node-red-contrib-velbus-2026 0.10.4
Node-RED palette for Velbus building automation — relay, dimmer, glass panel, PIR, blind, sensor, meteo, clock nodes. Original and V2 (-20) series.
node-red-contrib-velbus-2026
A Node-RED palette for Velbus building automation systems.
⚠ Testing status: This palette was generated with Claude.ai and is in need of extensive field testing before being deployed into a commercial project. It is presented "as is" — any use beyond testing is entirely at your own risk and liability. Constructive feedback is welcomed, accompanied by as many examples and debug captures as possible. Please file an issue on GitHub.
About
Velbus is a CAN-bus building automation system manufactured in Belgium. This palette provides Node-RED nodes for all major Velbus module families — both the original series and the current V2 (-20 series) modules.
Developed and maintained by MDAR Limited, the UK distributor for Velbus building automation systems.
This is a ground-up rewrite replacing the abandoned node-red-contrib-velbus palette (last updated 2020).
Requirements
- Node-RED v3.0 or later (tested on v5.0)
- A Velbus TCP gateway:
- velbus-tcp snap
- python-velbustcp
- Velserv
- Velbus_PBserver
- Signum
- Node.js 18+
Installation
Via palette manager: search for velbus-2026.
Via npm:
cd ~/.node-red
npm install node-red-contrib-velbus-2026
Via local tarball:
cd ~/.node-red
npm install /path/to/node-red-contrib-velbus-2026_vX.Y.Z.tar.gz
(replace X.Y.Z with whichever version tarball you have — deliberately not
hardcoded here, since a literal version number in this file has gone stale
every single time it's been written one before)
Nodes
Infrastructure
| Node | Description |
|---|---|
velbus-bridge |
Config node. TCP/TLS connection to gateway. Handles packet routing, subaddress mapping, scan locking. |
velbus-scan |
Bus scanner. Sends RTR to all addresses 0xFE→0x01, collects 0xFF responses. Populates address dropdowns in all other nodes. |
Inputs (teal)
| Node | Modules |
|---|---|
velbus-glass-panel |
All VMBEL and VMBGP variants — 29 types including OLED, PIR, and original series. Thermostat, LED control, open collector. VMBEL family only: edge colour control (set_edge_color) — applies an already-defined colour across layer/edge/page combinations; defining new custom colours stays in VelbusLink. |
velbus-thermostat |
Dedicated thermostat node for all glass panel modules. |
velbus-button |
12 types across original and V2 series: VMB8PB, VMB8PBU, VMB6PBN, VMB2PBN, VMB4PB, VMB6PB-20, VMB8IR, VMB4PD, VMB4RF, VMBRFR8S, VMBVP01, VMBKP, VMBIN. Lock/unlock and richer status decode where the specific type supports it (not universal); named channels in event output; fixed semantic labels for VMBVP01 (DoorBird). |
velbus-pir |
VMBPIRM, VMBPIRC, VMBPIRO, VMBPIRO-10 |
velbus-pir-20 |
VMBPIR-20, VMBPIRO-20 |
velbus-meteo |
VMBMETEO — wind, rain, light, temperature, alarm outputs |
velbus-sensor |
VMB7IN (8 digital inputs + 4 pulse counters), VMB4AN (channels 1-8 alarm outputs + generic analogue reading on channels 9-12 — mode-aware but deliberately no engineering-unit conversion), VMB6IN (6 digital inputs) |
velbus-sensor-20 |
VMB8IN-20 (8 digital + 24 alarm channels via subaddresses, energy counters) |
Outputs (blue)
| Node | Modules |
|---|---|
velbus-relay |
VMB1RY, VMB4RY, VMB4RYLD, VMB4RYNO, VMB1RYNO, VMB1RYNOS, VMB1RYS, VMB4RYLD-10, VMB4RYNO-10 |
velbus-relay-20 |
VMB1RYS-20, VMB4RYLD-20, VMB4RYNO-20 |
velbus-dimmer |
VMBDMI, VMBDMI-R, VMB4DC |
velbus-dimmer-20 |
VMB2DC-20, VMB8DC-20, VMB4LEDPWM-20 |
velbus-blind |
VMB1BL, VMB2BL — original series, stop/up/down only |
velbus-blind-s |
VMB1BLS, VMB2BLE, VMB2BLE-10 — full position, lock, force, inhibit |
velbus-blind-20 |
VMB2BLE-20 — V2 series with CAN FD support |
velbus-clock |
No fixed module — broadcasts time/date/DST to bus address 0x00, plus global/local clock alarm and sunrise/sunset enable (V2 series only) |
velbus-energy |
VMBPSUMNGR-20 — power supply manager: PSU load, live wattage/voltage/amperage, warranty counter, PSU alarms (V2 series only) |
Examples
After installation, example flows are available via Import → Examples → node-red-contrib-velbus-2026 in the Node-RED editor.
velbus-basic-relay-dimmer
A minimal working example with:
- Bus scan (inject to discover modules)
- Relay toggle — Dashboard 2 switch → velbus-relay command, with state feedback
- Dimmer slider — Dashboard 2 slider (0-100%) → velbus-dimmer-20 command, with level readout
To use: configure the velbus-bridge node, scan the bus, open the relay and dimmer
nodes and select your module addresses from the dropdowns, then deploy. Dashboard UI
at /velbus.
Quick start
- Add a velbus-bridge config node pointing at your gateway (default:
127.0.0.1:6000) - Add a velbus-scan node, connect to the bridge, deploy and inject to scan
- All other nodes will have address dropdowns populated from the scan results
- Add the node for your module type, select the address, deploy
Confirmed hardware
Tested on a live 18-module installation including VMBEL4, VMBELO, VMBELPIR,
VMBPIR-20, VMB1RYS, and VMB8DC-20. CAN FD modules confirmed working.
VMBGPOD specifically confirmed against two real panels on a separate
installation, after an earlier gap where it showed as unknown in a scan.
Further documentation
HANDOVER.md— comprehensive technical reference for developing this palette: architecture, protocol quirks found the hard way, per-node testing status, and known open issues. Written to assume no prior context.CHANGELOG_FORUM.md— full version-by-version development history, including why things changed, not just what.coverage-roadmap.md— every Velbus module type and feature considered for this palette, what's in scope, and why.
Contributing
Issues and pull requests welcome at the GitHub repository.
Please include Node-RED version, gateway type, module model and firmware build, and a packet capture where possible.
Licence
MIT — see LICENSE
Author
Stuart Hanlon, MDAR Limited
