Basic Home Automation via xAP BSC enabled devices (updated 9-01-2008) (4 Viewers)

[pkleingu]

experience with xap

I am searching for a plug-in for an rfxcom rfreciever (xap or xpl) for mediaportal. Do you now if is possible to connect an rfxcom rfreciever with xap without homeseer software. I can't find an xpl plugin for mediaportel en a can't find a xap plugin for the rfreciever without using homeseer. I want to costumiers an existing plug-in for mediaportal for my automation house.

 

[patrick]

I am searching for a plug-in for an rfxcom rfreciever (xap or xpl) for mediaportal. Do you now if is possible to connect an rfxcom rfreciever with xap without homeseer software. I can't find an xpl plugin for mediaportel en a can't find a xap plugin for the rfreciever without using homeseer. I want to costumiers an existing plug-in for mediaportal for my automation house.

Hi,

I am not sure. Here is what TritonT said about using xPL for a Zwave device.

I gave this plugin a try, with my CM11 USB device. However no matter what I try it does not work
The device is a USB to serial device and emulates a comm port on my machine. This means any app needs to communicate to this controller using comm 3 in my case.
The native plugin requires some connector, and that just wont do anything as far as I can tell, but since there is no reall way to see what every piece of this puzzle is doing, I can not really determine what step fails
Same goes for this plugin, I have no idea what I should run or what is failing and why.

Can you give me any pointers how to solve this?

For example I tried the connector from this page: http://www.edjo.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/edward/xAP/X10/x10_main.htm (see first post) but I have no clue if it works or not. How does one test if the connector even works to start with.
Then I do I configure this plugin to use that connector.

I tried both the service as the gui version, but I do not find that the GUI actually configures the services like everyone says it does

Please help!

Because the standard software is so bad, and does not serve as base for the MP interface

Hi,

Sorry I missed your post

Are you still having problems?

AFAIK people have had not been able to get the xAP connectors working with USB.

You could try the CM15A-Support-BIN-v0.2g.zip download from the first post.
It adds support for x10 using the Active Home SDK (included in the download).
It was created for CM15A USB support but may work for any.
(Downside is MP and the CM11 have to be on the same computer.)

Extract CM15A-Support-BIN-v0.2g.zip
Run ahscript_setup.exe install.
Extract the BHAAhCmdLine.zip file to you MediaPortal folder (preserve folders)

It will now show up as a connector in the BHA plugin config and
you should be able to add your devices manually within the
connector config.

HTH,
patrick

 

[Kaoh]

I tried that special version fort USB allready, but the cable acts like a usb to serial connector, so I have to use a comm setup.
I am still having troubles, but havent tried to debug using the advice from PTCoder, still have to make some time.

Maybey someone can answer this part though: In the xAp to X10 serviceI configure my devices with both a xAp adres (I made one up, and have no idea if there are rules for that) and the real X10 adress, no what do I put in the plugin, the xAp adres or the X10 (A3 etc). I have real X10 devices just to make clear cause I have no idea how the xAp ties into this stuff

 

[PTCoder]

About the xAP adress choice you should read:

http://www.xapautomation.org/wiki/index.php?title=Protocol_definition&printable=yes#Addressing_Modes

The best person to answer the question about what do you put in the plugin its patrick the autor, but if you think a bit the plugin is called "Basic Home Automation via xAP..." so you use xAP and put the xAP adress in the plugin, or you don't use xAP and put de X10 adress on the X10 plugin!!!

 

[patrick]

what do I put in the plugin, the xAp adres or the X10 (A3 etc). I have real X10 devices just to make clear cause I have no idea how the xAp ties into this stuff

It would be the xAP address using the standard setup
(or the x10 address using the CM15A-Support-BIN-v0.2g.zip)

But...if the xAP end is setup and working correctly then this
plugin "should" automatically detect the devices.

xAP is like a go between. Similar to UPnP.
This plugin does not care if a device is X10 or HomeSeer or whatever as long
as it supports xAP Basic Status and Control (via itself or a connector)
this plugin can see it and control it.

patrick

 

[Kaoh]

I have the standard plugin (X10 home thing) suddenly working with the GUI version of the xAP to X10 hub from the first page. However this plugin still is not working. And since there is nothing to configure, its kind of hard to know what its not finding

any ideas?

 

[TritonT]

@ Koah

I assume you are using Edward Pearson's X10 Connector (http://www.edjo.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/edward/xAP/X10/x10_main.htm). In the Properties box you should have assigned the ID, X10 address, xAP address, display name and module type for all your X10 devices. In the next tab you should have a tick for both send and receive in the 'xAP BSC Schema' box (I have updates at 1 minute). In the next tab you should have a tick in the 'Always send X10 on/off'.

Now download Edward Pearson's xAP Viewer (http://www.edjo.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/edward/xAP/xFx/viewer_main.htm), run it (ideally on a different computer on your network). You should see xAP events starting to list in the window. Now you have proof that your setup is working.

Open MediaPortal Configuration, go to plugins, go to process plugins, open Basic HA Controller, look under devices. If your X10 stuff is listed - happy days, if not, reinstall the plugin making sure you overwrite the required dll files.

 

[patrick]

@Koah,

Just like TritonT said

Only things to add off the top of my head are:

-Any firewalls running?

-If they are running on the same machine:
Try opening the BHA plugin's config in MP configuration BEFORE launching the X10 Connector (or any xAP software).
Then launch the X10 Connector and verify all is working there.
Now check the devices in the BHA Plugin config (that is alreay open).
If this works you should probably install an external xAP Hub service (link below),
this allows multiple xAP apps on the same machine to run and share ports
and the service version always runs so you don't have to worry about what to launch first.

xAP Hub Service (HubService-v1.2.7.2.zip)
http://www.mi4.biz/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=41


HTH,
patrick




@All,

Uploaded v0.2i to the first post. (v0.2g is still there if needed.)
Only tested quickly with a recent SVN of MP.

Big change is converted to xFx for the xAP. (no longer have to overwrite the files in MP dist)

Another change is that I converted to the MP APIs for finding folders (database, thumbs, etc)
but hopefully this will not cause issues, but may.

Thanks to TritonT's suggestion also added the ability to use a multiplier and offsets for level devices display.


v0.2i (09/24/2007)
-Converted to xFx.dll
-Added advanced settings for level devices (multiplier and Offsets)
-Converted Database, Thumbs, Plugin folder lookups to native MP API

patrick

 

[PTCoder]

@Koah

If you are running Xp and your computer is not connected to a network you must install "Microsoft Loopback Adapter".

 

[Kaoh]

Thanks for all the tips, I was running XP but on a network, and the firewall is during testing disabled. The plugin started working, all pieces came together this time, still not sure what I did wrong last time, but I added a couple of reboots

So finally the plugin works like it is supposed to, so off to do the reall configuration of images and stuff. So far this plugin looks very good.