Configuring OpenHab Watch Display: A Step-by-Step Guide

General
1

After spending hours trying to piece together information from various online sources, I thought it would be helpful to share my successful setup process for getting the OpenHab watch display working. This guide is aimed at those who might be new to OpenHab or looking for a clear, concise walkthrough.

Assumptions

Before diving in, here are the basics I started with:

  • Running Debian (similar to Openhabian)
  • Using OpenHab 4
  • MyOpenHab replication configured
  • OpenHab App and Watch App installed on my devices

Limitations to Keep in Mind

At the time of writing (December 7, 2024), icons or graphical elements weren’t functioning, so this setup is text-only.

Step-by-Step Configuration

  1. Ensure OpenHab is Installed and Customizable
    Start by verifying that OpenHab is installed and that you can customize your overview page. You can check this at http://localserver:8080/settings/pages/layout/overview.

  2. Configure Replication to MyOpenHab
    Make sure your OpenHab instance is set up to replicate data to MyOpenHab or your own server. This ensures your watch can access the latest information.

  3. Select a Measurable Item
    Choose an item you’re monitoring, like temperature or luminance, which will be displayed on your watch.

  4. Install and Configure the OpenHab App

    • Local URL: <https://home.myopenhab.org/overview>
    • Remote URL: <https://myopenhab.org>
    • Credentials: Use your MyOpenHab login details and ensure credentials are set to always send.

  5. SSH into Your Local Server
    Access your server via SSH to create a new sitemap file for the watch display.

  6. Create the Watch Sitemap
    Navigate to /etc/openhab/sitemaps and create a new file named watch.sitemap. Here’s a sample configuration:

    sitemap watch label=“watch” {
    Frame label=“information” {
    Text icon=“temperature” label=“Livingroom [%.1f °C]” item=Hue_temperature_sensor_1_Temperature
    }
    }

    Customize the item, label, and icon to match your setup.

  7. Set Permissions
    Ensure the file has the correct permissions so OpenHab can read it:
    bash
    sudo chgrp openhab watch.sitemap

  8. Verify the Sitemap
    Check that the sitemap appears correctly on both your local server at http://localserver:8080/basicui/app?sitemap=watch and on your MyOpenHab server.

  9. Test on Your Watch
    Open the OpenHab Watch app and navigate to the second pane to ensure settings from your phone have synced. The first pane should display the values from your sitemap.

Conclusion

This process took some trial and error, but breaking it down into these steps made it manageable. I hope this guide helps others avoid the confusion I encountered. If anyone has improvements or corrections, please share them below! Happy configuring! :rocket: