Indigo Domotics

Hi all,

I created a RadioRA 2 plugin, which is available here: http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/fil ... php?id=252

This plugin is not compatible with classic RadioRA systems, which use a different command set.

You should also be able to control devices on a Lutron HomeWorks QS system with this plugin, however, I have not personally tested that.

More information and comments about the plugin and RadioRA 2 are here.

Cheers,
-Jim

Hi Jim,

Terrific -- thanks for sharing your work with everyone!

Awesome addition to Indigo - thanks!

Hi Jim,

Thanks for this plug-in, it's really awesome to finally be able to integrate the RadioRa2 devices with Indigo. I confirm that everything works flawlessly.

There is one thing that I'd love to have is the ability to read which button have been pressed. The way to do it would be to define a new device (RadioRA2 Keypad) with an integration ID and a button ID. By parsing the output of the main repeater, it would be possible to update Indigo appropriately. The output is essentially like this:

~DEVICE,14,5,3

14: integration ID
5: button ID
3: button state (pressed =3, depressed = 4)

I never programmed in Python, so if you don't plan on needing that capability on your system, I might just try to find out how to improve your plug-in...

Version 1.1.0 of the plugin is now available. This release adds support for keypads (with thanks to Sylvain B. ). Also, thermostats are now more fully supported and UI delays when increasing/decreasing temperature setpoints are fixed.

Cheers,
-Jim

All,

Version 1.1.0 of this plugin has a confirmed compatibility issue with RadioRA 2 firmware version 7.5, which introduces a new, undocumented output action type (this may actually be a Lutron bug).

I have a patch available for any affected users and will publish an updated plugin soon.

Thanks,
-Jim

Is there a reason you used serial (RS232) integration vs a networked approach (telnet login)?

If you are interested, I do have a heavily modified version of Jim's plug-in that is compatible with Ethernet.

mpick92 wrote:

Is there a reason you used serial (RS232) integration vs a networked approach (telnet login)?

Here are the reasons I went with serial:

1. I already had other equipment (an Elan HA controller) talking to the Lutron main repeater and didn't want to cause any potential conflicts. The serial port could be devoted exclusively to talking with Indigo.

2. Serial doesn't require a username/password. t thought there might be a potential support issue for telnet users whose systems weren't set to default credentials or had one of the (four?) available telnet logins already assigned to another integration task.

3. Via (albeit informal) testing, it seemed that Indigo was more responsive when using a serial connection.

I hope that another technically inclined Indigo/Lutron user comes along eventually and takes on the task of adding ethernet support to the serial plugin so that we have one version that works for everybody.

sbe08: thanks again for recently sharing your ethernet version with our mutual friend and helping him get it running.

Cheers,
-Jim

Thanks for the insight RatRanch, I wasn't sure if it was limitation of Indigo or a personal preference for using Serial.

sbe08, I would love to get your version that uses ethernet integration. I was in the process of exploring the telnet option, which would be a cleaner setup for my home. If I have the time, I will definitely help out on the development of the ethernet/telnet version.

Thanks guys, what a great addition to Indigo.

mpick92, send me an email at sylvain at beaudry dot co

I'm trying to find out a bit more about Utilizing a RadioRA 2 setup. Basically, I think the hardware looks great and while my Insteon setup is pretty reliable, I'd hardly describe it as 'bulletproof'.

Is this plugin as full-functioned as as Indigo itself is with Insteon? I.e. can it configure devices/links, etc...? Do I have access to 'buttons' on a RadioRA keypad even if they aren't necessarily programmed to anything? I'll be frank, at this stage I feel more locked in to Indigo than Insteon. With all of the plugins and stuff out there, plus the nice Mac interface, I'll entertain switching from Insteon to RadioRA 2, but won't really consider ditching Indigo, so I hope it can actually BE a replacement (if not an outright improvement) functionality-wise.

The other thing I'm finding is that RadioRA seems to be more 'installer centric' meaning that they want you to have some guys come in and install/configure it for you. Does anyone have a link to a guide or something showing how to setup/link things in RadioRA? Like how do scenes work, how do links work? Sort of everything that RadioRA can do on its own outside of Indigo.

Having made the switch from Insteon, I can tell you that it's a good upgrade. Lutron's hardware feels less squishy than Insteon and reliability is better. You can definitely search for RadioRa on CocoonTech or other forums to get a better feel of the appreciation of people making the switch.

It's true that Lutron is more installer-centric, but the good news is that Lutron don't preclude them from providing the tools to allow you to add/configure the RadioRA devices. You should let your installer know that you need the software and if they don't agree, then find someone else. The software is used to configure new devices, setup scenes and basic time clock events. Once you have things working with a few devices, you'll be able to be order new devices online and configure them yourself.

The current state of the plug-in allows you to read any key presses on RadioRA2 keypad and control any lights, fans or thermostats. I'd say you can do pretty much everything you can do with Insteon. The only restriction is that it doesn't allow reading/write to the green status light. Once we figure out the protocol, then we can probably add that as well...

Having also migrated from Insteon, I agree with everything sbe08 said. Aside from 100% reliable communication, the Lutron devices are built a heck of a lot more solidly than Insteon. In my prior installation, several insteon switches failed and had to be replaced.

sbe08: regarding Green mode, I believe the solution is to map it to a phantom button on the main repeater and then control the phantom button via Indigo.

Do they have something like the Insteon door close sensor? Turns out I love putting those things on pantry doors and the like.