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[skibumtim]

I have been using the CM19A for years now and find with the old sdk on my PC running 24/7 to be way better than what the WM100 seems to be offering. With my $12 per year TriggerCMD account I was able to completely integrate my x10 platform into Google Assistant when I got a Google home in Dec 2017. Now when driving home, with just a squeeze on my Pixel 2 XL phone activating the assistant I can the say "Return On" from anywhere my phone is getting a signal and my x10 outside light switches, the 2 sconces in my living room, and the kitchen lights turn on. First thing I usually door when I step in the door with my hands full, carrying whatever I have bringing into the house with me, is say to my Google Home Hub (that I've recently replaced the older Google Home with) "OK Google, Outside Off" turning only the outside off. If people are not aware of this integration they should see the YouTube video titled Control X-10 devices from Google Home Mini - (using x10 equipment you already own) posted by My stupid videos.

When I first saw this WM100 and the companion app I was hoping there would be integration like the TP-Link's Kasa app that can integrate all the TP-Link hubless switches and outlets into the Google Home app for remote Google Assistant control. A good analogy to me is that x10 is the MySpace of home automation. They were once a leader but when fast moving innovative competition came along they do not seem to have the flexibility and awareness of the industry they are in to keep up with the Joneses. They do seem to have the most affordable hardware tho and with the old sdk out there to let our PCs do the heavy lifting for them there will always be a niche for them for those of us that are capable of DIY integration of their hardware into the more modern smart home platforms.     

Actually you can do more with a cm15  and HG then this ever could.
The only plus currently with the wm100 is its signal strength in my opion.

[HA Dave]

I have been using the CM19A for years now and find with the old sdk on my PC running 24/7 to be way better than what the WM100 seems to be offering. With my $12 per year TriggerCMD account I was able to completely integrate my x10 platform into Google Assistant

OMG... why haven't I read about this sooner.

A little research shows the TriggerCMD skill would work with Alexa as well.

It appears.... the X10 hub has already been invented!!!!! This (as they say in government) is a big f**king deal.  We need to learn MORE about this. I wonder..... if this TriggerCMD could be used on a simple Raspberry Pi?!?!?

[skibumtim]

TriggerCMD was not made for or with X10 in mind I believe. It was a way to remotely integrate windows pc operations onto the Google Assistant (GA) and yes, even the Amazon Alexa platforms. It's all in the batch files. The batch files are simple triggers written as short simple lines of code. I bet some of my smallest and simplest batch files are maybe 16 typed characters or less. If you watch that youtube video you see him make the batch files. If your batch files are written properly you should just be able to click them and they do what you wrote them to do. Next is the TriggerCMD server you need to install on your PC to remotely punch those batch files via GA or Amazon Alexa. All those triggers must be written flawlessly w/o a single character out of place to work. Luckily cut and paste works well and you only have to edit small bits of the command lines if you planned ahead in how you were naming things and keeping them similar and simple. After you watch that video you should be able to have your first batch file made just out of curiosity about 2 minutes after viewing. Once you take that first step its really easy to go on from there.  I think I made one batch file and confirmed it worked. Next the TriggerCMD server and got it linked up to that single batch file I made. Logged into TriggerCMD website with a web browser and made sure I can remotely trigger my batch file. The next thing is then to connect your Google account and TriggerCMD account. Then open the Google Home app on your phone and make the routine to have GA request TriggerCMD to punch that batch file. I probably had this done the first hour after seeing that video. Did spend I think $12 for the first year account usage with TriggerCMD in that first hour but other than that I didn't spend a dime to get any of this integrated because I already had the stuff. That first hour was all trial and error until I figured out what I was doing and how it was working. Without a paid TriggerCMD account, the free account only allows you one free trigger per hour. I encourage every X10 owner that is using the old X10 sdk on a windows machine to just take the time to expand their understanding and knowledge to make just one single batch file to trigger a x10 light, and then get TriggerCMD to remotely trigger it, and then get GA to ask TriggerCMD to trigger it.

Via TiggerCMD I even have GA controlling my VLC Player on my HTPC with batch files I made for it. I can request GA "Movie Time" and it opens my VLC Player. I usually then open the VLC Remote app I got off the playstore made by Hobbyist Software to choose what I want to watch but I do have a unseen movie folder on my NAS and can just request GA to "play movies" and it will auto launch VLC placing all those movies from that folder in a random que and start playing one of them. If the movie has black bars on the top and bottom, I've got a batch file when triggered by a GA request "aspect ratio" that immediately stretches the movie to 16:9 to full fill the screen. Of course I got a "fullscreen" batch file to so I can request VLC to go fullscreen via GA also. Plus so so so much more. Anything my PC can do I have found I can create a batch file to do it remotely with Google Assistant via TriggerCMD. My htpc's background is black, if I fall asleep to a movie on my couch, it ends, I can drowsily call GA to "close VLC," it closes my VLC player and my tv screen goes black. If I'm nodding off on my couch with lights on all over my house and drowsily stumble to bed a simple "Hey Google, All Lights Off" when I hit the sheets and my whole house goes dark. I had already bought a Google Home to see what the Google Assistant was about. All this ability for only $12 per year more seemed like a no brainer when I discovered it. Btw, I am an idiot and if I can do it I know any single person reading this post can do it. I'm a old stoner that dropped out of high school in 1983 only finishing the 10th grade. If I can figure all this out with nothing more than clicking on Google search results and youtube videos, anyone can! YOU all can do it! It is really easy. Just do one out of curiosity.

[dhouston]

How does TriggerCMD differ from DDNS services such as NoIP?
https://www.noip.com/

[HA Dave]

……. It's all in the batch files. The batch files are simple triggers written as short simple lines of code. ………. If you watch that youtube video you see him make the batch files. If your batch files are written properly

…... I'm a old stoner that dropped out of high school in 1983 only finishing the 10th grade. If I can figure all this out with nothing more than clicking on Google search results and youtube videos, anyone can! YOU all can do it! It is really easy. Just do one out of curiosity.

Batch files. 

I should have guessed. Not exactly programing.... but it's programing all the same. Don't sell yourself short. Your time and efforts have been wisely invested... and you reaped what you've sown. You did more than good. You've done great.

But the time and effort required for me.... is a greater price for admission than I can afford. I admire (and envy) what you've accomplished. But it isn't for me. But thank you so very much for sharing. I'd think some others will find this helpful. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Mic_]

Glad I stopped by. Always good ideas out here. Thanks

[skibumtim]

Batch files are so simple and certainly not programming. Here's the batch file I made that turns on my outside lights

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\X10\Common\ahcmd.exe" sendrf a1 on

That is the complete batch file. If you have a CM19 like me working on your windows 10 pc, your x10 is on house code a and a switch 1, that will turn it on right there. Try it... Highlight and copy that above text, open notepad on pc, paste, select save as, choose all files so it's not saved as .txt and name it test.bat saved to your desktop.... Now if you want a1 turned on just click on that batch file sitting on your desktop.

First part is file location. sendrf is what you want it do. a is the house code. 1 is the switch. And on defines whether it is a on or off being sent. If you want to write a bunch of batch files for all your lights you would copy just the "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\X10\Common\ahcmd.exe" sendrf a part so for ea batch file you can hit Ctrl v to paste all the bs in notepad and just type 1 on or 1 off or 2 on etc... Once all your batch files are made you just point TriggerCMD to them and point your Google Assistant to TriggerCMD. The batch files are definitely the easiest part though.

Batch files. 

I should have guessed. Not exactly programing.... but it's programing all the same. Don't sell yourself short. Your time and efforts have been wisely invested... and you reaped what you've sown. You did more than good. You've done great.

But the time and effort required for me.... is a greater price for admission than I can afford. I admire (and envy) what you've accomplished. But it isn't for me. But thank you so very much for sharing. I'd think some others will find this helpful. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Tuicemen]

Batch files are fine for simple things. However most X10 users soon become power users with more then 16 devices and wanting scenes (macros) and timers.
You'll not convince the old long time X10 users batch files are the way to go! We've been there and done that!
The ahcmd.exe tool was created as a test tool for just simple sending. It is not reliable for heavy use as it has been known to lock up.

[skibumtim]

Sorry its been a while. Things have been working flawlessly for me. What does the ahcmd.exe have to do with what I'm doing? Other than the SDKs I never use the program and I never see it running. I use Active Home Vista tho. Left Melloware for it long long ago. Not the most polished piece of software but works great for a timer to turn on my window AC at 2 in the afternoon so my house is cool when I get home. And what scenes do you use that can't be done with a batch file? I have written a single batch file for example that turns on my outside lights, the two sconces in my living room, and kitchen light... isn't that like a scene? Then I have TriggerCMD point to that single batch file so when I say to Google Assistant "return on" all those lights go on when I'm 3 miles from home, what am I missing? I have 100% success asking Google Assistant to control my x10 lights and outlets. And Active Home Vista has never failed to start any timer I had set it up to do? Google Assistant integration has been set it and forget it for a year and a half for me. Active Home Vista has been cool with their dusk to dawn abilities also. WA state has recently done away with standard time but I have my gps coordinates in it and if I wanted stuff to come on at dusk it would track when dusk is all year round. I'll have to check this in Nov when the clocks use to fall back. If I remember AHV allows to manually change when DST ends so I think I can eliminate it from being a issue this winter. But what am I missing? What can you do that I can't? Could you illustrate a real world example for me? Everything I have imagined I wanted to do I have figured a way to do? And they work 100% of the time I've asked them to do. What am I not imagining that can be done or the simpler way that would change my concept of what I am doing? Am I using a screwdriver and don't know of the existence of a power drill?

I think I might find it hard to leave TriggerCMD tho because I use it to control so much more than just x10 devices. When I ask Google "Play Movies" it will open vlc and auto load my movie que to start playing. I say "full screen" and vlc enlarges full screen on my tv. I say "aspect ratio" and the movie formats into 16x9. I say "Play Brooke and Jubal" and internet explorer opens Soundcloud minimized playing the latest uploads of the Brooke and Jubal radio show. There is soooo much more beyond just these things I'm doing with TriggerCMD. It seemed natural to incorporate my x10 equipment into it. And I have never had any issues with anything locking up... Using VLC remote on my phone, an incoming call will pause any video I am watching. When I hang up call a simple squeeze of my Pixel activates the assistant and I say "continue" and movie starts playing again. I know the latter has nothing more to do with x10 other than that they are all being trigger by the same server running on my pc but is there a better way to do all this? What am I missing? I understand you think me stupid for doing things they way I do but I know no other way. And they work so good and consistent.

Batch files are fine for simple things. However most X10 users soon become power users with more then 16 devices and wanting scenes (macros) and timers.
You'll not convince the old long time X10 users batch files are the way to go! We've been there and done that!
The ahcmd.exe tool was created as a test tool for just simple sending. It is not reliable for heavy use as it has been known to lock up.

[Tuicemen]

No one is implying your stupid for doing things the way you do, as you stated it works 100% of the time.
Why would anyone switch from using something that is working 100% of the time and does everything they want. Users move on when they need more. Active Home Vista () uses the AHP SDK when using a CM15 which is fine if they use the dll.  Originaly when I looked at AHV it did not. The AHCMD.exe is basically a test program to send X10 commands nothing more and was created to do nothing more.
Batch files are great for performing simple tasks and you may soon move on to creating more elaborate tasks.
Most here on the forum either are either to suborn to try batch files or have done that in the past and moved on. As well many here are not willing to hand HA control over to a cloud based program.
To many of these have gone by the wayside.

If I understand correctly what your doing is, your using a program (Google Home) to trigger a skill to tell another program (TriggerCMD) to activate another program (batch file) which activates another  program (AHV) which if using AHCMD.exe triggers another program (AHCMD.exe)  which uses the ahscript.dll to send commands to X10nets which send X10 commands.
No one is saying that is wrong just that is a lot of steps where a potential problem could occur.

I've moved away from using a PC for my X10 needs which is what the WM100 was designed to do.
However the WM100 failed to live up to my expectations.
I now use a $5 RPi for my Home Automation and it performs better then AHP or any AHPSDK program I tested or ever created.
TriggerCMD will work on a RPi but I don't require it as Google and Alexa already talk to my RPI software and I can control things from anywhere.

Don't get me wrong I'm not bashing you or any of the software your using. It is working for you 100% and that is what counts.
 


 

[Tuicemen]

I decided to revisit TRIGGERcmd and its Alexa skill as an alternate to using HA-Bridge on my Raspi.
You can only trigger one device every min using the free version which will in most cases be sufficient for me. At least it will give me a good chance to see how well it works with HomeGenie.
In my simple tests so far, it works well for triggering raspi system controls. I've only setup one HG X10 device and can control it via the TRIGGERcmd portal, the PI commandline (using putty) and Alexa