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# EchonetLite Binding

This binding supports devices that make use of the Echonet Lite specification (opens new window).

# Supported Things

  • Mitsubishi Electric MAC-568IF-E Wi-Fi interface (common on most Mitsubishi Heat Pumps).

# Discovery

Discovery is supported using UDP Multicast. When running over Wi-Fi it is advisable to run openHAB on the same network as the Echonet Lite devices. Multicast traffic doesn't easily route over multiple networks and will often be dropped. Discovery is handled via the Echonet Lite bridge, which contains the configuration of the multicast address used for discovery and asynchronous device notifications along with the port. It is unlikely that this configuration will require changing.

# Bridge Configuration

The bridge configuration defaults should be applicable in most scenarios. If device discovery is not working, this is most likely caused by the inability to receive multicast traffic from the device nodes.

  • port: Port used for messaging both to and from device nodes, defaults to 3610.
  • multicastAddress: Multicast address used to discover device nodes and to receive asynchronous notifications from devices.

# Thing Configuration

  • hostname: Hostname or IP address of the device node.
  • port: Port used to communicate with the device.
  • groupCode: Group code as specified in "APPENDIX Detailed Requirements for ECHONET Device objects" (https://echonet.jp/spec_object_rp1_en/ (opens new window)). For Air Conditioners the value is '1'.
  • classCode: Class code for the device, see groupCode for reference information. The value for Home Air Conditioners is '48' (0x30).
  • instance: Instance identifier if multiple instances are running on the same IP address. Typically, this value will be '1'.
  • pollIntervalMs: Interval between polls of the device for its current status. If multicast is not working this will determine the latency at which changes made directly on the device will be propagated back to openHAB, default is 30 000ms.
  • retryTimeoutMs: Length of time the bridge will wait before resubmitting a request, default is 2 000ms.

Because the binding uses UDP, packets can be lost on the network, so retries are necessary. Testing has shown that 2 000ms is a reasonable default that allows for timely retries without rejecting slow, but legitimate responses.

# Channels

Channels are derived from the Echonet Lite specification and vary from device to device depending on capabilities. The full set of potential channels is available from "APPENDIX Detailed Requirements for ECHONET Device objects" (https://echonet.jp/spec_object_rp1_en/ (opens new window))

The channels currently implemented are:

Channel Data Type Description
operationStatus Switch Switch On/Off the device
installationLocation String Installation location (option)
standardVersionInformation String Standard Version Information
identificationNumber String Unique id for device (used by auto discovery for the thingId)
manufacturerFaultCode String Manufacturer Fault Code
faultStatus Switch Fault Status
faultDescription String Fault Description
manufacturerCode String Manufacturer Code
businessFacilityCode String Business Facility Code
powerSavingOperationSetting Switch Controls whether the unit is in power saving operation or not
cumulativeOperatingTime Number Cumulative Operating Time
airFlowRate String Air Flow Rate
automaticControlOfAirFlowDirection String The type of automatic control applied to the air flow direction, if any
automaticSwingOfAirFlow String Automatic Swing Of Air Flow
airFlowDirectionVertical String Air Flow Direction Vertical
airFlowDirectionHorizontal String Air Flow Direction Horizontal
operationMode String The current mode for the Home AC unit (heating, cooling, etc.)
setTemperature Number Desired target room temperature
measuredRoomTemperature Number Measured Room Temperature
measuredOutdoorTemperature Number Measured Outdoor Temperature

# Full Example

# Things

Bridge echonetlite:bridge:1 [port="3610", multicastAddress="224.0.23.0"] {
    Thing device HeatPump_Bedroom1 "HeatPump Bedroom 1" @ "Bedroom 1" [hostname="192.168.0.55", port="3610", groupCode="1", classCode="48", instance="1", pollIntervalMs="30000", retryTimeoutMs="2000"]
}

# Items

Switch HeatPumpBedroom1_OperationStatus "HeatPump Bedroom1 Operation Status" {channel="echonetlite:device:1:HeatPump_Bedroom1:operationStatus"}