Tutorial 23: Customizing Relay Names and Logic

Why Customize Relay Names?

Default relay names (Relay 1, Relay 2, etc.) work fine, but custom names make your dashboard much easier to use:

• Instant recognition - "Living Room Light" instead of "Relay 1"
• Fewer mistakes - Less chance of turning off the wrong device
• Professional appearance - Clean, organized dashboard
• Multi-language support - Use any language or characters
• Family-friendly - Anyone can understand what each button does

Example of Customized Dashboard:
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ My Devices                                                │
│                                                           │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Kitchen Controller                           ● ONLINE │ │
│ │                                                       │ │
│ │ RELAYS                                                │ │
│ │ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐   │ │
│ │ │    🔻          🔺           🔻          🔺        │ │
│ │ │  Lights  │ │   Fan    │ │   Pump   │ │  Heater  │   │ │
│ │ │   OFF    │ │   OFF    │ │   OFF    │ │   OFF    │   │ │
│ │ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘   │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

How to Customize Relay Names

Method 1: During Device Creation (Recommended)

1. Go to "Add New Device" page (/your-device/)
2. Fill in your board type, WiFi credentials, and sensor settings
3. In the "Relay Configuration" section, you'll see 5 fields:

Method 2: After Device Creation (Edit Existing Device)

1. Go to your OceanRemote dashboard
2. Find your device card
3. Click the "DETAILS" button
4. In the device detail page, you'll see all relay names and logic settings
5. Click the edit icon (✏️) next to any relay name
6. Enter the new name and save
7. Changes take effect immediately (no re-flashing needed!)

Customizing Relay Logic

As explained in Tutorial 22, relay logic determines whether the relay turns ON with a HIGH or LOW signal. You can change this setting anytime.

How to Change Relay Logic:

1. Go to your device's "DETAILS" page
2. Find the relay you want to modify
3. Click the logic selector (🔺 or 🔻)
4. Choose the correct logic:
   • 🔺 Positive Logic - HIGH = ON, LOW = OFF
   • 🔻 Negative Logic - LOW = ON, HIGH = OFF
5. Save changes (immediate effect)

Best Practices for Naming Relays

Do's ✅

• Use short, descriptive names (max 15 characters)
• Use consistent naming conventions (e.g., all lights: "Kitchen Light", "Living Light")
• Include the device type if you have multiple similar devices
• Use uppercase for first letter (looks more professional)
• Test on mobile view to ensure names fit

Don'ts ❌

• Don't use extremely long names (they get cut off on mobile)
• Don't use special characters that may not display correctly
• Don't name all relays the same (causes confusion)
• Don't use technical terms that family members won't understand

Good Names (≤15 chars):
┌─────────────┬──────────────┐
│ Good        │ Bad          │
├─────────────┼──────────────┤
│ "Lights"    │ "Living Room"│
│ "CeilingFan"│ "Upstairs"   │
│ "WaterPump" │ "Pump"       │
│ "Garage"    │ "Door"       │
│ "Sprinkler" │ "Garden"     │
└─────────────┴──────────────┘

Common Relay Naming Scenarios

Home Automation

Garden/Aquaponics

Workshop/Garage

Managing Logic Changes

When to Change Logic:

• You bought a new relay module with different logic
• Your relay clicks when you expect OFF (logic is reversed)
• You're replacing a faulty relay module with a different type
• You switched from 5V to 3.3V relays (some have different logic)

How Logic Affects Existing Automations:

• If you have automations (IFTTT, webhooks, scheduled tasks), changing logic will affect their behavior
• Test your automations after changing logic
• You may need to update your automation scripts

Advanced: Programmatic Name Changes via API

For advanced users, you can change relay names programmatically using the OceanRemote API:

// Example: Change relay name via API (requires authentication)
POST https://www.oceanremote.net/api/device/[DEVICE_ID]/update/
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "relay_name_1": "Living Light",
  "relay_name_2": "Ceiling Fan",
  "relay_logic_1": "negative",
  "relay_logic_2": "positive"
}

Troubleshooting

Problem: Relay name not updating in dashboard

• Refresh the page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
• Clear browser cache
• Check if you clicked "Save" after editing
• Try logging out and back in

Problem: Name is truncated on mobile

• Shorten the name (max 10-12 characters for mobile safety)
• Use abbreviations: "Liv Light" instead of "Living Room Light"
• Use icons in the name? (⚠️ Icons may not display on all devices)

Problem: Relay logic change doesn't work

• Wait 30 seconds for changes to propagate
• Check if the device is online (green status)
• Power cycle the device
• Test with a multimeter to confirm GPIO pin state