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How to send http commands to devices (AirScape House Fan) - Solved!

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    How to send http commands to devices (AirScape House Fan) - Solved!

    Hello, I'm hoping someone can help me out. I have an AirScape House Fan that can receive htttp commands. For example, you can send something like http://192.168.0.20/fanspd.cgi?dir=4 to the fan controller to turn it off. I'm sure I'll have to create virtual devices and/or events for this but I can't figure out what else I would need to do. I've never gotten into script writing with HS3. I went through a lot fo the User Documentation but I don't even know where to start with this.

    Any help or pointers would be appreciated.

    Thanks

    Joel

    #2
    More information on the AirScape fan API and controlling them can be found here. http://blog.airscapefans.com/archives/category/controls

    Excellent fans and by fan the quietest I have even come across.

    Joel

    Comment


      #3
      You need this page info
      http://homeseer.com/support/homeseer..._urlaction.htm

      Look further at
      http://homeseer.com/support/homeseer/HS3/HS3Help/
      Scripting/internet/GetURL

      for more options
      - Bram

      Send from my Commodore VIC-20

      Ashai_Rey____________________________________________________________ ________________
      HS3 Pro 3.0.0.534
      PIugins: ZMC audio | ZMC VR | ZMC IR | ZMC NDS | RFXcom | AZ scripts | Jon00 Scripts | BLBackup | FritzBox | Z-Wave | mcsMQTT | AK Ikea

      Comment


        #4
        Hi Joel,

        You should be able to use a single line script command in an event. Something like:

        Code:
        &hs.URLAction("http://192.168.0.20/fanspd.cgi?dir=4", "GET", "", "")
        Cheers
        Al
        HS 4.2.8.0: 2134 Devices 1252 Events
        Z-Wave 3.0.10.0: 133 Nodes on one Z-Net

        Comment


          #5
          Great!
          Thank you both! Once I knew where to look and had the line it was one of the fastest things I have ever gotten configured in HS3.

          Thank You again

          Joel

          Comment


            #6
            Hi Joel,

            You're welcome! I've also been looking at whole house fans since we typically get cool nights in Calgary in the summer. Are you happy with the Airscape fan? Which optional components are needed to allow the http commands to be sent to it?

            Cheers
            Al
            HS 4.2.8.0: 2134 Devices 1252 Events
            Z-Wave 3.0.10.0: 133 Nodes on one Z-Net

            Comment


              #7
              Al, I believe all AirScape fans after 2013 have a newer controller board that don't require anything else to use Web Controls. I have been around a lot of other house fans and these are by far the quiestest I have ever heard. I am in Southern California and I often sleep with the fan on low speed all night instead of running the AC. It has probably paid for itself in air conditioning / electrical savings within 2-3 years. I have the model http://airscapefans.com/products/Sho...hole-House-Fan and I've had it for probably 8-10 years. I have had no problems with it but I sent the whole unit in a couple years ago to have the updated controller board installed so I could access it over the web. They also installed a newer door motor and some other upgrades. AirScape fans are a lot more money than the simple house fans you can get ($950 vs. $200) but I would do it again in a second. Plus, the one that I got was sized so I didn't have to do any framing. I installed through to the attic in a couple hours. My parents have a typical $200 house fan that they almost never use because it is so loud. Hope that helps a little.

              Thanks again for helping me setup the http commands.

              Joel

              Comment


                #8
                Great, thanks for the detailed info. I'll contact them to see what they charge for shipping to Canada.

                Cheers
                Al
                HS 4.2.8.0: 2134 Devices 1252 Events
                Z-Wave 3.0.10.0: 133 Nodes on one Z-Net

                Comment


                  #9
                  I was planning on adding an attic vent fan then I followed your link to the whole house fans and found all the articles claiming attic vent fans are a waste but the whole house fans are great. Throw that on top of the $200 vs $900 trade (that's for one of the smaller AirScape setups) and the fact that I can't get anyone to actually show up to give me an estimate has really delayed that project. I wanted it for the summer heat. I was going to have the attic fan installed because I didn't want to cut a big hole in my roof myself. I've never done that one before.

                  There is a definite lack of rigor in the attic vent arguments and some of their assumptions about heat transfer are wrong so I'm a little iffy on the theory. There does appear to be empirical evidence that the attic vent fan doesn't reduce electric bills as expected. If it is a whole house fan instead I could install myself. I'll cut holes in my ceilings all day long.

                  Has anyone tried both out? The one argument they have that makes sense is the attic vent will draw humid air into the house causing the air conditioning to work harder. Not really applicable here in SoCal though.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Hello,
                    I'm not sure about all the heat transfer theories but I can tell you this;

                    I have an AirScape house fan, a high power attic gable vent/ventilator fan, and a solar powered rooftop ventilator. The solar roof ventilator does almost nothing. I never noticed any difference in attic temperature or house cooling. It's solar powered though so I just leave it alone and let it run during daylight. If I was to do the rooftop ventilator again I would not get a solar one, I would hard wire it so it could run after the sun goes down. The high powered gable vent fan that I installed is very loud and vibrates a lot, even with the vibration dampers installed. I rarely use it and I never see any benefit from it. I turn it on 3 times a year and always wonder why I bothered.

                    The house fan on the other hand, does more to cool the house and attic than the other two fans combined. I'm guessing this is because it is pushing the slightly cooler house air through the attic and eventually outside. The house fan I installed myself in an afternoon, assuming some basic carpentry skills and power in the attic that you can tie into. I don't only use it during the summer either. I use it any time I want fresh air and a breeze through the house. Think cooking smoke or stagnant air after being gone a while. It is in the middle of the second story of the house and when I turn it on high, any door that is open inside the house, with a window open in that room, the fan will pull the doors closed. The basic theory of a house fan it to use your AC (if needed) during the day. Then in the evening when the outside temperature is cool enough to be pleasant you turn off the AC and run the house fan. It does not work if you live in an area that does not cool down much at night.

                    The real short version, I have a roof fan, a gable fan, and a house fan. If I was to do any of it again I would not get the roof or gable fan and only get the house fan, perhaps two house fans. Keep the noise in mind though when shopping, if mine was as loud as other house fans I've heard I would never use it.

                    * I'm not affiliated in any way with AirScape, I just love the fan.

                    Hope this helps.
                    Joel

                    Comment


                      #11
                      how did you get it to work? where did you put the command?i am new at this and know what i should do but don't know where to put it in the program,can you show some screen shots how to set it up. i am trying to do same thing.

                      thanks tom

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Hello,
                        I'm not at a place I can do screenshots but this is what I did, it may not be the best way but it works. I'm open for other suggestions.

                        1. I created three virtual devices on the devices page for 'House Fan', 'House Fan High', 'House Fan Low', all just basic on/off devices.

                        2. I then created four Events called 'House Fan On', 'House Fan Off', 'House Fan High', 'House Fan Low'.

                        3. For each event the settings are all about the same. I have:
                        For the House Fan On event
                        IF - this device changes and becomes
                        Climate > House Fan > House Fan ..... ON
                        THEN - run a script or command (Follow the scripting instructions in the link posted above)
                        Nothing check marked, click the 'edit' button, add the script file name, mine ended up being C://Program Files/HomeSeer HS3/scripts/housefanon.txt
                        for the script itself I have:

                        sub main

                        dim page

                        page = hs.GetURL("[ip address of fan]","/fanspd.cgi?dir=1",TRUE,80)

                        End Sub

                        That should be about it. For some of the other events such as 'House Fan Off', below the script I have additional commands set to
                        THEN - set device 'Climate > House Fan > House Fan Off to Off
                        THEN - set device 'Climate > House Fan > House Fan Low to Off
                        THEN - set device 'Climate > House Fan > House Fan High to Off

                        These last parts of the event just help to clean out the 'On' indicators on the device page.

                        (I removed the 'msg box' part of the script as that made a message box pop up on the HomeSeer computer)

                        (The #1 in the script above is where you insert the appropriate number from AirScapes instructions (1,2,3,4))

                        Notes: This way does not update HomeSeer to the status of the fans. (If you turn off the fan with the remote control HS3 will still think the fan is on)

                        I chose some of the names so I can control the house fan with Amazon Echo.
                        "Alexa, turn on the house fan", "Alexa turn the house fan on high", "Alexa, turn the house fan on low", etc.

                        I haven't thought of a way to have HomeSeer keep watch of the fan status through the IP address but I would like to.

                        I also haven't tried to add any of the other fan information such as attic temperature. I just wanted to get the basic on/off thing working, having it work with voice activation is a nice little bonus.

                        I hope this helps get you started.

                        If anyone has any better options or ideas I'm all for it.

                        Joel

                        Comment


                          #13
                          @joels
                          I just got an Airscape installed yesterday.

                          Have you extended your controls or have any leanings?


                          I'm writing a script to automate the fan. Mine has 10 speeds. The issue is the API is super basic so looks like script loops are required to go up or down in increments of 1... yuck.

                          thx

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