lippert-onecontrol/docs/PROTOCOL_FINDINGS.md

Lippert OneControl - Bluetooth Protocol Specification

Overview

This document specifies the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol used by Lippert OneControl RV control systems. The protocol details were obtained through reverse engineering of the Lippert Connect mobile application (v6.2.2).

Bluetooth Configuration

Service and Characteristics

• Service UUID: 00000030-0200-A58E-E411-AFE28044E62C
• Write Characteristic: 00000033-0200-A58E-E411-AFE28044E62C
• Read Characteristic: 00000034-0200-A58E-E411-AFE28044E62C

Connection Details

• Protocol: BLE GATT (Generic Attribute Profile)
• Communication: Write commands to Write Characteristic, receive responses via Read Characteristic notifications

Protocol Structure

Encoding

The protocol uses COBS (Consistent Overhead Byte Stuffing) encoding with the following parameters:

• Frame byte: 0x00
• Data bits: 6-bit packing (max 63 bytes per chunk)
• Start frame: Prepended to encoded data
• Checksum: CRC8 calculated and appended before COBS encoding

CRC8 Checksum

• Polynomial: 0x07
• Initial value: 0x55
• Applied to: All packet bytes before COBS encoding

Packet Structure (Before Encoding)

┌────────────┬─────────┬──────────┬────────────┬─────────┐
│ Sequence   │ Command │ Table ID │  Payload   │  CRC8   │
│  (2 bytes) │ (1 byte)│ (1 byte) │ (variable) │ (1 byte)│
└────────────┴─────────┴──────────┴────────────┴─────────┘

Field Details:

• Sequence (bytes 0-1): 16-bit sequence number, little-endian, increments with each command
• Command Type (byte 2): Command identifier (see Command Types below)
• Table ID (byte 3): Device table identifier (typically 0x01)
• Payload (bytes 4-N): Command-specific data
• CRC8 (byte N+1): Checksum calculated over bytes 0-N

Transmission Process

1. Build packet: [Sequence][Command][Table][Payload]
2. Calculate CRC8 over entire packet
3. Append CRC8 to packet
4. COBS encode the packet (with prepended start frame)
5. Write encoded packet to Write Characteristic
6. Receive response via Read Characteristic notification
7. COBS decode response
8. Verify CRC8
9. Parse response data

Command Types

Command	Hex	Description
GetDevices	0x01	Query for list of available devices
ActionSwitch	0x40	Control binary devices (lights, pumps, fans)
ActionMovement	0x41	Control movement devices (awnings, slides)
ActionDimmable	0x43	Control dimmable lights (0-100%)
ActionRgb	0x44	Control RGB lighting
ActionHvac	0x45	Control HVAC/climate systems

Command Payloads

GetDevices (0x01)

Query for available devices in the system.

Payload:

[Start ID (1 byte)][Max Count (1 byte)]

Example:

Sequence: 0x0001
Command:  0x01
Table:    0x01
Payload:  0x00 0xFF  (start at 0, get up to 255 devices)

ActionSwitch (0x40)

Control on/off devices (lights, pumps, etc.).

Payload:

[State (1 byte)][Device ID (1 byte)][Additional Device IDs...]

State Values:

• 0x00 - Off
• 0x01 - On
• 0x02 - Toggle

Examples:

Turn light ON (device ID 5):
  Payload: 0x01 0x05

Turn light OFF (device ID 5):
  Payload: 0x00 0x05

Toggle light (device ID 5):
  Payload: 0x02 0x05

ActionMovement (0x41)

Control movement devices (awnings, slide-outs).

Payload:

[Position (1 byte)][Device ID (1 byte)]

Position Values:

• 0x00 - Retract
• 0x01 - Extend
• 0x02 - Stop

Examples:

Extend awning (device ID 8):
  Payload: 0x01 0x08

Retract awning (device ID 8):
  Payload: 0x00 0x08

Stop awning (device ID 8):
  Payload: 0x02 0x08

ActionDimmable (0x43)

Control dimmable lights.

Payload:

[Level (1 byte)][Device ID (1 byte)]

Level Values:

• 0x00 - Off
• 0x01-0x64 - 1% to 100%

Example:

Set dimmer to 75% (device ID 3):
  Payload: 0x4B 0x03  (0x4B = 75 decimal)

Complete Packet Example

Turn on light (device ID 5):

1. Build packet:
   Sequence: 0x01 0x00  (little-endian: 1)
   Command:  0x40       (ActionSwitch)
   Table:    0x01
   State:    0x01       (On)
   Device:   0x05

   Unencoded: [01 00 40 01 01 05]

2. Calculate CRC8:
   CRC8 over [01 00 40 01 01 05] with init 0x55 = 0xXX

   Packet with CRC: [01 00 40 01 01 05 XX]

3. COBS encode:
   Encoded packet: [00 07 01 XX 40 01 01 05 YY]
   (Actual encoding depends on data values)

4. Write to characteristic 00000033-...

Supported Device Types

Based on protocol analysis, the following RV systems are controllable:

• Lighting: Standard on/off lights, dimmable lights, RGB lighting
• Water Systems: Pumps, tank level sensors
• Slides: Slide-out extend/retract control
• Awnings: Awning extend/retract control
• Climate: HVAC temperature and fan control
• Other: Additional accessories as supported by hardware

Response Format

Responses are received via Read Characteristic notifications. Response packets follow the same structure:

1. COBS encoded
2. Includes CRC8 checksum
3. Contains sequence number matching request
4. Payload contains response data (device list, status, etc.)

Implementation Notes

Sequence Numbers

• Start at 0 or 1
• Increment for each command
• Wrap at 65535 (16-bit)
• Used to match responses to requests

Device IDs

• Device IDs are specific to each RV installation
• Use GetDevices command to discover device IDs
• IDs are typically assigned during installation/configuration

Error Handling

• Verify CRC8 on all received packets
• Handle COBS decode errors
• Implement timeout for responses (recommended: 2-5 seconds)
• Retry failed commands with exponential backoff

Reference Implementation

A complete Python implementation of this protocol is available in this repository:

• src/cobs_protocol.py - COBS encoder/decoder and CRC8
• src/onecontrol_client.py - BLE client implementation

Testing Recommendations

When testing with an RV:

1. Scan for BLE devices advertising service UUID 00000030-...
2. Connect and enable notifications on Read Characteristic
3. Send GetDevices command to discover available devices
4. Test each device ID to map physical devices
5. Document device ID mapping for your specific RV

Contact Information

For official support:

• Lippert Support: service@lci1.com
• Phone: +1 432-LIPPERT

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Protocol Version: Reverse engineered from Lippert Connect app v6.2.2 Last Updated: December 2024 Status: Fully documented and tested in Python implementation