Mobilinc representation of nodes created by node server

[stillwater]

Does anyone know how Mobilinc determines node types?  Not a big deal at to me but my "Sauna" node (created by node server) shows up in Mobilinc as a "SwitchLinc v2 Dimmer"  apparently with only 2 status states while my node defines 4.     I didn't define a hint for this node if that is how it works.    Status of 1 (which node server NLS interprets as "warming up" shows on mobilinc as "1%" with no option for custom renaming as Mobilinc defines switchlinc as having 2 states that can be custom renamed).  Is this something that will be transparent in Mobilinc X? 

[InsteonNut]

Hi @stillwater

MobiLinc doesn't have any official support for node servers, however, I want to get these supported as best I can in MobiLinc X. If you haven't grabbed the beta and signed up, please do so and send me the info on your Sauna node. Specifically, the hint for the node must be populated so I can write in how to translate the node to the MobiLinc X UI.

Wes

[adamthp]

25 minutes ago, stillwater said:

Does anyone know how Mobilinc determines node types?  Not a big deal at to me but my "Sauna" node (created by node server) shows up in Mobilinc as a "SwitchLinc v2 Dimmer"  apparently with only 2 status states while my node defines 4.     I didn't define a hint for this node if that is how it works.    Status of 1 (which node server NLS interprets as "warming up" shows on mobilinc as "1%" with no option for custom renaming as Mobilinc defines switchlinc as having 2 states that can be custom renamed).  Is this something that will be transparent in Mobilinc X? 

Sauna node? Do tell. 

[stillwater]

Thanks very much.  I haven't gone for the beta yet  -- not sure I want to take the risk unless it's pretty solid.  I'll look into defining the hint appropriately and let you know once/if I sign up for the beta.   I am a lifetime Mobilinc person so pricing may be an issue... I signed up before the ISY Portal existed and haven't compared functionality since.  Mobilinc has been very solid after I got over some initial DNS issues that probably  resulted from my  ignorance. 

[stillwater]

Hi @adamthp.     I use ISY to control lights and windows and bathroom exhaust fans and an espresso machine and wine cooler and a few other things but the climate control (including the Sauna) is controlled by ENV by Climate Automation Systems.  But for convenience I want some of the ENV-controlled items and ENV states to be controlled by insteon buttons.   So the Sauna can be turned on and off by a KPL scene and also KPL buttons turn on to show it is up to temperature.  (So the 4 sauna states are OFF, Warming UP; Ready, and Ready/Reheating).   I don't have insteon controll temperture set point but I could via the node defninition if I used an insteon app as my primary interface.    Normally ENV does not provide push communication but I hijacked a thermostat driver to send coded messages to a Raspberry PI that interfaces with the ISY to provide instantaneous Sauna status.  Other communication between ISY and ENV can be by rest commands from ISY network resources  to ENV and by REST data requests from rPI to ENV.   Of course rPI can also set variables in ISY by REST without  the node server framework.

[InsteonNut]

Thanks @stillwater

The beta is solid and doesn't change anything on your ISY unless you want it to. This is just the last step (opening up to a wider audience) before I go to the app store. Most of the feedback I've been getting this week is new features to keep expanding my new concept. 

For anyone else with node servers, the offer stands. I'd like to work with you to get these supported as best I can in MobiLinc X using hints, but I need your help.

Wes

[asbril]

Your Mobilinc X App looks great but for those of us using Polyglot, Polyglot Cloud and/or Nodelink, and needing ISY Portal, your requirement of Mobilinc Connect is a no-no. Is the requirement of Mobilinc Connect a technical issue or a way to fund your hard work ? If the latter, then maybe come up with a different pricing for those remaining with ISY Portal.

[InsteonNut]

@asbril

There are a lot of reasons why MobiLinc Connect is required. The biggest ones are technical ones. I'm able to do things in the app like instant startup or real-time syncing between all your iOS and Android devices by being deeply integrated with our own servers. No syncing with the ISY each time you start the app. I have a roadmap and feature list in MobiLinc X users can vote on. Several of these future and in-development features require our own backend to manage.

Interestingly MobiLinc Connect portal is just a way to get the ISY integrated into our environment for MobiLinc X. It may be possible to further develop our backend and support an external IP (either raw IP or ISY Portal) to hook a non-MobiLinc Connect ISY into our environment that MobiLinc X could interact with. Anything like this is a ways off and I'd need to get a read from ISY Portal/direct IP users if there was an interest in MobiLinc X with a direct IP/ISY Portal. If that is of interest, I need to hear from you.

Wes

 

[asbril]

1 hour ago, InsteonNut said:

@asbril

There are a lot of reasons why MobiLinc Connect is required. The biggest ones are technical ones. I'm able to do things in the app like instant startup or real-time syncing between all your iOS and Android devices by being deeply integrated with our own servers. No syncing with the ISY each time you start the app. I have a roadmap and feature list in MobiLinc X users can vote on. Several of these future and in-development features require our own backend to manage.

Interestingly MobiLinc Connect portal is just a way to get the ISY integrated into our environment for MobiLinc X. It may be possible to further develop our backend and support an external IP (either raw IP or ISY Portal) to hook a non-MobiLinc Connect ISY into our environment that MobiLinc X could interact with. Anything like this is a ways off and I'd need to get a read from ISY Portal/direct IP users if there was an interest in MobiLinc X with a direct IP/ISY Portal. If that is of interest, I need to hear from you.

Wes

 

I would definitely purchase Mobilinc X and get Mobilinc Connect if I do not lose any of the uses that I get out of ISY Portal. The pricing would need to be reasonable for you and of course for us

[stillwater]

I looked at the node hints documentation (both on wiki and on github).   I don't see any way to specify (for example) the number of status levels in a hint from the documentation I have seen. I see the rest command to set a node hint in the ISY  but I am not sure how that works with hex as the example value is "101" rather than something that looks like a 4 byte string.     I will go ahead and try the beta and see what happens.  

[bpwwer]

Hints are meant to provide some generic information about the type of device so that applications like Mobilinc don't need to have specific code just for your node server.  A hint is actually 4 bytes of data.

Based on the initial description, I think you'd want the following type of hint (in hex):

01 - home/residential device

02 - controller

0a - multi-level switch

xx - this is left for you to define. It would generally be used to indicate the model/manufacturer or somehow identify this specific device. If set to 0, it would be considered a generic multi-level switch.   If you did define a specific value here to identify your node type, then you can add it (or get it added) to the hint file so everyone else knows you're using it.

Mobilinc would then have to have the ability to handle a multi-level switch and as part of it's configuration, it would need to define what each of the levels map to.  

Note that today, the hint work is all just a proposal. I don't know that there are any real-world working implementations yet.

Note 2 that you could also define a new type of controller, say a 4 level controller if you think that would be better.  I don't think it makes sense to try and define every possible level between 2  and 255 should be represented but maybe 4 level is common enough to have its own category.  Another option may be to define this as a new type of thermostat, maybe it would map better as that. Thermostats have modes and setpoints so maybe a sauna control would be similar?

[stillwater]

Since  I think Mobilinc currently allows user to define aliases for status values (for example On can become "Open" and Off "Closed" or whatever else the user specifies, it would be easy to take over the last parameter to define the number of levels and then let the mobilinc user define the aliases in mobilinc, or mobilinc could read the node definition editor and nls file..  

 

So would the REST command to set that Hint be (for nodeserver 1 and address n001_1) be

/rest/ns/1/nodes/n001_1/set/hint/01.02.0a.00

or do I need to encode the hex into a decimal? 

 

Thanks! 

 

 

 

[stillwater]

Thanks again @bpwwer.  The hex  format in the wiki doesn't work for upload to the isy via rest.    A decimal number (for example 4772) is accepted.  I assume I should encode the 4 bytes into a decimal number  If so is the xx the most significant hex digit or the least? (I would assume the least)    How can the node hint be viewed in the isy to be sure it is stored correctly?   the rest command Query/node fails for my node server node and the Status command doesn't return the hint.  

 

 

[bpwwer]

53 minutes ago, stillwater said:

Since  I think Mobilinc currently allows user to define aliases for status values (for example On can become "Open" and Off "Closed" or whatever else the user specifies, it would be easy to take over the last parameter to define the number of levels and then let the mobilinc user define the aliases in mobilinc, or mobilinc could read the node definition editor and nls file..  

So would the REST command to set that Hint be (for nodeserver 1 and address n001_1) be

/rest/ns/1/nodes/n001_1/set/hint/01.02.0a.00

or do I need to encode the hex into a decimal? 

Thanks! 

I believe it needs to be converted to an integer. So 0x01020a00 would be 16910848 but I've never used the command.  

[bpwwer]

@stillwater what about /rest/node/n001_1 

That should return the node configuration and it may include the hint (but might be called something else).

[stillwater]

Thanks!  @bpwwer.  Yes that returns a "type" of 1.2.10.0 after I set the hint to 16910848.  

[MWareman]

Wes,

You should work on an option to allow your MobiLinc Connect service to be able to connect to ISY Portal as a method of obtaining real time updates of devices changing state as well as pushing device and scene commands to ISY. This would enable those customers (like me!) that are tied to ISY Portal for the Polyglot reasons the option to optionally buy into your infrastructure (should we also want to use Mobilinc X). That way, you are not choosing to deny many potential customers based on the single portal limitation of the ISY (which in turn is defined by hardware constraints).

This way, those of us that see benefit in both portals will no longer have to choose!

Michael.

[InsteonNut]

Hi @MWareman

I’m looking into this very step. It’s possible to hook an ISY Portal or an external direct IP based ISY into the MobiLinc Connect infrastructure for MobiLinc X so that people wouldn’t have to choose if they need the cloud Polyglot feature of ISY Portal. One step at a time, but this looks do-able. 

Wes

[stillwater]

Mobilinc or/and Mobilinc Connect through ISY Portal makes a lot of sense to remove the 2 Portals conflict given how much new 5.0 functionality relates to node servers.