X10 RF remote...

Have an idea for a new feature? Voice your opinion here.
Post Reply
Jean-Mi
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 7:15 pm
Location: France
Contact:

X10 RF remote...

Post by Jean-Mi »

Hello everybody, i'm a french user of your software and would like to say you that it's the best i have ever seen...

My english is not very good so ... i will wrote short sentences :-)



I have a lot of X10 devices working in my house and a X10 remote control who works with one X10 RF receiver.



If i use the remote to set an existing X10 device on/off or dim it work fine and i can read the new state of the remote device in houtebot software.



The problem is that i want to use remote to command tasks.

but i don't know how to 'read' the command

example :

i set the remote and the receiver to house-code F

The only device on House code F is the receiver set to 1 (can't be change)

i send an order 'ON' to device 2 (this device don't exist)

nothing append (what a surprise :-) ! )

but i think that the order has been transmitted but can't be read....



do you see what i mean ???



Excuse me again for my english !
Jean-Michel
ScottBot
Site Admin
Posts: 2790
Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 6:46 pm
Location: Georgia (USA)
Contact:

Post by ScottBot »

Jean-Michel,



If you are trying to detect an X10 command on the powerline with HouseBot, you will need to make sure you have a 2-way X10 Hardware Interface installed that is supported by HouseBot. There are several of these (Ocelot, CM11a, USB PowerLinc). If you want to detect the X10 RF signals directly, you can use an MR26a module with HouseBot.



Assuming that you have the hardware installed and configured in HouseBot, you will need to create a Task that will contain a condition that monitors the HouseBot Device setup to receive the X10 signal changes. You can do this with either an X10 Controller Device, Transmitter Device, or even an X10 Lamp or appliance module.



For a little more information on configuring this, check out the online help for the X10 Transmitter Device (From the main menu select "Help/Plugin Help, then select X10 Transmitter). That should give you a starting place. If you have more questions, just ask.



P.S. Your English is much better than my French :wink:



Hope this helps,

Scott
ChrisR
Member
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2003 12:36 pm
Location: UK

Post by ChrisR »

Jean-Michel,



please be aware that the Radio Frquencies approved for X10 signalling in the EU are not the same as in the US. The MR-26a Scott mentions is not compatible with CE approved X10 devices (wrong radio frequency), so if the rest of your RF devices are CE approved unfortunately you cannot use this. There is no EU equivalent of the MR26 as far as I know (someone please correct me if I'm wrong!) and you should therefore look at the CM11 or similar. If on the other hand you are using US RF devices (and I know that many people on our side of the Atlantic modify US devices to work with our power lines :wink: ) then the MR-26a should work fine as long as you can power it up safely.



Regards



Chris
Jean-Mi
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 7:15 pm
Location: France
Contact:

Post by Jean-Mi »

Thanks a lot for your reply.



The device i want to use with this part of my project are :



(i'm not sure that the references are the in U.S )



CM-11 - TM 13 - HR 12



If this products are unknow for you, you can see them on the french website of the distributor. I think you can recognize them ( http://www.u-d.fr/ressources/produits.htm ).



HouseBot is working fine with all of the devices.

When there is a power state change on a device using housebot i can monitor this change to set the new value of the BMP ex:a yellow/gray lamp



BUT and this is the problem. if the change is done by remote control or directly on the device housebot (or the interface) see nothing.



Do you have a software (or part of code) who can monitor the CM 11 ?

I would like to see if power state change are read by this interface AND transmited to my server.



Thanks again,



Jean-Michel



PS. I have modify a X10 temperature device (beta test at this time) to transmit 8 states of contact. When it work fine and if you want i send you the description . With this device i want to monitor doors state in the house to command light and send warnings when turning alarm on .... and many many things.
Jean-Michel
ScottBot
Site Admin
Posts: 2790
Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 6:46 pm
Location: Georgia (USA)
Contact:

Post by ScottBot »

Jean-Michel,



The CM-11 doesn't look the same as the US CM11a supported by HouseBot, but I'm guessing that it is basically the same under the cover and responds to the same protocol. If you are using the CM-11 and can get it to control the switch with HouseBot, then you should be fine.



HouseBot will only be able to sense a manual change to the switch if the switch is a 2-way X10 switch (most switches are NOT 2-way). However, if you using the wireless remote, the TM-13 will send an X10 command that HouseBot can sense (sensed through the CM-11).



Try creating an "X10 Controller" Device in HouseBot. This Device should show all of the X10 activity received from the CM11a. If you see some activity when you press a button on the wireless remote, you will know that HouseBot is receiving the commands and this may give you a clue of where your problem lies.



Scott
Post Reply