KeviNH

I was thinking of a linear Hall effect sensor with analog output, then I did some googling There's a device called a "MagnetoPot", which looks perfect for this, translates linear position of a magnet into variable resistance. (5" model #MP1-L-0150-103-5%-ST) If you already have an A/D converter (e.g EZIO), at around $15 for the MagnetoPot , looks like an easy and cost-effective solution to monitoring the float gauge. I just ordered one to test.

What kind of tank and indicator do you have today? Do you want full/empty or something with more granularity? If you just want "Tank is really low", check out this inexpensive approach: http://wiki.winkathome.net/Tripper_as_an_Oil_Tank_Low_Level_Sensors_by_Jon_Jenkins

Have you tried putting a "RunIf garage man door left open' below the enable?

Does not appear to be directly compatible with ISY, nothing indicates it will make an outbound HTTP call on motion, nor that it can easily be controlled by sending HTTP requests directly from ISY Network Module. Blue Iris would appear to be the best option.

Personally, I plan to remove all my automation and take it with me when I sell. I've kept all the original switches and switchplates for re-installation.

I don't think there's a need for an ethernet cable from his Mac. Assuming the house has either cable or DSL, he should plan on plugging the modem (or a firewall), ISY-994, and Airport Extreme into a hub, and make sure all 3 of these devices have static IP addresses. Then he just needs to launch Firefox and browse to the IP address of the ISY. That should at least get him the dashboard to view and control devices.

I don't trust my ISY to disarm my alarm, so I went the other direction, but I'm fine with the ISY knowing the status of the alarm/sensors via state variables. Going to 'ARM-Away' mode triggers a program on the ISY, waits several seconds after the alarm is armed, then all Schlage locks are locked automatically.

I think many of the AXIS cameras can do this, but it requires several extra steps to configure within ACAP. Y-cam calls this feature "HTTP alarm sending", some of the Y-Cam clones call it "HTTP event alarm management". Y-cam cameras are not easy to control from a Network Resource, they don't publish an API, and changing settings requires using POST, if the message isn't exactly the same as what the WebUI would send (all headers and parameters), weird things happen. The other downside to Y-Cam is that they are currently focused on their cloud-tethered "HomeMonitor" product and service. Of the Y-Cam clones, the best is Sharx. Their SCN-3905 is particularly interesting because it has all the above HTTP features, and also hard-wired alarm input and output; you can forcibly trigger "motion", record based on input from an external signal source.

Not all cameras are readily controllable via TCP/IP, some cameras get into a weird state when you just push settings at them without actually going through their WebUI. Some cameras can actually control the ISY994 -- I have IP cameras which can be make a HTTP call upon motion detection. I configured the camera to send a REST "RunIf" command each time motion is detected. Agreed, seems like all cameras on the market today only use IP network, not other wireless protocols like Insteon/Z-Wave. Even the Schlage "Z-wave" branded Nexia cameras don't actually use Z-Wave protocol.

The easy way to solve this, if you remember the old IP of your ISY, is to temporarily set your Windows PC to an IP address one higher than the old ISY IP. Now you can log into the admin console, and change the IP address of the iSY, then set your Windows PC back to DHCP. Yes, that is an alternate way to access the ISY, there is a serial console shell. You can use the "CT" command to change the IP address, instructions are here.

If you're looking to display on a phone or tablet, for Android take a look at "tinyCam Monitor". It's a stable IP camera viewer with support for many different IP cameras -- it should work with any camera claiming "ONVIF Profile S". I bought the "PRO" version when it was on sale, but the free edition is pretty good. You can dedicate an old tablet or Kindle Fire to always display the IP camera.

Tl;DR answer: HikVision, e.g. DS-2CD3345 Is stealthiness and/or size a concern? My broad recommendation is to choose non-wireless cameras which specifically claim compatibility with "ONVIF Profile S" and standard PoE (IEEE 802.3at or IEEE 802.3af). The most difficult part can be tying the camera into the ISY. If you have the ISY Network Module, many cameras email sending can be enabled/disabled by crafting a HTTP request, but this is not always supported nor easy to figure out -- a few companies (AXIS, HikVision, Foscam, Grandstream) publish an API or REST specification documenting how to properly format a command to change individual settings on the camera, while others will go into a weird state if you just try pushing a single setting at the WebUI, don't have a documented API. Some cameras can be configured to request a HTTP URL when they detect motion this can be used to talk to ISY or IFTTT -- I set this to send a REST "RunIf" call on the ISY so a program is triggered when motion is detected, and then I have this program make a Network Resource call out from the ISY if I want to cause IFTTT to do something.

Yes, this usually can be accomplished with a Network Resource, not all cameras are identical. On some FOSCAM models, you can make an HTTP "GET" call to the camera with a URL path of /set_alarm.cgi?motion_armed=0&mail=0 to disable motion detection and email out. You'll need to supply administrator credentials as HTTP BASIC authentication (user and pwd).

For variable and node $ expansions, see http://wiki.universal-devices.com/index.php?title=ISY-994i_Series:EMail_and_Networking_Substitution_Variables You can use the dropdown to choose variables to insert: You could also put the nodes in the notification, e.g Kitchen=${sys.node.11 22 AA 1.ST}, Basement=${sys.node.33.44.BB.1.ST}

Hmmm.... Are the "iPhone_Home" variables both state variables? What actually does the updating, changes the value of the variables? Okay, here's another approach for the same goal I would customize the notification to include the value of all variables involved, or even the state of all of the doors being tested against, so you know which door is the culprit.

What are you using for geofencing? Add a "Wait" before the "Send Notification", long enough for your phone's status to update. At the end of the wait time, the program will re-evaluate the conditions, and if one of them has changed, will end before executing the notification statement.

Anybody tried getting flow data from the water softener control head? The flow readout on the LCD on my digital water softener head displays 0.1GPM, but I believe the actual flow sensor inside is a hall sensor generating 64 pulses per gallon. I'm on a well so there is no water meter, but I do keep track of well pump power consumption (using a separate power tracking tool, not ISY) just to stay ahead of any problems with the pump or pressure tank.

Well that is pretty weird. Are you sure you didn't accidentally add that notification to another program also? Include ${alert.program.name} in the custom notification to have the alert include the name of the program that sent it. I put this after the end of all of my custom notifications: -- ${alert.compactbody}

I agree with the earlier diagnosis of why a motion sensor might keep sending signals. There are a couple of ways to ignore repeat signals in programs, easiest for this use would be: If Status OfficeLights is Off and Control OfficeMotion is switched On Then Set OfficeLights On That keeps the program from running if the office lights are already on, even if they are dimmed.

Here's another strong incentive for Amazon to let us change the "Wake Word" from "Alexa" (or "Amazon") to something more obscure: http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/amazon-s-alexa-went-bonkers-reset-user-s-thermostat-n536651 Basically, NPR broadcast a story about Amazon Echo, and some listeners found that their Echo acted on commands included in the audio. If you want to try to recreate the effect, here's NPR archived audio: http://www.npr.org/2016/02/28/468446180/what-s-so-revolutionary-about-amazon-s-echo#

When using the status of a light to turn on a key, it's best to get in the habit of making the program dimmer-compatible. So instead of doing this: IF status 'light a' is on or status 'light b' is on or status 'light c' is on or status 'light d' is on use 'not off': IF status 'light a' is not Off or status 'light b' is not Off or status 'light c' is not Off or status 'light d' is not Off Also, it is best not to make excessive use of "adjust scene" where it can be avoided.

I've seen weird things when using 'pool.ntp.org', try 1.us.pool.ntp.org. See also this thread. Could be symptoms of another network error, such as another device trying to be the same IP as the ISY.

I have program folders named 'sunrise' and 'sunset' with appropriate folder conditions. For something like this, I don't check whether the light is on or off, I have ISY set the scenes to the desired state. Won't do any harm if the scene members are already off, and will still work if I switch to a dimmer, or add another light to the scene, etc.

Yes, it is possible to "sniff" RS-232, there are dedicated hardware 'taps' to do this with, electrically it isn't much different than physically intercepting traffic on 10 megabit ethernet -- keep your wires short. Here's one simple diagram to make a sniffer cable, this is for DB-9, so you'd need to get a pinout for the standard DB-9 cables and compare it to the signal lines on the ISY.

I think you have the right idea and a good process. I try to do as much as I can with scenes, and then use programs just to accomplish the things that would be too clunky to do with scenes alone. Have you thought about using any sensors? Motion, leak, door, etc?