diff --git a/pyblnet/blnet.py b/pyblnet/blnet.py
index 8a3945c..770c8b7 100644
--- a/pyblnet/blnet.py
+++ b/pyblnet/blnet.py
@@ -135,6 +135,51 @@ def _turn(self, digital_id, value, can_node=None):
         else:
             raise EnvironmentError('Can\'t set values with blnet web disabled')
 
+    def get_value(self, name=None, id=None, type='digital', ret='value', cached=None):
+        """
+          higher level interface to get a value or mode by name or id
+          ret: can be 'value', 'mode'
+          returns the value  if ret='value' or the mode if ret='mode' as first return value
+                  and the dictionary containing name, value, id and mode as a second return value
+          cached: in order to prevent polling data from BLNet with every call, 
+                  the data can be fetched once and stored and passed to this function
+
+
+        """
+        val=None
+        dic=None
+        if name is None and id is None: return val
+        if cached is None:
+          cached=self.fetch()
+        for key,v in cached[type].items():
+           if str(v['name'])==str(name) or name is None: 
+             if str(v['id'])==str(id) or id is None:
+               val=v[ret]
+               dic=v
+        return val, dic
+    
+    def get_digital_value(self, ret='value', name=None, id=None, cached=None):
+        val, dic=self.get_value(type='digital', ret='value', name=name, id=id, cached=cached)
+        return val, dic
+    
+    def get_analog_value(self, ret='value', name=None, id=None, cached=None):
+        val, dic=self.get_value(type='analog', ret='value', name=name, id=id, cached=cached)
+        return val, dic
+    
+    def get_energy_value(self, ret='value', name=None, id=None, cached=None):
+        val, dic=self.get_value(type='energy', ret='value', name=name, id=id, cached=cached)
+        return val, dic
+
+    def get_speed_value(self, ret='value', name=None, id=None, cached=None):
+        val, dic=self.get_value(type='speed', ret='value', name=name, id=id, cached=cached)
+        return val, dic
+    
+    def get_power_value(self, ret='value', name=None, id=None, cached=None):
+        val, dic=self.get_value(type='power', ret='value', name=name, id=id, cached=cached)
+        return val, dic
+    
+    
+            
     @staticmethod
     def _convert_web(values):
         """