Fw: C-Bus Lighting to xAP Home Automation Gateway - (beta)

[Gareth Cook <g@xxxxxxxxxx>]

All Comfort - controls the plasma, cbus, even the xbox's now.

And I'd also think twice about letting an ethernet network control=20
anything

If you want stability, then direct wire is the best bet.

G.

Gareth Cook
IT Architect / Project Manager, SWG Sales Europe
Office: +44 (0)1784 445166 - Mobile: +44 (0)7980 445166
email: g@xxxxxxx

=20
----- Forwarded by Gareth Cook/UK/IBM on 03/05/2007 15:03 -----

Discussion
Main Topic

ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Today 13:21

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Subject:
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Re: Fw: [ukha_d] C-Bus Lighting to xAP Home Automation Gateway - (beta)
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Ahh yes, we have similar goals, all embedded :-)  so neither of my=20
suggestions achieve this.  Where do you plan on orchestrating the brains=20
of your PCless HA system, ie the control of logical interactions,=20
scripting and timed events ? Is your plan to use Comfort for this or do=20
you have another HA controller ?=20

Unfortunately the xAP opn232  will still require 'personalities' to=20
drive an attached device in anything but a raw serial type of mode so=20
nicely supporting a xAP 'security' or 'BSC' schema would need specific=20
support. Likewise a xAP Netiom would only do raw serial too.   If there=20
was an embedded xAP controller capable of translating raw serial data=20
to/from xAP devices then all would be possible. You can do this now via=20
a PC application eg xAP FloorPlan - but not if you crave a PCless=20
system.   Currently the lack of a fully featured embedded xAP controller=20
(with logic, macros, scheduling etc) precludes the PCless utopia,=20
however the opnode products do already have an inbuilt basic xAP=20
logic/script engine - and future versions I hope will expand on this.=20
Currently I try and do all my 'must work' interactions embedded and then=20
the fancier bits using richer info like TV listings , weather, emails=20
etc  using a PC helper. Then should the PC fail all the basics still=20
work as normal and the household remains happy.

ATM probably the easiest way to achieve xAP/Comfort PCless  would be=20
using a scriptable/macro based embedded automation controller like=20
HomeVision etc, with Comfort attached via a UCM and processed via a HV=20
serial port. Having got into HV the Comfort I/O could be controlled and=20
monitored via xAP using the xAP/HV gateway and macros on HV.  I'm=20
assuming xAP is important to you..  maybe it's just the integration=20
you're after xAP is just a facilitator to that, after all that' is its=20
purpose.   Also older model AMX and Crestron controllers are now really=20
cheap on eBay - circa =A3100, which is cheaper than HV even, but they=20
involve a steep learning curve and awkward programming software=20
availability.

There are other possibilities in the works too ...   but still a way=20
off.    So many things are possible now that my 'todo' list is=20
approaching a novel...  it's a great position for HA people to at last=20
eb in though.  Is it just a small subset of Comforts functionality you=20
would want access to via xAP or the whole lot ?  I ask because I'm=20
looking at another embedded device that is really easy to program that=20
may provide a quick and affordable solution if it's just simple support=20
you're after.  I have used this here to xAP enable a Meteor CID unit so=20
I have the xAP code mostly done now.

I always have concerns about alarm systems being automated via HA ,=20
particularly if it involves networking and a set/unset facility which=20
could also have impacts on compliance and security. Comfort is unusual=20
though in having I/O capabilities and a programming facility.  Bearing=20
in mind xAP is a non encrypted UDP broadcast implementation , so it's=20
not managed on a point to point basis like TCP and insecure technically=20
(not encrypted) , especially if you have wireless. You can setup=20
bridging to avoid the xAP broadcasts appearing on your wireless segments=20
though. . Higher level protocols can be layered on top of xAP and some=20
of James' apps have added encryption but this does somewhat move away=20
from the broadcast methodology of xAP (as some listeners become excluded).

K

Gareth Cook wrote:
> Could be an option - not a chance Im using a PC to control anything.
It=20
> WILL go wrong...
>
> G.
>
>  Gareth Cook
>  IT Architect / Project Manager, SWG Sales Europe
>  Office: +44 (0)1784 445166 - Mobile: +44 (0)7980 445166
>  email: g@xxxxxxx
>
>=20
> ----- Forwarded by Gareth Cook/UK/IBM on 03/05/2007 11:16 -----
>
> Discussion
> Main Topic
>
> ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Today 10:17
>
> .
> Subject:
> .
> Re: Fw: [ukha_d] C-Bus Lighting to xAP Home Automation Gateway -
(beta)
> .
> Category:
>
>
>
> The Opnode <http://www.opnode.org/> hardware looks
a good candidate for=20
a
> xAP<>Comfort embedded connector.
>
> Max
>
> On 03/05/07, Kevin Hawkins <lists@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>=20
>>   There is already a Comfort xAP connector written by Patrick I
believe=
=20

>>=20
> .
>=20
>> Also If you have a working Comfort to HomeSeer plugin (which I
think=20
you
>> have) then all the Comfort devices created within HomeSeer can
>> automatically become xAP enabled as the xAP plugin for HS provides
this
>> feature. Essentially any device in HS can be exposed as a xAP
device
>> and any xAP devices can be created within HS.
>>
>> I have no plans for a direct Comfort attach to the xAP gateway as
I use
>> a Microtech/Honeywell Galaxy alarm here. Getting to C-Bus via
Comfort=20
is
>> not possible in a direct sense either as you would have to
communicate
>> via Comforts 'counter' implementation - you can't see the actual
C-Bus
>> protocol data at all this way as it's translated and abridged by
the
>> UCM's so it would a very restricted implementation.
>> xAP <> UCM <> Comfort (counters) <> UCM <>
C-Bus SIM <> C-Bus .
>> Having a C-Bus interface directly on the gateway is the right way
to do
>> this.
>> xAP<>C-Bus SIM<>C-Bus
>>
>> Kevin
>>
>>
>> Gareth Cook wrote:
>>=20
>>> How about a Comfort to xAP please !
>>>
>>> Already have a cbus to comfort gateway - so a comfort to xap
would=20
>>>=20
> open
>=20
>> up
>>=20
>>> cbus at the same time...
>>>
>>> Well, it's nice to dream...
>>>
>>> G.
>>>
>>> Gareth Cook
>>> IT Architect / Project Manager, SWG Sales Europe
>>> Office: +44 (0)1784 445166 - Mobile: +44 (0)7980 445166
>>> email: g@xxxxxxx <g%40uk.ibm.com>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Forwarded by Gareth Cook/UK/IBM on 02/05/2007 17:41
-----
>>>
>>> Discussion
>>> Main Topic
>>>
>>> ukha_d@xxxxxxx <ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
>>> Today 13:59
>>>
>>> .
>>> Subject:
>>> .
>>> [ukha_d] C-Bus Lighting to xAP Home Automation Gateway -
(beta)
>>> .
>>> Category:
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>>>
>>>
>>> eBay Item number: 120115405971
>>>
>>> http://tinyurl.com/22g5zy
>>>
>>> M.
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>>>
>>> Unless stated otherwise above:
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with=20
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> number
>=20
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>>> Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth,
Hampshire PO6
>>>=20
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> Unless stated otherwise above:
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number=
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> 741598.=20
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Unless stated otherwise above:
IBM United Kingdom Limited - Registered in England and Wales with number=20
741598.=20
Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3AU







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