pluginspythonqgis
The available manuals and other help sources all refer to the 'Add 3rd Party Repositories button' in Plugins>Fetch Python Plugins and then the Repositories Tab. My problem is that the installation of QBIS 1.8.0 Lisboa does not have the Add 3rd Party Repositories button where stated.
How do I then add 3rd party repositories please
I was able to set up proxy settings in QGIS (Settings->Options->Network) so that it could communicate through our proxy server. In my case, the Default proxy type didn't work--I had to use HTTPProxy. Once that was done, I had no problem getting to the plugins on the repo servers.
I am not sure i can solve your problem. But there has been problems fetching python plugins while behind a proxy. In your case, it seems only the dafault plugins are visible(displayed as "locally available").
If you check the repositories tab, everything will be shown as Unavailable(check "Status" field) as in the picture below.
you can get the repo address by copying the urls from the picture above.
From there you can download your plugin and copy it to your python plugins folder. QGIS will then show your copied plugins in the plugins list.
Edit This could be a solution. It worked for me behind a proxy. In Qgis, Select Settings>Options.
Adjust Network as shown in below image.
Credit for this finding goes to:@Alex Markov for this post
Best Answer
You can still add any repository you know using the "Add ..." button.
Hosting external repositories is now discouraged. Plugin authors should add their plugins to the official repository which will serve as a central hub where users can find plugins and report bugs. Work on a rating system is also on the todo list.