Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

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Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby BriG » Tue May 07, 2013 10:45 am

I just bought MobiLinc to compliment my ISY and upgrade my mobile control capabilities. I have an I/O Linc controlling my garage door, and I want to figure out a way to simplify that in my MobiLinc world. The ISY sees the I/O Linc as two devices, and that is how MobiLinc also sees them. The problem is that I just want one icon: a Garage Door thing (I don’t care if it is a device, program, or scene, or some kind of virtual-bridged-device) that shows the status of the door and then opens or closes the door when I push it. The way it is now, I need to look at the garage door status device, and then go over to the garage door relay device to open or close it.

My point of reference is my sprinkler timer with a basic Insteon interface and free iOS app that I had been using to control it. My HydroFLASH app will bundle the I/O Linc into a single device that shows the sensor status but act on the relay when you push the button. This is the same way that a KPL would work, but I do not have a KPL in my house for the garage (and I don’t want one).

Is there a way to create some kind of entity in ISY or MobiLinc that will present the garage door control as a single object?
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Re: Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby AdminWes » Tue May 07, 2013 11:34 am

Hi BriG,

Here's how I've got it setup at my home with a KPL (not exactly what you are looking for, but might give you some ideas):

I've got a KPL button in the house that I use to tell if the garage is open or closed. If open the light is ON if closed the light is OFF. If I tap the button, the garage door opens or closes.

This is done with one program and one scene.

The scene is called "Garage Door" and contains the KPL button and IOLinc controller. The KPL Button is the controller of the scene. the IOLinc Controller is set to Momentary C mode.

The program definition is:
If Status "I/O Linc Sensor" is ON
Then Set Scene "Garage Door" OFF
Else Set Scene "Garage Door" ON

In MobiLinc you can then use the Garage Door scene as the garage door controller. Status of the scene reflect the door status. Tapping the scene will open or close the garage door.

Anyone else on the forum have suggestions on how you have integrated the IO Linc into MobiLinc?

Wes
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Re: Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby BriG » Tue May 07, 2013 11:38 am

That makes sense. If I understand it, pushing the KPL button tells the garage door to open or close through the scene. Then, the program picks up the door status and changes the light on the scene by scene's ON/OFF status.

Now, I need a way to accomplish this without the KPL. So, what I need is a virtual controller to replace the KPL. Then, that seems like it could work.

I want to get beyond the old metaphor of buttons and switches with my mobile devices. I just want to open/close the garage door, switch some lights on/off, or select scenes for a room or rooms. The visualization of the physical Insteon devices and their organization into devices/scenes/programs is actually a bit of a barrier to this.
Last edited by BriG on Tue May 07, 2013 11:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby AdminWes » Tue May 07, 2013 11:40 am

Yes! You got it. That's the trick to pull it all together. You need a virtual controller of sorts for the scene/program to drive ON/OFF. Spare LampLinc or really any unused INSTEON device that can be controlled would work.

Wes
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Re: Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby BriG » Sat Jun 08, 2013 9:19 am

Please take another look into this. Other apps do this right. I explored some options on the ISY forum, and there really is not a clean fix for this limitation.
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Re: Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby AdminWes » Sat Jun 08, 2013 1:24 pm

BriG,

Can you point us in the direction of what "other apps" do this right using the IOLinc and the ISY controller?

The real limitation is in the IOLinc and how it must respond to scene commands rather than direct device commands. Also, that fact that the controller doesn't sent out it's status is a serious drawback as well.

In order to do this right we'd need to custom craft a point solution just for the IOLinc and assume it's being used as a garage door controller by custom managing both devices to present a coherent garage door interface.

All do-able, but takes time and resources to make it happen.

Wes
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Re: Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby BriG » Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:01 pm

The HydroFLASH app does it, and I am pretty sure that the new app for the Insteon Hub does it.

The key is that the I/O Linc relay and sensor are almost always bound together. In other words, they should be a single object in a UI in which the sensor tells the status and the relay changes the environment/status. The ISY sees them as separate objects, because it is a controller, but the eventual UI (a KPL for example) treats in as a single object in execution.

So, the ideal presentation of an I/O Linc in the MobiLinc interface would be a single object where the status comes from the sensor and a push changes the relay. The status of the relay should be ignored.
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Re: Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby AdminWes » Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:52 am

BriG,

Agreed, in a garage door use, these two are bound together. In other use cases, they are independant.

There is another method that I've been suggesting to folks for garage door control/status in one scene element:

Create a single scene.
Add in the sensor as a controller.
Add in the relay as a responder.
Set the IOLinc options->Momentary Mode to Momentary B.

Create a single program that Queries the Relay element of the IOLinc after seeing the Relay switch ON.

With these two in place you should be able to use the scene's icon as a status and control element for the garage door.

Wes
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Re: Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby BriG » Sun Jun 09, 2013 6:00 pm

Thanks. I will give this scene and program approach a try as soon as I get back to my ISY.

Yes to your first point. For some it may be bound and some it may be separate. The UI should have the option, since using the I/O Linc to control a garage door is probably its most common use.

Here is a thread I started on the ISY forum about this limitation. The program sort of works, but not really. This only works if nothing else controls the door. If this scene and program solution works, I will add it to this thread.

http://forum.universal-devices.com/view ... 27&t=11445
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Re: Easy Garage Door Device/Scene/Program

Postby jeffl012 » Sat Jan 31, 2015 7:14 am

Wes,
In the second post, you mention that the I/OLinc controller is in the scene. The only way I've got this working to some degree is to have both the Relay and Sensor elements of the I/O Linc in the scene with both the KPL button and sensor as controllers. Sometimes I need to press the Mobilinc scene button more than once to get a response. Can you clarify what's in the scene?
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