Review: SiriPi with full voice control of Control4 via iphone.

[wappinghigh]

First up. I've got to say this is a simply awesome thing to do, a total bargain, and shows just how great it is when 3rd party development can come together with Control4. Not to mention what better way to show all your friends just how geeky you are!! Here come the eye rolls from the better half of the species!

Right now to formalities.

1/ If you don't know what the heck I am talking about follow this thread: it's got a nice picture of how cool this device looks first up:

http://www.c4forums.com/viewtopic.php?id=15238

It's full name is the "Raspberry Pi Siriproxy"

2/ Next. Stop right now and don't upgrade to iOS 7.0. (yet...see thread above)

3/ Dave (the developer) has rolled out a few of these I know, and I am by no means the first, but I jumped at the opportunity to be a test crash dummy.

After ordering my SiriPi, (there is one config step first before it arrives... it's IP address... and you need to give Dave your network info etc)... I sat back and waited for it to arrive in my P.O box all the way over here at Cape Canaveral Florida. (just kiddin').. Whilst waiting I allocated (reserved) the new Pi an IP address on my network. And familiarised myself with the set up instructions emailed to me in advance.

4/ On arrival the little box came all configured and plug and play ready. Meanwhile Dave did a remote in and added the driver for C4 integration. Obviously you could get your dealer to do the same. You have to also remote into the Pi's linux yourself, but the instructions on what to do are easy to follow. I know very little about Linux and this was a total *non* issue. Everything else on the C4 side is pretty much configurable in HE (again following Dave's fantastic step by step instructions.) This side of the setup is all user based.. which is great because there is space for hundreds of C4 commands.. so the end user can make them as specific as they like! I've got control now via an iPhone and iPad mini. Multiple iOS device control points can be set up in the one house. Again by the end user. How cool is that?

5/ I have just powered down the device: and power up has SiriPi up and running in a flash pumping out voice control into C4 within 30-60 secs! Not bad !!!!.. but obviously it will be best to put this little marvel on a UPS..

6/ All up a thoroughly fantastic setup experience 15,000 miles away. How's that for bringing mankind and the world together.

I vote this No. 1 Control4 3rd party device/app/driver of 2013. Because it is using a beautifully simple (linux based Raspberry Pi) solution, that is cost effective, which adds control via iOS, and adds another dimension (voice control) to home automation via the best HA platform on the planet. Control4.

Awesome thing to do! Rock on C4. And rock on the C4 SiriPi

Please add your Q/s, comments, thoughts and pro's con's vs other voice solutions...

Wap

[Cyknight]

Too late in the night plus I'm still testing - but this looks to be getting blown away by the VoicePod Mobile App.

[wappinghigh]

^ Cool. Can you please post the details when you have it working... Be nice to compare..

[Cyknight]

Oh it's working - but there's a ggod bit to know - I want to get a bit better feel for it - probably today or tomorrow I'll write something up.

[cashmoney]

Too late in the night plus I'm still testing - but this looks to be getting blown away by the VoicePod Mobile App.

I've meet a lot of people in the trades over my years, but integrators for some reason are the most arrogant I've ever meet. Cyknight, do you realize that while your knowledgeable it's hard to take any of your product recommendations seriously. You make it very obvious that unless something is created or manufactured by those in your clique it's garbage.

[c4wiz]

Too late in the night plus I'm still testing - but this looks to be getting blown away by the VoicePod Mobile App.

I've meet a lot of people in the trades over my years' date=' but integrators for some reason are the most arrogant I've ever meet. Cyknight, do you realize that while your knowledgeable it's hard to take any of your product recommendations seriously. You make it very obvious that unless something is created or manufactured by those in your clique it's garbage.[/quote']

LOL true that.....

i have used the voicepod mobile app myself, you are limited to its commands.....siriproxy you can create your own commands and answers, sure siriproxy does not have 2 way control with feedback.......but for the difference in price, plus not having to launch a seperate app, good luck with the voicepod app...LOL

[dogdvr]

Try it out for yourself, they have it running on a dummy hc800

The app is free to download and will automatically connect to their hc800

download

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voicepod/id674143730?ls=1&mt=8

Here are the items this hc800 is programed for

http://www.voicepod.com/techdocs/vp_mobile_command_keyword_guide.pdf

[Cyknight]

Too late in the night plus I'm still testing - but this looks to be getting blown away by the VoicePod Mobile App.

I've meet a lot of people in the trades over my years' date=' but integrators for some reason are the most arrogant I've ever meet. Cyknight, do you realize that while your knowledgeable it's hard to take any of your product recommendations seriously. You make it very obvious that unless something is created or manufactured by those in your clique it's garbage.[/quote']

LOL true that.....

i have used the voicepod mobile app myself, you are limited to its commands.....siriproxy you can create your own commands and answers, sure siriproxy does not have 2 way control with feedback.......but for the difference in price, plus not having to launch a seperate app, good luck with the voicepod app...LOL

Nope. What doesn't work is garbage, and no, I'm in no way claiming wiz' product is garbage.

The reason I'm putting extra effort in on the whole voice thing is because I both have a personal, as in private and non of your business, vested interest in making this work and work well, as well as a business one. Dealing with a considerable group of clients or potential clients that have been asking after this.

I'll offer whatever option I, not anyone else, deems is going to work best.

So far I've tested over half a dozens options (some that actually materialized on the market, others that didn't) to do this with and invested both time and money to do so. Who gets me that option I care not - I care only for the option.

Perhaps care should be taken by all before posting - custom commands as well as custom recognition phrases for existing defaults can be made right from the app itself and are programmable via HE. Custom responses as well, as well as custom trigger phrases and so on.

[c4wiz]

I've meet a lot of people in the trades over my years' date=' but integrators for some reason are the most arrogant I've ever meet. Cyknight, do you realize that while your knowledgeable it's hard to take any of your product recommendations seriously. You make it very obvious that unless something is created or manufactured by those in your clique it's garbage.[/quote']

LOL true that.....

i have used the voicepod mobile app myself, you are limited to its commands.....siriproxy you can create your own commands and answers, sure siriproxy does not have 2 way control with feedback.......but for the difference in price, plus not having to launch a seperate app, good luck with the voicepod app...LOL

Nope. What doesn't work is garbage, and no, I'm in no way claiming wiz' product is garbage.

The reason I'm putting extra effort in on the whole voice thing is because I both have a personal, as in private and non of your business, vested interest in making this work and work well, as well as a business one. Dealing with a considerable group of clients or potential clients that have been asking after this.

I'll offer whatever option I, not anyone else, deems is going to work best.

So far I've tested over half a dozens options (some that actually materialized on the market, others that didn't) to do this with and invested both time and money to do so. Who gets me that option I care not - I care only for the option.

Perhaps care should be taken by all before posting - custom commands as well as custom recognition phrases for existing defaults can be made right from the app itself and are programmable via HE. Custom responses as well, as well as custom trigger phrases and so on.

correct it can be customized....

but when comparing the price......its a no brainer....

[dgbrown]

I've meet a lot of people in the trades over my years' date=' but integrators for some reason are the most arrogant I've ever meet. Cyknight, do you realize that while your knowledgeable it's hard to take any of your product recommendations seriously. You make it very obvious that unless something is created or manufactured by those in your clique it's garbage.[/quote']

LOL true that.....

i have used the voicepod mobile app myself, you are limited to its commands.....siriproxy you can create your own commands and answers, sure siriproxy does not have 2 way control with feedback.......but for the difference in price, plus not having to launch a seperate app, good luck with the voicepod app...LOL

Nope. What doesn't work is garbage, and no, I'm in no way claiming wiz' product is garbage.

The reason I'm putting extra effort in on the whole voice thing is because I both have a personal, as in private and non of your business, vested interest in making this work and work well, as well as a business one. Dealing with a considerable group of clients or potential clients that have been asking after this.

I'll offer whatever option I, not anyone else, deems is going to work best.

So far I've tested over half a dozens options (some that actually materialized on the market, others that didn't) to do this with and invested both time and money to do so. Who gets me that option I care not - I care only for the option.

Perhaps care should be taken by all before posting - custom commands as well as custom recognition phrases for existing defaults can be made right from the app itself and are programmable via HE. Custom responses as well, as well as custom trigger phrases and so on.

Cyknight - How does the voicepod cloud service integrate with the controller, vpn proxy, direct to controller ? What are the working pieces ?

[urbanmark]

OK... so I haven't really been paying attention to voice control. But now, I'm curious. I know I'm not interested in a standalone device, but definitely interested in a mobile device option.

Downloaded the app (which looks good)... but I can't access the DEMO and it rejects my registration.

(Also, noticed the screen shots on iTunes feature pool control! If I could control my Jandy pool, that feature alone could make me a VoicePod customer).

[Cyknight]

The app accesses the cloud without additional hardware or via a controller in my understanding - the app then talks to the controller (via a driver, no need for hardware again) to tell it which command was invoked, from where the system triggers the associated programming, or in some cases (like setting your channel number, or selecting which channel you stated) looks to the driver directly. Note that I'm not part of the development, so I cannot be 100% sure on all the above.

Price is relative. If the cheaper product offers me less functionality, less options, no feedback, unknown long-term support and development and is locked into the second largest smart-phone/tablet OS...

It's not a no-brainer to me, or at least not in the way you'd like it to be Wiz. I look for the functionality I require or want - if something costs less then doesn't offer it, then what would be the use to me? If I can get what I want, or at least closer to that goal but it costs more then I'll be happy to pay that.

Again, I'm not here to down-talk on your device as such - it may have it's place and that's for everyone to decide for themselves.

[Cyknight]

OK... so I haven't really been paying attention to voice control. But now, I'm curious. I know I'm not interested in a standalone device, but definitely interested in a mobile device option.

Downloaded the app (which looks good)... but I can't access the DEMO and it rejects my registration.

(Also, noticed the screen shots on iTunes feature pool control! If I could control my Jandy pool, that feature alone could make me a VoicePod customer).

On one of my devices I had to reinstall the app through iTunes, so maybe try that. Also, the demo DOES connect to the cloud etc, so make sure you have WiFi etc.

[dgbrown]

Thanks Cynight.

The demo works great ! My only concern right now is the connectivity from their cloud service to my controller - or are they leveraging C4's 4sight vpn proxy service to get to the controller ? Communication has to be initiated from the cloud to the controller so some more transparency here would be helpful.

[urbanmark]

No dice... reinstalled app and am connected via WiFi. It's kind of unclear if you need to register or not to access the VoicePod DEMO. And when I try to register I get:

"Registration Failed. Error from server on Registration: Error registering new user."

[cashmoney]

As an uninterested party however you DO downplay and minimalize anything that you "personally" don't like or that doesn't come from the tight group of dealers.

A good sales person speaks loudly of the merits of their product but NEVER talks poorly of the competition. When they do, good at what they do or not, they become nothing more then a sleeze ball used care salesperson. A savy consumer will walk away from a purchase and hence a dealer if they decide to employ auch tactics.

[Cyknight]

Thanks Cynight.

The demo works great ! My only concern right now is the connectivity from their cloud service to my controller - or are they leveraging C4's 4sight vpn proxy service to get to the controller ? Communication has to be initiated from the cloud to the controller so some more transparency here would be helpful.

Cloud only talks to the app - the app talks to director. The only time it would require any form of vpn is when you want to use this off-site, where at this point you jsut set up a normal VPN with your phone/pad etc.

[dgbrown]

So the based on that we can deduce that the Demo in the app is connecting to director via an open portforwarded address (or the Demo controller is sitting out on the internet in the clear).

[cashmoney]

So I pay $700 for a perpetual pro license and these folks go out of business next year, and thus access to the cloud service is gone. Hmmmm, the stand alone Voicepod or a siriproxy type of set-up seems safer in the long run.

[Cyknight]

As an uninterested party however you DO downplay and minimize anything that you "personally" don't like or that doesn't come from the tight group of dealers.

A good sales person speaks loudly of the merits of their product but NEVER talks poorly of the competition. When they do, good at what they do or not, they become nothing more then a sleeze ball used care salesperson. A savy consumer will walk away from a purchase and hence a dealer if they decide to employ auch tactics.

Yeah, except that I'm not SELLING anything on here nor am I in competition with anyone.

Funny how you 'attack' (sound heavier than I mean it, just can't think of a better word) me, where all I've said is I think another product looks to be a better quality option, when c4wiz, who IS selling something on here is the one truly 'attacking' a product, calling his own product a "no-brainer" over the other, stated an obvious untruth about said product and is taking a far more negative stance than I am. (No offense Wiz).

I'm a forums user posting on forums. And yes, if I like a product I'll say so. If I think one product is better than the other or looks to be better than the other, I will say so. The fact that the dealer moniker is underneath the name does not imply I'm dealing in anything on here - it just indicates my back-ground.

I'm sure being a dealer will color my perspective somewhat - denying being influenced by what you are is just plain silly. Just like it does for those on here that are avid DIY enthusiast. Just like C4Wiz will undoubtedly prefer, push and defend his own product over anything that plays in the same ball-park. I don't really see any problems with any of that.

I've no connection to any of the developers/retailers that I may have said something about or anything personally or as a dealer to gain from them - good OR bad - other then Control4 for obvious reasons.

I couldn't care less where it comes from other than that if I'm going to sell it as a dealer I would want to know there is a proper infra-structure behind the product. This may be different than what a DIY user is looking for, but if that is unreasonable, so be it.

I can't recommend, from a dealer perspective, a product that is produced in a garage in the evening after regular work-hours - no matter HOW good it is. (note: produced - where you develop it I care even less about )

So if I seem lean on recommending products from anything other than established businesses - there's why.

Oh and again, just because it's so easy to read otherwise - I'm NOT saying or implying or even thinking/suspecting Wiz' product is NOT properly backed (or IS made in a garage, etc.). Indeed, until I hear differently I'll go with the assumption that c4wiz is in fact a dealer or a registered developer - considering that he's apparently using ComposerPro to add drivers to systems remotely. So that would put him in my 'clique' I guess.

[Cyknight]

So the based on that we can deduce that the Demo in the app is connecting to director via an open portforwarded address (or the Demo controller is sitting out on the internet in the clear).

Not sure, but that's a fair assumption. I do not and cannot know, but I assume there's built in ssl password/user protection. It's also possible they are running a virtual director.

[texas3622]

How much is the app?

[dgbrown]

The app is free, it requires a subscript to the voicepod cloud service for the pro version I believe it's $199 per year or $699 for a perpetual license. The lite version annual subscription is $50 cheaper.

[Cyknight]

So I pay $700 for a perpetual pro license and these folks go out of business next year, and thus access to the cloud service is gone. Hmmmm, the stand alone Voicepod or a siriproxy type of set-up seems safer in the long run.

The could service can be taken over by another as easily as a hardware product line. Easier actually if all you do is keep it alive.

But of course it's an inherent risk to any Cloud-based service that if the Cloud dissipates so does the service. Yet the move towards this is there non-the-less. If in general this inherent risk outweighs the benefits, in the overall scheme I mean, is a different (and interesting) discussion altogether.

For this scenario - I'm not sure it is really all that relevant. While not any amount of money to just throw out the window, 700 dollars is hardly an overwhelming amount of money to lose (provided that even happens), plus if the table-dock fails you've lost money too - or the siriproxy server for that matter. A Cloud service at least doesn't have hardware that can fail on you that you'll need to pay for to replace (yes, yes there is hardware behind it of course - paying to replace it being the point).

I'd be more worried about my shiny new 80" tv or my projector breaking down in 1 year and 1 day. It costs more than any of these options.

Let's keep things in perspective - we're talking for less than the cost of a new big-screen TV you can have voice control of your system whatever option you go with.

[Cyknight]

App itself is free in the app store, you pay for the cloud service (annual or life-time option).