Domoticz.., iam done with you!

[janvier123]

Hi,

I really tried hard to give domoticz a go, but every step i get closer to having a good system, it kicks me in the nuts.
First stage was with MySensors using NRF24L01+ as the main communication, that didnt work out to good, cuz most of the time no connection or works for 5min and nothing .... even a simple 10cm inside wall proves to be an impossible task.... i think i tried 5 times and gave up. Wireless in my house is a really NO-GO

2nd stage was using MQTT well .... the documentation doesn't help much, not for my projects anyway and iam NOT going to spend hours and hours browsing the forums/internet for a "so-so answer".
Yesterday i really came close to an almost working system, apart from the other issues iam still having.
Like the IP Cam that just wont work!
What ever setting or URL i try it just wont display the image / livestream, here are some URLs ive tried:

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videostream.asf?user=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]&resolution=64&rate=0	
videostream.cgi?
videostream.asf?usr=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]	
snapshot.jpg?user=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]
snapshot.cgi?user=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]	
videostream.asf?user=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]

I gave up .... Anyway ive noticed that domoticz was running very slowly on a Windows system, pressing "Apply Settings" doesn't do anything, but 1min later it wakes up and realized that i press that button and saves the settings. Strange, well i may try the LINUX (Raspberry) system, there it works better.

So i recently have this Velleman WS3080 Weather Station with PC connectivity, using Weewx to pull data. Ok seems to work.... spending hours and hours using Node-Red to pull data from MQTT to Domoticz using the MQTT plugin.

Sending Temps from an arduino seems to work perfectly, no issues there! But the weather system, holy crap, i got some values working, but WIND ...
Anyway went to work, came back and ... domoticz gone? Offline? nah cant be, spamming F5 didnt help, maybe something in the logs?
Wait wut?

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Error: Webserver: File '/images/Wind315.0.png': No such file or directory (2)

The only time i send a value was 3 days ago and got an error message saying invalid data...
So Domoticz just crashed .....

While writing this message, domoticz crashed ...

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Apr 14 17:39:18 raspberrypi domoticz: 2017-04-14 17:39:18.470  (Youless_elec) YouLess Meter (Electriciteit)
Apr 14 17:39:18 raspberrypi domoticz: MQTT: Topic: domoticz/in, Message: {"idx":5,"nvalue":0,"svalue":"21.25"}

No error codes / messages

Again, IAM DONE!
Please see this as a review, iam not willing to have my issues fixed, i rather spend my time on creating my own system instead

I really wish you the best for domoticz, its not my cup of tea
Thank you for reading, this.

[sincze]

Thanks for the review. Don't read them that much in this way,

I'm really wondering if Domoticz will not work for you what will?
Perhaps a Homey? as that seems to be a flexible open commercial solution?

I thought I had a crazy setup combining all different styles of wireless technology "Mysensors NRF, 433mhz CoCo, Zwave, Wifi" in the end domoticz seems to deal with them just fine. And range is always an issue, but after spending hours and hours on all the forums I figured out solutions to my problems.
It is part of the joy.

Had some stability issues myself in the beginning year:2013, but monit solved that for me.
But hey that is the risk I take because of using a beta version.

Have a nice eastern everybody.

[janvier123]

Well like i said, ill spend my time on making my own system
i dont like the fact you need to be depended on certain hardware / software combinations

So, just MQTT and NODE-RED, simple Javascript, probably PHP based

Domoticz is very nice bezuc it has support for allot of hardware, but do i need it all?
I have the feeling that almost every single supported plugin is running all the time and eating up valuable memory.
Maybe they should dump all the plugins and have something like a MODULE system or PLUGIN system, where you can install the things you need and only use. Some things are running that you dont even need and never will, but they are "running" it seems

Maybe iam wrong, but it feels like it

Happy Easter

[Egregius]

What is theee to say?
I am very very happy with Domoticz as backend. Runs fast and stable.
I control it completely from php and it does everything I want.

[SweetPants]

Well I do not recognise this at all. Using Domoticz now for nearly 4 years and off course there are moments things do not work after an update or so, but that happens with Open Source projects with many contributors. Maybe an (expensive) off the shelf product suits you more!!!

[janvier123]

iam willing to give Domoticz one more chance, as a backend, but how? you still need the front end to create new sensors and edit settings right?
or do you work purely on json commands?

[janvier123]

So far so good, 14 devices running via MQTT

[poudenes]

To bad to hear, but i think its not Domoticz that doesn't work well.

Here:
Raspberry Pi3 with OSMC OS (kodi installed) Domoticz 3.7373 (moment of writing) MQTT with 25 devices also pushed into Homebridge Plugin using them on my iOS

NO problem AT ALL !!! :D:D:D:D

[Toulon7559]

@janvier123

Reading your messages gives the impression that your ambitions are rather high, and not completely standard relative to Domoticz, but very tailormade.
Application of 'open source systems' like Domoticz requires a learning curve (even for 'standard configurations'), which takes significant time and for good understanding needs experiments with 'try&error'.
Compared with any 'commercial software', support for Domoticz is easy & fast & tothepoint.
The 'Open source' aspects support that you can make a configuration to personal taste, to a level which you will never get from commercial software. Certain combinations of hardware and software run easy & well, some less or difficult with exotic settings, and some not at all, but that is not different from 'commercial' packages.
Advise: start simple(r), take (considerable) time for learning & experiments, ask anything not clear, and accept that not everything works at first attempt.
If you do not have the required patience and/or time, then buy a standard commercial system package, but then also accept the standard capabilities of that package and nothing more or different.

[robgeerts]

Well, I had troubles in the beginning too, some years ago. But after searching for solutions I realised it's was mostly my own fault things didn't work (or devices wich were broken). But, now it works great and I got almost every device in my home connected. With a fancy dashboard (hint: http://domoticz.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16526 ) my wife can perfectly work with it too!

[Jan Jansen]

I am very pleased. I run domoticz together with OpenVPN and Pihole on one rpi B. In the past there were problems with Piface, I use 2 pieces. I also use different Z-wave modules, WIFI modules. My P1 smartmeter is connected to UART. I have not a single problem for months now.

[zak45]

I'm running Domoticz on Win10 computer. no trouble (or so little), no performance problem. Have search some other Open source tools, this one for me is the best for the moment. And now with the python framework... so cool
Linked with ImperiHome, this give a very nice Home system.

[janvier123]

Reading your messages gives the impression that your ambitions are rather high

There not at all, all i want (at this point) is to keep track of temperatures in my garden and boiler room
And i must say, it doent work

Everyday i come home and ... domoticz has stopped running, not crashed, but just stopped taking in commands
I can still browse the site and do things,but it wont accept new inputs
Updated yesterday to the BETA, and today is the same story

Just stopped taking in commands with no error at all, here is the error (debug) log
(MQTT and Node red are running just fine, without errors)

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2017-04-20 14:33:18.365  MQTT: Topic: domoticz/in, Message: {"idx":14,"nvalue":0,"svalue":"39;19;0"}
2017-04-20 14:33:18.468  MQTT: Topic: domoticz/in, Message: {"idx":15,"nvalue":0,"svalue":"0"}
2017-04-20 14:33:19.273  MQTT: Topic: domoticz/in, Message: {"idx":13,"nvalue":0,"svalue":"39"}
2017-04-20 14:33:19.490  (Youless) YouLess Meter (Elec)
2017-04-20 14:33:19.493  MQTT: Topic: domoticz/in, Message: {"idx":14,"nvalue":0,"svalue":"39;19;0"}

once i do a restart "sudo /etc/init.d/domoticz.sh restart" its fine again, but who knows it will last

Maybe iam sending the wrong values from node red? iam sending too many, too fast?

[sincze]

Did you check the log file ? What does it say?

Allow monit to help you monitor domoticz.pid file.

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check process domoticz with pidfile /var/run/domoticz.pid
start program = "/etc/init.d/domoticz.sh start"
stop program = "/etc/init.d/domoticz.sh stop"

Monit Never kicks in as my install is now rock stable (yes even the betas) however this saved me in the beginning

[pvm]

....

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2017-04-20 14:33:18.365  MQTT: Topic: domoticz/in, Message: {"idx":14,"nvalue":0,"svalue":"39;19;0"}
2017-04-20 14:33:18.468  MQTT: Topic: domoticz/in, Message: {"idx":15,"nvalue":0,"svalue":"0"}
2017-04-20 14:33:19.273  MQTT: Topic: domoticz/in, Message: {"idx":13,"nvalue":0,"svalue":"39"}
2017-04-20 14:33:19.490  (Youless) YouLess Meter (Elec)
2017-04-20 14:33:19.493  MQTT: Topic: domoticz/in, Message: {"idx":14,"nvalue":0,"svalue":"39;19;0"}

...
too fast?

I've seen issues last year in my own setup when I was switching lights on (which were already on) at an interesting frequency causing a lot of logged switch statements really slowing down my setup upto a 'frozen' domoticz. Looking at your frequency of switching every second... might cause issues...
Can you look at your device log? how many entries are in? Does it take long to load?

[janvier123]

I've seen issues last year in my own setup when I was switching lights on (which were already on) at an interesting frequency causing a lot of logged switch statements really slowing down my setup upto a 'frozen' domoticz. Looking at your frequency of switching every second... might cause issues...
Can you look at your device log? how many entries are in? Does it take long to load?

Its fast and i send every 1 sec


[EDIT]
Slowed it down, with 1 msg every 60sec in node red

[Egregius]

Why do you need temps every sec?

[Derik]

Jan..
Start simpel.
What you want to do is very simeple to do with 433Mhz.

Setup a clean sd and start again.
no script or mttq..
First run stable for a few days.
And make sure that you can make a daily backup [ script is simple in the wiki ]
Then import a few internet sensors for free from the hardware list
Make some switches with this data also dummy switches!
step 2 buy a rfxcom or a rflink
buy some 433Mhz device[ or cheap china, wait 4 weeks ]
buy a zwave
buy some zwave device
buy a xiaomi bridge incl sensors

And when you understand how domoticz is working
Go to the masters places...
scripts and mqqt etc

[pvm]

Slowed it down, with 1 msg every 60sec in node red

Did you also clean the device logs to get a fresh start?

[Toulon7559]

@janvier123

On what hardware platform do you run Domoticz?

Perhaps open door, because reported many times already:
if you apply Raspberry, take care that you have a good, stable power supply of ample capacity and a good quality SD-card.
Because a Raspberry is known to be 'sensitive' related to those elements.
It sometimes helps to apply a powered USB-hub, besides the internal USB-ports, to reduce the load on the main power supply.
Temperature may also be a critical issue.