Add support for check-alive using Meross plug power consumption reading

[whatUwant]

Fixes #700

---

Adding support for "ping" / check-alive capability using Meross smart plug's power consumption measurement.
Tested plug models: MSS310 & MSS315.

Accessory UUID & user key can be obtained via the Meross plugin https://github.com/bwp91/homebridge-meross

Configuration:

"pingUseMeross": true,
"pingExtraConfig": {
  "merossAccessoryUuid": "PASTE_ACCESSORY_UUID_HERE",
  "merossUserKey": "PASTE_USER_KEY_HERE",
  "wattageThreshold": 10
}

[malwcal]

I really like this idea, but there are other plugs that provide consumption readings - can something generic be created that works with all?

[whatUwant]

I thought about this but there doesn't seem to be a way to read other homekit accessory status. And there is no universal api for getting readings of plugs.

[malwcal]

I am no guru, but there does seem to be ways to query HomeKit accessory status from outside home bridge. eg See here: https://github.com/homebridge/homebridge-config-ui-x/wiki/Enabling-Accessory-Control This uses the same mechanism that HomeKit ui uses to control homekit. For example $curl localhost:51944/accessories This should allow you to query and control any devices within in homebridge. I suspect the plugin would just need be be given the ID of the characteristic for the power meter, and also threshold for in use vs not in use. Non-homebridge native HomeKit accessories would probably also be possible by bringing them into home bridge: homebridge-homekit-control Anyway - I don’t think meross specific mechanisms should go into the broad link plugin.

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On 29 Oct 2024 at 16:59:22, Bei Xiao ***@***.***> wrote: I thought about this but there doesn't seem to be a way to read other homekit accessory status. And there is no universal api for getting readings of plugs. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#701 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAJP3T3TJ4NJT4JRSJOOBMTZ542NFAVCNFSM6AAAAABII3FRQCVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDINBTGQ2DQOJRGM> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[stale]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.

[whatUwant]

Coming back to the discussions...

Thanks for the tip on reading accessory status. @malwcal
However the underlying issue is that the on/off status of the plug itself is not enough to determine the on/off status of the appliance connected to the plug. The power consumption value is crucial in this case, and it's not exposed to HomeKit at all, which is why a helper specific to Meross is needed to retrieve that value.