Samsung TV Plugin for Indigo Domotics Home Automation

Control your Samsung Smart TVs from Indigo: turn them on and off, change volume, inputs, channels and apps, and use the TV's state in triggers, schedules and Control Pages.

It works with Samsung Smart TVs from 2013 and earlier through today's models, entirely on your home network. No SmartThings account or cloud service needed.

This plugin is not endorsed by or affiliated with Samsung.

• Standard logging levels. Plugin Config now has an Event Logging Level menu with the same choices as Indigo's own plugins: Detailed Debugging, Debugging, Informational, Warning, Error and Critical. Your current setting carries over (if you had Critical, you're now on Error Messages).
• A quieter event log. Routine on/off/standby changes the plugin notices in the background are now Debugging messages. Your triggers and Control Pages still see every change.
• Menu results always show. Run Diagnostics, List Configured Device Info and Discover Samsung TVs print their results whatever level you choose.
• Clearer messages. An action with no TV selected (for example, after you deleted and re-created a TV device) now tells you to pick a TV instead of failing with an error. Features a TV is too old for now say so in plain language.

• TVs that change IP address keep working. If your router gives a TV a new address, the plugin finds it on your network and updates the device for you. You can also run a trigger when that happens. It's on by default, and you can turn it off in the plugin settings.
• Logging follows your setting. With Debug Logging on Critical, the event log only shows errors and normal activity. No more stray library messages.
• Quieter, steadier devices. A TV no longer briefly restarts in Indigo every time the plugin learns something new about it.

• Older TVs now work. 2014–2015 TVs (model numbers with an H or J, like UN48JU6400) and pre-2014 TVs can now be added. Some 2016–2017 TVs that used to show as permanently "unreachable" now work too.
• Easier setup. Click Detect TV, then Pair / Authorize, in the device settings. The plugin works out the rest.
• "Off" is just off. A TV that's turned off shows as off instead of with a red error badge.
• More ways to turn a TV on. If your TV doesn't wake up over the network, have Indigo run any action group instead (an IR blaster, your AV receiver, an Apple TV or Roku over HDMI‑CEC…).
• Faster updates. After you turn a TV on or off, Indigo shows the new state within seconds.
• New actions: Change Channel, Send Key Sequence, Press and Hold Key, Set Mute (on/off), Open URL in TV Browser, Send Text, Refresh Installed Apps.
• Launch App now lists the apps actually installed on your TV.
• Frame TVs now turn off completely instead of going into Art Mode.
• Discovery finds more TVs on your network.

• Power: turn on, turn off, toggle. Works with Indigo's standard On/Off buttons and Control Pages.
• Volume: up, down, set an exact level, mute on/off.
• Inputs: switch to TV, HDMI 1–4, AV or Component.
• Channels: go straight to a channel number (7, 704, or 7-1), channel up/down, previous channel.
• Apps: launch Netflix, YouTube, Plex or any app installed on the TV, and see which app is on screen.
• Remote buttons: every button on the Samsung remote (arrows, Enter, Back, Home, Menu, Guide, Info, color buttons, playback controls…), single presses or whole sequences.
• Automation: use the TV's state in triggers, for example "when the Living Room TV turns on, dim the lights", or "when Netflix starts, close the shades".

Not sure what year your TV is? The plugin tells you when you click Detect TV.

Download SamsungTV.indigoPlugin and double-click it to install.

1. Turn the TV on.
2. In Indigo, create a new device. Choose SamsungTV → Samsung TV.
3. Enter the TV's IP address. You'll find it on the TV under Settings → General → Network → Network Status. If the address changes later, the plugin follows it automatically, but giving the TV a fixed address in your router is still best.
4. Click Detect TV. You should see your TV's name and model.
5. Click Pair / Authorize:
   • Most TVs: a prompt appears on the TV. Press Allow with the TV remote within 30 seconds. The Indigo event log confirms when it worked.
   • 2014–2015 TVs: a PIN appears on the TV. Type it into the PIN box and click Submit PIN.
6. Click Save.

That's it. The TV's status shows in Indigo within a few seconds.

The TV never asked me to Allow, or said no? On the TV, open Settings → General → External Device Manager → Device Connection Manager. Allow the Indigo entry (or delete it and pair again). Setting Access Notification to First time only stops repeat prompts.

• Turn On using: how Indigo turns the TV on. The default, Wake-on-LAN, wakes the TV over the network. Many older TVs, especially on Wi‑Fi, can't be woken that way. For those, pick an action group that turns the TV on another way:
  • an IR blaster sending the TV's power code;
  • turning on an Apple TV, Roku or AV receiver connected by HDMI. With HDMI‑CEC ("Anynet+" on Samsung) enabled, that wakes the TV.
• Detect Running App: on by default. Turn it off if you don't need the current app state.
• Show advanced settings: only needed if something unusual is going on (see Troubleshooting).

• Refresh frequency: how often Indigo checks each TV (default 30 seconds).
• Event Logging Level: Informational Messages shows what you do and anything that goes wrong. Choose Warning or Error for a quieter log, or Debugging when troubleshooting. Menu commands (Diagnostics, Device Info, Discover) always show their results.
• Detect IP address changes: on by default. If a TV stops answering at its address, the plugin looks for it on your network and updates the device when it finds it.
• Look for a missing TV every: 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes (default 15). The plugin also looks right away when a different device shows up at a TV's address, and right after you turn a TV on.

A TV can only be found while it's turned on. If a TV is off, the plugin finds it the next time someone turns it on.

The TV works like any on/off device. The standard Turn On, Turn Off and Toggle buttons work in the Indigo client, on Control Pages, and anywhere else Indigo controls devices.

Add these to Action Groups, Triggers and Schedules (choose SamsungTV as the action type):

Example trigger: Device State Changed → Living Room TV → Current App → becomes equal to → Netflix → run your "Movie Mode" action group.

Example: SamsungTV → TV IP Address Changed → Any Samsung TV → send yourself an email or push notification, as a reminder to reserve the TV's address in your router. The TV's Previous IP Address state tells you which address it moved from.

You can also control TVs from Indigo Python scripts:

plugin = indigo.server.getPlugin("com.ryanbuckner.indigoplugin.samsungtv")
tv     = indigo.devices["Living Room TV"]   # your device name

# Power
indigo.device.turnOn(tv.id)
indigo.device.turnOff(tv.id)

# Volume and mute
plugin.executeAction("setVolume", deviceId=tv.id, props={"volumeLevel": "20"})
plugin.executeAction("setMute",   deviceId=tv.id, props={"muteMode": "on"})   # on / off / toggle

# Inputs, channels and apps
plugin.executeAction("selectSource",  deviceId=tv.id, props={"sourceId": "HDMI 1"})
plugin.executeAction("changeChannel", deviceId=tv.id, props={"channel": "7-1"})
plugin.executeAction("launchApp",     deviceId=tv.id, props={"appName": "Netflix"})

# Remote buttons
plugin.executeAction("sendCommand",     deviceId=tv.id, props={"commandCode": "home"})
plugin.executeAction("sendKeySequence", deviceId=tv.id,
                     props={"keySequence": "HOME, RIGHT, RIGHT, ENTER", "repeats": "1", "delay": "0.5"})

# Read the TV's state
print(tv.onState, tv.states["status"], tv.states["volumeLevel"], tv.states["currentApp"])

Example: movie night

plugin = indigo.server.getPlugin("com.ryanbuckner.indigoplugin.samsungtv")
tv     = indigo.devices["Living Room TV"]

if not tv.onState:
    indigo.device.turnOn(tv.id)
    indigo.server.sleep(10)          # give the TV time to start up

plugin.executeAction("selectSource", deviceId=tv.id, props={"sourceId": "HDMI 1"})
plugin.executeAction("setVolume",    deviceId=tv.id, props={"volumeLevel": "20"})

Start with Plugins → SamsungTV → Run Diagnostics on All TVs. It checks each TV and writes a plain-English explanation of any problem to the event log.

• The TV shows "off" but it's on. The TV's IP address has probably changed. With Detect IP address changes on, the plugin finds it within your chosen search interval (or right away when you turn the TV on from Indigo). Otherwise, check the address on the TV (Settings → General → Network → Network Status) and update the device. Either way, reserving the address in your router prevents it.
• The TV shows an "IP changed" badge. A different device is now using this TV's old address. The plugin is already looking for the TV, and it updates the device as soon as the TV is on.
• The TV shows a red "no response" badge. Indigo has never been able to reach the TV. Usually the IP address is wrong, or the TV was off when you added it. Turn the TV on and click Detect TV again.
• Status works but buttons don't. The TV hasn't been paired. Edit the device, click Pair / Authorize, and accept the prompt (or enter the PIN) on the TV.
• Turn On doesn't work. Many TVs, especially 2015 and older on Wi‑Fi, can't be woken over the network. Set Turn On using to an action group that turns the TV on another way (see Optional device settings). On newer TVs, also check that Settings → General → Network → Expert Settings → Power On with Mobile is enabled.
• The TV keeps asking to Allow. On the TV, set Device Connection Manager → Access Notification to First time only.
• Discovery doesn't find my TV. The TV must be fully on and on the same network as the Indigo server. You can always add a TV by its IP address instead.

Still stuck? Set Event Logging Level to Debugging Messages in the plugin settings, reproduce the problem, and post the event log on the Indigo forum.