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

[Kevin Hawkins <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ahh yes, we have similar goals, all embedded :-)  so neither of my
suggestions achieve this.  Where do you plan on orchestrating the brains
of your PCless HA system, ie the control of logical interactions,
scripting and timed events ? Is your plan to use Comfort for this or do
you have another HA controller ?

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

ATM probably the easiest way to achieve xAP/Comfort PCless  would be
using a scriptable/macro based embedded automation controller like
HomeVision etc, with Comfort attached via a UCM and processed via a HV
serial port. Having got into HV the Comfort I/O could be controlled and
monitored via xAP using the xAP/HV gateway and macros on HV.  I'm
assuming xAP is important to you..  maybe it's just the integration
you're after xAP is just a facilitator to that, after all that' is its
purpose.   Also older model AMX and Crestron controllers are now really
cheap on eBay - circa £100, which is cheaper than HV even, but they
involve a steep learning curve and awkward programming software
availability.

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

I always have concerns about alarm systems being automated via HA ,
particularly if it involves networking and a set/unset facility which
could also have impacts on compliance and security. Comfort is unusual
though in having I/O capabilities and a programming facility.  Bearing
in mind xAP is a non encrypted UDP broadcast implementation , so it's
not managed on a point to point basis like TCP and insecure technically
(not encrypted) , especially if you have wireless. You can setup
bridging to avoid the xAP broadcasts appearing on your wireless segments
though. . Higher level protocols can be layered on top of xAP and some
of James' apps have added encryption but this does somewhat move away
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
> 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
>
>
> ----- 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:
>
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> The Opnode <http://www.opnode.org/> hardware looks
a good candidate for a
> xAP<>Comfort embedded connector.
>
> Max
>
> On 03/05/07, Kevin Hawkins <lists@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>   There is already a Comfort xAP connector written by Patrick I
believe
>>
> .
>
>> Also If you have a working Comfort to HomeSeer plugin (which I
think 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 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:
>>
>>> How about a Comfort to xAP please !
>>>
>>> Already have a cbus to comfort gateway - so a comfort to xap
would
>>>
> open
>
>> up
>>
>>> 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:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> eBay Item number: 120115405971
>>>
>>> http://tinyurl.com/22g5zy
>>>
>>> M.
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> Unless stated otherwise above:
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number
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> Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6
3AU
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