Vizio SmartCast TV

The Vizio driver controls SmartCast TVs through the local HTTPS API with a PIN-pair handshake that mints a long-lived bearer token. One GEM device represents one TV.

Status

PIN pairing, power, volume, mute, current-input read/write, navigation keys, and raw key passthrough are implemented. Picture-mode and audio-mode setpoints, app launching ("Cast to Netflix"), and on-screen content metadata are out of scope for this driver — use the TV remote or the SmartCast mobile app for those.

Prerequisites

• SmartCast TV (2016+) with Power Mode = Quick Start enabled in the TV settings — Eco mode powers down the API when the screen is off.
• Static IP or DHCP reservation on the TV.
• Physical access to the TV during initial pairing — a 4-digit PIN displays on-screen.
• TCP 7345 (older firmware) or 9000 (newer SmartCast) reachable from the GEM host.

Setup

1. Reserve the TV's IP in DHCP.
2. In System > Devices, create a device with driver vizio_smartcast. Set:
   • ip — TV IP
   • port — 7345 (older) or 9000 (newer)
   • Leave auth_token blank for now.
3. Turn the TV on. From the Script Console run:

   await gem.command({device: <device_id>, action: 'pair_start'});

   The TV will display a 4-digit PIN.
4. Within the pairing window, run:

   await gem.command({device: <device_id>, action: 'pair_finish', args: {pin: '1234'}});

   On success the response is {status: 'paired', message: 'auth_token saved.'}. The bearer token is stored encrypted as the auth_token attribute and the driver re-authenticates automatically.
5. Verify:

   await gem.command({device: <device_id>, action: 'get_power'});
   await gem.command({device: <device_id>, action: 'get_current_input'});

If pair_start returns 404, the TV is on the other port — flip port between 7345 and 9000 and retry.

Attribute reference

Device attributes

Attribute	Type	Required	Description
ip	string	yes	TV LAN IP.
auth_token	string (secure)	for control	Bearer token returned by pair_finish. Sent as the AUTH request header.
port	int	no	7345 (older) or 9000 (newer SmartCast). Default 7345.
device_id	string	no	Identifier the TV stores against the issued token. Defaults to gem-<device id>.
device_name	string	no	Friendly name shown in the TV pairing list. Default GEM Controller.
status_interval	int	no	Poll interval in milliseconds. Default 10000.

The driver reflects the following attributes onto the device:

Attribute	Type	Source
power_state	string	on / off from /state/device/power_mode/.
current_input	string	HDMI-1, HDMI-2, CAST, SMARTCAST, etc.
volume	int	0-100.

Zone address format

This driver does not use zones — each TV is its own device.

Commands

Command	Args	Notes
power_on / power_off / power_toggle	—	Power keypress.
volume_up / volume_down	—
volume	level (0-100)	Absolute set via MODIFY+HASHVAL on /menu_native/dynamic/tv_settings/audio/volume.
mute_on / mute_off / mute_toggle	—
get_inputs	—	Returns the full input list — pass the NAME field to set_input.
get_current_input	—
set_input	input	Exact input NAME (case-sensitive, e.g. HDMI-1).
nav	key	One of up, down, left, right, ok, back, exit, menu, info.
send_key	codeset, code	Raw KEYPRESS for codes not exposed above.
pair_start / pair_finish / pair_cancel	pin (finish)	Pairing flow — see Setup.

Known limitations

• App launching (Netflix, YouTube, etc.) requires the deeper SmartCast app catalog API which Vizio has rotated multiple times — not implemented.
• Picture/audio preset setpoints are reachable via raw send_key but no convenience commands are wrapped.
• Re-pairing produces a fresh auth_token; old tokens stop working silently. Plan to re-run the pair flow if you ever factory-reset the TV.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Check
pair_start returns 404	Wrong port. Flip port between 7345 and 9000 and retry.
401 or empty responses on commands	auth_token was rotated. Re-run pair_start + pair_finish.
Power state always reads off	TV is in Eco power mode; switch to Quick Start so the API stays reachable when the screen is off.
set_input does nothing	Run get_inputs and pass the exact NAME (case-sensitive, hyphen-separated, e.g. HDMI-1).
Volume command returns {error: 'failed to read current volume'}	The TV needs an authenticated GET to mint a fresh HASHVAL — confirm auth_token is set and not stale.