Troubleshooting & FAQ

Frequently asked questions, common setup scenarios, and troubleshooting steps for the OpenEVSE Home Assistant integration.

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Setup & Connectivity

Integration is not discovered automatically

• VLAN Isolation: Zeroconf / mDNS discovery relies on multicast UDP packets which cannot traverse separated VLANs without an mDNS gateway or repeater (e.g. Avahi).
• Manual Setup: If discovery fails, click + Add Integration ➔ OpenEVSE and manually input the charger's static IP address or local hostname.
• Verify the charger's WiFi LED is solid (not pulsing or disconnected).

"Unable to connect to device" during initial setup

• Verify you can open http://<CHARGER_IP> in a browser from the same network.
• If HTTP authentication is configured on the charger, double-check your username and password.
• If using HTTPS, verify that SSL certificates have been provisioned on the charger.

Integration configured but entities missing

• Ensure the charger's entry in Settings ➔ Devices & Services ➔ OpenEVSE shows a connected device.
• Review logs under Settings ➔ System ➔ Logs filtered by openevse.

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Entities & Sensors

Why do some entities show as "Unavailable"?

Entities with a firmware version requirement (such as LED Brightness, Solar Divert, RFID Access, or Vehicle Telemetry) will report as Unavailable if the OpenEVSE controller or WiFi module is running older firmware.

• Check the Controller Firmware sensor (sensor.openevse_controller_firmware) and compare it with the Firmware Capability Matrix.

Sensor shows "Unknown" or "None"

• Certain diagnostic sensors (like solar divert or current shaper calculations) only calculate numbers when the corresponding feature switch is enabled.
• Wait for the next coordinator poll or restart the charger's WiFi if communication has frozen.

Update entity not finding new firmware

• Anonymous GitHub API requests are capped at 60/hour. Add a GitHub Personal Access Token to increase your limit to 5,000/hour.
• Manually trigger an update check using the homeassistant.update_entity action targeting update.openevse_update.

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Services & Automation

Firmware version error on service call

Services like set_rfid_user, delete_rfid_user, get_rfid_users, or reset_energy_meter require modern firmware. The integration will log an informative warning if invoked on older firmware.

set_limit with soc or range has no effect

These limit modes require vehicle telemetry. You must configure the Vehicle State of Charge Sensor or Vehicle Range Sensor under Settings ➔ Devices & Services ➔ OpenEVSE ➔ Configure.

Manual override not taking effect

Check if another entity or external service has registered a higher-priority claim using openevse.list_claims.

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Solar Divert & Current Shaper

Solar Divert enabled but charge current does not adjust

• Verify that your Grid Sensor or Solar Sensor is updating actively in Home Assistant. The integration transmits sensor updates reactively when state events fire.
• Verify whether your grid sensor exports power with negative numbers. If your meter reports export as positive values, enable Invert Grid in integration options.
• Confirm the charger has adequate current headroom above its configured Min Amps threshold (typically 6A).

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Advisory Notifications & Home Assistant Repairs

Firmware 5.1.0+ introduces hardware and operational advisories on the charger. The integration integrates with Home Assistant's native Repairs framework:

• Automatic Repair Issues: When an advisory or alert is raised, an issue is created in Settings ➔ System ➔ Repairs.
• Acknowledgement: You can review and acknowledge (mute) the advisory straight from the Repairs UI, or invoke openevse.acknowledge_notification.
• Monitoring: Track active advisories with sensor.openevse_notification_count and sensor.openevse_notification_severity.

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Diagnostic Logging

To capture deep debug logs for troubleshooting or filing an issue report:

1. In Home Assistant, click the three dots on the OpenEVSE card under Settings ➔ Devices & Services and select Enable debug logging.
2. Perform the action causing the issue.
3. Select Disable debug logging to download the resulting log file.

Alternatively, add the following to configuration.yaml:

logger:
  default: warning
  logs:
    custom_components.openevse: debug
    openevse_http: debug

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Filing an Issue Report

When opening an issue on GitHub, please include:

1. Integration version (e.g. from HACS or release tag).
2. Home Assistant core version.
3. OpenEVSE WiFi and Controller firmware versions.
4. Debug log excerpts.
5. Non-sensitive diagnostics download (Settings ➔ Devices & Services ➔ OpenEVSE ➔ Download Diagnostics).