After spending several weeks planning and researching, I finally decided to upgrade my OpenHAB setup from version 3.5 to 4.1. The process was mostly straightforward, but as with any major update, there were a few bumps along the way. I wanted to share my experience in case it can help others who are considering making the leap.
The upgrade itself went smoothly. I followed the official OpenHAB documentation and backed up my configurations meticulously. The new interface is a breath of fresh air, and I appreciate the improved performance and additional features that come with version 4.1. However, I did encounter one issue that had me scratching my head for a bit.
One of my favorite automations involves controlling my roller shutters using Blockly rules. Specifically, I have a rule that adjusts the shutter level by 2 units when I press a button. The strange thing is that while opening (subtracting 2) worked perfectly, closing (adding 2) did not. After some troubleshooting, I realized that the issue might be related to how the system handles numerical values versus strings. The logs indicated that the value was being treated as a string rather than a number, which was causing the addition to fail.
After some digging and reaching out to the community, I discovered that this was a known issue in the early stages of OpenHAB 4.1. Thankfully, there was a workaround involving adjusting how the values are handled in the rule. By ensuring that the operations were explicitly treated as numerical, the problem was resolved. It was a bit frustrating at the time, but it taught me the importance of checking data types in my rules.
Overall, I’m thrilled with the upgrade. The new features have already enhanced my setup, and the community support has been invaluable. If you’re considering upgrading, I’d say go for it, but keep an eye out for any quirks that might pop up during the transition.
Happy automating everyone! 