour Picker and the Colour Picker tool will appear. Select the colour you want and then click OK to save. The plugin will then calculate and fill in the RGB values for you automatically.

You can also fill these values in yourself (0-100) if you prefer.

Once that's all done click Save and your device is ready for use.

Ok I've got some devices - what can I do now?

The device is available in any Action dialog in indigo. If you create an Action (in Schedule, Triggers or Action Group) you can now select Fibaro Light Manager Actions.

When you move your mouse over this option you'll be presented with a few new commands:

    Link devices - allows you to link two Fibaro RGB devices together in a group
    Unlink devices - remove a link between two Fibaro RGB Devices
    Change Colour - change the colour of a Fibaro RGB Device (and all linked devices) from 100+ presets
    Switch On - turn on an LED Fibaro Device using it's last settings and also update all other linked devices
    Switch Off - turn off an LED Fibaro Device and any linked devices

Using these commands you can truly integrate your LED Lights into your indigo system - triggers, schedules or action groups.

Isn't there a nice UI to control the device like dimmers and thermostats?

Not yet. It's not a current feature of indigo to allow users to do this. However, I'm working on an external plugin that should allow you to do exactly that. I'm releasing this plugin now so we can stabilise the core code and then add the extra functionality later :)

Can it be used with IFTTT?

Yes – IFTTT can send emails based on an event so you can access information that way. You could also add a trigger in Indigo to act on an IFTTT request.

Do you offer support?

Plug-in development is a hobby and a bit of a passion but I’ve a real job to do as well. I’ll support and answer questions but it’s always going to be on a best endeavours basis. Feel free to contribute to the forum, get to know the plug in, create a pull request and change it. The more of us that get to understand and use the plug-in the better.

Will new features be added?

I'm always looking for new ideas so if you'd like the system to do something that it doesn't right now or you'd like some additional states added then let me know through the Feedback topic or PM me.

Is there any copyright?

In the true python tradition you’re welcome to use the code free of charge on an individual basis. It should not be sold commercially or as a separate product and I’d also like to see recognition of the work that we’ve done to date if you generate any solutions using our code. Otherwise, I’m really not precious about it.

It works well - do you ask for donations?

Thank you for saying that - it's appreciated

Not at the moment - for indigo users I'm keeping it free (but not for other Home Automation sites :D). A message of thanks is all that I need

If you've got issues or want something different then leave me a message and we'll see what we can do!

I've got an idea - can you put it in the plugin for me?

The answer is yes - just not immediately. I'm collecting ideas for new features or functions and I'll happily take your idea on board. Nearly all of the new features were suggested by users through the feedback forum. I'm thinking of fortnightly releases moving forward.

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