Plugin: InControl For SageTV/HomeSeer - Version 1.2.0 BETA

[lamanmi]

UPGRADE PROCEDURE FROM 1.0.x:

• Access HomeSeer Updater and download/isntall InControl version 1.2.0.
• Go to Sage TV and update the UI Mod plugin for InControl to version 1.2.0 through the Sage Plugin options
• Select Control from the Sage main menu, you will be prompted to correct any settings that were not previously set.

Description:

InControl is a plugin for HomeSeer and SageTV. It provides a real-time interactive interface between SageTV and Homeseer. With InControl, you are provided with easy to use, graphical interface in SageTV to control and monitor any HomeSeer devices. In addition, you can use HomeSeer to broadcast messages to SageTV.

Features:

• Control and/or monitor any device in HomeSeer from within SageTV
• Send messages and alerts from to Sage from HomeSeer with Events or Scripts
• Custom graphic library included for SageTV
• Secure connection with SageTV via HomeSeer user id and password

Requirements:

• SageTV 7.0.8 or higher
• InControl For Sage Plugin (available through SageTV plugin library)
• HomeSeer 2.0 or higher
• InControl For HomeSeer Plugin (available through HomeSeer store and updater)
• HomeSeer and SageTV must be on the same PC or connected via a network

Installation:

• Be sure to download and install the InControl Plugin for HomeSeer first. It is available through the HomeSeer Updater and Store.
• Once InControl is running on your HomeSeer server, you can download and install the SageTV component through the plugin manager.
• Please be sure to review the links below for more information.

More Information:

• Installation Guide
• User Guide
• Screenshots within HomeSeer
• Screenshots within SageTV

Feeback:

• Enhancment Requests - There are many other features I am planning to add to this plugin. However, please feel free to post any enhancment ideas and I will do my best to add the capability.
• Defect Reports - This is the first public version, please feel free to report defects and I will do my best to correct and update as soon as possible. Please note that this version has only be tested on Windows platforms.

Version Information:

1.0.8

New Features:

• Initial version

1.0.9

Bug Fixes:

• Added additional debug tracking capability

1.1.0

New Features:

• Reconfigured SageTV and HomeSeer Pairing process to eliminate false connections and multiple entries in HS
• Added capability in HomeSeer to clear all Sage connections
• Modified each Sage UI to access its own Sage properties fileAdded additional debug tracking capability

1.2.0

New Features:

• Added capability to Control Events with InControl. To select the Events that Sage will see, click on the "Events" link on the main InControl plugin page. The events will by default go to Sage with the group name being the location and the name of the event being the device. This can be changed to provide a more Sage friendly name. (HomeSeer and Sage)
• Significantly improved and added step by step progress indication as the Sage configuration is being performed. This will significantly assist in selecting the correct settings for HomeSeer and Sage to communicate (Sage)
• Added port to the Sage Server/Clients listing in the initial InControl screen Sage Listing (HomeSeer)
• In Options menu, will automatically try changed port if listner is not active, otherwise will prompt to restart Sage. This eliminates the need to restart Sage while trying to find an available port. (Sage)
• Added configuration parameter to set custom text for the button that appears in HomeSeer (HomeSeer)
• Added check for Client vs. Server to set RecPort to different numbers (to avoid conflict of Sage running as a service and running Sage Client on the server)

Bug Fixes:

• Corrected issue where plugin is being set up initially through an extender prevents the settings to be saved correctly for the server.
• Corrected issue where running Sage as a service and then starting the Sage UI on the same server as the service would conflict in the port they are using.

[CollinR]

I feel HAL is about to be gone from my system! Wanted to play with Homeseer but up until recently there wasn't another option.

[Brent94Z]

Originally Posted by CollinR

I feel HAL is about to be gone from my system! Wanted to play with Homeseer but up until recently there wasn't another option.

I hear ya. I actually have Hal2000 but don't have it all setup yet. Since I don't have the skills to be able to do this kind of stuff, I kinda have to go where the interests are for the devs. If none of the smart guys want to make cool things for HAL, I too see myself likely checking out Homeseer because of plugins like this

[mbowling]

Originally Posted by lamanmi

mbowling,The new version, 1.2.0, now allows you to fire off HomeSeer events from Sage. You can find the options, by selecting the "Events" link on the main InControl page. Let me know how it works for you.

I installed version 1.2.0 today to test-drive the plug-in. I love the ability to control Homeseer events through SageTV. This has really increased the cool factor of SageTV. I'll definitely allocate funds in my August budget to purchase this plug-in. Great work!

There is one problem that I am seeing. In the SageTV interface, when I have three or more devices listed above an event I am unable to move from an event name to the center column to run the event. Focus is passed from the event name in the left column to the "Options" button in the right column, skipping the center column.

[mbowling]

InControl appears to use the TVBackgroung.jpg image when scrolling through the SageTV main menu. Will there be a custom image for InControl in the future? Also, the same question when viewing the list of devices and events. This appears to use the OnlineBackground.jpg image. Will there be a custom image for this screen? I tend to replace the images in the standard theme with my own images. I would like to find some type of home automation images to use here.

[mbowling]

Have you considered naming the main menu selection "HomeSeer" rather than "Control"?

[lamanmi]

mbowling,

Originally Posted by mbowling

There is one problem that I am seeing. In the SageTV interface, when I have three or more devices listed above an event I am unable to move from an event name to the center column to run the event. Focus is passed from the event name in the left column to the "Options" button in the right column, skipping the center column.

Glad to see it is up and running for you. I will check out the problem of the focus not hitting the center problem. There is a work around, after you do a right movement to the third column, press up. That will take you back to the center column.....I will get this corrected in a future version.

[lamanmi]

mbowling,

Originally Posted by mbowling

InControl appears to use the TVBackgroung.jpg image when scrolling through the SageTV main menu. Will there be a custom image for InControl in the future? Also, the same question when viewing the list of devices and events. This appears to use the OnlineBackground.jpg image. Will there be a custom image for this screen? I tend to replace the images in the standard theme with my own images. I would like to find some type of home automation images to use here.

Great feedback....let me add that to the list and will let you know when it is in a future version.

[lamanmi]

mbowling,

Originally Posted by mbowling

Have you considered naming the main menu selection "HomeSeer" rather than "Control"?

My plan is to expand InControl to support additional backends (i.e. other Home Automation software), so I am going to try to keep the "Control" concept going. However, it would be easy to add an option to allow folks to customize the menu name to anything they choose. I will add that to the list and let you know when it is there.

[Brent94Z]

Originally Posted by lamanmi

mbowling,



My plan is to expand InControl to support additional backends (i.e. other Home Automation software)...

Was HAL2000 one of these other Home Automation softwares you are looking at? (keep fingers crossed ) I've got an alarm system that interfaces with HAL2000 and to have SageTV interface with all this would be the cat's meow.

[lamanmi]

Originally Posted by Brent94Z

Was HAL2000 one of these other Home Automation softwares you are looking at? (keep fingers crossed ) I've got an alarm system that interfaces with HAL2000 and to have SageTV interface with all this would be the cat's meow.

Brent,

I have not yet looked into any other home automation programs to interface yet, however, I will certainly add HAL to the list when I get there.

Michael

[Brent94Z]

Originally Posted by lamanmi

Brent,

I have not yet looked into any other home automation programs to interface yet, however, I will certainly add HAL to the list when I get there.

Michael

That would be most excellent, Michael. Thank you!

[mbowling]

I don't see any specific order to the second column device/event names. Can these be sorted by name like the first column "Location" names?

[mbowling]

I used the "Status Mapping" feature in Homeseer to set the status text of my doors to "Open" or "Closed" depending on the status of "On" or "Off". The text displays correctly in SageTV, but the door icon is always the red "Unknown Status" door icon.

[mbowling]

I have several devices that store information from my weather station. I added the outside temperature device to Incontrol, but when I check the status of this device in SageTV the status is "Unknown". The status in Homeseer is 91, which is the current temperature.

[mbowling]

This may not be used by a lot of people, but the only device graphic that I use and can't find in the graphic list is an on/off image for an irrigation system. Yes, Homeseer even waters my lawn. Not a big deal, but if you happen to have one, please throw it in.

[mbowling]

Would it be possible for InControl to detect when the HD200 is powered on and then automatically run a HomeSeer event? I would like to automatically run the event that adjusts the room lighting when the HD200 is turned on. Maybe there could be a single setting such as "Run this event at startup"?

[lamanmi]

mbowling,

Originally Posted by mbowling

InControl appears to use the TVBackgroung.jpg image when scrolling through the SageTV main menu. Will there be a custom image for InControl in the future? Also, the same question when viewing the list of devices and events. This appears to use the OnlineBackground.jpg image. Will there be a custom image for this screen? I tend to replace the images in the standard theme with my own images. I would like to find some type of home automation images to use here.

Not sure if you noticed, but 1.3.0 has a new background just for InControl. There are two files...one that is shown in while on the main menu (InControlBackground.jpg) and one that is shown within the InControl screen (InControlBackgroundPlain.jpg).

\SageTV\SageTV\STVs\SageTV7\incontrol_images

Both are located in the Sage directory. As it stands now, each version upgrade will overwrite those files, but I can change that if it becomes a problem.

[lamanmi]

Originally Posted by mbowling

I don't see any specific order to the second column device/event names. Can these be sorted by name like the first column "Location" names?

mbowling,

Version 1.3.1 now sorts the locations/devices....let me know how it looks.

[lamanmi]

Originally Posted by mbowling

I used the "Status Mapping" feature in Homeseer to set the status text of my doors to "Open" or "Closed" depending on the status of "On" or "Off". The text displays correctly in SageTV, but the door icon is always the red "Unknown Status" door icon.

mbowling, in version 1.3.1 try setting the "Status Information To Send" to be Device String and select the Default Graphic to "Door". If that doesn't work. On the same HomeSeer Device Screen, click on the "InControl Device Information" then the export button at the bottom to export the device settings to a file. Then send me that file for me to further investigate, how the device status is being controlled by homeseer.

Let me know how it goes.