TasmotaManager/docs/summaries/unifi_hostname_tracking_fix_summary.md

UniFi OS Hostname Tracking Fix

Issue Description

The UniFi OS has an issue with keeping track of host names. If a hostname is updated and the connection reset, UniFi will not keep track of the new name. When in Device mode, when the user enters a new hostname, the script updates the name, but UniFi OS may not pick up the new name.

Solution Implemented

A new feature has been added to the TasmotaManager.py script to address this issue. The solution works as follows:

1. When in Device mode (processing by IP) and a device's hostname or name matches an unknown_device_pattern:

   • The script now checks the device's self-reported hostname before declaring it as unknown
   • It makes an HTTP request to the device using the Tasmota Status 5 command to get network information
   • It extracts the self-reported hostname from the response

2. Decision logic:

   • If the device's self-reported hostname also matches an unknown_device_pattern, the device is declared as unknown (both UniFi and device agree)
   • If the device's self-reported hostname does NOT match any unknown_device_pattern, the device is NOT declared as unknown (assuming UniFi OS bug)
   • If the device doesn't respond or there's an error getting the self-reported hostname, the script falls back to using the UniFi-reported name

3. Error handling:

   • HTTP request failures
   • JSON parsing errors
   • Missing hostname in response
   • Other exceptions

Code Changes

The main changes were made in the process_single_device method in TasmotaManager.py:

1. Renamed the original hostname check result to unifi_name_matches_unknown to distinguish it from the final is_unknown determination
2. Added code to check the device's self-reported hostname when in Device mode
3. Implemented the decision logic described above
4. Added detailed logging to track the decision-making process
5. Added comments explaining the purpose of the feature

Testing

To test this feature in a real environment:

1. Find a device that has been renamed but UniFi still shows the old name
2. Run TasmotaManager in Device mode with the IP address of the device
3. Verify that the script correctly identifies the device's self-reported hostname
4. Confirm that the device is not declared as unknown if its self-reported hostname doesn't match unknown_device_patterns

Benefits

This enhancement improves the user experience by:

1. Reducing false positives when identifying unknown devices
2. Working around the UniFi OS bug that doesn't properly track hostname changes
3. Providing more accurate device identification in Device mode
4. Adding detailed logging to help troubleshoot hostname-related issues

Alternative Solution for UDM-SE

For UDM-SE devices specifically, there is an alternative workaround to force UniFi to recognize new host names:

1. Navigate to the UDM-SE admin interface
2. Go to "Settings/Control Plane/Console/Restart"
3. Restart the UDM-SE
4. When the UDM-SE comes back online (which takes several minutes), it will have the updated host names

This method can be useful in situations where the script's built-in workaround is not sufficient or when you need to ensure that all devices have their correct hostnames recognized by the UniFi controller.