All posts by fountside

Philips Hue Entertainment setup and testing

Now that Philips has launched its Entertainment facility for the Hue lights, it’s time to implement and test the features.

What is Entertainment?

It’s a new method for the Bulbs to communicate, meaning that light effects and changes can be synchronised to the split second. This means that the bulbs can react to films, broadcasts, games and music without any lag.  The instructions are sent out in bursts and then carried out all at the same time by the bulbs themselves.  This, in the purest form, means that the bulbs are truly “smart”.

Setting an Entertainment area

You need to tell Hue where your entertainment area(s) are.  An entertainment area is a collection of lights that you want to join together when you’re doing an activity that will use Hue Entertainment – such as playing a video game or watching a film.  You set this up through the Hue app.  Open the app, go to Settings (the gears icon) then choose Entertainment areas.

Select a room or rooms where the entertainment area is to be set up.

HueEnt-01

Select the lights that will be used in your entertainment area.  Notice that Hue recommends the ones that will work best with this feature.  The recommended ones have increased range for brightness and can also show all colours more vividly.

HueEnt-02

Your selected lights appear on a pretend ‘map’ of your entertainment area.  Drag each one into where it is physically positioned in the room.  As you drag, the light in your room will flash so you know which one you are moving on the screen.  Each one will turn from orange to green once you have moved it.

HueEnt-03

When you have positioned the lights on the screen to match where they are, press Test area.

HueEnt-04

The lights will all change colour at the same time, to match the colours showing on the app.

HueEnt-05

Finally, the app will flash each light separately.

Once set up, the area is stored in the bridge’s memory for use later.  At this time the bridge also works out which bulb in the entertainment area should be used as the first point of contact to send out messages to the other bulbs in the area.  You can change this in the app but the automatic decision seems to work well.

Testing the Entertainment area

At the time of writing this entry, there is only one Entertainment partner available on the app – this is Razer hardware (a gaming hardware company).  However, there’s another way to test your new Entertainment area.

A reddit user called CrustaceanSoup has developed a Windows app called Huestacean which can be downloaded and run easily.  The app samples what is displayed on the screen and then converts this to colours in the entertainment area.  For example, you can watch a film or a YouTube video on your computer and your Hue lights sync perfectly to the action on screen.

Thoughts

Thanks to people like CrustaceanSoup we can see the potential for this amazing immersive experience.  The level of synchronicity takes my breath away.

I cannot wait to see how other partners join in with this.  More than merely matching what is on screen, I can see streamed films coming with encoded Hue light programs and live broadcasts sending their stage lighting to Hue to recreate in your living room.

For now, I would be really happy if Hue extended their already strong partnership with Apple and brought a similar screen-mirroring function to the Apple TV, this would mean that practically everything we watch could be extended outwards into the whole living room.

Advertisement

Creating a custom HTML front end for Domoticz Part 4 – YouTube companion article

You can click here for the related YouTube video.

My previous front end for Domoticz was very well received, thank you to everyone who asked for a copy or gave feedback.  I was encouraged to create a simpler to implement but still good-looking design.

The new look is based upon primarily grey and black, with the occasional flash of red or green.  This scheme can be changed easily in the css file of course.  The whole front end has been designed to look great on landscape tablets and portrait smartphones alike.

The front end has been primarily designed to work closely with Domoticz and has several options to insert onto the screen.  The options have been specifically designed to look different to each other even though through Domoticz they would look very much the same.  This is because people who do not routinely use Domoticz generally prefer a little variation in their screen to help them navigate functions.

The functions that look different are:

Feedback switch: Lights up a segment to the right when switch is on and remains dark when off.  Can be pressed anywhere to toggle the switch.

Non-feedback button: A large button which (usually) will switch on a Domoticz switch.  Can be used to activate things like scenes or timed functions such as heating boost.

Temperature / Humidity: Shows in readable text the status of a multifunction sensor.

Sensor: Provides colour feedback on the status of the sensor as well as data on when the sensor was last seen by the system (so for door sensors and doorbells etc this shows the last time the item was used).

Navigation bar: Shows icons which are used to help the user group and navigate across the web app.  Icons were obtained from Flaticon.com and therefore without providing different icons this code cannot be used for commercial gain.

The screen is set up in two ways depending on the orientation of the screen.

Landscape – used for tablet installations: the main section is to the left, with groups of switches in a smaller column to the right.

Portrait – used on smartphones: main screen is at the top of the visible screen, with groups of switches or sensors at the rear of the screen, provided in two columns.

The code is available to download and improve over on github at https://github.com/fountside/domoticz-tiles-user-interface  so you can access copies whenever you like.  You will need the css and at least one html page to get started, then use the elements and change the variables stated at the beginning of the page to match your own setup.  I would encourage anyone who improves this code to publish it within the repository so that others (including me!) can benefit from it.

From feedback I have recently received from readers and YouTube followers, it looks like Domoticz requires the security protocols to be in place, and this version has security built in.  You’ll need to convert your username and password into base64 (follow the instructions on the Domoticz page https://www.domoticz.com/wiki/Domoticz_API/JSON_URL’s to do this).

The only additional type of html document is specifically for Sonos using node-sonos-http-api.  If you already use this then all you’ll need to do is change the variables at the start of the HTML in the audio.htm file to match your rooms set up.  From this screen you can directly control individual rooms (click on the room name to change) and there is a clear graphical display showing album art.  You can launch your favourites and skip tracks.

I hope that this design work and code is of use to you, it is the next iteration of a long-term project of mine to design a near-perfect user interface for the smart home.

 

Creating a custom HTML front end for Domotiz Part 3 – YouTube companion article

We’re going to get a bit more clever now. When we have taught Domoticz a list of devices (be they switches or lights or door contacts) we may want to list them all in one go without manually entering a long list of html for each device. Also, if we can get the HTML front end to gather all the information about each switch, it means that we can update the contents of the buttons automatically, for example if we change the name of a device, it will automatically update in the HTML front end.

I’ve created some code to do this and the commentary on this is over on my YouTube video.

Here’s the code and two css files that you’ll need. Please note that the css files contain more than is needed at the moment: however the css will be needed in future articles.

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<head>
<title>Home Control</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=0" />
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes" />
<meta name="mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes" />
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style" content="black" />

<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<meta name="description" content="" />
<meta name="keywords" content="" />
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
	<link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" />
	<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="iphone-icon.png"/>
	<link rel="icon" sizes="196x196" href="logo.png">
	<link rel="icon" sizes="192x192" href="logo192.png">
	<link rel="stylesheet" media="(orientation: portrait)" href="portrait.css">
	<link rel="stylesheet" media="(orientation: landscape)" href="landscape.css">
	<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Baloo|Comfortaa" rel="stylesheet">

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript">
<!--
<!--

var devicestodisplay =[36,35,31,141,32,134,132,29,136,140,33,1617];
var nod=0;
var domoticzurl="192.168.1.163";
var domoticzport="8080";

function speak(textToSpeak) {
 // Create a new instance of SpeechSynthesisUtterance
 var newUtterance = new SpeechSynthesisUtterance();

 // Set the text
 newUtterance.text = textToSpeak;

 // Add this text to the utterance queue
 window.speechSynthesis.speak(newUtterance);
}

function switchon(devicecode){
 execute('PUT', 'http://'+domoticzurl+':'+domoticzport+'/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=On', '');
}

function switchoff(devicecode){
 execute('PUT', 'http://'+domoticzurl+':'+domoticzport+'/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=Off', '');
}

function toggle(devicecode){
 execute('PUT', 'http://'+domoticzurl+':'+domoticzport+'/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=Toggle', '');
}

function dim(devicecode,dimlevel){
 execute('PUT', 'http://'+domoticzurl+':'+domoticzport+'/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=Set%20Level&level='+dimlevel, '');
}


function execute($method,$url,$message){
xmlhttp=new XMLHttpRequest();
xmlhttp.open($method,$url,true)
xmlhttp.send($message);
}
window.onload = function() {
 // all of your code goes in here
 // it runs after the DOM is built

 //updateweather();
 getalldevices();
 updatealldevices();
 }
 
window.setInterval(function(){
 updatealldevices();
 }, 1000);



function updatedevice(idx){
 var location="DEVICE"+idx;
 console.log("checking status of idx "+idx);
 var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();
 var url = 'http://'+domoticzurl+':'+domoticzport+'/json.htm?type=devices&rid='+idx;
 var onoff;
 xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {
 if (xmlhttp.readyState == 4 && xmlhttp.status == 200) {
 var myArr = JSON.parse(xmlhttp.responseText);
 onoff = myArr.result[0].Status;
 devicename = myArr.result[0].Name;
 // myFunction(myArr);
 document.getElementById(location).innerHTML='<span class="device">'+devicename+'</span>';
 }
 if (onoff == "On") {
 document.getElementById(location).style.background = "red";
 } 
 if (onoff == "Off") {
 document.getElementById(location).style.background = "grey";
 }
 if (onoff == "Open") {
 document.getElementById(location).style.background = "red";
 } 
 if (onoff == "Closed") {
 document.getElementById(location).style.background = "grey";
 }
 }
xmlhttp.open("GET", url, true);
xmlhttp.send();
}

function getalldevices(){
fLen = devicestodisplay.length;
for (i = 0; i < fLen; i++) {
 preparediv(devicestodisplay[i]);
 getdevice(devicestodisplay[i]);
 }
}

function preparediv(deviceidx){
nod=nod+1;
var div = document.createElement("div");
div.className = 'devicecontainer';
div.id = "DEVICE"+deviceidx;
document.getElementById("devicesdiv").appendChild(div);
}

function updatealldevices(){
fLen = devicestodisplay.length;
for (i = 0; i < fLen; i++) {
 updatedevice(devicestodisplay[i]);
 }
}

function getdevice(idx){
 console.log("getting device idx" + idx);
 var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();
 var url = "http://"+domoticzurl+":"+domoticzport+"/json.htm?type=devices&rid="+idx;
 xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {
 console.log(devicestodisplay[i] + " " +xmlhttp.readyState)
 if (xmlhttp.readyState == 4 && xmlhttp.status == 200) {
 var myArr = JSON.parse(xmlhttp.responseText);
 devicename = myArr.result[0].Name;
 devicestatus = myArr.result[0].Status;
 console.log(devicename + "(" + devicestatus+")");
 adddevice(idx,devicename,devicestatus);
 }
 }
xmlhttp.open("GET", url, true);
xmlhttp.send();
}

function adddevice(deviceidx,devicenametext,devicestatus){
nod=nod+1;
var div = document.createElement("div");
//div.style.width = "100px";
//div.style.height = "100px";
//div.style.background = "red";
//div.style.color = "white";
div.className = 'devicecontainer';
div.innerHTML = devicenametext;
div.id = "DEVICE"+deviceidx;

if (devicestatus=="On"){
 div.style.background = "red";
}

if (devicestatus=="Open"){
 div.style.background = "red";
}

if (devicestatus=="Off"){
 div.style.background = "grey";
}

if (devicestatus=="Closed"){
 div.style.background = "grey";
}

console.log("-------------"+div.id);
//document.getElementById("devicesdiv").appendChild(div);
document.getElementById(div.id).addEventListener('click', function() {
 { toggle(deviceidx); };
}, false);
}

function myFunction(arr) {
 var out = "";
 out += arr[0].result.Status;
 document.getElementById("id01").innerHTML = out;
}

//-->
</script>


<body>

<audio id="scene" src="assets/sounds/beep2.mp3" preload="auto"></audio>
<div align="left" class="toplinks">
<a href="index.htm"><span class="menutext">Home</span></a>
<a href="lights.htm"><span class="menutext">Lights</span></a>
<a href="devices.htm"><span class="menutext">Devices</span></a>
<a href="audiotrial.htm"><span class="menutext">Audio</span></a>
<a href="climate.htm"><span class="menutext">Environment</span></a>
<a href="security.htm"><span class="menutext">Security</span></a>
<a href="activities.htm"><span class="menutext">Other screens</span></a></div>
<div id="notification" align="center" class="notificationpane" onClick="clearnotification(11);"></div>
<div id="devicesdiv"></div>
</body>
</html>

Here’s the landscape.css file


body {
background-color:#000000;
font-family: 'Comfortaa', sans-serif;
margin: 0 0 0 0;
padding: 0 0 0 0 ;
}

.back-to-top {
background: none;
margin: 0;
position: fixed;
bottom: 50px;
right: 20px;
width: 150px;
height: 50px;
z-index: 100;
display: none;
text-decoration: none;
}

.back-to-top i {
font-size: 60px;
}

.timerselecttext {
font-size: 60px;
color:#FFFFFF;
}

.clockdisplay {
font-size: 250px;
color:grey;
}

div.clocktext {
font-size: 100px;
color:#000000;
}

div.weathertext {
font-size: 70px;
color:#000000;
}


div.standardcontainer {
background-color:grey;
position:relative;
width:25%;
height:25vh;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:white;
font-size: 4vw;
text-align:center;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.doublecontainer {
background-color:grey;
position:relative;
width:50%;
height:25vh;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:white;
font-size: 4vw;
text-align:center;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.devicecontainer {
background-color:grey;
width:25%;
height:12vh;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:white;
font-size: 2vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}


div.albumcontainer {
width:28vw;
height:28vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.trackcontainer {
width:70vw;
height:10vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.audiocontrols {
background-color:grey;
width:100vw;
height:10vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.audioactivitycontainer {

width:70vw;
height:10vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.camera {
background-color:grey;
width:100vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.camcontrols {
background-color:green;
width:300px;
float:right;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

span {
background-color: #ffffff;
color: #75099b;
font-size:20px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

div.nightclock {
background-color:#333333;
position:relative;
width:100%;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:#666666;
font-size: 5vw;
text-align:center;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

span.title {
background-color:#666666;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:35px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.timertext {
background-color:green;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:70px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.playstate {
background-color:green;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:12px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.temptext {
background-color:green;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:40px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.roomname {
background-color:green;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:40px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.lightroom {
background-color:green;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:30px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}


span.device {
background-color:#666666;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:20px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.sensor {
background-color:#666666;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:18px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 0px 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}


span.screentitle {
background-color:#666666;
font-family: 'Baloo', sans-serif;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:30px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.menutext {
background-color:#0066FF;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:24px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.datetime {
background-color:#009900;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:16px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 5px 5px;
margin: 0px 5px;
border-radius: 5px;
}


div.audioroomcontainer {
background-color:#66FF99;
float:left;
height:200px;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
font-size: 25px;
margin: 0 0 10px 10px;
}

div.nightmodecontainer {
background-color:#666666;
width:150px;
float:left;
height:200px;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
font-size: 25px;
margin: 0 0 10px 10px;
}


div.notificationpane {
background-color:#FFFFCC;
width:100%;
font-size: 2.5vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.nightnotificationpane {
background-color:grey;
width:100%;
font-size: 2.5vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.toplinks {
background-color:#66CCFF;
top:0px;
left:0px;
width:100%;
font-size: 30px;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.popuppanel {
background-color:grey;
width:100vw;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

and here’s the portrait.css file


body {
background-color:#000000;
font-family: 'Comfortaa', sans-serif;
margin: 0 0 0 0;
padding: 0 0 0 0 ;
}

.back-to-top {
background: none;
margin: 0;
position: fixed;
bottom: 50px;
right: 20px;
width: 150px;
height: 50px;
z-index: 100;
display: none;
text-decoration: none;
}

.back-to-top i {
font-size: 60px;
}

.timerselecttext {
font-size: 60px;
color:#FFFFFF;
}

.clockdisplay {
font-size: 200px;
color:#000000;
}

div.clocktext {
font-size: 100px;
color:#000000;
}

div.weathertext {
font-size: 70px;
color:#000000;
}


div.nightclock {
background-color:#333333;
position:relative;
width:100%;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:#666666;
font-size: 5vw;
text-align:center;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.doublecontainer {
background-color:grey;
position:relative;
width:100%;
height:25vh;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:white;
font-size: 4vw;
text-align:center;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.standardcontainer {
background-color:grey;
position:relative;
width:50%;
height:15vh;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:white;
font-size: 2vw;
text-align:center;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.nightclock {
background-color:#333333;
position:relative;
width:100%;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:#666666;
font-size: 5vw;
text-align:center;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.devicecontainer {
background-color:grey;
width:50%;
height:10vh;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:white;
font-size: 2vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}


div.albumcontainer {
background-color:grey;
width:100vw;
height:100vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.trackcontainer {
background-color:grey;
width:100vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.audiocontrols {
background-color:grey;
width:100vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.audioactivitycontainer {
background-color:grey;
width:100vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.camera {
background-color:grey;
width:100vw;
float:left;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.camcontrols {
background-color:green;
width:100vw;
float:right;
padding-top:0px;
color:white;
font-size: 3vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

span.menutext {
background-color: #ffffff;
color: #75099b;
font-size:3vw;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span {
background-color: #ffffff;
color: #75099b;
font-size:18px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.title {
background-color:#666666;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:18px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.timertext {
background-color:green;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:20px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.lightroom {
background-color:green;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:16px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}
span.temptext {
background-color:green;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:20px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 10px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}
span.device {
background-color:#666666;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:18px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.screentitle {
background-color:#666666;
font-family: 'Baloo', sans-serif;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:18px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 5px 5px;
margin: 5px;
border-radius: 5px;
}


span.menutext {
background-color:#0066FF;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:24px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.datetime {
background-color:#009900;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:12px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 5px 5px;
margin: 0px 5px;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.sensor {
background-color:#666666;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-size:14px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 0px 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

div.audioroomcontainer {
background-color:#66FF99;
float:left;
height:200px;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
font-size: 25px;
margin: 0 0 10px 10px;
}

div.nightmodecontainer {
background-color:#666666;
width:150px;
float:left;
height:200px;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
font-size: 25px;
margin: 0 0 10px 10px;
}


div.notificationpane {
background-color:#FFFFCC;
width:100%;
font-size: 16px;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}


div.toplinks {
background-color:#66CCFF;
top:0px;
left:0px;
width:100%;
font-size: 30px;
overflow:scroll;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

div.popuppanel {
background-color:grey;
width:100vw;
float:left;
padding-top:10px;
overflow:auto;
color:white;
font-size: 2vw;
box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px 1px black;
}

Creating a custom HTML front end for Domoticz part 2 – YouTube companion article

This article just shows the code that accompanies the next in the multi-part series explaining how I created my (reasonably popular!) HTML front end.

The icon I used can be downloaded from Flaticon.com but remember to download two versions, one you should rename dehumidifier-on.png and one dehumidifier-off.png

Here’s the code.

index.htm

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<head>
<title>Home Control</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
		<meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=0" />
		<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes" />
		<meta name="mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes" />
		<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style" content="black" />

		<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
		<meta name="description" content="" />
		<meta name="keywords" content="" />
		<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
			<link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" />
			<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="iphone-icon.png"/>
			<link rel="icon" sizes="196x196" href="logo.png">
			<link rel="icon" sizes="192x192" href="logo192.png">
			<link rel="stylesheet" media="(orientation: portrait)" href="portrait.css">
			<link rel="stylesheet" media="(orientation: landscape)" href="landscape.css">

  	<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Baloo|Comfortaa" rel="stylesheet">
<head>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript">

var domoticzurl="192.168.1.163"

function MM_goToURL() { //v3.0
  var i, args=MM_goToURL.arguments; document.MM_returnValue = false;
  for (i=0; i<(args.length-1); i+=2) eval(args[i]+".location='"+args[i+1]+"'");
}
function speak(textToSpeak) {
   // Create a new instance of SpeechSynthesisUtterance
   var newUtterance = new SpeechSynthesisUtterance();

   // Set the text
   newUtterance.text = textToSpeak;

   // Add this text to the utterance queue
   window.speechSynthesis.speak(newUtterance);
}

function switchon(devicecode){
	execute('PUT', 'http://' + domoticzurl + ':8080/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=On', '');
}

function switchoff(devicecode){
	execute('PUT', 'http://' + domoticzurl + ':8080/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=Off', '');
}

function toggle(devicecode){
	execute('PUT', 'http://' + domoticzurl + ':8080/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=Toggle', '');
}

function dim(devicecode,dimlevel){
	execute('PUT', 'http://' + domoticzurl + ':8080/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=Set%20Level&level='+dimlevel, '');
}


function execute($method,$url,$message){
xmlhttp=new XMLHttpRequest();
xmlhttp.open($method,$url,true)
xmlhttp.send($message);
}

function toggleDiv(divId) {
   $("#"+divId).toggle(100);
}

function hideDiv(divId) {
   $("#"+divId).hide();
}
	
window.addEventListener("load", function(){
});;

function hideallDivs() {
    hideDiv("lights");
	hideDiv("devices");
}

//the following functions will run every second (due to the 1000 at the end).
window.setInterval(function(){
	updatedevice(36,'dehumidifier',"dehumidifier-on.png","dehumidifier-off.png");
	}, 1000);


// the following function checks to see if the idx is "on" or "off" and updates the image accordingly
function updatedevice(idx,location,onimage,offimage){
	console.log("checking status of idx "+idx);
	var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();
	var url = "http://"+domoticzurl+":8080/json.htm?type=devices&rid="+idx;
	var onoff;
	xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {
    	if (xmlhttp.readyState == 4 && xmlhttp.status == 200) {
        	var myArr = JSON.parse(xmlhttp.responseText);
			onoff = myArr.result[0].Status;
       // myFunction(myArr);
    	}
		if (onoff == "On") {
		document.getElementById(location).src = onimage;
		} 
		if (onoff == "Off") {
		document.getElementById(location).src = offimage;
		}
		if (onoff == "Open") {
		document.getElementById(location).src = onimage;
		} 
		if (onoff == "Closed") {
		document.getElementById(location).src = offimage;
		}
	}
xmlhttp.open("GET", url, true);
xmlhttp.send();
}


</script>

</head>

<body>

<a href="javascript:;"  onclick="toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="navtitle">Lights</span></a>
<div id="lights" class="navlights">
Desk Lamp

<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(594,16);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">Max</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(594,12);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">75%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(594,8);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">50%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(594,4);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">25%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="switchoff(594);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">Off</span></a>

<hr width="90%" style="dashed" color="#FFFFFF" size="2">

Ceiling Lamp

<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(81,100);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">Max</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(81,75);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">75%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(81,50);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">50%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(81,25);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">25%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="switchoff(81);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">Off</span></a></div>
<a href="javascript:;"  onclick="toggleDiv('devices');"><span class="navtitle">Devices</span></a>
<div id="devices" class="navlights">
Dehumidifier

<a href="javascript:;" onclick="toggle(36);"><img id="dehumidifier" src="dehumidifier-off.png"></a></div>
</body>

And here are the 2 css sheets you need (I don’t know why I have done this yet but these will be useful when we start looking at device orientation.

Portrait.css

html {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
background-color:#000000;
}
div.navlights {
display:block;
text-align:center;
position:relative;
width: 100vw;
margin:0vw;
background-color:#CCCCCC;
font-family: 'Comfortaa', cursive;
font-size:6vw;
font-color:#000000;
}
span.buttontext {
background-color: #ffffff;
color: #75099b;
font-size:6vw;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 1vw;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.toggletext {
background-color: #FF66CC;
color:#ffffff;
font-size:6vw;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 1vw;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.navtitle {
color: #FFFFFF;
font-size:5vw;
display: inline-block;
margin: 3vw;
font-family: 'Baloo',cursive;
font-weight: normal;
}

landscape.css

html {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
background-color:#000000;
}
div.navlights {
display:block;
text-align:center;
position:relative;
width: 100vw;
margin:0vw;
background-color:#CCCCCC;
font-family: 'Comfortaa', cursive;
font-size:40px;
font-color:#000000;
}
span.buttontext {
background-color: #ffffff;
color: #75099b;
font-size:36px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.toggletext {
background-color: #FF66CC;
color:#ffffff;
font-size:36px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.navtitle {
color: #FFFFFF;
font-size:50px;
display: inline-block;
margin: 5px;
font-family: 'Baloo',cursive;
font-weight: normal;
}

 

Creating a custom HTML front end for Domoticz Part 1- YouTube companion article

ere’s the HTML and CSS you’ll need if you want to follow my guide over on my YouTube channel on how to create a custom user interface using HTML for Domoticz.

I’ve been asked many times for the code for my HTML interface and others have asked how to develop their own, so this step by step guide should help you to build a great looking interface that you can be proud of, and your family can use with ease.

In the index.htm file, when copied into a text editor, change the line:

var domoticzurl="192.168.1.163"

to the address of your Domoticz system.

Go to the Domoticz folder, then to the www folder, then create a folder called whatever you want your creation to be called.  I’ve called the folder fab for now.

Copy the three files into the folder.  Once complete, the Domoticz HTML server will serve up the page to whomever requests it.

Try it out by opening any browser and typing in

addressofyourdomoticzsystem:port/yourfoldername/index.htm

In my case this would be

192.168.1.200:8080/fab/index.htm

If all is well you should see your masterpiece!  Have a go at changing the names and idx codes of the devices and re-uploading and testing again.

As this HTML code sends HTTP requests, your browser may ask if you want to enable content.  This has happened on my desktop version of Google Chrome a few times.

There is some code at the top of the index.htm page that tells your browser that if you’re using a smartphone to open this page, you can save it to your homescreen.  The next time you open it, there will be no address bar and it will look like a web app.

save this text as index.htm


 


<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<head>
<title>Home Control</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=0" />
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes" />
<meta name="mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes" />
<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style" content="black" />

<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<meta name="description" content="" />
<meta name="keywords" content="" />
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
		<link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" />
		<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="iphone-icon.png"/>
		<link rel="icon" sizes="196x196" href="logo.png">
		<link rel="icon" sizes="192x192" href="logo192.png">
		<link rel="stylesheet" media="(orientation: portrait)" href="portrait.css">
		<link rel="stylesheet" media="(orientation: landscape)" href="landscape.css">

		<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Baloo|Comfortaa" rel="stylesheet">
<head>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript">

var domoticzurl="192.168.1.163"

function MM_goToURL() { //v3.0
 var i, args=MM_goToURL.arguments; document.MM_returnValue = false;
 for (i=0; i<(args.length-1); i+=2) eval(args[i]+".location='"+args[i+1]+"'");
}
function speak(textToSpeak) {
 // Create a new instance of SpeechSynthesisUtterance
 var newUtterance = new SpeechSynthesisUtterance();

// Set the text
 newUtterance.text = textToSpeak;

// Add this text to the utterance queue
 window.speechSynthesis.speak(newUtterance);
}

function switchon(devicecode){
 execute('PUT', 'http://' + domoticzurl + ':8080/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=On', '');
}

function switchoff(devicecode){
 execute('PUT', 'http://' + domoticzurl + ':8080/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=Off', '');
}

function toggle(devicecode){
 execute('PUT', 'http://' + domoticzurl + ':8080/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=Toggle', '');
}

function dim(devicecode,dimlevel){
 execute('PUT', 'http://' + domoticzurl + ':8080/json.htm?type=command&param=switchlight&idx='+devicecode+'&switchcmd=Set%20Level&level='+dimlevel, '');
}

function execute($method,$url,$message){
xmlhttp=new XMLHttpRequest();
xmlhttp.open($method,$url,true)
xmlhttp.send($message);
}

function toggleDiv(divId) {
 $("#"+divId).toggle(100);
}

function hideDiv(divId) {
 $("#"+divId).hide();
}

window.addEventListener("load", function(){
 hideallDivs();
});;

function hideallDivs() {
 hideDiv("lights");
 hideDiv("devices");
}

</script>

</head>

<body>

<a href="javascript:;" onclick="toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="navtitle">Lights</span></a>
<div id="lights" class="navlights">
Desk Lamp

<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(594,16);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">Max</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(594,12);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">75%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(594,8);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">50%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(594,4);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">25%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="switchoff(594);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">Off</span></a>

<hr width="90%" style="dashed" color="#FFFFFF" size="2">

Ceiling Lamp

<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(81,100);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">Max</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(81,75);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">75%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(81,50);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">50%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="dim(81,25);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">25%</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="switchoff(81);toggleDiv('lights');"><span class="buttontext">Off</span></a></div>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="toggleDiv('devices');"><span class="navtitle">Devices</span></a>
<div id="devices" class="navlights">
Dehumidifier

<a href="javascript:;" onclick="switchon(29);toggleDiv('devices');"><span class="buttontext">On</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="switchoff(29);toggleDiv('devices');"><span class="buttontext">Off</span></a>
<a href="javascript:;" onclick="toggleDiv('devices');"><span class="toggletext">Auto</span></a></div>
</body>


Save this text as portrait.css


html {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}

body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
background-color:#000000;
}

div.navlights {
display:block;
text-align:center;
position:relative;
width: 100vw;
margin:0vw;
background-color:#CCCCCC;
font-family: 'Comfortaa', cursive;
font-size:6vw;
font-color:#000000;
}

span.buttontext {
background-color: #ffffff;
color: #75099b;
font-size:6vw;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 1vw;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.toggletext {
background-color: #FF66CC;
color:#ffffff;
font-size:6vw;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 1vw;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.navtitle {
color: #FFFFFF;
font-size:5vw;
display: inline-block;
margin: 3vw;
font-family: 'Baloo',cursive;
font-weight: normal;
}


And finally save this as landscape.css


html {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}

body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
background-color:#000000;
}

div.navlights {
display:block;
text-align:center;
position:relative;
width: 100vw;
margin:0vw;
background-color:#CCCCCC;
font-family: 'Comfortaa', cursive;
font-size:40px;
font-color:#000000;
}

span.buttontext {
background-color: #ffffff;
color: #75099b;
font-size:36px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.toggletext {
background-color: #FF66CC;
color:#ffffff;
font-size:36px;
display: inline-block;
padding: 3px 10px;
margin: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
}

span.navtitle {
color: #FFFFFF;
font-size:50px;
display: inline-block;
margin: 5px;
font-family: 'Baloo',cursive;
font-weight: normal;
}

Philips Hue in partnership with The Voice UK will bring the studio into your living room

I don’t think I have ever been more excited about Philips Hue, and that is saying something as I am a great lover of the whole range of products.

In January ITV (the UK television network) announced that during later stages of The Voice UK, the companion app will control connected Hue devices and sync them to the stage lighting.  This means in effect that the lighting director will not only be controlling the stage where the contestants sing, but also the lights wherever you are watching.

I have downloaded the app in anticipation and have selected the lights I want to be controlled during the live performance, and also tested the setup via a short sample video supplied in the app.  If the live shows sync up as well as the sample video did, I can only tremble with anticipation before the live head-to-head shows begin.

THIS is what we have been waiting for.  Ambilight and the projection version of Ambilight from Philips proved that extending the lighting effects beyond the visible window you can see on television creates a much more immersive experience.  This new innovation (similar – but possibly an evolution of – the SyFy Sync app)  brings us one step closer to all action/music/performance programmes having “light encoding” similar to the way subtitles are currently saved alongside video.  I cannot wait to see this in action: Philips, if you are reading this and you need a “real” home to preview The Voice integration: pick me!

Podcast interview

I was interviewed for the David Snape and Friends podcast last week.  David’s blog and podcast is an eclectic mix showcasing bloggers’ hidden talents.  It’s a great read and I would recommend you having a look.

The interview was tailored mainly as an introduction to smart homes and so may be a bit basic for enthusiasts who already have a knowledge of how devices fit together. If you’re interested in listening please go to the podcast’s page (my interview starts at 1 hour 31 minutes and lasts about 20 minutes).

I’ve been concentrating on my new YouTube channel for the last few weeks but I’m not ignoring my blog:  I have a few entries planned out including some simple Lua scripts to whet your appetites.  I am also working on a new user interface for smart home control (what’s new!) so I will be showcasing that soon and I will hopefully have a place for you to download it directly.

 

New YouTube channel

I just thought I would let you know that I have a new YouTube channel, called Fabulous Home Automation where I intend to add informational videos about home control devices.  There will be a mixture of reviews and technical hints and tips, so hopefully something for everyone.  My very first video is a quick review of some LightwaveRF products.  I’d appreciate your comments, but please be constructive as this is my first video!

View my YouTube channel

 

Open sesame! The Yale keyless connected lock

I’ve been wanting to expand our connected home into access control, and with Yale’s latest offering my head was turned.

Inspired by the opening seconds of this guy’s home control setup, I wanted to make sure that the lock would have a few different methods of user detection.  The lock itself had to be able to interface with the home control system and I wanted to be able to use keys or cards of some description to open the door.  This lock ticks all the boxes.

smartlock

The lock itself appears very well made and solid (as expected from Yale) and was surprisingly easy to fit as only one additional hole needs to be drilled (for the cable to be passed from the front keypad to the battery pack and home control interface that is affixed to the inside of the door).  You can choose when fitting the lock if you want to turn the knob clockwise or anticlockwise to open the latch.  I opted for both.

When not in use the keypad remains unlit and just looks like an inconspicuous glossy black panel.

There are a few methods to open the door: firstly you can place your palm on the black area to light up the keypad, then enter a particular code.  The codes can be of varying lengths for different users.  After confirming the code, the keypad lights animate in a ‘waterfall’ pattern to indicate that entry is permitted.  If an incorrect entry is made, some numbers extinguish while the 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 numerals blink to make an ‘X’ shape.

Alternatively, and this is where my gadget-loving heart goes aflutter, you can use RFID keyfobs or key cards available from Yale or other retailers.  These are not expensive and are very useful.  To gain entry you simply present the item to the centre of the keypad (marked with the word ‘CARD’) and access is granted.  As simple as that.

There are also 3 modules that can be bought for the lock and slotted into the top.  The first is to link the lock to Yale’s proprietary security system, another is to enable the lock to be opened from a longer distance via a remote control keyfob and the third connects the lock to a home control hub using the Z-wave protocol.

yale-snippet1

The actual mechanism seems to connect the outside knob with the inside latch when engaged (by default for 6 seconds) then after this period the connection is released so the knob moves freely but does not move the latch and therefore effectively no longer allows entry.

The memory is set up in the lock for twenty users.  These users can either have a code, a key fob, a card or a mobile-phone tag.  The user can have one code and one of the wireless devices.

There are many options to ensure you are happy with the lock, from selecting the volume of the beeps emitted, to the length of time the lock will remain unlocked after a validated entry is permitted.  There is also the facility to enter a 24-hour code so that a visitor can let themselves in for a day but then the code is erased from the lock’s memory.

We have been using this lock for a month or so now.  There have been no problems with it and indeed it has been quite a talking point at times.  The main benefit I have had is the knowledge that that horrible moment when you pull the door closed and realise that you have forgotten your keys is a thing of the past.  You can just type in your code to get back in.  It’s also a strangely liberating feeling to nip out without taking keys.

I can also see this lock benefiting an older person who perhaps lives alone and is cared for by rotating staff.  Each staff member can be given their own code and perhaps even a keyfob, so that they can gain access when required.  If and when that member of staff leaves their employment, the lock can simply forget that member of staff so access would not be granted again.  Relatives could also respond if a neighbour found that the older person had wandered outside and needed to get back in, by giving the neighbour a code to allow the safe return of the occupant.

More fun and games are to be had when I get the interface module for Z-wave.  For now, however, I’m really pleased with this lock and would heartily recommend it for geeks, gadget lovers and forgetful families alike.

 

Logs, logic and inspiration: Managing a complex home control setup

You know how it goes.  You start with one or two home control devices.  You find it amazing that you can control them from your phone.  You want more.  And more…

Here’s a quick diagram of my current setup at home.

setup.png

There are at least 77 items for the home control system to control.  Each one has a unique set of capabilities, and inter dependencies with other devices.  Certain groups of these items require different communication protocols, some radio, some infrared, some HTTP and some via a webserver.

As my system has been created from several protocols and brands, I find it engaging and a full-on hobby to ensure they perform perfectly in concert.  Basic scripting has become more in-depth as I attempt to squeeze out the most from every device.  Although adding additional functionality is stimulating for me and ultimately rewarding for me and my flatmate, each iteration adds a new layer of complexity – and like every complex system, the bigger it is, the harder it can fall.

I’ve recently been faced with a problem.  A few times in a row, the Raspberry Pi 2 has frozen overnight. The controls and automatic lighting obviously do not respond, and then something as simple and as taken for granted as getting light and audio into the shower requires scrabbling through phone apps: not good if the water is already running!  Worse, the switches that are supposed to be triggered in the early morning, such as the “it is dawn” variable do not fire.  So with such a complex system how do you diagnose the problem?

Logs

The first answer is logs.  Loads of logs.  Ensure each of your subsystems are writing down what they are doing and just as importantly when they are doing it.  You can then rifle through the logs and find anything that is not behaving as you’d planned.

Inter-dependency diagrams

Okay, so this may be the most geeky thing I have said on this blog so far, but I like to keep diagrams and spreadsheets showing which systems and activities are inter-related.  And in the event of a catastrophic failure, they pay dividends.  You can literally trace your finger through the lines and see which scripts you need to check if something is not working right.  You can also keep track of things like ID codes and group codes for all your connected devices.

Logic

To do this you need to empty the house of unexpected variables (i.e. the rest of the family and pets large enough to trigger any sensors) and then physically run through each process that you think may be causing the problem.  If you are anything like me this usually involves an embarrassing and potentially uncomfortable period where you are remaining totally motionless right in front of a motion sensor to see what happens when the “no movement here” signal is sent.

Inspiration

You may be surprised by the other users’ perception and understanding of your home control system.  Ask other occupants what they think is happening.  At best they could hit the nail on the head, and if not they just may throw something so left-of-centre out there that is provides you with the fresh outlook you need to trace the problem.

Summary

I feel this entry will become outdated very soon.  As consumers we are on the cusp of having our cake and eating it: a fully integrated one-stop solution for home automation that will work seamlessly and without requiring manual programming.  It may even have the ability to provide reasons for failure and suggest ways to work around it, especially if open-source and app-based: a fellow user in the Netherlands could be granted temporary access to help sort out the problem you’re having with your garage door in California.

This new way will remove the complexity involved in getting disparate systems to work together, but will it provide the level of control we ‘first gen’ full home control aficionados will require?  Either way, I’m glad I’ll be able to say “In my day, we had to fumble around to find the solutions to these issues, and sometimes create our own!”