Voice-controlled lighting

[fattybunter]

I have an IR blaster (USB-UIRT) hooked up to my HTPC that I use to control my projector screen, my receiver, and my projector all via Vox voice commands. 

I'm wondering if anyone uses/has used/knows of a good IR-controllable light switch? Or I suppose something RF-controlled would also work if there was a plugin for EventGhost or something.   I want to be able to say "Computer, lights off"    

[Dave]

I don't know any IR-controllable light switch, but there are some IR-RF-Converter.
I for example use "One for all Light Control Starter Kit HC8300" which works fine with my Intertechno RF-light-switch and sockets.
as an alternative there is the "jbmedia light manager", but it is way more expensive.

[jitterjames]

it really comes down to how much you are willing to spend, how many things you want to control, and how reliable it needs to be.  The cheapest solution I know of is x10, but it is not the most reliable.

HALX is going to be awesome when it comes out, but it's not available in north America yet, and it's probably a bit expensive if you just want to control one light.

[fattybunter]

Thanks for the advice.


I went with this:  http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-MIR-600THW-WH-600-Watt-Infrared-Receiver/dp/B000JJYJMM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328820129&sr=8-2

It was cheap, easy, got good ratings and still works as a switch   Although I am definitely open to buying something else as well.

I think once I move into a home of my own I'll move to the more elegant/behind-the-scenes solutions.

[jitterjames]

That looks like a good choice for now.  You definitely want something that works manually.  There is nothing worse than not being able to turn your lights on or off due to technical difficulties!

I'm interested in the Z-Wave products but I find the price a bit prohibitive.  The basic design concept seems very smart though.

[fattybunter]

The Z-wave products look great.  Is there a way to tie them into Eventghost/Vox?

[jitterjames]

good question!  I'm not sure.

[fattybunter]

Well it worked out great.  I have my IR blaster (USB-UIRT) aimed at about a 170 degree angle to the IR reciever on the light switch and it still somehow works perfectly.  I'll post a video involving everything soon!

[jitterjames]

glad to hear it!  how far is the switch from the blaster?

[fattybunter]

I'd say about 4 feet

[Kalle]

I'd say about 4 feet

My USB-UIRT work at 10 feet with out no problems 

[jitterjames]

The Z-wave products look great.  Is there a way to tie them into Eventghost/Vox?

Yes.  If you have a Vera3 or VeraLite (which I have) then you can control all your zwave stuff directly from VoxCommando.

It's possible with the current version of VoxCommando using the scrape command, but I am working on a Vera plugin that will extend the functionality and make it a bit easier to work with.

I'll be posting a demo and the plugin relatively soon.

[Telorast]

I use a tellstick duo (cost ~70€) and lights from Nexa (cost ~20€ but only available in Sweden it seems). EvenGhost got a Telldus plugin allowing me to control them through Vox Commando.
So I can just say "Dim lights" and the lights are set to 20% brightness or any other command I want to implement.

Since the setup allows free control of the lights from the computer I can also make sure the hallway lights are on when I come home or turn the roof lights off from bed.

It also lets me control the lights from my phone, there is a premade plugin for Unified remote and I can also make my own in Tasker and send the commands to EventGhost that way.

As an added bonus I can use the radio remotes with 30m range to control my computer and link any task in EventGhost.

[Kalle]

I use a tellstick duo (cost ~70€) and lights from Nexa (cost ~20€ but only available in Sweden it seems). EvenGhost got a Telldus plugin allowing me to control them through Vox Commando.
So I can just say "Dim lights" and the lights are set to 20% brightness or any other command I want to implement.

Since the setup allows free control of the lights from the computer I can also make sure the hallway lights are on when I come home or turn the roof lights off from bed.

It also lets me control the lights from my phone, there is a premade plugin for Unified remote and I can also make my own in Tasker and send the commands to EventGhost that way.

As an added bonus I can use the radio remotes with 30m range to control my computer and link any task in EventGhost.

Hi Telorast, nice configuration.
By the way, you can also use the app VoxWav for your android device, this allows you to use your phone as a comfortable WiFi mic and remote for VoxCommando. http://voxwav.wikispaces.com/

Nexa looks like the same as http://intertechno.at/ there is also a LAN-Gateway available http://www.funkschalter-intertechno.de/Intertechno-ITGW-433-LAN-Gateway:::20.html?XTCsid=0bfilnkauniq1aev5qppcqopp0. A other option is the HALi controller http://lifetek.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=13&pid=15#pid15 which can control devices with RF and IR and there is also a plugin for VoxCommando available.

Kalle

[xtermin8r]

A other option is the HALi controller http://lifetek.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=13&pid=15#pid15 which can control devices with RF and IR and there is also a plugin for VoxCommando available.

thanks kalle.

I use a tellstick duo (cost ~70€) and lights from Nexa (cost ~20€ but only available in Sweden it seems). EvenGhost got a Telldus plugin allowing me to control them through Vox Commando.

I think my solution is much better.

http://lifetek.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=13&pid=15#pid15

[Telorast]

I think my solution is much better.

http://lifetek.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=13&pid=15#pid15

Looking at the specs, yours sure look a lot better but all the image links are broken so hard to see how it works. I couldn't find any price or order information, how much does it cost?

The nice thing with Telldus was that I could download their software and test all the features and integration before buying it. Also being available in my regular computer store was a big bonus

Hi Telorast, nice configuration.
By the way, you can also use the app VoxWav for your android device, this allows you to use your phone as a comfortable WiFi mic and remote for VoxCommando. http://voxwav.wikispaces.com/

I got that installed but I don't use it much, often it's easier to just click a shortcut if I got the phone with me. Might be because I'm still new to Vox Commando and only have a few commands implemented. I haven't found any inspiration guides on the forum, have I missed them or aren't there any?

The main use seem to be for media control but I'm still struggling to get that to work. XBMC refuses to recognize my TV series unless I organize them in neat folders myself, so I'm using PLEX as media server instead and connecting to that from XBMC, works great for manual control but it seems to break the XML export to Vox Commando.
I mostly use Spotify as music player and that's a nightmare to remote control. To solve that I'm trying to use MediaMonkey instead but I'm still struggling to get the auto tag features to work so it still thinks all my music is from the same album with Unknown artist. Meaning the XML exports from there are also worthless at the moment...

[xtermin8r]

Looking at the specs, yours sure look a lot better but all the image links are broken so hard to see how it works. I couldn't find any price or order information, how much does it cost?

which image links are broken ? All images are displayed on my PC.
The reason why there is no price or order information yet, is because they are not ready at the moment,
Price and Order Information will be announced at the weekend hopefully, once i have finished testing them.

[Telorast]

which image links are broken ? All images are displayed on my PC.

All of them, if I follow the links I get:

"An Error Has Occurred!
The topic or board you are looking for appears to be either missing or off limits to you."

Example link:
http://voxcommando.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=860.0;attach=1585;image

Might be that the vox commando forum doesn't allow linking to images you posted there.

[jitterjames]

xtermin8r the images are on the VoxCommando forum.  Why don't you host the images on lifetek directly?

The problem is that those images are in a section of the forum that is private.

In any case, it is just two images of a white box, with an antenna, Ethernet port, some IR ports and LEDs.  It's a nice box but not necessary to see it to understand the funtionailty.  Some of the major advantages are

- stand alone with webserver so no PC required, and only uses about 1 watt so you can leave it on all the time without green guilt, and still operate it from your phone, or when away from home.
- blasts IR as well as RF, and can learn both

[jitterjames]

Here are the images

[xtermin8r]

xtermin8r the images are on the VoxCommando forum.  Why don't you host the images on lifetek directly?

The problem is that those images are in a section of the forum that is private.

Thanks James, for clearing that up.

i shall go and fix the images.

[Kalle]

I got that installed but I don't use it much, often it's easier to just click a shortcut if I got the phone with me. Might be because I'm still new to Vox Commando and only have a few commands implemented. I haven't found any inspiration guides on the forum, have I missed them or aren't there any?

Hi Telorast, there are some inspiration guides and command groups available, take a look on following link 

http://voxcommando.com/forum/index.php?topic=938.msg7812#msg7812

I controll all RF and IR devices in my house with VoxCommando and the HALi controller (lights, TV, stereo, etc.). With HALi controller it is no PC required, this controller has his own webserver. With VoxCommando and HALi together can you create many szenarios and only your fantasy is the limit 
If you search a good remote software for your iOS or android device take a look on http://iruleathome.com/, it is easy to create your own GUI on you PC and upload it to your device. This remote designer need no install process it run from a cloud in your browser and can used from anywhere.

Kalle

[fattybunter]

I'm moving this week and was looking into a new Vox light controlled setup.  I'm going to be ordering the parts for my new setup very soon and this HALi controller looks great.  I had some questions though that I was hoping you all could answer.

Is HALi compatible with Z-wave products? ,e.g. http://www.amazon.com/GE-45612-Wireless-Lighting-Control/dp/B006LQFHN2/ref=pd_sim_hi_4

It looks like it'll be able to replace my USB-UIRT IR transmitter/receiver too?

Would it work with some of the highly rated RF dimmers on amazon?, e.g. http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-VRI06-1LZ-Incandescent-Capable-Dimmer/dp/B001U3Z6YG/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1364219328&sr=1-9&keywords=Z-wave+dimmer  and http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-MRF2-600MTHW-WH-Multi-Location-Controller-Wallplate/dp/B003U8Y9QA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364219575&sr=1-1&keywords=RF+dimmer+light

Thanks in advance for the help!  

[jitterjames]

I'm moving this week and was looking into a new Vox light controlled setup.  I'm going to be ordering the parts for my new setup very soon and this HALi controller looks great.  I had some questions though that I was hoping you all could answer.

Is HALi compatible with Z-wave products? ,e.g. http://www.amazon.com/GE-45612-Wireless-Lighting-Control/dp/B006LQFHN2/ref=pd_sim_hi_4

It looks like it'll be able to replace my USB-UIRT IR transmitter/receiver too?

Would it work with some of the highly rated RF dimmers on amazon?, e.g. http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-VRI06-1LZ-Incandescent-Capable-Dimmer/dp/B001U3Z6YG/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1364219328&sr=1-9&keywords=Z-wave+dimmer  and http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-MRF2-600MTHW-WH-Multi-Location-Controller-Wallplate/dp/B003U8Y9QA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364219575&sr=1-1&keywords=RF+dimmer+light

Thanks in advance for the help!  

HI Fatty,
Yes, Hali/ Unimote can replace your USBUIRT for sending IR.  It may or may not be able to replace it for receiving IR though, I think it depends on a few factors.

No, Hali / Unimote does not support Z-Wave.  But it can send RF signals to simpler RF switches provided you have matching frequencies.  It will work with this type of switch: http://www.amazon.com/Heath-Zenith-BL-6133-WH-Solutions-Wireless/dp/B000NCV2V6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364222606&sr=8-2&keywords=rf+light+switch (must verify frequencies though).

If you want to be able to do Z-Wave stuff without having to have a PC running (i.e. with your phone or tablet), then I suggest looking into the VeraLite.  It is compatible with the GE and Leviton, but I think the Leviton stuff is over-priced.  Evolve makes nice dimmers.  If you decide to go with Z-Wave there are a few things you should consider first.  The two main difficulties I encountered:

1 - the dimmers and switches are huge... I had a hard time fitting them in my breakout boxes.  In some cases I simply could not do it.

2 - Many switches require 4 wires.  Hot, Return, Neutral, and Ground.  Many boxes do not have a neutral.  Ideally if you have a neutral in a box you should buy a switch that uses it, since it is much better (quieter and allows for non-incandescent bulbs), but if you don't have a neutral in your box you need to look at switches that don't require a neutral.  Dimmers that use the neutral need to have a neutral wire or you can forget about installing them in that box.

- Also note that some Z-Wave devices broadcast their status when it changes immediately, and others don't, so the controller needs to poll these every couple of minutes.  If you want to use a wall switch as a trigger, I think the GE switches send a broadcast right away.  If you want a quiet dimmer that works with CFL and LED lights, but does not broadcast its status then consider the Evolve dimmers and switches.

If you can afford it, the Z-Wave stuff is really nice.  Reliable, and since I own one, it will be well supported by VoxCommando.

Oh by the way the VeraLite uses about 8 watts, all the time.

Warning: Don't buy the Vera if you own an Onkyo Network receiver since Vera will interfere with it (and it does not look like there will be a fix any time soon, if ever).  I don't know if it's a problem with other network receivers though...  probably not.

You can plug your USBUIRT into a Vera, although it's a bit clunky to actually use it, and you can only use it to transmit IR, I don't think there is a way to use the USBUIRT to trigger Vera Events.

[fattybunter]

Great.  Thanks for the info James.  I'm leaning towards the VeraLite, but I'll check my wiring first and get back to you with more questions

[xtermin8r]

hi

It may or may not be able to replace it for receiving IR though, I think it depends on a few factors.

i think it can, what are the few factors ?

No, Hali / Unimote does not support Z-Wave.

Hali / Unimote can control Zwave Products using this, http://www.smarthome-products.com/p-531-homepro-zcs101-z-wave-rs232-interface.aspx or something similar

[jitterjames]

i think it can, what are the few factors ?

I mean it depends on how the user wants to use it, and I don't know, but it may depend on which IR devices they are using.

Hali / Unimote can control Zwave Products using this, http://www.smarthome-products.com/p-531-homepro-zcs101-z-wave-rs232-interface.aspx or something similar

Do you mean that "Hali / Unimote can control Zwave Products using this"...

or do you mean that "Hali / Unimote could theoretically be modified in such a way that some of the functions supported by Z-Wave might be possible"?

Because there is a pretty big difference.

I am not trying to put down the Unimote.  I think it is a truly great device, and unique in what it can do for a reasonable price, especially since it works with low cost RF solutions.  For some people it is the perfect solution.  But for someone who is interested in Z-Wave and what Z-Wave can do, I have yet to see any evidence that this is even possible with the Unimote, let alone reliable and fully featured out of the box.  No device can do everything.

by the way, I have both a VeraLite and a Unimote, and they work great together.  I use the VeraLite to handle my Z-Wave, and my scheduling, and some other nifty macros.  Vera is able to  directly perform IR commands thanks to Unimote, with a simple script.  So my Vera is extended by the Unimote giving me control of everything via central, schedule based intelligence.  More toys =

[jitterjames]

Hali / Unimote can control Zwave Products using this, http://www.smarthome-products.com/p-531-homepro-zcs101-z-wave-rs232-interface.aspx or something similar

by the way, I think that this could be really cool, in theory, if you can get it to work.  Please let me know if you make any progress on it, or if I can help in any way.

[xtermin8r]

hola

Do you mean that "Hali / Unimote can control Zwave Products using this"... http://www.smarthome-products.com/p-531-homepro-zcs101-z-wave-rs232-interface.aspx

yes

or do you mean that "Hali / Unimote could theoretically be modified in such a way that some of the functions supported by Z-Wave might be possible"?

Hali / UniMote does NOT need to be modified in order for it to control RS232 gear, it does have a RS232 controller IC (OPTIONAL) inside it.

btw Halx can also control the http://www.smarthome-products.com/p-531-homepro-zcs101-z-wave-rs232-interface.aspx

[jitterjames]

would it not require some kind of modification to the firmware to get it to work?  Have you tried it?

[xtermin8r]

would it not require some kind of modification to the firmware to get it to work?  Have you tried it?

I am using the halx / Hali / Unimote to control a RS232 Dali Lighting Controller. no modifications are required to the firmware.

[jitterjames]

I don't have much experience with serial communication, but I guess the serial interface pretty much always boils down to just sending the correct character strings?  If that is the case, I guess it would be safe to say that it will work, even if you haven't tested it and all you need to do is figure out the correct strings to work with this serial devices, and then to create custom web pages that can send these strings.  What does a Unimote URL look like when sending serial commands to Dali?  What if you need to send unusual characters outside of the usual ascii set?

Assuming you can send any command to the Z-Wave network using this serial device, I believe there there will still be a big difference in what is possible unless we can find a ways for Unimote to handle feedback from the Z-wave system.  Devices can be polled, or may announce information when something changes.  The status of each device can be stored and displayed, and Vera has some nice free apps that are ready to use without any extensive configuration that allow you to see the status of everything in your zwave system, with sliders for dimmable lamps etc., and show you your IP cameras as well if they are supported.  Devices can be assigned to rooms, and most of this can be done without extensive configuration beyond simply adding the device and assigning it a room.  Macros, scheduling, scripts, plugins, etc. Vera can do a lot of stuff on it's own, without user interaction.  It can interface with alarm systems, keep track of sunrise and sunset etc.  Well, with all that said, Vera is far from being perfect itself, and if you want to do anything complicated it quickly becomes a time consuming challenge.  but we like that right?

It all comes down to what the end user's needs are.

Personally I am thrilled to have both devices and that they play well together.  One thing I have been meaning to try, but have not yet gotten around to, is using Unimote as an IR receiver to trigger events/scenes on my VeraLite.

[xtermin8r]

Grüß dich!

I don't have much experience with serial communication, but I guess the serial interface pretty much always boils down to just sending the correct character strings?  If that is the case, I guess it would be safe to say that it will work, even if you haven't tested it and all you need to do is figure out the correct strings to work with this serial devices, and then to create custom web pages that can send these strings.

Correct

What does a Unimote URL look like when sending serial commands to Dali?

http://192.168.0.67/dali.cgi?cmd=158100

What if you need to send unusual characters outside of the usual ascii set?

maybe this will help http://www.yellowpipe.com/yis/tools/ASCII-HTML-Characters/

Assuming you can send any command to the Z-Wave network using this serial device, I believe there there will still be a big difference in what is possible unless we can find a ways for Unimote to handle feedback from the Z-wave system.

I agree.

The status of each device can be stored and displayed, and Vera has some nice free apps that are ready to use without any extensive configuration that allow you to see the status of everything in your zwave system, with sliders for dimmable lamps etc., and show you your IP cameras as well if they are supported.  Devices can be assigned to rooms, and most of this can be done without extensive configuration beyond simply adding the device and assigning it a room.  Macros, scheduling, scripts, plugins, etc. Vera can do a lot of stuff on it's own, without user interaction.  It can interface with alarm systems, keep track of sunrise and sunset etc.  Well, with all that said, Vera is far from being perfect itself, and if you want to do anything complicated it quickly becomes a time consuming challenge.  but we like that right?

Nice.