FAQ

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This page answers the most common questions about the capabilities, configuration, and security features of SNMP Switch Manager and its visual components.

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❓ 1. Do I need professional SNMP or MIB knowledge to use this?

No.
SNMP Switch Manager is designed so that you do not have to deal with complex OID tables or compile MIB files.

• Standard switches are automatically identified, and their port grids, link speeds, operational states, and VLAN details are mapped out of the box.
• Common metrics like CPU, Memory, Temperature, and PoE budgets are resolved using our dynamic community OID database.
• Advanced SNMP knowledge is only required if you choose to manually override OIDs for unsupported hardware under the Feature OID Overrides menu.

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❓ 2. Is SNMP v3 supported?

Yes, fully.
SNMP Switch Manager fully supports SNMP v3 with secure user-based authentication:

• Authentication Hash Protocols: HMAC-SHA and HMAC-MD5.
• Privacy Encryption Protocols: CBC-DES.
• Secure password handles between 8 and 31 characters.
• You can switch an existing integration device between SNMP v2c and v3 dynamically in the Connection & Name menu. Thanks to our legacy_device_id registry stabilization, this upgrade is seamless and will not duplicate or break your Home Assistant device and entity records.

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❓ 3. Can Home Assistant control the switch, or is it read-only?

Yes, it can actively control the switch!
Unlike legacy read-only integrations, SNMP Switch Manager supports active, bidirectional write commands if your switch’s SNMP user or community string has Read-Write (RW) access permissions:

1. Administrative Port State (Up/Down): Each physical port is exposed as a Home Assistant switch entity. Toggling it Up/Down uses the standard set_port_admin_status service or the entity toggle.
2. PoE Toggling: Toggling PoE power output (Auto/Off) of a port via the set_poe_port_admin service or native PoE entity. This lets you reboot connected PoE hardware (like hung security cameras or access points) directly from your dashboard.
3. PoE Power Priority: Controlling PoE priority (Critical/High/Low) via the set_poe_port_priority service or select entities.
4. Port Descriptions: Updating an interface description via the set_port_description service to write the new alias permanently back to the switch's ifAlias table.
5. System Metadata: Dynamically modifying the switch's system name (sysName), system contact (sysContact), and system location (sysLocation) via set_system_name, set_system_contact, and set_system_location services.

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❓ 4. Which mode should I use: Attributes Mode or Sensors Mode?

Attributes Mode is highly recommended for most users.

• Use Attributes Mode if:
  • You want to keep your Home Assistant entity count as low and clean as possible.
  • You are using the custom SNMP Switch Manager Lovelace Card (which is optimized to read metrics directly from port attributes).
  • Real-time metrics are sufficient and you do not need historical database graphs.
• Use Sensors Mode if:
  • You require standalone Home Assistant sensor entities for historical plotting or SQL data logging.
  • You want to set up automation triggers based on specific thresholds (e.g., turning on an auxiliary cooling fan when switch temperature rises above 50°C).

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❓ 5. Why are some ports or interfaces missing from my dashboard?

To prevent cluttering your dashboard with irrelevant virtual entities, the integration automatically filters out interfaces classified as virtual or unknown (such as VLAN subnets, loopbacks, management ports, or internal system links).

• If a physical port is missing, it may have been classified as virtual. You can easily force its inclusion by adding a custom include pattern (e.g. matching Gi or Te) under Manage Interfaces → Included Interfaces.
• You can also disable built-in vendor-specific exclusion rules under Manage Interfaces → Built-in Vendor Filters.

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❓ 6. Why don’t I see CPU, Memory, Fan RPM, or PoE budget sensors?

• Switch Hardware Limitations: Many prosumer, smart-managed, or entry-level switches simply do not have internal sensors for these metrics, or they do not expose them via SNMP. If the metrics do not exist, the integration will output Unknown or omit them.
• Custom Overrides Needed: If your switch does have these sensors but the integration does not display them, the OID map for your vendor might be missing from our database. You can manually enter your switch’s specific OIDs under Feature OID Overrides and submit them directly as a GitHub Pull Request from the options UI to contribute support for your device to the community!

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❓ 7. What is the "Dynamic OID Database" and how does it update?

Our integration uses a dynamic, background-running OID mapping database to fetch the correct SNMP OID tables for Dell, Cisco, Juniper, MikroTik, Zyxel, and others.

• Every 6 hours, the integration checks our central GitHub repository for database updates.
• If updates are found, it automatically downloads and applies them to your local device.
• It then silently reloads active integration entries, instantly applying the new OID templates without requiring a Home Assistant restart!

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❓ 8. Do I need the custom Lovelace Card to use this integration?

No.
The custom card is optional. All ports and switch health diagnostics are exposed as standard Home Assistant entities and attributes. You can build your own customized dashboards, use standard grid cards, or integrate metrics into any dashboard of your choice. However, the custom card is recommended as it mirrors a physical switch port layout and provides built-in action overlays.