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[racerfern]

Welcome petec! Your input will be quite valuable. I have a z-net along with CM15A connected. One on the z-net, one on the PC running Windows and AHP. I also just got an RPi3 and a zigbee board and have an RFXCOM transceiver on its way to me. I, along with @HA Dave are learning new ways and new devices. It's cool stuff that helps keep the mind sharp.

You sound like a user with another name on the HomeSeer forum.

[HA Dave]

Hello Folks,

Just a quickie post here.

Just joined forum today.  I am old here and have used X10 on initially Commodore VIC, 64 and Amiga way back then used it on first generation MS DOS and Windows 1.0-3.0.  ......

I had a VIC-20! , one of the 1st sold. Studied for weeks just to write a couple programs in basic.... recorded to the Commodore tape player.

Welcome to the forum petec!

You sound (read) like you'll be a valuable access here. Hope we can keep you entertained. You are far from being alone about being cloud-shy. Although I am cloud friendly myself..... MANY here (and I a sure elsewhere) are hesitant of throwing everything to the wind (er... cloud).

I have been running a Homeseer, Hometroller for months.... but JUST bought my 1st(?) stand alone Raspberry Pi 3. It's a learning process for me! Still shopping for HA software to run on it.

[petera]

Hello Folks,

Just a quickie post here.

Just joined forum today.  I am old here and have used X10 on initially Commodore VIC, 64 and Amiga way back then used it on first generation MS DOS and Windows 1.0-3.0.   

I started to use X10 in the beginning or so 1978 or so.  Today continue to utilize X10 and have no dependencies on the cloud.  I have migrated now to Linux for my automation here.  Relating to the RPi Wheezy, Jessie and Stretch X10 works great.  Also running it here on Ubuntu 16.04 64 bit.

I tinker a bunch where as primary X10 day to day stuff is running on my Homeseer server plus utilizing a combo Leviton OmniPro 2 which is doing X10, UPB, ZWave and Zigbee.  I have been able to replicate similiar on the RPi these days.  Home here is a sandbox and do tinker with other HA software running on Linux.

I try to push the cloudless approach here and still tinker with things like Alexa.  What still works for me too is using Microsoft SAPI / Kinect for TTS and VR locally.  I can today enable Amazon Alexa via MS SAPI.  I do run MS SAPI in an Oracle Virtual box on the same computer doing automation in Linux.

Most recent RPi project here relating to a do all RPi in the attic doing a small 1-wire network, ZWave, X10 and now have added an SDR radio to download NOAA satellite weather maps.  The RPi is hardly working at all here.  I use it more as a slave to another Linux automation box in a very basic way of enabling Ethernet transport for serial stuff...easy peasy...

All written above I would like to help fellow X10 folks here move to the RPi world of X10 automation.  It is easy and works great.

Glad you made it over petec. Hopefully we can breed new life into the old dog x10

Like a lot of users I'm not a particular fan of so called cloud solutions. It is possible to control your x10 devices remotely without going through a 3rd party host and with the correct security protocols implemented on your own home server. I'm sure many users on this forum are aware of this but this is just for the ones who are not.

The Raspberry Pi is an ideal tool to achieve this and with the help of those who know how to achieve this some really smart systems can be set up for remote operation.

I understand there are a lot of dedicated Windows on this forum but I really do suggest you give the alternatives a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the ease with which you achieve and the results of course.

[HA Dave]

....... Glad you made it over petec. Hopefully we can breed new life into the old dog x10

......I understand there are a lot of dedicated Windows on this forum but I really do suggest you give the alternatives a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the ease with which you achieve and the results of course.

If you were referring to me with that old dog... dedicated Windows stuff.... the shoe pretty much fits... or used to . I am trying to keep up. Got me a Raspberry Pi... looking for software now.

Currently.... I am running AHP on an old XP laptop that is connected to a CM15A... the laptop also runs BVC (Bill's Voice Commander). BVC "hears" X10 signals (PLC or RF) and can "read" any text I assign in reaction. I get great voice announcements from a sweet female 16 bit voice (she sounds like Jeri Ryan).

Of course... I'd like to replace the laptop (and its functions) with my RBP.

But since I am also running Homeseer Hometroller (also a pi unit).... I may be able to replace the macro functions on the Hometroller... and only need voice support (Jeri's voice is NOT required) from the RBP I just recently bought.

But don't limit me to just replacing what I have. Your preaching the choir about the Raspberry Pi.

[petera]

....... Glad you made it over petec. Hopefully we can breed new life into the old dog x10

......I understand there are a lot of dedicated Windows on this forum but I really do suggest you give the alternatives a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the ease with which you achieve and the results of course.

If you were referring to me with that old dog... dedicated Windows stuff.... the shoe pretty much fits... or used to . I am trying to keep up. Got me a Raspberry Pi... looking for software now.

Currently.... I am running AHP on an old XP laptop that is connected to a CM15A... the laptop also runs BVC (Bill's Voice Commander). BVC "hears" X10 signals (PLC or RF) and can "read" any text I assign in reaction. I get great voice announcements from a sweet female 16 bit voice (she sounds like Jeri Ryan).

Of course... I'd like to replace the laptop (and its functions) with my RBP.

But since I am also running Homeseer Hometroller (also a pi unit).... I may be able to replace the macro functions on the Hometroller... and only need voice support (Jeri's voice is NOT required) from the RBP I just recently bought.

But don't limit me to just replacing what I have. Your preaching the choir about the Raspberry Pi.

The sudden demise of AHP and it's servers caused a lot of grief for a lot of long time dedicated AHP users. It certainly opened up the market for alternative technologies. I have no doubt that they would have arrived anyway but the gap between the demise of AHP and where we are now made that breakthrough for the alternatives that little easier.

I for one made the break and stumbled upon the Linux alternatives to get my x10 setup back up and working. It was through this I discovered the power of Linux over networks particularly in the HA field. I'm controlling technology now that I could only have dreamt of a number of years ago. In fact my x10 remotes have been all but retired being replaced by voice technology. No harm there.

The Raspberry Pi and other single board computers will eventually replace the old laptop and desktop. Makes sense really. We certainly do live in interesting times.

[HA Dave]

The sudden demise of AHP and it's servers caused a lot of grief for a lot of long time dedicated AHP users. ....

I was very lucky. I still have enough parts a pieces to keep me up and running for some time. I was even given a used Hometroller by racerfern. So I've done OK. But I know the changes were tragic for some.

I for one made the break and stumbled upon the Linux alternatives to get my x10 setup back up and working. ....... In fact my x10 remotes have been all but retired being replaced by voice technology. No harm there.

Years ago... we had the creator of HeyU here at the forum. I always thought he was more of a code writing hobbyist than a automation hobbyist (but a heck of nice and very helpful guy). But a LOT has changed since 2012 when RBP and Arduino burst onto the scene. 

I love voice control. And Alexa makes it work so well.

[dhouston]

Years ago... we had the creator of HeyU here at the forum.

Daniel Suthers was active here?
http://www.heyu.org/heyu1/

[HA Dave]

Daniel Suthers was active here?
http://www.heyu.org/heyu1/

No.... Charles Sullivan. He is mentioned in line 91 of the pages source code.

[dhouston]

Daniel Suthers was active here?
http://www.heyu.org/heyu1/

No.... Charles Sullivan. He is mentioned in line 91 of the pages source code.

I was well acquainted with Charles - we communicated frequently about details of various protocols/hardware - but he did not create HeyU - he took over maintenance of it from its creator, Daniel Suthers.   

[HA Dave]

I was well acquainted with Charles - we communicated frequently about details of various protocols/hardware - but he did not create HeyU - he took over maintenance of it from its creator, Daniel Suthers.

Sorry. I honestly thought he was part of the creation of HeyU.

[dhouston]

As I'm not a Linux acolyte, I haven't followed things HeyU. I'm not sure who has maintained it since Charles left us but I just found this...
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/heyu_users/conversations/messages/8098

Apparently, based on that thread from earlier this month, it has been a collective effort for the past few years and it looks as if it will continue in that vein.

BTW, here's where Charles gave credit to Daniel...
http://www.heyu.org/heyu_credits.html

Just think it appropriate to give credit where credit is due.

Charles had a Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering (NYU). Here's his obituary...
http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Charles-Sullivan&lc=7294&pid=146305880&mid=4426701

[racerfern]

I'm continuing here from this message: http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=30017.msg171189#msg171189

I am up and running with homegenie. I stopped after performing the sudo gdebi...

I'll see what other parts I need as I progress. Thank you @petera

[HA Dave]

I am up and running with homegenie........Thank you @petera

Woot Woot!

Glad to see you've figured this out.

[racerfern]

It's relatively easy. Since you are already up and running, follow the part to install mono:
 and follow the part to install gdebi and the part to update the rpi.

6) Install needed utilities/update system
   sudo apt-get install gdebi-core rpi-update
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get upgrade
   sudo rpi-update

7) Set up SSL certificates
   sudo apt-get install mono-complete
   sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
   sudo certmgr -ssl smtps://smtp.mail.yahoo.com:465
   sudo certmgr -ssl smtps://smtp.gmail.com:465
   
   confirm setup:
   echo "" | openssl s_client -tls1 -showcerts -connect smtp.mail.yahoo.com:465

   *** yahoo and most likely google require an app specific password ***
reboot at this point

Install HG
   sudo wget http://sourceforge.net/projects/homegenie/files/homegenie-beta_1.1.r525_all.deb
   sudo gdebi homegenie-beta_1.1.r500_all.deb
   ln -s /usr/local/bin/homegenie/log /home/pi/.

I updated the file name to reflect the newer version.
Now I realize I didn't do the last line "ln -s...

[HA Dave]

Yeah... none of that means anything to me. I have a lot of learning to do. I think I need a class.