Virtual COM port for HS3-Pi

[mhiles]

Hello all, please forgive me if this is posted in the wrong place. I couldn't figure out where best to post it.

In a nutshell, I installed HS3 on a Pi 4 board. It's seems to work but I need to use the Concord Plugin to talk to my security panel (and my panel complains incessantly if it's not being serviced). On my Win10 HS3 install I use a VCom software to create a virtual serial port to talk to my panel 2 floors away. How do I do the same thing on HS3 Pi? How will I get the Concord Plugin to talk over my LAN to the serial port device?

Thanks for any pointers. I'm a fumbling noob on Pi/Linux.

Mike

[Michael McSharry]

Pete This seems to be up Pete’s alley. I think it is something like ser2net that is used. I have not done it myself on Linux.

[Pete]

For Linux here utilize ser2net. concordseer (Pete) is very familiar with your security panel / plugin / Homeseer on the RPi .

Easy to install ser2net.

1 - sudo apt update
2 - sudo apt install ser2net
3 - sudo nano /etc/ser2net.conf

Here utilize it for my ZWave RPi in the attic. I added the following line to my configuration:

3001:raw:60:/dev/ttyUSB1:9600

Note this is for the RPi to speak to an serial to ethernet connection on the panel side and I am not sure how that is configured. (speed and port wise)

[mhiles]

Thank you, Pete. Much appreciate. In my case I have a RPi running HS3 I want to talk to a BF-430 serial port to TCP emulator at my security panel. Hopefully I can get that set up correct. I see my BF-430 is running 9600 baud and 8 bit, Odd parity, 1 Stop bit, no flow control.

Mike

[concordseer]

Pete yes I still run the Concord 4 Panel. It’s fairly straightforward to setup really.

A good quality serial to usb cable and the correct settings in the Configuration section of the Concord plugin and you’re good to go.

Most of what the OP needs to know is documented in the https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/se...oncord-4-vasrc section

[concordseer]

In case the settings are needed for the Configuration section.

Connection Type : Serial Port

set the Baud to 9600;
set the Data bits to 8;
set the Parity to Odd;
set the Stop bits to 1;

I found the most reliable serial to usb cable were ones with the FTDI chipsets.

If you need any further info just post back and let me know.

[mhiles]

Ok, Pete, now I'm way confused. lol

Why would I need a serial to USB cable?
My RPi is connected to my LAN thru an ethernet cable.
My Concord Panel is also connected to my LAN thru a BF-430 serial to IP converter box. It has it's own IP address and webpage for configuration, but I need to figure out how to tell the RPi how to communicate with it over the LAN. In other words, I need a RPi/Debian app that I can tell "go to this IP using TCP and read this 'serial encoded' data".

Does that make sense? After reading the man page, I get the impression ser2net won't do the trick.

Mike

[zwolfpack]

Search for BF-430 gets to this page https://www.usconverters.com/rs485-ethernet-converter

Under specifications, it indicates Linux is supported via "remserial". Following link to downloads page, http://www.usconverters.com/index.ph...age=page&id=15

Last item in first section is link to remserial.zip.

This contains a pdf with minimal instructions. The section you'd be interested in for running on the rpi is "Connect an RS232 device to a specified server".

[Pete]

Why would I need a serial to USB cable?

1 - A serial to USB cable could be utilized for a serial to serial connection (I use cat5e / baluns for this)
2 - A serial to USB cable could also be utilized for a serial to ethernet connection (hardware) I do this today with old Quatech serial servers and new RF serial to serial devices.

There are dozens of ways to speak serially to any device today via Linux. Concordseer is using a wired serial connection to his panel.

Ser2net - old serial to ethernet linux software that has been around for over 20 years.

3 - that and you can also do it all in software using serial to ethernet (ser2net).

My Concord Panel is also connected to my LAN thru a BF-430 serial to IP converter box.

There are many ways today to use serial transport on ethernet. The BF-430 is one propietary hardware device of many that convert serial to ethernet.

ZWolfpack explains this above specific to your hardware device (BF-430).

Concordseer is using a serial to serial connection for his Concord panel.

[concordseer]

Ok, Pete, now I'm way confused. lol

Why would I need a serial to USB cable?
My RPi is connected to my LAN thru an ethernet cable.
My Concord Panel is also connected to my LAN thru a BF-430 serial to IP converter box. It has it's own IP address and webpage for configuration, but I need to figure out how to tell the RPi how to communicate with it over the LAN. In other words, I need a RPi/Debian app that I can tell "go to this IP using TCP and read this 'serial encoded' data".

Does that make sense? After reading the man page, I get the impression ser2net won't do the trick.

Mike

I was purely outlining my own setup. Raspberry Pi is connected directly to the Concord 4 Panel via serial to usb cable and the Pi is powered via the Concord 4 backup battery with a 12v to 5v buck which doubles as a UPS (vital for any security panel automation system).

[mhiles]

Just to close out this thread I thought I should post what I found out. Thanks to Pete's excellent coding on the Concord Plug-in, I was making an issue out of a non-issue. It turns out, at least on the RPi, the HS3 Concord plugin shows in the configuration section the option to connect to the panel via IP address instead of serial port. That worked like a charm!

I'm so embarrassed. 🙄

Thanks, guys.