EnvisaLink DSC Plug-in - HS2 Beta Testing

[norcoscia]

Icons now show up

Well that worked, I now have the ICONS - but all of my device names reverted back to "Zone X" vice the descriptive names I had for my zones - guess I did something wrong or maybe by design I just need to re-type all 28 back in..... Joy

[spud]

Well that worked, I now have the ICONS - but all of my device names reverted back to "Zone X" vice the descriptive names I had for my zones - guess I did something wrong or maybe by design I just need to re-type all 28 back in..... Joy

Sorry for that, I should have warned you. Next time I will try to make things so that you don't have to delete the devices.

[rjbur]

Ok I Upgraded to the latest

OK I went to the top and upgraded to the latest version.

I can create events that trigger on opening doors that email me using the UltraSMTP plugin...

I cannot get any of my motion sensors to trigger a notification. Thinking I either do not have them configured correctly or the 3 minute and 6 second High Traffic Shutdown is giving me trouble.

I'll have to double check my DSC settings for these... But I believe I'm not seeing any log entries when doors, windows, or motion has occurred. I do see changes on the Homeseer Web Control Status screen when doors and windows open. Nothing changes with the Wireless Motion Sensors.

Tomorrow is another day.

Rich

[spud]

But I believe I'm not seeing any log entries when doors, windows, or motion has occurred.

make sure to set the log level to "Debug" in the config page. Here is what you should see in the log when a door or window is opened or when a motion sensor detects a motion.

EnvisaLink 	DEBUG ZoneOpen 002

where 002 is the zone number

[rjbur]

Feature Request -- View Log. A dedicated Envisalink

Thanks. It's now set to DEBUG.

Just thought of a "feature" request. A "view log" button. Besides all of these entries being in the HS Log, I would think alarm related activity is important enough to warrant its own Log as well. This would also make it much easier o manage from another computer where access to the complete HS Log would require a remote connection. Bigger advantage is we would not have wade through all the other entries.

Rich

[norcoscia]

Feature Request

If you are still taking requests, I have one. The concept is to establish a table in the configuration area (example below).

This would allow auto mapping of zone names to HS devices when zones are created. It would also allow zones that are not used to be bypassed when zones are created. Additional fields could provided mapping for specific graphics appropriate for zone types.

Not sure if this is possible or how hard it would be so fully understand if it is not interesting.

PS. It would be really cool if you could just drag and drop the graphic into the slot on the configuration page - sorry, getting carried away.

Thanks again for making a great plug-in - I wish more HS stuff would run via IP and or WiFi.

[rjbur]

It's Working....

I feel a bit like a fool and it's OK I guess as I'm laughing at my self, so if the rest of you want to join right in I be ok with it...

This is my first installation of a DSC alarm system and boy do they have allot of installation sections / codes... You forget one simple section and it can make you look / read like a fool....

Now here's a bit more so I don't feel so bad... It took allot of searching before on one forum it stated:

"Is the zone enabled in zone assignment? (section 202 zn 1-8, 203 zn 9-16 etc)"

Sure enough... They were NOT. Once I activated all 43 zones I started getting alerts about motion. Also had a successful test of an Alarm condition. I set Away Mode, waited about 15 minutes, moved and the system Alarmed.

There is an interesting gotcha of one forum that I need to look into further. Seems there may be a false alarm safety feature that unless you open and then close an Entry Door after activating the Away Mode, the alarm system will NOT activate the Motion Senors... I'm guessing they meant that it will assume you are actually wanting the Stay Mode...

Anyway, now I can finish the installation and get to exercising this plugin a bit more.

THANKS for a great plugin and..... You can all stop laughing now...

Rich

[norcoscia]

I think we have all been there with DSC

Before I go in to change anything on my 1832 I lay all of the various DSC manuals and guides around me in a magical circle.

Then holding my DLS interface cable up to the security gods -- I ask they do not make me spend 4 days trying to figure out what is about to go wrong :-)

Kidding aside, I get a lot of help on the DIY Alarm forum...

http://www.diyalarmforum.com

If your not already using that forum I recommend you give it a try...

[spud]

Thanks. It's now set to DEBUG.

Just thought of a "feature" request. A "view log" button. Besides all of these entries being in the HS Log, I would think alarm related activity is important enough to warrant its own Log as well. This would also make it much easier o manage from another computer where access to the complete HS Log would require a remote connection. Bigger advantage is we would not have wade through all the other entries.

Rich

In HS3 you can already filter the HS log for a specific type of message from the web interface.


As HS3 is the future, I think I want to avoid to add HS2 specific features unless it is really important.

[spud]

If you are still taking requests, I have one. The concept is to establish a table in the configuration area (example below).

This would allow auto mapping of zone names to HS devices when zones are created. It would also allow zones that are not used to be bypassed when zones are created. Additional fields could provided mapping for specific graphics appropriate for zone types.

As in my previous post you can already do most of that, natively in HS3:
- you can rename zone devices to anything you want and you could add the zone number in a comment to keep this information somewhere.
- you can hide the zone device you don't use by checking the "Hide device from views" option in the device configuration
- you can edit the status graphics as in the screenshot below.

so adding a table in the configuration page would be a "nice to have" that I may add some day but I don't see this as a priority.

[SingleSided]

Norcoscia, thanks for that alarm info link. Wish I had that a few weeks back. I too have all the manuals with my notes together. I think there was some "job security" built into the DSC interface for the security companies. No one should feel bad about making mistakes as it's worse than using a phone number pad to send text messages. It leaves you having to figure out if what you did is right, wrong, or has no impact. Once you get the basics down though...it goes much better. Adding and expansion module and moving a wireless sensor to a new zone was an exercise in patients for me.

That said the plug-in is great and except for me screwing up the passwords in the beginning, it worked all along for me. Enjoy

[TopJimmy]

So is this 2DS plugin working well? I have a 2DS and an 1832 and am going to install HS soon.

[spud]

So is this 2DS plugin working well? I have a 2DS and an 1832 and am going to install HS soon.

I'm the author of the plugin so I'm probably biased, but it works great for me with the EVL3. I have never tested the 2DS but since it has the exact same API, it should work exactly the same.

Anyway, there is a 30day free trial, and if you have the 2DS already installed and working there is not much configuration work to make it work with the plugin. So I would advise to try it and post in this forum if you have any problem.

[norcoscia]

Yes, it is my #1 plug-in!

This plug in and the EnvisaLink card / DSC HW have provided, by far, the most positive experience I have had with home automation (and my tinkering with home automation started in the 1980s) - I do more with this combo (via my DSC system / sensors) than anything else I have cooking with HS....

[TopJimmy]

Thank you. I'm coming from Vera which also has excellent DSC/2DS support. A few months ago when I was checking, only the serial interface was working. This is a must-have for me, and I'll be installing this in the next week or so.

edit: I'm a long-time homeseer user who went to vera with z-wave a couple of years ago. But now I need more. So I'm back. I actually purchased the keware app back in about 1998 or 1999. Looking forward to it.