Family Friendly Control of ISY99i

[pdxcav]

Hi everyone -

 

I've been lurking in the shadows of this forum for years without actively participating. But, I have really benefited from using my ISY99i for years.

 

My set-up:

I have lots of Insteon devices including TriggerLinc's on all external doors, IOLinc's controlling garage doors, various Lamplincs, ToggleLincs, several KeypadLincs, MobiLinc Pro (used on my iPad & iPhone), motion sensors. In my opinion, I am under utilizing all of this...the main reason is that I don't have a UI (either standalone device or iPad/iPhone app) that is family friendly. While I can do just about anything with the UD Admin Console or MobilLinc, these apps are just too complex for my kids & wife. So, they stick to the basics - turning Lamplincs on & off...pressing a Keypadlinc button here or there.

 

Here's an example of what I mean:

I have a program that is connected to one of my Keypadlinc buttons that does activities associated with retiring for the night. It turns out all downstairs lights, turns on a few nightlights, and closes the garage doors if they are open.

 

I would like for it to also check to make sure all external doors are closed & that the garage doors actually closed (i.e. no toys preventing them from closing).

 

While I could easily expand my current program to do these things, the problem is a lack of a way for user feedback. For example, what if the front door is still open or the garage door didn't actually shut?

 

While I could make the keypadlinc button led flash (I have done that), my family has no idea what it means. They need to be told that there is a problem: the back door is still open or the garage door didn't shut.

 

Does anyone else have this same issue? Have you found a solution?

 

I've considered writing my own iPhone/iPad app (though don't really want to invest the time to do that)...I've searched Smarthome for some sort of standalone display/controller...but haven't found anything.

 

Any advice out there...or suggestions? I can't be the only person that runs into this need.

 

Thanks.

 

Eddie

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Eddie,

 

Thanks so very much for the feedback. In short, you want notifications for certain actions such that those notifications are presented on a UI of sorts, correct?

 

If so, we could work with third party apps to come up with events (i.e. alerts) that can be generated from programs and are presented by the application (instead of email/SMS).

 

Is this your use case?

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[pdxcav]

Thanks for the quick reply Michel!

 

In short, you want notifications for certain actions such that those notifications are presented on a UI of sorts, correct?

 

At the minimum, it would be nice if alerts could be more powerful in that you could pass a string from a program...and/or allow an alert to be customized by including 'devices' in the alert (including their name, state, date/time of last event.

 

For example: perhaps in the drop down for "Alert Customization", add 'Devices' as an option to the list of Alert, System, Variables, Open ADR. And then select the actual device in the next field, with options to insert like Device Name & Device State.

 

At least, that would be helpful to me (the advanced user) via SMS or email.

 

But, in my original posting, what I was asking was first, does something (e.g iPad/iPhone app, Android app, our other display unit) currently exist that does this:

* Allows a user to push a button to activate a ISY program

* If that ISY program detected some condition (like a door was still open), communicate that condition to the user in easy to understand language

 

I realize the above isn't really ISY capability...and would require programming on the UI device side.

 

If it doesn't exist, then this might become a hobby of mine...

 

Or...if someone 'out there' has experience doing this in some other way, then I would be interested in their feedback.

 

Thanks.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello pdxcav,

 

You can already do notifications with custom messages. Have you tried Notification/Customization?

 

The other request is not that difficult but it will require the UIs to support other events.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[pdxcav]

You can already do notifications with custom messages. Have you tried Notification/Customization?

 

Yes, I have been using custom messages...but as I mentioned above, it would be nice if there was a way to insert device event information in them (maybe there is, and I haven't figured it out).

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello pdxcav,

 

Please give me an example of the event you want inserted. We do have most of the in the drop down so perhaps there's one we have missed?

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[pdxcav]

Hi -

 

I would like to be able to specify any of my devices and their current state in the custom alert.

 

For example, if I have 3 TriggerLincs on my external doors, I would like the message to show something like:

 

FrontDoor: Status On

BackDoor: Status Off

SideDoor: Status Off

 

This would tell me that the front door isn't shut.

 

Or if I had a motion sensor activate, I could list out the state of each of those in my house to know which one activated.

 

Perhaps this is there & I just haven't found it. If so, I apologize for wasting your time.

 

Eddie

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Eddie, got it. Thank you!

 

I have added this requirement to our list.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[Hurting2Ride]

Sounds to me like you're headed in to additional automation needs which probably boil down to:

 

1) Custom status codes and/or custom screen builds

2) Audio announcements and/or voice control

3) Easy-to-use, idiot-proof (no offense to yer family!)

 

 

All 3 can be accomplished in 1 of 3 ways

 

1) Integrate with a security system. Security systems already have the kind of logic rules in them that you are looking for. They have more experience with things like keypads, doorlocks and touch-screens, all of which could serve your purposes (i.e. when your wife puts in the security code to leave, it passes the info along to the ISY and automatically locks the front and back doors, turns on some random lights every 20 minutes, and turns on a stereo to generate sound in the house but turns OFF the $5000 HDTV that is currently getting its screen burned in by the kids' game box)

 

2) Integrate with a highly customizable HA package like Homeseer. This can give you all the HA you're willing to pay for. Very flexible, very extensible (but you pay for the addons) and integration with anything HA related is already there. The downside? Can get expensive fairly quickly and 90% of the business rules that ARE there in a security system are not there in Homeseer.

 

3) Do a whole bunch of custom integrations to the ISY. While doable, this is going to be the most complex because of how the ISY currently addresses things like variables (don't get me wrong, what UDI is doing is great, they're just a ways behind something like Homeseer when it comes to that level of integration).

 

Luckily UDI is finishing up with their ELK M1 integration, which is a fairly inexpensive security system that would do the things you're looking for. If I were in your shoes (and I sorta am, which is why I had this already thought through... ) I would see if that option could give you what you need. If you search on the forums you'll find all kinds of Q&A about it even through its not quite released yet.

 

Regards,

[sperok]

Eddie,

 

I use a custom message to get alerts when a motion sensor triggers. Here is the program. It could easily be adapted to generate an event on any control or status change by adding the device you want monitored to the "if" clause. I use this primarily as a debugging tool, since it tends to generate a lot of events. I use a g-mail filter to take all these incoming notifications and label them as "alerts" so they don't clutter my in-box. Another batch of filters looks for specific messages that are important, like notifications of "vacant" and "occupied".

 

If
       Control 'Indoor / Downstairs / Main Entry, Laundry, Pantry / Main Entry Motion Sensor' is switched On
    Or Control 'Indoor / Downstairs / Side Entry / Side Door Motion Sensor' is switched On
    Or Control 'Indoor / Upstairs / Loft and Landing / Small Stair Motion Sensor' is switched On
    Or Control 'Indoor / Upstairs / Top of Main Stairs / Top Main Stair Motion Sensor' is switched On
    Or Control 'Indoor / Downstairs / Great Room / Spa Door Motion Sensor' is switched On

Then
       Send Notification to 'Property Manager' content 'standard'

 

Here is the custom notification:

 

Subject: ${alert.program.name}
Body: Time: ${alert.time24} Status: ${alert.program.status} Event: ${alert.event} Node: ${alert.node.name} Action: ${alert.action} Control: ${alert.control} Scene: ${alert.group.name}

 

Here is a clip from the e-mail generated:

 

Subject:	Activity Detect-On

Time: 06:51:53 Status: True Event: 'Spa Door Motion Sensor' set On Node: Spa Door Motion Sensor Action:  Control: On Scene: