MikeB

UPDATE: I have updated the configuation and programs used for my garage doors. For up-to-date info, see my post in this thread dated 5/24/11. A few people have asked about using the NK8 touch panel to control garage doors. We plan on supporting the GarageHawk product once released, but we also support garage door status and control using the Simplehomenet EZIO2x4. So, I wanted to put together a short article on controlling/monitoring your garage door using the Simplehomenet EZIO2x4 module, how to integrate it with the ISY, and finally how to integrate it with our NK8 touch panel application (and NK8-PC). The following is for informational purposes only. Great consideration should be given to controlling something as critical as your garage door with any home automation product. An unintentional opening of your garage door could increase the likelyhood of an intruder gaining access to your home. On the other hand, the ability to monitor and control your garage door from a remote location can clearly improve security. Please consider all possibilities carefully before moving forward with a project of this type. This information is not meant to be a complete guide to implementing a project like this. It is only meant to relay some of my own personal experiences, in hopes that it will help someone else already considering a similar project. Please be aware that by proceeding, you are doing so COMPLETELY at your own risk. WIRING TO THE EZIO The Simplehomenet EZIO2x4 module includes relays and inputs that make it fairly easy to control and monitor a pair of garage doors. The instructions included with the EZIO contain some basic information on how to do this. Please check their web site if you need to download a copy of the documentation in PDF format. In short, your garage door opener should have a pair of terminals that your current controls are wired to. Simply connect the R1_A and R1_B terminals on the EZIO to the control terminals on your garage door opener. Once you do this, sending an ON command to the EZIO Relay 1 should cause your garage door to operate - if it is currently closed it will open, if it is currently open it will close. Please keep in mind that you only want to send a momentary ON command to Relay 1 - go ahead and turn Relay 1 back off once the door starts to move. Most manufacturers have a separate set of terminals for the safety beam sensors included with your garage door opener, so using the EZIO module to control your door should not affect their operation. If you'd like, test their operation by placing an object to block the safety sensor beams. If the beam is blocked, the door opener should not be able to close the door. Now that we have control of the garage door through the EZIO module, we need a way to determine if the door is opened or closed. I have personally used the following contact switch from Smarthome with good luck: http://www.smarthome.com/7455b.html It's important to go with this particular model instead of the less expensive "normally closed" model. You'll probably want the EZIO's input to indicate an ON status when the door is open, and an OFF status when the door is closed. To obtain this, you'll need to use the above contact switch in "normally opened" mode by using the red and black wires. The green wire will go unused. On the EZIO module, connect the I1+ terminal to the +5V terminal, then connect the I1- terminal to one wire of the garage door contact switch. Go ahead and connect the remaining garage door contact switch wire to the GND terminal on the EZIO. Now, if the garage door is closed (the 2 pieces of the contact switch are together), the EZIO Input 1 should read OFF. When the garage door is open (and the 2 pieces of the contact switch are apart), the EZIO Input 1 should read ON. If you have 2 garage doors, duplicate the above instructions to wire the 2nd garage door opener to the EZIO Relay 2, and the 2nd door to the EZIO Input 2. ISY INTEGRATION Now that we have control and status information from the garage door, it's time to integrate with the ISY. For this portion of the article, I'm going to assume that we have 2 garage doors wired to the EZIO module. I'm also going to assume that we want a single KeypadLinc button (maybe in the master bedroom) to illuminate if EITHER ONE of the garage doors was left open. Finally, I'm going to assume that we want the ability to CLOSE the garage doors from this KeypadLinc, but not open them. Once I added my EZIO module to my ISY, I found that inputs 3 and 4 were constantly floating between ON and OFF. To eliminate this, I used the Simplehomenet utility to disable the analog inputs. To force inputs 3 and 4 to an OFF state (since they are unused in this project), I wired both inputs 3 and 4 to the EZIO's +5V terminal using an 10K Ohm Resistor, such as this one from Radio Shack: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... age=search With this done, the ISY's Administrative console should show inputs 3 and 4 as OFF. To start, I have a program that checks the status of both garage doors. If either door is open, this program will turn my "Garage Door" KeypadLinc button ON. If both doors are closed, this program will ensure that this same KeypadLinc button is turned OFF. The WAIT command is included in this program to give the door opener time to fully open or close the door before changing the status of the KeypadLinc button. "GarageDoorStatus" is a scene containing the KeypadLinc button I am using to monitor and control my garage doors. GARAGE DOOR STATUS If Status 'GarageInput1' is On Or Status 'GarageInput2' is On Then Wait 10 seconds Set Scene 'GarageDoorStatus' On Else Set Scene 'GarageDoorStatus' Off At this point, the KeypadLinc button should illuminate if EITHER door is open, and turn off if both doors are closed. Like I mentioned earlier, we only need a momentary ON sent to the relay to operate a door. After the door starts to operate, we want the relay to return to an OFF state. To accomplish this, I use a pair of programs to turn the relays back off any time they are turned on: GARAGE RELAY 1 AUTO OFF If Status 'GarageRelay1' is On Then Wait 3 seconds Set 'GarageRelay1' Off Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') GARAGE RELAY 2 AUTO OFF If Status 'GarageRelay2' is On Then Wait 3 seconds Set 'GarageRelay2' Off Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') Finally, I have a pair of programs used to close a door that might be open if the KeypadLinc button is pressed. The "Garage Door" KeypadLinc button should be set to NON-TOGGLE OFF mode - see the instructions included with your KeypadLinc for information on how to accomplish this. If the Garage Door KeypadLinc button is pressed, and either one of the doors is open, it will close the appropriate door. GARAGE DOOR CONTROL 1 If Control 'MasterBedControls1F' is switched Off And Program 'Garage Door Status' is True And Status 'GarageInput1' is On Then Set 'GarageRelay1' On Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') GARAGE DOOR CONTROL 2 If Control 'MasterBedControls1F' is switched Off And Program 'Garage Door Status' is True And Status 'GarageInput2' is On Then Set 'GarageRelay2' On Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') That's it! Test your system well, but at this point your KeypadLinc button should be ON if either doors is open, and pressing that button should close the appropriate door. To integrate garage door control with our NK8 touch panel application (and NK8-PC application), please see the following forum post: http://forums.interfacego.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20

Yes. Think of the ISY as another controller, equal to your KPL button. You can apply different on-levels and ramp rates to the scene for EACH controller, including the ISY itself. Or, you can make them all the same - it's up to you.

Glad you found it. Yes, you can set different on levels and ramp ratest for the scene itself (when triggered from the ISY), and also for EACH controller within the scene.

Yes, absolutely. That should be working by default - there's nothing special you should have to do. I'm not 100% certain about the FAST ON/FAST OFF, but I'm pretty sure that's supported with the RemoteLinc. Did you put the RemoteLinc into programming mode as instructed by the ISY? I know I've seen this problem posted before, but I don't recall what the solution is. You might want to simply remove the RemoteLinc button from the scene and try again, or maybe someone else who has seen this issue will chime in. Good luck!

Simply drag the KeypadLinc button into the scene, and make sure to set it as a "Controller".

Like Rand said. When you have an ISY, you no longer need to run around tap-linking everything - you program your devices through the ISY. To start simple, let's use your example of a KeypadLinc controlling a LampLinc. Normally you'd press the KeypadLinc button for 10 seconds then the LampLinc button for 3 like you said. To duplicate this through the ISY, you would simply create a scene called "Lamp" (or whatever) and drag both the KeypadLinc and LampLinc into the scene. In this example, we might only save a few seconds by using the ISY, but with more complex scenes you can save hours of time. For example, say we need to cross-link 3 SwitchLincs together. To keep them all in sync, by hand, you'd have to use the 10/3 method to link: switch 1 to switch 2 switch 1 to switch 3 switch 2 to switch 1 switch 2 to switch 3 switch 3 to switch 1 switch 3 to switch 2 Imagine if you wanted to cross-link 4 or more devices? It's a major pain. With the ISY you simply create a scene and drag all the devices into the scene and the ISY does the rest. Anything programmed in this method is saved directly to the devices. You could unplug your ISY and these scenes would still operate. When you own an ISY, it's important to link EVERYTHING through the ISY and not manually. Otherwise, the ISY will not be aware of everything in your system. Do you own an IRLinc, or are you using the IR interface in the ISY? If you own an IRLinc, you would create a scene, drag the IRLinc button, drag the RemoteLinc button, drag the KPL button, and drag all the lighting devices all into the scene. The IRLinc, RemoteLinc, and KeypadLinc buttons would all be controllers, and the lighting devices would all be responders. Like I mentioned above, once programmed, this would all operate independently of the ISY. If you are using the IR interface on the ISY, you'd program a scene like I mentioned above (but without the IRLinc device). You'd then create a program on the ISY saying to activate this scene once a specific IR command is received. The scene would still operate independently of the ISY, except of course for the IR part since you are using the IR interface on the ISY itself. Yes, it absolutely should be, and one of the reasons you bought the ISY was so you don't have to run around tap-linking everything. Only programs that you've written would fail to run. Any 'scenes' you have created would still operate.

I get about a 2 second delay the first time I switch off the 'Main' tab and onto one of the other tabs, but from that point forward it's very quick switching between tabs on my office PC. I haven't had that happen before. Yes, unfortunately it does take some time to program Insteon devices over the powerline, especially when you start programming more complex scenes containing many devices. That's an Insteon issue, I haven't found the ISY any slower than any other methods I've used to program the devices. Sure does beat running around and manually tap-linking everything, though!

Hey Jay - If you haven't, please try closing all your browsers, clearing your Java cache (through your Windows Control Panel), and then trying again. I have a feeling that will clear up your issue. As for sluggishness, could you describe it in more detail? What about it seems sluggish, or what are you trying to do that seems sluggish? Good luck, and please let me know how you make out.

That looks fine. I would take the button out of non-toggle mode, hit it a bunch of times on/off, and make sure the Administrative Console recognizes your button presses. You may have a communication issue between the KPL and your ISY.

Are you trying to launch the Administrative Console? I don't believe that will run on mobile devices. If you are running the latest ISY firmware, you'll have an HTML interface that you can use to control your devices & scenes. That should run fine on Windows Mobile 6.

Yes. The current Thermostat Adapter does not automatically send out status changes, so the ISY must periodically query it to know its current status. It is listed under Devices in the HTML interface.

Sure. What problems are you having? First thing would be sure that the ISY is seeing the KPL button presses. Go to the ISY's Administrative Console, and try pressing the button ON and OFF. Does the ISY see the status changes? Can you post the program you are trying to have run?

Hey RRW - X10 devices must be used via the ISY's program section. They are not currently implemented in the device list like Insteon devices are. So, for example, say you wanted to turn an X10 floodlight on at sunset. Assuming the floodlight was X10 code A5, you could write the following program: If Time is Sunset Then Send X10 'A5/On (3)' Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

The Venstar T1700, T1800 and T1900 thermostats are the only Insteon-compatible thermostats currently available. You add Insteon capabilities with this adapter: http://www.smarthome.com/2441v.html

Sounds like the ISY is not seeing status changes initiated from the switch. You can try a restore device on the switch, or if it's not a member of many scenes, simply try removing and re-adding the device to the ISY. Does the ISY see the status change when any of the controllers adjusts the fan? Or not at all? Were all devices linked with the ISY?

I don't believe there's any kind of an Insteon 'flash' command, but you could certain have the ISY flicker the lights a few times to warn that they're going off. Or maybe have a KPL secondary button turn on/off to serve as a warning LED. But you will have to send individual on/off commands to simulate a flash. I wouldn't do it too much/too often, otherwise you could have excessive powerline traffic interfere with other things going on at the same time.

Something like this: If Status 'GarageLights' is not Off Then Wait 15 minutes Set 'GarageLights' Off Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

I don't think you'll be able to do a sequence because your sprinklers are running at different days of the week. Why not create 12 separate programs, 1 for each of your sprinklers, as Chris suggested? You can set the schedules so they do not overlap, and you can have a unique schedule for each sprinkler.

It should not matter as long as both ends are wired the same. However, 586B is the standard typically used for data cabling.

That's correct. If it's in 'non-toggle' mode the KPL LED will always be in its 'off' state. When you press it, it will flash on a couple times, but then go back off. Sounds to me like you don't even need to check the KPL button then. Why not just remove that line and simply have your program turn that scene OFF at sunrise? There are UDI and Insteon wikis you could check out: http://www.universal-devices.com/mwiki/ ... =Main_Page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INSTEON Terms like 'non-toggle', etc. are actually Insteon terms. Good luck!

Not sure I fully grasp what you're trying to do, but these conditions could be a problem. This IF statement says to run the THEN only if you press that KPL button off EXACTLY at sunrise. What are you looking to accomplish exactly? Do you want your nighttime scene to turn off at sunrise only if your 'Deck KPL H' button is off? If so, when you create your IF statement, use STATUS instead of CONTROL to check the status of your KPL button.

You can definitely query a device (or all your devices) within a program. So, you can say something like: If Control 'BathroomLight' is switched On Then Set 'BathroomVent' Query Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') I'm not certain, but I don't think this is possible yet. Maybe someone else can chime in. If not now, maybe when we get variables?

Yeah no kidding. My 8 year old loves his bedside keypad for his lamps around his room. I tried 3-button combinations, but ended up feeling like 2-button was more reliable.

Lighting controls are supposed to make life a bit EASIER, but for kids sometimes a bit tougher is more fun. Kids seem to enjoy things that THEY know how to do, but not others. I setup a KeypadLinc that, using my ISY, will turn on different lamps based on the combination of different buttons that are lit. So, turn buttons C and H on, and Lamp1 goes on. Turn one or both buttons off, and Lamp1 turns off. Turn buttons B and G on, and Lamp2 goes on. Turn one or both buttons off, and Lamp2 turns off. Here's a video demonstrating what I did: Maybe not very useful in most areas of the home, but fun for the kids room. There is a second or so delay before the lamps typically react because these are not direct links between the KeypadLinc and lamp modules - there is a program on my ISY that watches for these conditions and turns on/off the lamps. Though this can be done with other automation controllers/software I'm sure, I'm doing it on my ISY. Below are the 2 programs I'm using: LAMP1 If Status 'KeypadC' is On And Status 'KeypadH' is On And Status 'KeypadC' is not Off And Status 'KeypadH' is not Off Then Set 'Lamp1' On Else Set 'Lamp1' Off LAMP2 If Status 'KeypadB' is On And Status 'KeypadG' is On And Status 'KeypadB' is not Off And Status 'KeypadG' is not Off Then Set 'Lamp2' On Else Set 'Lamp2' Off

I'm not certain the behavior, but either way I don't think it's something I would count on for anything important.