Disabling an X10 Security Sensor temporarily

[Tuicemen]

Have a look at the fun with flags thread in the user created HG addons section. I created a addon which adds 16 virtual devices you could ise as flags.

[petera]

OK, dumb follow up question for the day:

"How does one go about creating a virtual device in HG? "

If you installed HG from the HG site your virtual devices are already created for you. All you need to do is edit them to suit your own needs.

[petera]

I am following this thread with some interest on the X10 security sensors. Anywho, I use Homesser, not HG, but assume the process pretty identical. In HG create an Appliance Module since all you want is an OFF-ON function. Use any unused X10 HCUC in your system. Then control this virtual device with the security sensor output. Then apply your conditionals to the Appliance Modules address. Basically you are using a X10 address as a logic flag.

I’m familiar with HomeSeer too and the process is not quite the same. As I mentioned in a previous post a standard HG installation factory install presents you with predefined virtual devices which can be easily edited and reused as needed.

The flag concept doesn’t really apply here. From what I can gather flags were used in AHP to make up for its shortcomings in handling logic. Not being a user of AHP but looking at its constructs I can see why.

[Tuicemen]

Actualy a flag and virtual device are very much the same they do nothing but show status in ones setup. However virtual devices in HG can be dresses up to show more then on/off status.

Before X10TWI programers added flags users like myself were using dummy (phantom, virtual) modules to act as virtual devices or flags but due to AHPs design these had to have a X10 address. Virtual devices in HG are not limited to 16.

[soxfan1966]

So....   Once I got HG up and running I went thru and deleted programs, widgets and modules I thought I was never going to use.  The Virtual Modules were among those.  I can try and get them back (someone could export them and share them and I could import them), or I can try tuicemen's suggestion of the flags (not sure if I need the same virtual modules for that or not).  Was going to try and play around with that today.

[Tuicemen]

The fun with flags program is virtual modules same code is used.

[soxfan1966]

OK, thanks.  I just downloaded that form your forum and will give it a try.

[petera]

So....   Once I got HG up and running I went thru and deleted programs, widgets and modules I thought I was never going to use.  The Virtual Modules were among those.  I can try and get them back (someone could export them and share them and I could import them), or I can try tuicemen's suggestion of the flags (not sure if I need the same virtual modules for that or not).  Was going to try and play around with that today.

Just to get you started import the hgx file at the end of this link http://old.homegenie.club:8080/www.homegenie.it/forum/index8390-3.html?topic=670.0

[soxfan1966]

I played around with this and after a bit determined it wasn't worth it.  The Advanced Smart Lights already controls the light from the sensor, I was just trying to suppress what was "noise" being reported as X10 RF activity from the sensor (it would pop up in the upper right corner of the screen when on the main Dashboard and also show up as activity in the Event Log).

When I was working on the updated weather widget, I was using the Activity Log to help debug some of my work (using Program.Notify calls) and the X10 RF reports from the security sensor were more annoying in that regard than anything else.  I've turned off the Activity Log again (since my debugging for the time has finished) so I'm not as annoyed by the "noise" - and since it works, I decided to leave it alone

[petera]

I played around with this and after a bit determined it wasn't worth it.  The Advanced Smart Lights already controls the light from the sensor, I was just trying to suppress what was "noise" being reported as X10 RF activity from the sensor (it would pop up in the upper right corner of the screen when on the main Dashboard and also show up as activity in the Event Log).

When I was working on the updated weather widget, I was using the Activity Log to help debug some of my work (using Program.Notify calls) and the X10 RF reports from the security sensor were more annoying in that regard than anything else.  I've turned off the Activity Log again (since my debugging for the time has finished) so I'm not as annoyed by the "noise" - and since it works, I decided to leave it alone

Did you track the source of your "noise". I've just completed a HG setup on the Raspberry Pi Zero W using a CM19 and a combination of standard and security sensors and the everything is fine. Did you examine the output of the noise ie the RF hex codes that were popping up.

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you said you "played around with it and it wasn't worth it". Was it the Virtual Module you were referring to. I did mention previoisly that ASL covered nearly all of your lighting requirements particularly the sensor based logic. A lot of its code is reusable and can be tailored to suit your own needs.

Glad to see you were able to use the Program.Notify feature to interrogate the system. Some other powerful tools available at your disposal too. Once you get fully immersed in C# you'll really see the true power of HG.

[soxfan1966]

What I am referring to as "noise" are valid X10 RF signals coming from the security sensor, to me they are noise because I am not using them as part of the security system and I do not need their intermittent validation signal (not sure if that is the proper term or not) and I was trying to ignore them in general for a time range (or weather condition).  When I say ignore, I just didn't want to see them popping up on the Dashboard and in the Activity Log.  They work just fine and control my light as I want using the Advanced Smart Lights.

[petera]

What I am referring to as "noise" are valid X10 RF signals coming from the security sensor, to me they are noise because I am not using them as part of the security system and I do not need their intermittent validation signal (not sure if that is the proper term or not) and I was trying to ignore them in general for a time range (or weather condition).  When I say ignore, I just didn't want to see them popping up on the Dashboard and in the Activity Log.  They work just fine and control my light as I want using the Advanced Smart Lights.

Are the popups appearing as a result of genuine activity ie trips and/or status reports back to your non existent, in your case security console.

[soxfan1966]

Yes, that is correct

[petera]

Yes, that is correct

That's why I'm using standard X10 sensors for that job. That and the fact that you have other features that the security sensors don't have. Granted the Status.Level report from the security sensor is reported as 0 when it is reporting its current status back to HG but could have an effect on other automations if they are not carefully coded.

You could modify the CM15 driver to prevent this and recompile it for your own purposes. Alternatively this could be achieved in the core code. Either way those events are fairly infrequent and may not be worth the effort.

The Virtual Device really is the backbone of automation creation so if that's what you were referring to as not being bothered pursuing I'd have a look again.

[soxfan1966]

I was originally using the X10 motion sensor but it was unreliable and the signal was crappy - the security sensor works much better, so at least for me its a better fit.   I may pick this back up again later but for now I'm not looking to make any more changes with it.