Re: Re: Home Automation Integration and touchscreen front end

[Ben McCormack <yahoogroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

OK

I have now spent as couple of evenings trying to get homeseer and
Comfort to do something slightly useful and I am getting no where.

I have installed Homeseer and the Comfort plugin.

I get the homeseer to query Comfort and retrieve the version
information but not much else.

Maybe I have got it all wrong but I was expecting to be able to see
'real time' zone status etc. Have I got it totally wrong?

Ben


On 5 Jan 2009, at  14:34, Gareth Cook wrote:

> I'm the opposite - and the support for the plugin is , well, p155
> poor.
>
> Paul - time to re-invent your modified plugin ? :-)
>
> Yup. that's the one. I've found it to be extremely relaible (touch
> wood).
>
> Paul G
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx on behalf of Ben McCormack
> Sent: Mon 05/01/2009 13:31
> To: UKHA Group
> Subject: [ukha_d] Re: Home Automation Integration and touchscreen
> front
> end
>
> Guys - Are you using the pjcComfort2 plugin to connect Comfort to
> homeseer?
>
> --- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "Paul Gordon" <paul@...> wrote:
> >
> > Indeed, Gareth's experience does generally differ from my own,
but
> I've
> > always attributed that to the fact that Gareth generally is
> "pushing the
> > envelope" rather further than I do...
> >
> > :-)
> >
> > Paul G.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On
> Behalf
> > Of Gareth Cook
> > Sent: 04 January 2009 19:21
> > To: UKHA Group
> > Subject: Fw: [ukha_d] Home Automation Integration and touchscreen
> front
> > end
> >
> > Paul and myself chat often as we have almost the same
installation
> with
> > Comfort, CBUS, Homeseer, and Sonos.
> >
> > I would like to say that the PC component is as flakey as a box
of
> > cornflakes - always has been and I've been running Homeseer for
> several
> > years.
> >
> > The Comfort plugin is ok, but has a temper now and again - and
the
> Sonos
> >
> > plugin is not stable at all. If you dont mind checking your
system
> every
> >
> > now and again, you'll be fine. I too, like Paul, have CBUS
buttons
> > activating Sonos stuff and the like - and we have to use Homeseer
as
> > that's the only route between Sonos and Comfort - but it's often
not
> > functioning because one of the 2 plugins has died on its arse.
> >
> > I plan to reinstall (for the umpteen time) and try to keep to a
> stable
> > revision of everything (ie one but last of the Comfort plugin)
but
> both
> > plugins really requires some extensive QA work - stability is
> severely
> > lacking. Even Comfort has it's moments, but CBUS has never ever
gone
> > wrong.
> >
> > G.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Ben,
> >
> > I agree with pretty much all those choices, with the exception of
> > Smartfit... - the good thing about it is there is a dedicated UCM
to
> > integrate smartfit & comfort, but the downside is that
smartfit is a
> > pretty dumb system, and is only suitable for certain Central
Heating
> > designs. The newer Hometronic system is far better in most
respects,
> > although there isn't a dedicated UCM for it unfortunately. I
believe
> > Cytech were (are?) attempting to make an arrangement with
> Honeywell with
> > a view to developing a Hometronic UCM, but I've heard nothing on
> this
> > for the last 2 years or so, so I guess that idea never got off
the
> > ground (shame). Hometronic is, as you've noticed, significantly
more
> > expensive, especially if you have lots of radiators all needing
the
> > hometronic control valves on them, although I guess you *could*
> > implement it in phases to reduce the initial impact.
> >
> > In case you hadn't sussed, it *is* actually possible to implement
a
> > degree of integration between Hometronic & Comfort, using
some of
> the
> > Hometronic modules that provide digital input/outputs that can
> then be
> > connected to Comfort outputs/inputs to signal discrete states,
and
> > enable Comfort to control Hometronic (i.e comfort could have a
> number of
> > outputs connected to Hometronic, each signal line could then be
> > programmed in Hometronic to set a particular
"lifestyle" so for
> instance
> > Comfort would be able to turn off all heating when set to away
> mode...)
> >
> > I already have almost all the components of the system that
you've
> > specified (Comfort, CBUS, SONOS, Homeseer) and I actually settled
on
> > Hometronic for my heating as well, and even went as far as
getting a
> > quote for a system. Unforseen circumstances have repeatedly
forced
> me to
> > put it on hold unfortunately, so I still haven't got round to
> purchasing
> > it, although I do still intend to when circumstances allow.
> >
> > If you haven't already experimented with Homeseer, its worth
> pointing
> > out that there is just about to be a new component launched for
it
> which
> > is specifically designed for easy implementation of touchscreens.
> > "Homeseer Touch" is in beta at the moment, and I've
been playing
> with it
> > for a couple of months. It is pretty simple &
straightforward, and
> > integrates seamlessly with Homeseer. It's still a bit rough
around
> the
> > edges, but I believe in time it will be an extremely capable
> system, and
> > almost a no-brainer for anyone who already runs Homeseer.
> >
> > Using this combination of components I've been able to achieve
some
> > additional integration that actually isn't possible if any of
them
> are
> > omitted. For instance I can have CBUS buttons control SONOS zones
so
> > that my "room off" button that I have on all my CBUS
keypads can
> also
> > stop the SONOS zone playing in that room as well, which makes for
a
> > nicer overall experience. This particular function uses Homeseer
to
> > bridge several systems via their respective plugins (signals go:
> CBUS
> > --> Comfort --> Homeseer --> SONOS)
> >
> > If you'd like any further info about my experiences, then just
> holler.
> >
> > HTH
> >
> > Paul G.
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On
> Behalf
> > > Of Ben McCormack
> > > Sent: 04 January 2009 16:16
> > > To: UKHA Group
> > > Subject: [ukha_d] Home Automation Integration and
touchscreen
> front
> > end
> > >
> > > All
> > >
> > > As I am suer many of you are aware we have recently moved
into a
> new
> > > house that needs renovation. This has given me the chance to
> automate
> > > the house. I have tried to use best of breed in each area
where
> > > possible and integrate systems as well.
> > >
> > > I have arrived at the following scheme
> > >
> > > Lighting : Cbus
> > > Alarm : Comfort
> > > Heating : Smartfit
> > > Temp Monitoing : 1-Wire using HA7Net. This is based on
recent
> > > discussions.
> > > All the media in the house will be supplied from my Mac Mini
> Server
> > > and Sonos.
> > >
> > > cbus and Comfort are linked
> > > Comfort and Smartfit are linked
> > >
> > > So I have Lighting, Heating and Alarm integrated. So far
Comfort
> will
> > > be my main interface so I can use Comfort keypads or the
DECT
> phones
> > > in the house to control things.
> > >
> > > Now I have added 1-Wire I am starting to think how to
integrate
> that
> > > and make intelligent decisions based on room temperature and
also
> > > provide temp logging and graphing.
> > >
> > > There is one area that I don't think I have worked out yet
and
> that is
> > > the overall control mechanism. I guess ideally I would like
a
> couple
> > > of wireless touch-screens that could display information
about the
> > > house and allow me to control various functions.
> > >
> > > I can see that homeseer could be used as an interface. It
has
> plugins
> > > for most of my components.
> > >
> > > Are there any other options I could look at?
> > >
> > > Ben
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> ------------------------------------
>
> Unless stated otherwise above:
> IBM United Kingdom Limited - Registered in England and Wales with
> number
> 741598.
> Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire
> PO6 3AU
>
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