Chowmain - Notification Suite

[alanchow]

Chowmain - Notification Suite

Chowmain's Notification Suite of drivers offers 4 drivers in one package which enhances the way Control4 informs you of events that happen within your home.

Pushover

Push Notifications are short, simple messages that can be sent to internet connected devices where the request is generated by a central server. Most people are familiar with receiving text messages on their phones. Push Notifications are very similar in appearance and behaviour. Since the request is generated by a server a phone or other device receives the message instantly and does not need to constantly "check-in" which saves battery life and money on other technology like SMS services.

The Chowmain Pushover driver for Control4 integrates the Pushover real time notification service into the Control4 home automation system. This provides near instantaneous notifications to your iOS or Android based devices with information about your Control4 enabled home.

Usage Scenarios

This driver can be used for several different scenarios. Some examples are as below but the limit is really your imagination.

• Notifying the owner upon door bell press. If you have a IP camera at the front door you can also send the camera snapshot if you know the URL.
• Notifying the owner upon security system alarm
• Notifying the owner when the garage door has been left open
• Reminding the owner of special events
• Advising the owner of the current temperature and power consumption/generation.
• Advise a owner when they have left the oven on
• Advising an owner of when a security system is armed or disarmed and by whom.
• Advising an owner on potential electrical faults when low or high consumption detected.

Features

• Ability to send a message with the following parameters.
  • Message – This is the message to be sent out from Control4
  • Device – your user's device name to send the message directly to that device, rather than all of the user's devices
  • Title – your message's title, otherwise your app's name is used
  • URL – a supplementary URL to show with your message
  • URL TITLE – a title for your supplementary URL, otherwise just the URL is shown
  • Priority - This changes the notification/alert sounds and on emergency notification keeps notifying until the user acknowledges by clicking a link
  • Sound – the name of one of the sounds supported by device clients to override the user's default sound choice
• Ability to insert Control4 variables into the message, title, url or url title.
• Ability to upload a local camera snapshot
• Ability to change the user key via the programming tab.
• Ability to change the application token via the programming tab.
• Ability to change the emergency priority retry interval and expiry time (in seconds) via the programming tab.
  • Used for emergency priority intervals / expiries
• Ability to see the last sent message via the properties page in Composer Pro.
• Ability to send Group Notifications to multiple users.
• Feedback (via properties page and variables)
  • Maximum Number of Messages per Month
  • Messages Remaining per Month
  • Message Reset Date / Time

SMTP

The SMTP driver enables you to utilise free SMTP services provided by internet service providers or other providers such as Google. The SMTP driver provides you with an email service that can be replied to, can be formatted with HTML and can attach files to without any ongoing yearly costs.

Usage Scenarios

• Notifying the owner when a door bell is pressed. If you have a IP camera at the front door you can also send the camera snapshot as an attachment.
• Uploading log files (requires Chowmain event logger driver).
• Notifying the owner when the garage door has been left open
• Reminding the owner of special events
• Advising the owner of the current temperature and power consumption/generation.
• Advise an owner when they have left the oven on
• Advising an owner if they have a gas or water leak.
• Advising an owner of when a security system is armed or disarmed and by whom.

Features

• No 4sight subscription necessary
• Use your own SMTP service.
• Definable Port
• Support SSL
• Supports SMTP Authentication
• Definable Senders Name
• Definable Senders Email
• Last Email Recipient Feedback
• Last Email Subject Feedback
• Last Email Body Feedback
• Server Status Feedback
• Ability to send a message with the following parameters.
  • To – This is the email address you want to send to
  • Subject – The subject of the email
  • Recipient Name (optional) – The name of the recipient
  • Attachment – The HTTP URL of a local file on the network. This option will auto download the camera snapshot and attach it to the email to be sent. Great for Camera Snapshots, Chowmain Logs or anything stored on a webserver that you might want to upload!
  • Body – The body of the email. Can support HTML tags as well so you can format your email nicely. Can also support variable insertion.

Deviantsart & Chunk.io

With the 4sight subscription service Control4 can send email notifications. It can’t however attach camera snapshots to these emails for viewing. Our Deviantsart & Chunk.io drivers for Control4 will download a snapshot from any IP camera with a built in webserver and upload it to the Deviantsart.com or Chunk.io image hosting service. It will then return a URL in a Control4 variable for insertion into your 4sight email or push notification

Usage Scenarios

• Doorbell press sends a image link via 4Sight email
• Doorbell press sends a image link via Push notification
• Security system alarm sends a image link via 4Sight email.
• Door open sends a photo of person at the door to an email.

Features

• Type in any URL (supports HTTPS, HTTP Auth, different port numbers)
• Gets the image and uploads it to deviantsart.com or chunk.io
• Returns the URL in the Driver’s properties page
• Returns the URL as a variable

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes your push notification driver different from the rest?

• It supports image uploads! With a single swipe you can see who rang your doorbell or what tripped an sensor in your home.
• It supports variable insertion. Get notified of the exact temperature of your home or if your security system supports it the name of the person who disarmed or armed your home.
• If there are any API changes we can easily update it and push it out using the Houselogix auto-update feature.

What is the deviantsart & chunk.io drivers for?
The drivers will upload an image and return a URL for that image. As such 4sight emails and 3rd party drivers can use the link in their programming. This is useful for new and upcoming notification drivers that have not been created yet or if you want to utilise the 4sight email service.

Why should i use the SMTP driver when i have 4sight emails?

• 4sight requires a subscription. This does not.
• 4sight does not support HTML tags and as such have no formatting
• 4sight emails cannot be replied to. With this you can.
• 4sight emails do not have image/file attachments. With this you can.
• 4sight emails do not let you define the senders name. With this you can.

Are there any other cool things we can do with these drivers?

The pushover notification service has a plug in for Android tasker. Tasker is a popular automation application for Android which allows you to control alot of the android functionality. So now you can get your home to control your phone. I can think of the following scenarios off the top of my head.

 

• Arming/Disarming home - Sets your phone to a different profile
• Goodnight button - Sets your phone to silent.
• Wakeup - Sets your phone to normal volume.

http://updates.pushover.net/post/83118216460/pushover-for-android-now-with-tasker-support

What hardware will this work on?
This will work on any Control4 controller running oS 2.5.3 or later.

How do I find out more information about the driver?
Please see the links below for more information about the driver.

Chowmain Website

Download Pushover Installation Guide

Download SMTP Installation Guide

Download Deviantsart Installation Guide

 

Download Chunk.io Installation Guide 

How do I buy the driver?
This driver is developed by Chowmain software & apps and is distributed and supported by Houselogix, Inc. 

Download Driver / Purchase Licence

Who do i contact for technical support?
This driver is developed by Chowmain software & apps and is distributed and supported by Houselogix, Inc. 

Support

Do you provide trial licences?
All Chowmain drivers for Control4 come with a 48 hour trial. This is activated once you add the driver to the project. No additional steps are necessary. 

[tebery]

Alan, I currently use Prowl/Growl.  Every time the drive sensor is tripped, I open my camera DVR app, which is the Digital Watchdog app, and access the the live cam feed to see who is in my drive.  Would your package be able to do all for me automatically?

Thanks!

 

[alanchow]

If the app has a custom URL scheme then it should work.  The Pushover driver has the ability to open links on notification.

 

Alternatively you can use the pushover driver to get an image snapshot of your driveway camera.  That is what it does best.

[ControllAll]

Hi Alan,

 

In your SMTP driver, can a variable be inserted into the subject of the e-mail? The 4Sight e-mail notification seems like it can't do variables in the subject, which I need.

 

Thanks!

[alanchow]

Hi Alan,

 

In your SMTP driver, can a variable be inserted into the subject of the e-mail? The 4Sight e-mail notification seems like it can't do variables in the subject, which I need.

 

Thanks!

 

Our driver only allows you to inject variables into the body.

[Ivan Rivera]

Nice! 

[c4user3622]

Will these work with 2.5.3?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[alanchow]

We have migrated all our drivers to 2.6.

You can however still purchase the older driver which will work on 2.5.3 on the extra vegetables website until the 31 dec.

[badjesus]

Will this work with the C4 Door Station to capture a single image from the door station and push when the doorbell button is pressed?

[alanchow]

Will this work with the C4 Door Station to capture a single image from the door station and push when the doorbell button is pressed?

Unfortunately it won't. The door station does not expose it's image to 3rd parties. This is due to a hardware chipset limitation from what I've been told by control4.

[badjesus]

Ok, thanks for reply! That is what I thought but wanted to be sure. Good thing I pre-wired for a second camera

[alanchow]

UPDATE:

 

The deviantsart online image host seems be in some financial strain and as such have suspended image uploads.  This effects both the pushover driver and deviantsart drivers.  We have sourced a new image host (chunk.io) and have integrated it into Control4 as a new chunk.io driver and have also updated the pushover driver to support this new image host.

 

If you are using pushover driver version 8.0 or 8.1 this will be automatically updated via the Houselogix Auto-Update Driver.  If you are using an older 7.x version then you will need to manually update it.

 

The new Chunk.io driver comes at no additional cost.  It will work with your existing Houselogix licence.  Note that if you are still using an extra vegetables licence you get your licence inserted into the Houselogix database by contacting them via their support page with your existing licence and the mac address of your controller.

[ILoveC4]

When I try this instead of getting the snap shot I get a URL that takes me to chrome and displays an error about an HTTP response code error.

[alanchow]

When I try this instead of getting the snap shot I get a URL that takes me to chrome and displays an error about an HTTP response code error.

 

Please read the installation guide.  You're not setting it up right.  If you are still having problems please submit a ticket via http://support.houselogix.com/

[ILoveC4]

Please read the installation guide. You're not setting it up right. If you are still having problems please submit a ticket via http://support.houselogix.com/

The installation guide is extremely vague. At least the documentation in the driver tab is. Surprising because your stuff is usually really good.

I don't know what I'm doing anyways as I don't have any idea how much it costs or who I can buy it from.

[alanchow]

You're looking at the quick start guide. The documentation pdf can be found in the zip included with the driver or via our website.

[ILoveC4]

PDF is much more detailed, thank you. Still don't know how much it's going to cost or where to buy it. Is there a suggested retail price available Alan? Any suggestion on where to buy? Houselogix won't sell to schmucks like me.

[ILoveC4]

DELETED

[alanchow]

there is no suggested MSRP. Your confrol4 dealer can provide a price for you. Each driver is Independant of each other. You only need the one driver per notification type. Ie email via SMTP or push notification via push over.

[ILoveC4]

there is no suggested MSRP. Your confrol4 dealer can provide a price for you. Each driver is Independant of each other. You only need the one driver per notification type. Ie email via SMTP or push notification via push over.

 

I cannot get images to send via PushOver. That requires the Chunk.IO driver, correct?

 

Even with using the Chunk.IO driver as per the directions, I can't get it anything to work. If I have local URL as TRUE I get an error. If I have it as false I get a pretty little black box.

 

I have no idea how much the driver costs so it's hard to evaluate what it's worth, but it's frustrating enough thus far that I think I'm best off to look for other solutions.

[alanchow]

No you do not need the chunk.io driver. The instructions don't state that. You type in the camera URL and click set url_is_local_snapshot to true. That's it.

Have you contacted your dealer (or other dealers) for quotes? Dealers are needed to install the driver so pricing is dependant on installation charges as well.

[ILoveC4]

No you do not need the chunk.io driver. The instructions don't state that. You type in the camera URL and click set url_is_local_snapshot to true. That's it.

Have you contacted your dealer (or other dealers) for quotes? Dealers are needed to install the driver so pricing is dependant on installation charges as well.

The drivers are (were) installed. I tried that just as you said, but nada.

I may give it another shot sometime, but I still don't know how much it costs so at this point it's not worth messing with. I sent an email off to two dealers. When they get back to me if I haven't figured out a different solution, the price seems reasonable and I still want it I'll buy it. If you want to sell it I'd be happy to pay you, I just don't know how much it is.

I had time to mess with it today. Won't be the case for the next few weeks at least as I'm traveling internationally (hence me wanting the driver). Lost sale if I can't get some answers quickly.

You write good drivers so I'm sure I can make it work, just frustrating trying to buy it.

[alanchow]

UPDATE:

 

The deviantsart online image host seems be in some financial strain and as such have suspended image uploads.  This effects both the pushover driver and deviantsart drivers.  We have sourced a new image host (chunk.io) and have integrated it into Control4 as a new chunk.io driver and have also updated the pushover driver to support this new image host.

 

If you are using pushover driver version 8.0 or 8.1 this will be automatically updated via the Houselogix Auto-Update Driver.  If you are using an older 7.x version then you will need to manually update it.

 

The new Chunk.io driver comes at no additional cost.  It will work with your existing Houselogix licence.  Note that if you are still using an extra vegetables licence you get your licence inserted into the Houselogix database by contacting them via their support page with your existing licence and the mac address of your controller.

 

deviantsart driver has now been updated to resolve issue with extra bits in the returned URL.  Note chunk.io service is still used for Pushover.

[jfh]

Is anyone having a problem trying to use the chunk.io image loaded URL with the SMTP driver? I am trying to send an email with an imbedded pucture.

If I use the URL of an image on my web server, the image shows up properly in the email.

If I use the chunk.io URL (either by using the variable in C4 or entering the URL directly), I get something attached as a mime attachment, but the picture does not display and I can't find a program that will open the attachment.

I can use the SMTP driver and send a link that works just fine, but really want the image to show inline. Any ideas?

[alanchow]

Why would you upload to chuck.io then download using the SMTP driver and then email it out?

 

You would either "use the URL of an image on my web server, the image shows up properly in the email. "

 

or if you want to format the email you could insert HTML into the email so that it'll show up on a line.

 

<img src='PARAM{XXX,YYY}'>