FAQ

What is What?

  • node-red-contrib-home-assistant-websocket: A Node-RED package containing nodes that interface with Home Assistant using the WebSocket API.

  • hass-node-red: A custom Home Assistant integration that extends the WebSocket API, allowing Node-RED to create sensors, buttons, and switches in Home Assistant. It is usually installed via HACS but can also be installed manually.

  • Node-RED Home Assistant Community Add-on: A Home Assistant Add-on that runs Node-RED with Home Assistant nodes pre-installed.

  • Node-RED: A flow-based development tool for visual programming, originally developed by IBM, used to wire together hardware devices, APIs, and online services as part of the Internet of Things.

  • Home Assistant: An open-source home automation platform focused on local control and privacy.

How to Install a Specific Version or Downgrade?

To install a specific version of the package or downgrade to an earlier version:

  1. Visit the Releases Page on GitHub.
  2. Download the .tgz file for the desired version.
  3. Open Node-RED and navigate to the "Manage palette" option.
  4. Go to the "Install" tab and select the "Upload module tgz file" option.
  5. Upload the downloaded .tgz file to install the specific version.
  6. Restart Node-RED to apply the changes.

This method ensures you can control the version of the package used in your Node-RED setup.

Entities Not Showing in the Autocomplete Dropdown

  1. Ensure you've deployed at least once after adding a server configuration.
  2. If there's a caching issue, disable caching for autocomplete results in the server config node, and restart Node-RED.

Entity Could Not Be Found in Cache for entity_id: ???

This error occurs if your flow runs before Node-RED connects to Home Assistant and retrieves the latest state information, leaving the cache empty.

For Home Assistant Add-on users, there is a 5-second delay between connection attempts due to the supervisor proxy, which can cause high CPU usage. This delay can be turned off in the server config (Issue #76).

Why Do Some of My Nodes Have a Yellow Font?

Starting with version 0.12.0, individual nodes in the workspace will have a version number associated with them, allowing structural changes without affecting all nodes of that type until edited. Nodes with legacy versions will display yellow font until upgraded.

Yellow text on a node doesn’t mean it needs immediate updating; it will continue functioning as before and will be upgraded the next time you modify it.