X10 Community Forum
📱🖥️PiX10Hub => 🏥Help and Trouble Shooting => Topic started by: Tuicemen on December 23, 2018, 09:25:05 AM
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I've been bomb barded with questions on everything from general PiX10Hub enquiries to complicated HG setups since and prior to the PiX10Hub release.
Some of these questions have been duplicated multi times so end users would result in any answer I may have.
I'm also not a HA-Bridge, HomeGenie or Pi expert and even if I were I don't have time to answer all these repeated questions.
The forum is for posting questions and answers so everyone benefits.
Please don't PM me about the PiX10Hub and use the forum, no question is a stupid one!
>!
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Like wise here.
I don't have the ultimate recipie for the perfect steak dinner either rofl
On topic is the keyword here. Maybe the Pi X10 hub will bring you to a parallel universe but even I haven't figured that one out yet.
PMs from the original contributors by all means but everything else on the forum please.
This is not a 24/7 paid support service so please bear that in mind too.
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Like wise here.
I don't have the ultimate recipie for the perfect steak dinner either rofl
On topic is the keyword here. Maybe the Pi X10 hub will bring you to a parallel universe but even I haven't figured that one out yet.
PMs from the original contributors by all means but everything else on the forum please.
This is not a 24/7 paid support service so please bear that in mind too.
As a bonafide fat boy from the south. I can give you that perfect steak recipe!! rofl rofl rofl rofl :) :) :P :P
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I hate to bother you tuicemen, but my image download of version 1.1 failed at 700mb. OK, I will install a download mgr so I can recover next time. But it seems your version 1.2 might be better for me to download instead of version 1.1 due to your adding some arm/disarm something to it - I would like to see that.
So before I try again on a slow download here, can you revive the link (does not work) to the 1.2 version mentioned here:
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=30714.msg179067#msg179067
Thank you.
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Done.
me and my fat fingers >*<
>!
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I am, admittedly, too technically challenged to know much else, but I do know that the forum has been crashing with fair regularity recently. Never for long, but often.
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I had given up for a few weeks on HG but today I tried the SSH install. Before SSH install I successfully installed the image to the SD and inserted into Pi
1. I plugged CM15 into AC power
2. I plugged the pi into CM15 using USB adaptor
3 plugged pi to AC power
4 Opened Putty on my PC
nothing appears in Putty. How is the CM15 and Pi communicating to my PC??? It does not appear that it is.
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Correction the putty screen shows but I saved a name and opened it and nothing changes or opens. Edjal
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You must configure your pi ip address in putty
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Thank you for your reply I don't know what pi address is so I tried following instructions to retrieve it (type name in saved putty session click save then open) and I get no response. I just don't know what I am doing wrong and need more help.
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I never had any luck with putty using the pi host name.
Use a free network scanner app to find the Rpi IP. I use Network Scanner by First Row on my Android phone.
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Mr tuicemen I really do appreciate you taking time to help me along with many others. I used my xfinity system to track device ip address and it was named X10Hub so I copied it for naming purposes and I copy and pasted ip address to putty saved then opened and it is reporting network not available. in a black screen. There is also a mac address being reported by xfinity, not sure if mac address means anything? Do you have any idea as to what is happening? Edjal
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Maybe a different person explaining in different words might help? So here...
open putty.
type in the IP address you found into "Host name (or IP address)" box - should look similar to this: 192.168.1.123
leave "Port" as default 22
Make sure "SSH" ispicked instead of Raw,Telnet,Rlogin, or serial
Click "Open" at bottom of Putty window...
Black terminal window will open, and in about 1-2 seconds your PI is be found and respond with "Login as:"
Now you type in your username. If accepted, it will come back and ask for password: NOTE - whenyou type the password IT WILL NOT SHOW, so just have faith, type it, and press enter. If it takes, you will see Pi menu.
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Thank You so much It worked great. I have also copy and pasted all the info into the terminal that Mr Tuicemen had posted for newbies now I'm trying to open Hg but there is no desktop Pi os for me to open in the taskbar. Still need more help please
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We have been there! Great you moved on!
You now open HomeGenie(hg) by using your browser (of choice - works with all of em)...
- Open browser
- in address bar, instead of typing google or yahoo or msn or anything, simply type the IP address - JUST LIKE YOU TYPED IT INTO PUTTY LINE...
- If that does not open hg for you, type the same IP with :8080 behind it...
If you used Tuicemen's great image, when you went in with putty you had a menu of things to check/change. When you finished doing those things you could or should push <Finish> (remember your mouse does not work in putty - you have to use arrow keys and tab button to get around).
Once you do that, Tuicemen graciously wrote your pi IP address as well as which "port" HG is on... that is the 8080 above. See, computers ASSUME it is port 80 - so if you type just your IP address into browser and it is NOT port 80, then you MUST tell it which port to use.
So like this again in browser: 192.168.1.123:8080
THEN you will be cookin' with gas! Enjoy the nice hg interface you will see!
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Thanks Mike for your help. I really do appreciate Mr Tuicemen and your help otherwise I would be lost completely. I entered "X10Hub" as a name into putty and it opened the terminal at the end of the session I wrote down the IP 10.0.0.140 and it opens up a new HG program so I think HOPE I may finally have it. I have been playing with home genie software on my desktop for weeks trying to familiarize myself with it so I IMAGINE I should delete that software from my PC? I had backed up all the x10 scenarios in HG so I am assuming I can use that backup to update the online HG to my x10 preferences. Your advice would be welcomed.
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1) I entered "X10Hub" as a name into putty and it opened the terminal at the end of the session I wrote down the IP 10.0.0.140
2) and it opens up a new HG program so I think HOPE I may finally have it.
3) I have been playing with home genie software on my desktop for weeks trying to familiarize myself with it so I IMAGINE I should delete that software from my PC? I had backed up all the x10 scenarios in HG so I am assuming I can use that backup to update the online HG to my x10 preferences. Your advice would be welcomed.
my amateur replies (no expert here!):
1) I think when you entered x10hub that is the USER name for your pi computer itself (nothing to do with hg program yet)? You then followed that up with a similar name for pw, right? Did you not see the PORT listed when you closed that menu? like below... it says the port - you use that after your IP in browser line after colon...
2) perhaps Juicemen updated his SD card image to do something I do not know. After hitting <Finish> on mine it just goes to pi terminal text line. I normally then just close that window, done with it, and go to a web browser to get to HG.
3) I too began with windows based HG. I ultimately found its backups of no use to me: it was great as a teaching tool as you have used it. But once you get where it seems you are now, just open the real HG on your raspberry pi in a browser window (10.0.0.140:8080) and begin configuring it fresh would be my advice?
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Thank You Mike very helpful info. I really appreciate the help. Yes the address I used and posted follows your x10 Hub IP address is: Can I password protect my Hg configuration? After Configuring HG I would like to move X10s CM15a to another room so will unplugging and re plugging it while moving corrupt the Rpi? or HG?
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pw protecting your HG is a YES, you can do - but you must ask Tuicemen how - he is big into doing that. Personally, I see no reason to since it is behind my firewall and NAT exchanger so there should be no way someone on the internet can get into my HG on my private intranet. YOU too have a private intranet: your 10.0.xxxx is PRIVATE.
It may be I am too naive or ignorant to understand why one would need to PW protect stuff on their private internal home network. No one has yet explained to me in a way that makes enough sense for me to do so...
I told you I was not an expert!
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I hope you soon expand your experience with HG to take you to next level questions about how to set timers, do IF-THEN stuff! You will grow to the point of having HG EMAIL you if a door opens when it should not! More crazy fancy stuff as you get up the curve! You are in for a bumpy by fun ride! I hope you enjoy it!
PS: sounds like you have a sorta (or more) working Pi system? Have you made a backup image of your SD card yet? Do not neglect that! Do it my friend... often as you make cool improvements/changes. Also HG has a built in backup routine you should be doing as you get more functionality in it (IIRC it is under maintenance menu).
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Thank you Mike for all your help you may not be an expert but what knowledge you do have was very helpful to me! So anyone interested in advising me how to do a SD of Pi backup and whether or not I can move the CM15a to another room without consequences would be much appreciated.
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Hey when I have time to try to help, I'm in.
PI micro-SD card backup: how I and many others do it: remove SD card (see below for comments on how to do that nicely), put in your windows computer. Download free program ImageUSB (https://imageusb.en.uptodown.com/windows). it will copy a complete SD card to an image file you store on your windows computer... if you need to make a replacement SD card, you ue it to WRITE to a new SD card the image you previously saved.
AS for moving youur CM15 to another room, no problem! Your PI is only tied to a power cord and communicates via wifi to your network. So move it anywhere you have wifi connection! Of course beware that 1/2 your house is on one side of the 220v , so your results may vary. :)
As for removing your SD card from PI: You SHOULD power down your PI at leas before removing it... How? when you quit the putty program and are back at the putty pi command line, type in "sudo POWEROFF" IIRC _ may be wrong. Wait for it to shut off (10 seconds or so), then ull SD card.
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Mike I cant thank you enough. I also really appreciate Mr Tuicemens assistance that he has patiently helped me with over the years with AHP and Home Genie issues. #:) >!
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@ mike thanks for jumping in thats what the forum is for to get different perspectives and alternate wording do help.
@adjal glade to see your up and running.
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one other quick question when I move my CM15 to another room I also have to unplug power to Rpi. I guess pi power down is not necessary, but if it is what is the recommended procedure to power pi back up?
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I guess pi power down is not necessary, but if it is what is the recommended procedure to power pi back up?
Power up is simple - just plug back into power!
BUT! Many say NEVER power down without doing the powerdown command in PUtty first! Again, I may not remember right but I think it is
sudo poweroff
If I am wrong hopefully someone will correct me!
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Thanks Mike I'm probably being overly cautious but it has been a long road to this point and I am trying to avoid any more setbacks. I will use the power down method prior to moving my device. Thanks so much.
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https://askubuntu.com/questions/64995/what-is-the-difference-between-shutdown-and-poweroff-commands
I use :
sudo poweroff and have not harmed an SD card yet...
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Mike is not being overly cautious.
We have reports of corrupted SD cards by not properly shutting down properly.
I believe the software writes some data it has in RAM back to the SD card before shutting down.
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I use "sudo shutdown now"
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"sudo halt" also works. Lots of ways to do the same thing.
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Thanks to all of you for your help w shutdown. Mike I used sudo shutdown made an image of the Rpi SD card as you suggested and have my timers working perfectly. Still having trouble with macros. May ask for more help If I cant get anywhere. I only use 2 macros.
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Excellent Edjal!
REmember to watch for HG updates (in HG configure->maintenance) (latest is Version v1.3-stable.5)
They also say to update your raspberry pi; I do a few times per year now (google updating Pi for methods; I cannever remember upgrade, update commands so google it myself each time. Good easy descrip example is https://opensource.com/article/19/3/how-raspberry-pi-update)
FYI, I found HG's "Record Macro" feature best for making a new macro for me; then go into it and eventually learned how to copy/paste/add/edit lines in made in the macro to do what I want.
Lots of us here to help with questions - how I got to be able to manage my HG!
BTW, do you use an X10 security system (for DS10 window/door sensors)? If so, you can automate HG to handle that for you too. With HEAVY help from the smart dudes on this site I do. Each evening HG ARMS my X10 security module, then each morning it DISARMS it. During the night if any sensor is triggered it EMAILS me an alert telling which sensor triggered. So it is much simple now to ARM myself and go check out a specific location! Living in the middle of a thick 40 acre forest 3/4 mile off the road means we must be sorta self sufficient...
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Hi Mike I do not use an Alarm system per say. I use an exterior X10 Ms16a motion sensor set at B2 and with AHP It had a macro turn on Chime module B1 between hours of 8:30 am to 10:30pm. From 10:35pm till 8:25am turn on exterior lights Module set at A4 5 min then reset. So far if I trigger the x10 Icon driveway macro I created it ring the chime and shuts down as commanded but if I actually walk in front of the sensor B2 it does not trigger the macro for some reason
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Here is my driveway alert Macro attached. When I activated the macro using desktop icon in HG pictured it activates and times out perfectly the Macro. However if I activate with motion the Ms16a motion sensor which should start the macro it doesn't start the macro. I cant for the life of me figure out why the motion sensor b2 refuses to communicate with the Driveway Alert Macro program. I can see in HG the B2 sensor is telling HG it is on level 1 when sensing motion.
I'm hoping someone will help me. I am stuck
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here is the program code
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Here is HG x10 modules page
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Hrere is my HG
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Your issue may be HG related... All 3 screen shots look fine...
What version HG are you using? I am on HomeGenie Version v1.3-stable.5
Here is why I am concerned it may be HG: I just tried turning on a simple lite, then tried another, in HG: nothing! But HG reported sending the approriate command to my cm15!
So to diagnose, I plugged my cm15 into my computer instead and used Active Home Pro to test it: sending and receiving both RF and powerline just fine! So plugged back into Pi, still no go...
Tried RESTART command in HG under maint tab - no change.
Tried sudo reboot on pi - no change.
It appears my HG is not communicating with the cm15 any longer!
I must admit I never in past checked that it still worked after updates. My HG internally is running and working as I can click on other icons in it to send a command to HA program that then sends via wifi to my Broadlink RM+ which activates or disarms my alarm system. Any my timer/macro combination to turn off a set of 7 X10 modules every 20 minutes is running (reports in HG top right window sending the commands - although I confirmed again they are not going thru the cm15 to the powerline!)
GUESS BOTTOM LINE IS WE NEED TO VERIFY HG STILL TALKS TO CM15 AFTER ANY UPDATES OR CHANGES!
no sure where to go from here next, other than maybe get confirmation from others that their HomeGenie Version v1.3-stable.5 is working with cm15?
And do pi update/command to see if it was a last update that broke it?
Any other ideas welcome!
UPDATE: MINE IS WORKING AGAIN... in my testing, after verifying the cm15 was working on AHP, I plugged it back into the Pi - bt into the old non working hardwired USB connector... So my restart of HG, Pi reboot tests above were invalid: one of those things may have fixed the issue. By the time I figured out I used the wrong connector, I was/am 1/2 way thru Pi upgrades (sudo apt-get update then sudo apt-get dist-upgrade). So I do not know which of these 3 things fixed it. I apologize. Bottom line edjal is to try to verify the cm15 is working then do HG restart, PI reboot, then update. It sure seems like I just experienced your same problem (HG reports sending commands but cm15 does not actually send them AND HG does not appear to receive commands that should have come from cm15). Hope this helps some?
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Hi Mike I really do appreciate your help with my HG issues. It appears you really have the knowledge to troubleshoot HG issues. I am using Home Genie Version v1.3-stable.5. I believe my HG is communicating with CM15a. Here is why. I have the pole light and the furnace on a schedule and for the most part they function properly and do follow the schedule. I have had a couple of phantom commands on the furnace where I found the furnace came on before scheduled time, and I don't know why? If you look at the My HG screenshot of x10 group you will see the icon for Driveway alert Macro. If I click on that Macro on button the Macro performs perfectly It shows the Ms16 motion sensor (Driveway Sensor x10B2) activates then activates the chime (Driveway Alert X10 B1) then times out according to macro commands. The problem is if I try to activate the macro by using actual motion at the MS 16 (driveway sensor X10B2) shows it has been activated but it wont activate the macro and chime.
I also have an x10 palm pad remote HR12A and if I command an on or off function to the furnace or pole light they do respond correctly.
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More strange happenings In the process of checking functionality of 2 different MS16s I programmed ea to A8 then tried A6 paired with a x10 appliance module on A8 then A6 then put motion in front of MS16 it not only activated the appliance module but turned on xmas tree X10A1 and activated the Driveway Alert X10 B1 continually until I removed batteries from the MS16. So it appears my MS16s are functional but I don't understand why they are sending to all these X10 addresses they are not commanded to? So Frustrating!!
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Hi Mike
I took your suggestion restarted HG and did the two sudo update commands you recommended and it has not helped my situation. edjal
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Darn. I have not had time to study your 3 posts well... I will try to tonight and give any feedback I can... You seem very close.
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Hi Mike
I am grateful that you take any time to help. This is certainly no emergency and can wait. I am very happy you helped me get started. My schedules are working. When you do have time to look into it
I may have a clue to the problem I have not added or knowingly edited any widgets to this point. I was looking at widget "Home Genie/Generic/Light" and it is bound to "HomeAutomation.X10.RF.1" Also widget "homegenie/generic/sensor" is bound to "MultiSensor" and "homegenie/generic/switch" is bound to "Boiler Switch" The boiler switch and Multi sensor are part of the pre loaded HG programs on the dashboard that I don't use. I wonder if this is part of problem. Edjal
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Edjal you went beyond my understanding when you compare widget bindings; I have no idea how that works...
Did you discover the LOG yet? It can be very helpful even tho it is sorta hard to read and unsterstand sometimes... config->maint. Try downloading it and see if it gives any clues? it is a .csv file so it will automaticallly try to open in Word or open office with csv columns - just click thru it as recommended and you will see what it is all about.
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Mike Thanks I will give it a look
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I Did find an error in the log and corrected it. It had nothing to do with the macro I am trying to configure. I have noticed that the macro takes place automatically at the programmed start time of 8:30am and again at 10:30pm but in between these times detected motion at X10 B2 (MS16A) does not activate macro however Hg genie confirms motion at X10 B2 but macro is not generated. I believe at this point that the macro program code I authored cant be language HG understands as written. If someone has the time to look at the macro I posted a snapshot of and can see my mistake please feel free to help me with this problem. I would be so grateful. Edjal
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Hi Mike
I finally have the macro working correctly. I found a post on you tube macro setup and followed its instructions. My trigger code was the main problem and no matter how many scenarios authored by me I would of never figured it out. While in the record macro mode I simply used the capture button then in program code and trigger code activated the proper modules and success finally. Again I really do appreciated the effort you put in trying to help me with this macro. I believe there is a link on this forum I can post the macro when I find it I will post perhaps it will help others in same situation. Edjal
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Great to hear you solved the trigger issue! I have been out of town on business last few days so too busy to look at this forum. Posting a helpful youtube that helped you solve this would be nice!
If you want, it might be helpful to post your non working trigger screen shot and then below it the working one?
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Here is the you tube video I found helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwqJ3YeqOTc Below are the first non working Macro followed by the Working one.
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Here is working Driveway Alert Macro. Hope this helps out others. I have been working on this since May. Edjal
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THANKS! Very instructional!
I learned from it!
I think that trigger step 3 is redundant tho: I ASSUME that RF code is B2 ON and step 4 says same thing in english, no? So EITHER step 3 or step 4?
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I'm not sure if step 3 of trigger code is redundant. When I captured signal from motion at the X10 B2 sensor (MS16A) that is what came up I did not edit it. I just saved it. When the Macro worked I left it alone.
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I've locked this thread to prevent it from becoming a mishmash of questions and answers.
Please post your Questions to a related thread or start a new one. >!