Remote Access to Control4 System

[Vahn]

Does anyone have any trouble getting web navigator to connect remotely?  I can access my house via the c4 app, but have not been able to get the web navigator to work (and since its the web navigator, i don't know how to get any log files to see what the problem is).

 

I find the fascinating. If I can remotely connect the web navigator via the Owner portal has always worked (and vice-versus).

 

In "My House" do you see:

Anywhere access: Web

Enabled by 4Sight

 

The web ap is slow (compared to the AP) but it comes up.

 

It's a Flash ap. Pretty similar to how the PC Adobe Air version you would use on your PC/MAC works.

 

My best (completely uneducated) guess without more details about what you do see when you click "My House" is something with your computer and Flash, an old version of Flash, browser and Flash incompatibility, etc., all.

 

Can you be more specific and/or attach screenshots of what you see when you click "My House"? Does it load, but not connect?

 

-V

[control4user007]

Here are some screenshots.  I know it worked at one point, but your right I remember it being very slow so I never really used it (the phone apps are much faster).

 

 

 

I just updated my flash player, and tried both safari and chrome.  Same result.  It looks like its trying to load, like says something like "gathering information" and "connecting to controller".  But then fails with the last screenshot.  

 

Also, I remember there used to be an html web page instead of a flash navigator (this was when I installed the system around 2007-2008).  Is it still possible to access that screen?  I found it much faster/more useful that the flash navigator.

 

Edit:

 

Also thought I would post my network configuration:

 

Actiontec FiOS router (been the same one for a few years) with SIP ALG disabled.  Tts the one that has some red color on the front (3rd gen I think, not the quantum gateway).

gigabit network (3Comm unmanaged switch)

172.16.x.x network addressing schema

HC-800 director with static address (I believe its set on the main controller, as it doesn't pull an address from the router).

have tried rebooting the controllers/rebooting the router but neither worked

OS is 2.7.2

[Vahn]

Also thought I would post my network configuration:

 

We have very similar set-ups. I don't use the Actiontec and have the Fios Quantum, but they are very similar devices with the later being built from the former. We are even on the same OS. I use a different subnet scheme and switch.

 

One area where we are are different is that my HC-800 is DHCP. I pleaded to put that on a static address, by my dealer insisted that Control4 wants it on DHCP. So it's on DHCP. I've also had it on DHCP with a reservation, but even stopped doing that when I upgraded routers.

 

I'm not sure. It's confusing why it's working for you via the Ap, but not the web Ap via the Owner portal unless their is something specifically wrong with the web Ap or it's configuration on the web cluster on the C4 side.

 

The "undefined" is unusual. Mine only says "Close" but I don't have a screen shot or test case of what happens when I can't connect to cross-compare.

 

I just re-tested mine and the web app on the Owner portal is working for me. That doesn't mean much. Obviously I have no idea how C4 has their web services clustered and distributed, so the best that tells us is that it's not a "global" problem to every C4 owner and some gateway used by everyone is down.

 

I don't really use the Flash app via the Owner portal either as a matter of routine, but you still want it to work in case you need to.

 

I'm not aware of an HTML page instead of this flash AP. That was before my time. My guess is that it's deprecated.

 

You are probably (unfortunately) going to have to get your dealer involve and a service ticket with C4.

 

How long has this been going on for you? I ask because I have seen Remote Connections via the AP and the web Ap via owner portal not work, but the problem was self-cleaned up in 24 hours (as though C4 was doing maintenance on the services or infrastructure that powers this, but that's just a guess what was going on with no evidence.)

 

-V

[control4user007]

Yea I was thinking dealer involvement was probably going to have to happen (although I haven't talked to him in a while, and got the 4sight from an online dealer since it was faster).  It worked briefly when I loaded the 4sight back in May, but a week or so later I noticed it wasn't working (figured it was maintenance or something).  I tried it again after seeing this thread, and noticed it still wasn't working.  The HTML page was nice (mainly because i remember that it loaded faster).  But anyway thank you for your help!  

 

Edit:  Also I could have sworn I was able to set the network configuration from the onscreen navigator on the 800 (to set it back to DHCP), but when I tried to go to Settings>Network it gave me an error message saying I needed system manager (guessing that is in Pro).  So I can't try that on my own.

[C4Blimp]

FYI - It shouldn't take a week to know if this is working for you or not. Having just lived (and eventually solved at the cost of 3 days and a new router) this problem, if this isn't helping you almost immediately, we should look elsewhere.

 

-V

You're right.  It isn't working even now (less than a day later).  Piece of crap...  $100/yr down the toilet.  I refuse to unload and reload the Android app everytime I want/need to remote-in.

[Vahn]

You're right.  It isn't working even now (less than a day later).  Piece of crap...  $100/yr down the toilet.

 

Heh. I get the frustration but most technical problems have a perfectly reasonable, if not frustrating, technical solution. Keep in mind that mine used to work and also stopped working unexpectedly for seemingly unknown reasons that were sorted out, maybe we can help you as well?

 

For Remote Access to work reliably we know that we need a router where SIP can be disabled. I looked back at your posts on this thread and don't see a lot of details. Let's deal with the basics.

 

Who is your ISP at home and what router do you have? Can you connect via the Owners web portal in My Home (it's a Flash ap?) Those two would get us started.

 

-V

[C4Blimp]

Verizon, Actiontec (SIP ALG disabled thank you) and yes MyHome works but that's downstream of the router.  Phone on WiFi works but, again, that's behind the router.  Not changing anything on my router unless I know for sure Verizon did something recently.  I don't need other problems too.

[Vahn]

Hi,

 

I actually fully believe Verizon changed something recently, because mine was working and then stopped working. Disabling SIP ALG on the Fios Quantum Gateway didn't appear to be an option. I spent an entire evening trying to figure out what Verizon did or didn't do, and couldn't get authoritative information either way. That's when I started showing up here to see if other C4 users on Verizon WERE working and then STOPPED working.

 

If you just disabled SIP ALG, I'd reboot everything bringing up the HC-800 last and try one more time. For me, it was more than disabling SIP on the router. I also had to get the HC-800 re-registered. 

 

-V

[C4Blimp]

I don't doubt it at all.  VZ works in mysterious ways.  The only thing rebooted as of now has been the router itself after checking that SIP was in fact disabled.  So, for me, rebooting the router alone (no other changes or settings mods) has brought service back online.  I have not noticed any other problems in the house with anything communicating in and out of the router on a hourly basis.  Only 4Sight (or MyHome or whatever they call it this week).

[Vahn]

Glad it's resolved.

 

Just so I am clear:

 

Before we started talking SIP was enabled and Remote Access didn't work. After we started talking, SIP was disabled, the router rebooted, and Remote Access started working?

 

Is that the correct order of events and the timing (more or less?)

 

If so, you would be the second person I know, with Verizion FIOS, who had Control4 working and then suddenly stop working, which was fixed via disabling SIP. Me and you.

 

If true, that would give some evidence to the theorycrafting that Verizon might be doing evil things (like router firmware updates and/or settings changes) while we sleep.

 

It's pretty irritating to think I could go to bed one day and wake up to Control4 not working because of something Verizon did to my router.

 

-V

[C4Blimp]

No, no, nothing to do with SIP.  Always disabled on router.  

[Vahn]

No, no, nothing to do with SIP.  Always disabled on router.  

 

I'm confused. Based on an earlier thread, where you said, "Sip Disabled, thank you" I may have incorrectly assumed that means you did that and rebooted.

 

Are you able to remote access now, or not? 

 

I'm trying to pin point the exact moment you went from not working to working again. Was it just a router reboot with no changes?

 

-V

[C4Blimp]

SIP has never been on.  Only thing carried out was a soft reboot of the router.  Remote is working for now.  Like I said earlier, I'll wait a week and report back.  With anything Control4 here, I can expect wacky things to happen.  I wasn't about to jump through rings to get this working anyway...

[Vahn]

Thanks for the reply; sorry for the confusion.

 

Still on the hunt for a like minded soul. Someone on Verizion Fios who has the Fios Quantum Gateway, C4, and 4sight, whose last check in was on 6/10.

 

Not that it matters, because I'm all fixed up, but I'm just baffled by it.

 

-V