RE: Trouble getting xPL Comfort to work

["Kevin Hawkins" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am guessing there are quite a lot as until the UCM that was the only
solution - and of course they are very low cost (cf UCM) which is nice and
have full unprotected access to the actual bus in the same way that every
keypad and otherd evice sits on the bus HOWEVER - it's a private protocol
and I suspect that Comfort wont provide the info - although they may do
under NDA. It might create a security vulnerability (re approvals) though
and hence be fowned upon - but Comfort does that in so many other ways it
may not be a concern. This old interface may not eb available from Comfort
anymore but is just a half duplex convertor I think. Almost nothing on the
pcb.

The great thing apart from it being a low cost interface is that
'everything' can be seen and emulated so you could have an xPL Comfort
keypad or I/O module if they sit on the bus. So it would be hugely
powerful.


My main dislike of Comfort is the necessity for voice promts - particularly
late at night when people might be sleeping and unfamiliar users find it
awkward (eg mum when you go on hols)- so I campaigned for an LCD keypad
option as well - however the 'real estate' of the display area was cited as
a problem due to Comforts complex menu hierarchy - and a solution would
appear 'in time'.   I am now told this solution is the Cor Access screen
which is hardly my idea of an answer for a low cost LCD keypad alternative.
Rambling here - but at that time it was suggested if I wanted to create an
LCD keypad of my own then access to the bus protocol, or the appropriate
subset of it, could be obtained under NDA. But I opted for an alternative
panel solution as there were half a dozen systems involved and I sacrificed
the HA integration within the panel (eg X10) choosing to install companion
HomeVisions instead. In my own setup I use two systems - a professionally
maintained Galaxy system and a secondary Comfort system.

Kevin

> -----Original Message-----
> From: steve.cooper@xxxxxxx
> [mailto:steve.cooper@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 28 May 2004 12:55
> To: ukha_xpl@xxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [ukha_xpl] Trouble getting xPL Comfort to work
>
>
> You are correct I do have a UCM which is the one that I
> used with CS-Xpress (not sure which version).  I got it
> back in about 2000/01 when I got my system so I wasn't
> aware that there was anything that came before the old style UCM.
>
> As you say I'm sure that it could be catered for but the
> problem is having both the protocol and the hardware to
> test it with.  Do you know whether there are still many of
> the RS232 convertors about?
>
> S.
>
>
> --------+------------------------->
>                   "Kevin Hawkins"
>                   <lists@xxxxxxx
>                   mon.co.uk>
>
>                   28/05/2004
>                   11:59
>                   Please respond
>                   to ukha_xpl
>
> --------+------------------------->
>
> >----------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>          To:     <ukha_xpl@xxxxxxx>
>
>          cc:
>
>          Subject:     RE: [ukha_xpl] Trouble getting xPL
> Comfort to work
>
> >----------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Steve - are you definitely using an old serial interface
> to Comfort (and not a UCM ??) I say this because the old
> serial interface was just effectively an RS485 to RS232
> convertor nad handled the Comfort 'on the wire' protocol
> directly which is quite different to the current UCM
> interaction where there are higher level commands and
> replies ??  I think Rob has just the level convertor but
> it could be supported too I guess, that would be most impressive ..
>
>            Kevin
>
>    > -----Original Message-----
>    > From: steve.cooper@xxxxxxx
>    > [mailto:steve.cooper@xxxxxxx]
>    > Sent: 28 May 2004 08:47
>    > To: ukha_xpl@xxxxxxx
>    > Subject: Re: [ukha_xpl] Trouble getting xPL Comfort to work
>    >
>    >
>    > Rob
>    >
>    > The serial interface shouldn't be a problem as I have an
>    > old one as well.
>    > The error you are getting seems to be like you say, that
>    > something has got itself in a knot.
>    >
>    > Try removing all references to johnb-comfort from the
>    > config directories that are under the data folder in
>    > program files\xplhal.  Also remove the xpl comfort xml
>    > file from winnt\system32.  Then try restarting the
>    > xplcomfort service.
>    >
>    > S.
>    >
>    >
>    > --------+----------------------->
>    >                   "Rob West"
>    >                   <xplworld@ntl
>    >                   world.com>
>    >
>    >                   28/05/2004
>    >                   08:37
>    >                   Please
>    >                   respond to
>    >                   ukha_xpl
>    >
>    > --------+----------------------->
>    >
>    > >----------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>    >
>    >
>
>    >          To:     <ukha_xpl@xxxxxxx>
>    >
>
>    >          cc:
>    >
>
>    >          Subject:     Re: [ukha_xpl] Trouble getting xPL
>    > Comfort to work
>
>    >
>    > >----------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>    >
>    >
>    >
>    > Hello John,
>    >
>    > xPL Comfort and xPLHal are on the same machine, and the
>    > hub is switched on in xPLHalManager, so I think my machine
>    > must have got itself in a knot!
>    >
>    > If I double click on xPL Comfort in xPLHalManager I just
>    > get the "unexpected response... 418 no vendor info"
message.
>    >
>    > Just had a thought - I'm using the original serial
>    > interface that came with my Comfort system in 1999, in the
>    > days of CS-Xpress 2.05. Perhaps this device is too old to
>    > be supported by xPL Comfort?
>    >
>    > Rob.
>    >
>    > ----- Original Message -----
>    > From: "John B" <home-automation@xxxxxxx>
>    > To: <ukha_xpl@xxxxxxx>
>    > Sent: Friday, May 28, 2004 7:50 AM
>    > Subject: Re: [ukha_xpl] Trouble getting xPL Comfort to work
>    >
>    >
>    > > Hi Rob,
>    > >
>    > > Sorry for the late reply.
>    > >
>    > > > I'm having some trouble getting the xPL Comfort
>    > service to work.
>    > > >
>    > > > First I tried installing it with the "allow
remote
>    > configuration"
>    > option -
>    > > > but xPLHalManager just said that the device didn't
support
>    > configuration.
>    > >
>    > > Is xPL Comfort running on the same PC as xPLHal?
>    > > Running xPL Comfort on a different PC that wasn't
>    > running an xPL hub
>    > could
>    > cause this behaviour.
>    > >
>    > > > So I uninstalled, rebooted and reinstalled it with
the
>    > "use serial
>    > device"
>    > > > option. Now I can see heartbeat messages, but
> nothing else!
>    > > >
>    > > > Any ideas what I might have done wrong? Is there any
>    > way that I can
>    > check
>    > > > the login code that I entered or view the serial
> data stream?
>    > >
>    > > If you look at the xpl Comfort device in xPLHal Manager,
>    > the user code
>    > should be listed as a configurable item and you can see
>    > what it's currently set to.
>    > >
>    > > HTH,
>    > >
>    > > John
>    >
>    >
>    >
>    >
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