Basic Home Automation via xAP BSC enabled devices (updated 9-01-2008) (1 Viewer)

[xAPPO]

thank you!
This was new information for me.

I placed the file in homseer folder and plugins folder, registerd both, restarts homeseer, but xAP Conduit is not there.

Now I am going to bed. I wil try to figure it out tomorrow.

Aasmund - have you got this working ? If not let me know and I'll try and get you up and running. Kevin

 

[juan pablo]

I know a lot of people including myself would love to see some integration with MP & HomeSeer.

 

[xAPPO]

I know a lot of people including myself would love to see some integration with MP & HomeSeer.

Hi Juan,

Not a MP user (yet) but as I understand it HomeSeer will bring a lot of the scripting smarts and HA side to MP - which is useful to many people who have automation and control interests but that is not MP's primary role so the two sit together as great partners. xAP just provides the 'glue' between them.

Once you xAP enable HomeSeer then not only are xAP devices recognised and controllable within the HomeSeer world but existing HomeSeer devices become xAP enabled using the BSC (Basic Status and Control) schema. Sometimes this is status only but usually it's fully controllable depending on how the plugin is written. This means that all the available plugins for HS can present information to xAP and hence MP.

Now that MP has a xAP plugin supporting BSC this means that really good interaction between MP and HS should already be achievable. You should be able to create virtual devices in HomeSeer that are controllable from MP and the other way around you should be able to display in MP the status of HomeSeer devices. Using just these basic interfaces you should also be able to run macros/scripts within HomeSeer triggered from MP and display information back within MP. I believe the xAP MP plugin fully supports the BSC 'text' type which can be used for just this display purpose. The xAP HomeSeer plugin does also support a schema for directly triggering scripts within HS but even without that using a virtual device in HomeSeer setup as a xAP BSC device provides a solution that works already.

If you do have a go and run into any difficulties just shout and I'll get you up and running....

Kevin

PS/FAQ Just to mention a common issue first time users often get tripped up on once they start to use multiple xAP aware applications. . Make sure you have a xAP 'hub' running as the FIRST xAP application launched on that machine. Some applications including most based on xFX (eg this MP plugin) include an inbuilt hub but most xAP users choose to run an independent one installed as a Windows statup service application. A suitable one is available on www.mi4.biz under the xAPFramework download section ... called HubService. If you do choose to use the MP plugin's inbuilt hub feature it must be the first xAP application launched and remain running all the time you continue to use xAP. If you are finding that xAP applications appear 'deaf' ie they can't hear other xAP messages then it's a sure sign that a xAP hub is not running.

 

[Knobby]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to MP (just downloaded it today) and it was great to see a plugin to link MP to Homeseer, which I already use to control my x10 stuff. So I downloaded the zip file for the plugin, but then I was lost! Where to I extract all the files for the plugin to?

 

[patrick]

Hi!

You should be able to unzip the BIN file to your MediaPortal folder
(as long as you preserve the folder structure when unzipping)
Ex: C:\Program Files\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal
This will install the xAP plugin for MediaPortal.

Note: It will ask if you want to over-write three files, you have to say yes.

HTH,
patrick

 

[Knobby]

Thanks Patrick,
Do I do the same with the SRC file?

 

[patrick]

Thanks Patrick,
Do I do the same with the SRC file?

No, the SRC zip file contains all the source code for the plugin.
You can just ignore it/delete it/re-write it/etc


HTH,
patrick

 

[Knobby]

Now that MP has a xAP plugin supporting BSC this means that really good interaction between MP and HS should already be achievable. You should be able to create virtual devices in HomeSeer that are controllable from MP and the other way around you should be able to display in MP the status of HomeSeer devices. Using just these basic interfaces you should also be able to run macros/scripts within HomeSeer triggered from MP and display information back within MP.

Do you have an "idiots guide" of how to do all this, so that this idiot can make a start?

 

[patrick]

Hi Knobby,

I can give you some links (I do not actually use HS right now )

HomeSeer plugin that will xAP enable HomeSeer devices
http://www.mi4.biz/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=37

xAP wiki HomeSeer page
http://www.xapautomation.org/wiki/index.php/xAP_Homeseer_Plugin

xAP Groups
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xap_automation/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xAP_developer/

I also will email Kevin to see if he has any good tips/links.

HTH,
Patrick

 

[xAPPO]

Hi Knobby,

The setup described uses three applications and three plugins and I'm not aware of anyone with that combination but it should work. I actually only use two of them passingly (MainLobby and HomeSeer) but I am sure we can get you going.

You can do this in stages. MainLobby and HomeSeer communicate using the MLHS plugin (which is a chargeable one). Here xAP isn't involved at all and the plugin just provides a communicationslink between MainLobby and HomeSeer . It is available via the HS updater and has a free trial I believe too. It is supported on the HomeSeer board inthis forum - and there are some how to's there..
MainLobby HomeSeer plugin
I would recommend playing and getting taht working independently.

The second stage is the MediaPortal to Homeseer bit. First, whilst experimenting I would recommend you download xAP Viewer from
mi4 (Viewer)
- it's the file linked at the bottom of the list. Viewer just allows you to see the xAP messages and applications easily and will also act as a xAP hub for the time being. Later you will replace this application with a service hub which is also downloadable on the link above.
You will install Patricks plugin from this thread in MP and you will install either James's xAP plugin for HS or there is an alternative one by Michael - they are again both supported in their own forums on the HomeSeer BBS. which you choose is a matter of personal preference.

James' xAP HS Plugin Support Forum
J's xAP HS Plugin Download


Michaels xAP HS Plugin Download
mcsxAP Plugin Support Forum

Once you have installed both your chosen HS xAP plugin and MP plugin then ensure that neither HS or MP are running. You then must start xAP Viewer first which should launch with a title window saying "xAP message Viewer (xFX Hub)" - now you can launch MP and HS and you will see Viewer showing these two applications in its left hand pane.

If you have a look on James' mi4 site or Michaels mcsxAP site there are some how to's and tutorials that should help and if you get stuck just shout either here or the appropriate forum. Patrick can help obvioulsy in getting xAP BSC messages in and out of MP.

Just for completeness the main xAP user list is
xAP User List

(and there is another developer focussed list too).
xAP Developer List

Cheers Kevin