Homeseer HS3 pro on raspberry pi 3

[Pete]

@Joel,

Please suggest changes or stuff that I missed in the DIY post.

This will make it better hopefully for other new users of Homeseer that want to DIY their stuff.

The process described in the DIY post will work also with Ubuntu server or light desktop or regular desktop 64 or 32 bit.

[Steaktastic87]

Ok Pete, your guide is spot on really. I don't have a screen for the rpi so I'm using ssh, you have to create a file on the sd card called ssh to enable it on the rpi now which is then deleted on first boot (mentioned on official raspberry site somewhere) so that's maybe worth a mention but I suppose that's more pi related than HS3. The only other thing I can suggest is where you unpack the tar file in your guide, the file name is different to the one downloaded, not sure whether that's a mistake or not.

So this brings me into my next issue. I'm trying to now use homeseer, it all seems to launch on the pi ok (it says I'm using a trial version with 7 days left) tried the android touch app which just auto exits after login (maybe because I haven't installed the plugins on the pi? Or like many people mention on play store it's just broke) and I've tried using myhs remote Web page. If I type in username/password and hit access systemm it just refreshes the website with my username already entered, if I hit manage account I can then login but I only have change password option. I can click the connect tab at the top and it shows me my licence ID then (offline), if I click that I get this error (image below)

[Pete]

Thank you Joel. Yeah going baby steps with the DIY adding a little bit at a time.

Yeah do not remember if RPi Jessie comes with SSH.

That said you can install it easy.

1 - sudo apt install openssh-server
2 - I typically use a user and sudo user for the RPi or
3 - use root.
4 - for using root you have to change the password for root then configure the RPi to allow root ssh access.

Here do not utilize myhs.homeseer.com.

That said you need to have Homeseer touch server running on the RPi2. Just enable it and configure it to use myhomeseer and see if that works.

[Steaktastic87]

Sorry I don't want take up lots of your time, I'm trying to learn Linux along the way. So I've finally figured how to run exe files and change permissions with chmod. So now it can't connect to the hstouch server, failed after one attempt. You mentioned I need to configure it, how would I go about this and what exactly am I configuring

[Pete]

To run and manage Homeseer you do not need to know that much Linux as everything relating to Homeseer in the web gui.

For windows to RPi management install putty and WinSCP on your Windows computer. If you install Webmin on your RPI you can manage the OS and hardware via the Webmin GUI.

For Linux OS / hardware management / updates it is beneficial that you know some Linux.

Before you utilize HSTouch / MyHomeseer make sure you have it configured in the GUI.

Note please that I do not utilize myhomeseer here and only utilize VPN for HSTouch or remote access to the Homeseer server.

Tools==> Network ==> MyHomeSeer Remote Control Settings

[ATTACH]59954[/ATTACH]

You can start HomeSeer touch server via command line this way:

cd /HomeSeer
sudo mono HSPI_TOUCH.exe

Here is HSPI_TOUCH starting on my HS3 Pro via ssh / command line.

HomeSeer# mono HSPI_HSTOUCH.exe
Plugin: HSTouch Server Instance: starting...
Connecting to server at 127.0.0.1...
Connected, waiting to be initialized...
CONNECT from client: ICS-Jog-XPE-08:ICS-Jog-XPE-08:2:3.0.0.36:1:HS3 IP:192.168.244.223
Connecting speaker client to HomeSeer IP 127.0.0.1
GetScripts
CONNECT from client: ICS-Jog-XPE-02:ICS-Jog-XPE-02:2:3.0.0.36:1:HS3 IP:192.168.244.217


It keeps going here.

This is what the Homeseer Plugins GUI looks like when I start HSTouch via command line. Note it states remote.

[ATTACH]59955[/ATTACH]

or

Go to the HomeSeer web gui and enable HSTouch there.

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I am running the Z-Wave plugin on another RPi2 here in the attic connected to the LAN via POE and remote connecting it to the mothership (HS3 Lite or Zee).

This RPi2 has the Z-Wave GPIO installed card, PiFace RTC and a 1-Wire network and it is located in the Attic here.
[ATTACH]59956[/ATTACH]

[Steaktastic87]

Ah thanks, the ip in the Web browser was what I needed, now I can start playing. One last thing and I'll leave you be, how do I install plugins onto the pi, wget http link to homeseer? Thanks for everyone's helps, especially Pete, without people like you I'd be going stir crazy trying to set this thing up.

[Kerat]

Homeseer HS3 pro on raspberry pi 3

Nice to see you are up and running with a Pi, Linux, and HS3. Cheers to @Pete his guide is perfect IMHO.
HS3 plugins can be installed by using the plugins page (HS3 admin user interface web page then select manage - plugins) and select the additional interfaces button and then check the sub type you want.
Alternatively, if you have provisioned network level UNC access to your homeseer directory (either by using samba or Webmin tool Pete has outlined) you can manually add plugins by copying their .zip files to the updates3 directory along with their updater txt file and then select update listing from the plugins page in HS3 (plugins - manage-additional interfaces)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pete]

how do I install plugins onto the pi

Via the Homeseer web gui. All HS3 plugins install in this manner.

and as Kerat mentions above just copying the plugin ZIP file over to the updates3 directory will work.

You only utilized wget stuff to download the HS3 tar file for the original installation.

You can now update HS3 Zee - lite via the Homeseer web gui.

Still cannot update HS3 Pro on Linux via the web gui yet. Updating is a manual effort via a script in the HomeSeer directory. Easy peasy stuff.

BTW here have Apache2 running on my HS3 Pro box and utilize a different port for Homeseer access.

You can change the HS3 port to just about anything you want. IE: 8080, 8085, 7777, et al.

[Steaktastic87]

Ok well I'm getting an error when I try to update the plugins listing - "please wait for the updater control file failed to be downloaded or Parsed". Searched the forums, people say to delete a text file and I have no updater_override.txt to delete, any ideas? Also I was looking into making an autorun script so if the pi is rebooted hs automatically boots, the Linux tools on the Web gui asks for a password for homeseer user, (never set this up, was never prompted) I've read up on this in the forums too, is there a workaround for this problem yet? I installed webmin (I think, ssh shutdown whilst I was waiting for it to install) so I'll try installing plugins this way for now

[Pete]

Yes...just shut down HS and delete the text file called updater.txt. It will download a new one when it starts up.

Go baby steps with the autorun.

Start it first manually via a terminal session to watch, then run a CRON job at boot, then update the start up file to start Homeseer then later you can create a service to run Homeseer with systemd. Really is flexible to run a service script; but you will need to SSH to the box and it is easier just to use the HomeSeer GUI to shut it down or Webmin.

Change the homeseer password in the GUI to match the homeseer password in Linux then try that one for Linux tools.

Note Webmin is to manage the hardware and OS. You can get a 10,000 foot view of the users and groups via Webmin.

Doesn't do anything for Homeseer. Use the Homeseer GUI to manage Homeseer plugins, scripts et al.

[Steaktastic87]

Unfortunately that hasn't worked, deleted the file updater.txt from the homeseer folder, and tried using the web gui again to update the listing and get same error. Ive shutdown and restarted homeseer and the raspberry pi, also double checked the txt file has not reappeared in the home seer folder. Ive sent a ticket to support also to see if they have come across this, probably wont help as im running full linux version on raspberry pi.

Yeah ill take it steady with writing autorun script, ill make sure i research it thoroughly and get the coding right. Just want to leave homeseer running constantly and if the pi accidentally gets knocked off it will automatically resume homeseer. I was going to try and use webmin for transferring the plugin files but i couldnt even find where to download them and also im using a windows 10 laptop so think there a few hoops to jump through to run it.

[zwolfpack]

Does http://find.homeseer.com find your system?

[Pete]

It could be your firewall settings blocking stuff...but it should be plug n play.

[Steaktastic87]

Does http://find.homeseer.com find your system?

No it cannot find my system.

I disabled norton antivirus firewall etc and tried that, no difference.

Support just asked a few questions but I noticed this in the new release notes

Changes from 3.0.0.297 to 3.0.0.312:

* The updater control file updater.txt is not longer saved on users systems (security issue)

Would this be anything related?

[Pete]

Yes here still on:

HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.291 (Linux)

Odd that you are having issues with the updater. Using the file attached you can download the plugins zip file and manually install the plugin.

I've had no issues with V.291 but I suppose I will need to update both of my HS boxes to current version.

Attached is my updater.txt file zipped.

I used it yesterday to update one plugin (HAI). I do see a bunch of getting to site errors when updating here.

Mar-08 3:27:14 PM Updater An item in the Updater is temporarily unavailable due to: ConnectFailure (Network is unreachable) Item: hxxp://s652164905.websitehome.co.uk/plugins/K8055_updater.txt
Mar-08 3:27:15 PM Updater An item in the Updater is temporarily unavailable due to: ConnectFailure (Network is unreachable) Item: hxxp://homeseer.du-pre.com/HS3/HarmonyHub3/updater.txt
Mar-08 3:27:18 PM Updater An item in the Updater is temporarily unavailable due to: ConnectFailure (Network is unreachable) Item: hxxp://s652164905.websitehome.co.uk/plugins/CurrentCost3P_updater.txt
Mar-08 3:27:18 PM Updater An item in the Updater is temporarily unavailable due to: ConnectFailure (Network is unreachable) Item: hxxp://homeseer.du-pre.com/HS3/Plugwise3/updater.txt
Mar-08 3:27:18 PM Updater An item in the Updater is temporarily unavailable due to: ConnectFailure (Network is unreachable) Item: hxxp://homeseer.du-pre.com/HS3/PlugwisePro3/updater.txt
Mar-08 3:27:20 PM Updater An item in the Updater is temporarily unavailable due to: ConnectFailure (Network is unreachable) Item: hxxp://homeseer.du-pre.com/HS3/ThinkingCleaner3/updater.txt
Mar-08 3:27:20 PM Updater An item in the Updater is temporarily unavailable due to: ConnectFailure (Network is unreachable) Item: hxxp://homeseer.du-pre.com/HS3/Caddx3/updater.txt
Mar-08 3:27:20 PM Updater An item in the Upd

Just reread your threads above. HomeSeer plugins reside in the HomeSeer directory wherever you have installed Homeseer.

You can see/copy them with Webmin or in using WinSCP in Windows (logged in as root).

I can see my two boxes here using dub dub dub find homeseer dot com.

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This is what you should see with your box when you run find homeseer dot com.

It is interesting that the time seen is one hour ahead...wondering I am looking at a future version running?

Well looking now didn't like the names I picked so I changed them.

I did it editing the files /etc/hostname and /etc/hosts

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