HAI plugin stops working when it loses connectivity to HAI board

[Pete]

The advanced settings bring up an OpenWRT configuration with many features.

Unless using wireless I would shut off the interface for wifi in OpenWRT.

or you can log in at:

IPOFROUTER/cgi-bin/luci

The OpenWRT menus are a bit more flexible than the GL.Net menus.

and allows for adding some programs.

The main GL. net webpage does show updates and I use it to update the device.

I haven't posted much on the GLxx forum lately (pete over there) and here settled on the Nexx micro router for use with the OmniPro 2 panel.



Disabled IP6 too. (note that the settings in OpenWRT menu superceed the ones on the GL.inet menu)

So here used GL.iNet menu to upgrade firmware
and used OpenWRT menu to:

1 - configure firewall rules (80, 22 and HAI port)
2 - shut off IP6
3 - disable wireless (power sucker)

Original set up used panel 12VDC to 5VDC converter going to a micro USB power connector on the microrouter.
Newer set up now uses POE from the Leviton 42" side panel POE switch. The 42" panel also has 120VDC to 12VDC and 120VDC to 5VDC power supplies. Single 120VAC out of the Leviton Panel goes to an APC UPS.
xxx

[Overst]

I just installed the MT300N-V2 from GL-iNet between my network and the Omni controlled. Cost was under $20 and took about 30 minutes. Works well so far.

[Pete]

Good news Overst!!

Here pushing on my panel a bit using all of the serial ports, multiple ethernet connections and running the Omni Plugin since the get go.

I have not had issues running the Omni Plugin on two HS3 boxes in Ubuntu Linux.

Are you running Homeseer 3 in Windows or Linux. Thinking Rob is running on both Windows and Linux.

[cmb]

Pete,

I have an OMNI IIe and I am also experiencing plugin disconnects. Is it possible to restart the plugin with a script periodically? I am new to Homeseer but I've had OMNI boards for more than a decade. Thanks
-- Marcel

[Pete]

Welcome to the Homeseer forum Marcel.

I am using the Omni Pro 2 panel here running the Omni Plugin in Ubuntu on two machines. Rob is running the plugin on the RPi.

Do you have any other ethernet connections to the Omni IIe panel? IE: Omnitouch 5.7e's, mobile software, CCTV?

Just curious how many ethernet devices do you have on your home network?

Any keypad, OmniTouch 5.7 or serial Omnistat issues?

Jon00 has a plugin called Enable/Disable Utility for Homeseer 3 (Version 2). You can shut down and enable the plugin via an event.

I tested it tonight on my HS3 Lite box / Ubuntu 18.10 64 bit running the Omni Plugin. Works fine. Should work fine on the RPi.

Jon00 Homeseer Plugin Enable/Disable utility



Can you please do me a favor?

For a day or so please shut down the Omni Plugin. Using PCA check the time in the morning then check it again in the afternoon.

Is the time off by a few minutes or just a few seconds or not at all?

Jon has been here since the beginning of Homeseer and provides all of his software for free. Please donate something for his efforts.


xxxx

[Overst]

Pete I have used Jon's plugin successfully however the problem with this solution is the amount of time it takes for the plugin to initialize. My OmniPro2 has 136 zones, 14 zigbee thermostats, over 100 outputs, 40 units, 6 flags, 20 buttons, and 8 users defined so it takes a good while for the application to restart which leaves a big hole in the real time automation.

[Pete]

Understood Adrian. Rob has mentioned the long time frame relating to restarting the Omni plugin with many devices.

That is why I am asking Marcel if he is having any issues with time sync. The time sync issues here led to the disconnects of the network.

Here is a quickie snapshot showing the traffic on the Omni LAN and the traffic hitting the WAN side which is the main LAN.



xxx

[cmb]

Pete,

I can answer your question without shutting down the plugin. I own two panels operating at two locations: OP2 (older) and OIIe (newer). Both panels constantly drift in time, maybe a minute or so each day. I always wondered why this happens.

My OIIe panel has only one ethernet connection. I also have intermittent problems using the Haiku iPhone app to communicate with the panel on WiFi. When that happens, I switch to cellular and I connect immediately. Maybe the Haiku-WiFi and the HS3 plugin issues are symptoms of the same problem. My LAN has one subnet and several streaming devices: 2 AppleTVs, Roku, FireTV. In addition, I have 3 Global Cache iTachs, an 8x8 Cat6 AV-Switcher, and other devices.

I'm coming around to agree with Overst that periodic restarts is not the best solution. I followed posts from raprap as he tested and ultimately fixed this issue. I am not clear if subnetting alone is sufficient. If so, I could create another subnet and place my OIIe and my Hometroller within it. Do I also need a mini router as well?

[Pete]

Just a router would suffice. Test it with any old router you may have laying around.

A minute a day is much but not really bad.

[Overst]

Pete-

I have come to believe that my problem is a result of hooking the HAI up to a fully populated network. My home network has over 300 devices (achieved by using subnet 255.255.254.0) and the major managed switches are all 10G and the back bone is 20G (achieved through LAG). When I was running a smaller slower network the problem for omni dropping was virtually nonexistent but now it occurs daily. So far the router has solved the issue and I have not had a dropped connection thanks I believe to the router firewall.

I guess I should not be too disappointed that a last century product (Omni at 10mb) gives issues when tied to a modern network.

I also tried a 10 mb hub before I tried the router which helped (I don't know why maybe because it created a bottleneck slowing traffic tot he Omni) but did not fix the issue completely which the router seems to have done.

The router fix was cheap and easy. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Pete]

constantly drift in time,

The time drift has always been an issue. The panel is based on a serial bus and the network dings on the serial bus and the panel has no RTC. You can adjust the drift a bit with PC Acess. The more devices though talking to the network interface has a direct relating to serial bus and then the time sync. After the time sync issue you get wierd serial port issues and finally when it is really bad then you get disconnects on the ethernet interface. HAI technical support told me it was related to a promiscuous ethernet port and that there was no fix for it.



There were reported issues with Haiku / server a few years ago related to the network.

Autonomous subnets / VLANs / 10Mb hubs were tested here way long time ago and did not work for me. Only passing the traffic through a router worked.

Do I also need a mini router as well?

All you need is a router - any router will work. Nothing else. You do create a separate network for just the Ethernet interface for only one IP. The IP does NAT (network address translation) to the WAN interface on the microrouter.

Here put in a micro travel router inside of my HAI can and originally powered it using a tiny 12VDC to 5VDC power supply.

[kjsanders86]

Great ideas! I've added a 10/100 4 port router in between my OmniPro II and the primary switch, rebooted/updated the plug-in and all is running (except thermostat data). I would still like some form of watch-dog to text me when HS loses connection to OPII or even if the polling slows down to something problematic. Thoughts?

[Pete]

The OpenWrt microrouter has the ability and built in traffic monitoring. You really do not need it. You can also sniff the network.

The OP2 panel has a 10Mb 1/2 duplex promiscuous ethernet port. These days you need to filter the traffic to the port in order for the port not to debend as it will.

You can only do this routing the traffic from your main lan to your OP2 ethernet port (layer 2 to layer 3 to layer 2 NAT).

Here my OP2 is very busy. I have extended it to one other can and a 42" Leviton can. That said I fit a microrouter inside of the original HAI can using the OP2 12VDC output and it works just fine.

I asked Rob about posting a sticky for the DIY relating to the installation and configuration of a micro router.

Note these are el cheapo $20 travel routers with upgraded OpenWRT firmware.

[Overst]

kjsanders- What you are trying to do is easy. One of the devices created automatically by Omni is named "connection" . It tells you the connection status of the panel.

It is east to write an event to send and email, or make an announcement or whatever kind of notice you want if the valaue of the device changes to not connected.

[rmasonjr]

v3.0.2.20 was released to the updater today. Please post any issues in that thread:
https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/se...ugin-v3-0-2-20