Hub Mesh

From Hubitat Documentation
Revision as of 02:12, 20 June 2022 by RobertM (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
Go to the top of the page

When two or more Hubitat Elevation hubs run on the same local network, you can seamlessly share and use devices in automations among multiple hubs with Hub Mesh. Using a simple "share and link" setup, all participating Hubitat Elevation hubs are able to effortlessly control and stay in sync with local devices and (optionally) mode changes.

Configuring Hubitat Hub Mesh

  1. From the Hubitat Web Interface select Settings, then Hub Mesh.
    • NOTE: Hub Mesh is not available on hubs running a platform version prior to 2.2.4.x. It is recommended to keep all Hub Mesh hubs on the same platform version.
      Screenshot: "Hub Mesh" option in "Settings" page
  2. To share a device from the current hub with other hub(s), select the Local Devices tab. Select the small "up" icon next to a device to share it with Hub Mesh.
    Screenshot of Shared Devices (devices added to Hub Mesh) and Private Devices (devices eligible to be added but that have not been added to Hub Mesh)
  3. Devices that have been shared will appear in the Shared devices list at the top of the Local Devices tab. Selecting any of the device names in the list will take you directly to the settings page of that device. Select the "stop" icon to the left of any device to stop sharing that device via Hub Mesh.
    Screenshot of devices being shared via Hub Mesh appearing under the "Shared devices" list. Select the small "stop" icon to the left of a device name to stop sharing.
  4. On another hub where you would like to link to devices shared in Hub Mesh, navigate to Settings > Hub Mesh and then select the Linked Devices tab. If your shared devices do not show up in the remote devices list, refresh your browser or use the "refresh" (arrows icon) towards the top of the Linked Devices page. Select the "+" icon next to a remote device (under Available On Hub Name) to add it to this hub, or select the trash icon next to a shared device that was added (under Linked devices on this hub) to remove it from this hub.
    Screenshot of "Linked Devices" tab in Hub Mesh settings, allowing adding or removing devices shared from other hubs
  5. Links from shared Hub Mesh devices will be created in the devices list of the hub linking to them. Multiple hubs can link to devices shared through Hub Mesh.
    • NOTE: Device Preferences and Information changes will update on linked device after 1 minute, but they cannot be changed from the linked device.
      Devices shared via Hub Mesh will be created in the devices list of the hub linking "to" them. The device name will be appended with the name of the hub they are linked "from"
  6. You may also add a single device to Hub Mesh by simply turning on the Hub Mesh enabled option on the Device Detail page of the device you wish to share with other Hubitat Elevation hubs.
    • NOTE: To actually add the shared device to other hubs, you will still need to use the Linked devices tab on the hub where you want the linked device to be added, as described above in Step 4.
      Screenshot: "Hub Mesh enabled" toggle option on Device Detail page of most devices
  7. Devices which were linked to other hubs will not be deleted when they are removed or unavailable to Hub Mesh, but will instead switch to a Disabled state. If you add them to the mesh again or the hub which was sharing them returns to Active status, the linked devices will be automatically re-enabled.
    • NOTE: If you no longer want a Hub Mesh Linked Device in your device list, it must be manually removed.
      Screenshot of "offline" device shared by Hub Mesh

Sharing Hub Variables

Hub variables can be shared in a manner similar to devices. Use the Local hub variables tab to share variables from the current hub via Hub Mesh, and used the Linked hub variables tab to add devices to the current hub that have been shared from other hubs.

Follow Modes

You can set Hub Mesh to follow Mode changes of other hubs by using the Modes tab.

  • IMPORTANT: If you have Mode Manager installed, you should uninstall it from hubs participating in Follow Modes. Using Mode Manager together with the Follow Modes feature could change a mode one way, and Mode Manger would change it another when trying to follow the other hub's mode. Possible conflicts, including a mismatch of defined modes on the participating hubs may result.
    Screenshot: "Modes" tab of Hub Mesh settings, allowing you to follow mode changes of other hub or local modes only

Using Hub Mesh with Hub Login Security

When Hub Login Security is enabled on the hub from where devices are shared, it is necessary to provide the linking hub with a security key. Failing to do this will result in linked devices that do not synchronize with the sharing hub.

  1. With Hub Login Security enabled, a lock icon will appear next to the Active hubs list. This will show a warning when the security key from the sharing hub is not available to the linking hub.
  2. Copy the security key from the sharing hub. If one has not been set or it needs to be updated, press the Reset button.
  3. In the Active hubs list, press the hub that has lock with the warning icon next to it and enter the key from the sharing hub.
    Paste the security key from the sharing hub into the text field of the hub you want to share devices with, and press the Save button below the text field.
  4. Once a valid key from the sharing hub has been entered, the warning icon will disappear and device synchronization will resume. If the warning icon does not disappear in the Active local hubs list, refresh your browser.
    If there is no warning icon to the right of the hub's IP address in the "Active local hubs" list found at the top-left of the Hub Mesh settings page, then the hub has a valid security key.

Adjusting Communication Protocol for Hub Mesh

  1. By default, Hub Mesh uses the UDP protocol for keeping devices in sync between your hubs, but UDP may not function properly with some mesh WiFi routers. If sync issues occur. you have the option to instead use the TCP protocol. The protocol should be set the same on all participating hubs.
    • NOTE: Not all networks and mesh WiFi routers will have issues with UDP. Test your shared Hub Mesh devices before making adjustments.
The "communication protocol" section at the bottom-right of the Hub Mesh page has a drop-down menu for switching from the default UDP protocol, to TCP/IP. After changing the protocol, press the "Update" button at the bottom left of the communication protocol drop-down menu.

Full remote device sync

  1. When more than approximately 200 devices are shared in a Hub Mesh, there may be concern over the increased amount of network traffic and load on the source hub. You may therefore disable or extend the amount of time before a Full remote device sync is performed.
  2. You can also completely disable synchronization by selecting Never. An example of how this might be used is when controlling a light from the destination hub, but you are only concerned about status updates on the source hub. This setting will stop all shared device synchronization from the source hub.
    At the bottom-left of the Hub Mesh page, under the heading "Full remote device sync", you can increase the time before full device sync is performed. This addresses concerns over increased network traffic when more than approximately 200 devices are shared via Hub Mesh. The choices are, "Never", "Every 2 minutes" which is the default setting, "Every 5 minutes", or "Every hour". If you would like to completely disable Hub Mesh syncing, choose the option "Never". If you change the option, press the "Update" button at the bottom left. If you need devices to be in sync immediately after making the change, press the "Sync now" button to the right of the Update button

Hub Mesh FAQs

  1. If I use custom drivers on the "source" hub, does the custom driver also need to be installed on the remote hub? No.
  2. Does Hub Mesh extend the range of a Z-Wave or Zigbee network if I enable the feature on multiple hubs? No, each hub would still have its own Z-Wave and/or Zigbee mesh network(s). Hub Mesh is a way to share devices from one hub to another over your LAN. Hub Mesh has no awareness of the underlying device protocol, whether Zigbee, Z-Wave, virtual, LAN, or cloud.
  3. One of my Hub Mesh hubs cannot see other hub(s). What can I do? Check that each hub is using the same protocol for Hub Mesh (TCP or UDP; UDP is default, but TCP may be needed on some networks, like Wi-Fi mesh networks). Also verify that all hubs are running the same platform version (recommended, though not always required; as one example, platform 2.3.2 introduced Hub Mesh changes that are not 100% compatible with 2.3.1 or earlier versions).
Retrieved from "https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=Hub_Mesh&oldid=5630"