Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[petera]

Most of the Raspberry Pi stuff is cut and paste. Once you download a program like PuTTY a quick read up on it and you will be able to control your Raspberry Pi from your Windows machine. In fact it will feel like you are back in the old IBM PC days working from the command line in DOS. The Raspberry Pi won't need a screen, a keyboard or a mouse.

How are you accessing your Homeseer HS3 unit at the moment. Are you accessing it from your Windows system or do you have a screen, keyboard and mouse attached to it. If you could tell us what you know we can tell you what you need to know in easy steps. It's only February now. Still plenty of nasty weather left to get learning all that is Raspberry Pi. Forget about Linux, think about Pi. It's just another operating system. Remember directories in Windows are folders in Linux. Both Windows and Linux have a root directory.

[HA Dave]

...... it will feel like you are back in the old IBM PC days working from the command line in DOS.

I missed most of that. A divorce had me off-line (sort to speak) between writing my own programs in basic on my Vic-20.... and then windows 3* on a Zenith 100 (computer) at work. I've been retired a decade.... so my skills are dusty. But I was a network admin (WINDOWS ONLY). I have zero useful programing skills.

How are you accessing your Homeseer HS3 unit at the moment. Are you accessing it from your Windows system .....

I access Homeseer using SSH through a recent windows 10 laptop. I know the HS3 is a Pi and I am happy controlling it via my laptop... from the comfort of my recliner. I have been running the HS3 for several months... and was tickled I could control my X10 via Amazons Alexa using the little Pi device. But.... I hadn't done anything more than add X10 devices to it so I could control them by voice.

But until just the other day.... My old Home Automation (laptop) PC running AHP and a voice software on XP... using a CM15A controlled my setup.

I had whole house Voice announcements (a great Kate 16 bit voice). But... it was outdated. It was a disaster just waiting to happen. 

Now.....Homeseer is awesome. But the new WM100 X10 WiFi module is taking over ALL my X10 timers now. Homeseer "events" will replace my X10 macro. The "creepy" Pi voice (I did get it to speak on HS)... may or may not be useable. I think I have a better idea to record wav or Mp3 files for playback. I "think" I can pair the voice alerts to play on the Amazon/echo devices. If not.... I already have the old (outdated) wired speaker system (I'd like to move away from).

Now... what I'd like to do with the Raspberry Pi 3 is setup a completely different HA setup that could replace any and all the other systems. I was hoping I could do that with HomeGenie. And I still think I can. But again... as an alternative I am accessing the Raspberry Pi 3 via wireless keyboard and mouse... with it displayed on my Man Cave 46" TV. This is the way I do most things. A system.... and a complete back-up system.

I know a lot of people (many kids) use the Pi to learn programing... and If i can get a bit of a feel for that... all the better.

[petera]

Well you have the hard part setup. You know how to access your HS3 unit from the Terminal on your PC. This means you can access your Raspberry Pi the same way. Just take your time a little by little you'll get there.

I have a similar unit to your wifi module, the TIP10RF. It connects via Ethernet to the router and operates both RF and PLC. Has its own app for Android and iOS and works well. The thing I like about HomeGenie is all the other HA you can control from one application.

Good luck with your tinkering and let us know how you get on.

[HA Dave]

... Good luck with your tinkering and let us know how you get on.

I really appreciate all you help and concern. I know I am slow.... but I have more in process than I can easily handle. I think I'll get there. I really thought I was going to have a huge amount of available time when I started this thread.... but it all piled up at once. Then... I couldn't see an easy way to convert away from my old laptop running a CM15A.... so I just shut it down, and pulled it off line. Now... my set-up is somewhat fractional.

I did find time to read a book on Pi. And I'll be back to that. I think Homegenie might be a great option.

[HA Dave]

What an awesome Home Automation Season this has been!

I've made several attempts at modernization. Most... were massive failures! Leaving me with a shrinking automation setup... with lost abilities. Shutting down my HA PC (with wired voice announcements) and it's dedicated CM15A... was at best... a risk. As I tried to further integrate a Homeseer controller. I've spend weeks trouble shooting a problem that had apparently been latently at the edge of my X10 automation all along..... with trouble/noise at the high end of unit numbers on at least two house codes. 

Meanwhile... I gave-in to years of curiosity... and bought a Raspberry Pi 3. Hoping I could also exploit this electric-stingy abilities to improve my HA. As a years long Microsoft guy..... the Pi made me feel stupid. But... I am much more comfortable with the Pi now. I've done a bit of reading, experimenting, and playing with it.

The sunshine of this past month... has all been around X10's new WM100. Flawless in setup and exactly as promised. A great X10 HUB-like device that only needs a Alexa "skill" to bring thousands of X10 users into voice controlled automation. 

But all the effort, failures, frustration, and hours spent.... has quickly wasted most of a moth of crappy winter weather that otherwise would have only crept by. I love this HA... for so many reasons! 

[bkenobi]

In case you have put the RPi/HG project on the back burner due to difficulties getting it running, I wanted to provide some updates on my experience.  I'm currently in the process of writing an updated guide and hopefully either a script and/or preconfigured SD card image to help new users.  I had some issues getting things running initially with my RPi3, but it appears to be working correctly now.

[HA Dave]

...... I wanted to provide some updates on my experience.  I'm currently in the process of writing an updated guide and hopefully either a script and/or preconfigured SD card image to help new users.  I had some issues getting things running initially with my RPi3, but it appears to be working correctly now.

What a great idea! Although I've had plenty of "irons in the fire" I am still plowing forward. I even found time to get through a stomach virus.... and attend the birthday party of the two year old (granddaughter) that gave it to me. 

I bought (and read) a (digital) book on Raspberry Pi 3. Then I bought a 2nd memory card to experiment with and did the basic NOOBS install. I now... at least have a (beginners) working knowledge of Raspbian.

And I now have my Homeseer Hometroller.... which is also a Pi... more fully up and running. I have shut-down the HA laptop and only using one CM15A as/for a plug-in for the HS. I've also taken down my amplified, hardwired, speaker system (hoping to use Bluetooth to my Echo devices). I have even re-assigned new H/U codes and I have made a effort to completely re-imagine my entire setup. This is a MAJOR reconfiguration for me.

Meanwhile... I have also been using and testing X10's new WiFi WM100. Fortunately... the WM100 roll-out has been near flawless. With only a few minor bugs of no real consequence (IMHO).

So... I am still in and ready to try/test/use any download, HG image, or set of directions, you come up with. I'll try PMing you my email address to make it easier to contact me.

This past 4-5 weeks has been one of the pleasant Home Automation Season I've had. Very busy, and productive. A lot of fun. Yet even so... with a little nostalgic sadness. I even miss the idea of no AHP... and the demise of the Kate 16 bit voice which has been such a part of my home here for many years.

[toasterking]

Superaccurate GPS Chips Coming to Smartphones in 2018
Broadcom has a GPS sensor out that supposedly reports its location with an accuracy of 30 cm (11.8 inches).  With virtually everyone carrying smartphones now, I ought to be able to leverage this tech, at least for the house's typical occupants, to solve all of the above problems with very little effort and expense.

BTW, some cursory investigation reveals that should I have access to an early Android device this year with the new BCM47755 chip, I should be able to use Tasker to do some experimenting without actually writing any code. [...] The script can capture the current GPS location and send it to my web server via HTTPS POST.  [...]

It's happening!  The new Xiaomi Mi 8 is out in China, has the BCM47755, and runs Android!  Any day now! *fingers crossed* 

[HA Dave]

….It's happening!  The new Xiaomi Mi 8 is out in China, has the BCM47755, and runs Android!  Any day now! *fingers crossed* 

This is a new golden age for Home Automation.