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Wakeup and Media Scenes - upgrade to 1.6.0.512


mthomtech

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The vague subject is due to not really being sure what the issue is that I am seeing.

I've run into a strange scenario that I can't figure out what the cause is. My dealer's suggested some workarounds that will definitely work, but my OCD nature is still trying to figure out what's going on.

I've recently upgraded to 1.6.0.512 and also have tried Media Scenes (before upgrading to 1.6.0.512). I'm not sure when the issue started, because I first noticed it when I used wakeup alarm. I'm pretty sure it started after the upgrade, but not 100%

Here's what's happening.

In two rooms, Master Bed and Bath, I had created a media scene that I could select from a 6-button when leaving the house. I used it to play some tunes for a pet when they were home alone. Anyway, this all worked fine.

Fastforward to after the upgrade ...

1) Media Scene does not work. Some investigation found that it will only work when playing something from the media controller ... but not when playing broadcast audio.

2) I had a wakeup agent that I would use in the Master Bedroom, and worked fine previously. Now the audio scene of the wakep will not work, and when Scene 2 comes on, which is broadcast video, the audio portion works, TV turns on, but video connection doesn't work.

Now here's the strange part. The same wakeup agent works in all other rooms besides Master Bed and Bath.

The best I can tell is that the Amplifier establishes the correct connections, but then they go away almost immediately. It's like something is telling it to disconnect. I think the same thing may be true for the AV Switch for the video in Scene 2 of the wakeup.

Of course, the thought that pops into my head is that the Media Scene has somehow caused an issue with those two rooms. I can see that the scene is disconnected, but it seems strange that the issue is narrowed down to the exact rooms that were involved in the media scene.

I also tried to analyze each kind of connection to see what caused the "disconnection" of the amplifier. Here's what I can tell ... selecting the audio source (like Tuner or Cable) works fine, and the connection stays established. Selecting a specific channel (like a station) is where the disconnection happens.

What I really don't understand is why an mp3 selection WILL work when the media scene is active, but WILL NOT work in either room when the media scene is not active. The broadcast audio will not work in either case (unless I only chose the source, and not the station). And in the wakeup agent, you chose the specifc media (like the station).

Any ideas on what could cause this phenomenon in just two rooms?

My equiptment is Media Controller, HTC's, Control4 Amplifier, AV Switch

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I know that it is NOT recommended to run 1.6 or higher on anything older/less than an HC300. This could be your issue. You are using only first generation hardware/controllers, and it is recommended the later version do not be installed without having a newer controller (HC300/500/1000) running director.

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You can run 1.6 on MC's and HTC's, but it is not recommended. My first thing to troubleshoot would be to delete the wakeup and whatever else isn't working properly. Reboot the Master Controller. Re-install the programming that you deleted.

I've noticed over several versions of software that some things just don't work the way they did before an upgrade and this procedure has cured it for me.

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I'll try that. I've rebooted and deleted the malfunctioning programming, but I didn't delete before the reboot. I'll let you know how that works.

I know that I can force the audio and video connections with more robust programming, but it is weird that it's just malfunctioning for those two rooms. I do have a feeling it's got something to do with the media scene that is in the programming for those two rooms. Especially since 1.6 introduced the zones, while 1.3 had "sessions"

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Good News. lippavisual's suggestion worked. I deleted all the malfunctioning programming and then rebooted. Now the wakeup agent works properly in all rooms. Haven't touched the media scenes, since I think that caused the whole issue.

ILoveC4 - yes, I'm one of those early adopters ... my wife hates that :)

So now that I've got zones that are so easy to use with the on screen menus ... are there zone programming commands ... to create and join zones? I didn't see them ... but that would eliminate the need for using the media scene agent at all.

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While zones are nice (I hated sessions, I got C4 in the 1.3.2 days) there is still a need for media scenes for when you want control volume together. That is the reason I use media scenes.

To answer your question, if you go to "music" on the GUI you will see a new option called zones. It will open a menu with every audio zone in your house and you can check and uncheck rooms to add/remove them.

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lippavisual - Thanks again for the help!

ILoveC4 - I remember my dealer showing me how the only thing zones don't do is sync the volume ... that would be a good addition. I bet if I restrict the media scenes to the volume link only, I may not have the same problems. I think it had something to do with the source linking that was screwing it up, but who knows.

I see the zones on the GUI, but is there a way in the programming to add rooms to a zone. Even though it wouldn't sync the volume, I could add rooms to the same source. But I guess it's just as easy to do that manually in the programming too.

I still see that the programming section has sessions (like "Add Master Bath to Master Bed session). But I don't see anything with zones ... maybe it's the same, but they didn't change the programming command names.

By the way, I'm so glad I found this forum. So far, you guys have helped me solve this issue, RyanE and others saved me hundreds of $$$ for helping me realize that I could integrate my DSC security system (while I previously thought I'd have to upgrade to GE Concord 4). The DSC control module was only $52 and my dealer said the integration was the easiest he'd seen. I love having my zones setup along with a virtual keypad. And I'm finding some very good programming suggestions to play around with in CHE.

My next add-on will have to be zigbee door locks ... didn't I read somewhere that Black and Decker was supposed to develop some?

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^What do you mean by "zones setup"? I don't see much use with the IT100 other than to utilize existing motions for path lighting. The KP UI is sluggish to use.

When he says "zones setup" he is referring to music zones, not security zones.

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The motion lighting would be a nice feature ... but I still think I get a lot of bang for the buck for the $52 IT100. There are so many options for notifications on alarms, detection ... announcements ... programming for arming, etc. We use the virtual keypad nightly and it's no different than using the system keypads.

Just having the ability to send commands, receive status, and view all security points, is a big plus in my book.

It's a good option for dealers around here as DSC seems to have a majority of the new build market. Of course, I got lucky and the security company that the builder had install the system never finished or programmed the installer lockout ... so I had free reign on my DSC system. Most security installers want $200+ for the DSC. But I found it for cheap online and it was very easy to install ... also found a $119 keypad for $26 on ebay ... not bad.

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Glad it worked out for you. I absolutely despise media scenes. I'd rather spend hours programming something to work exactly the way I want rather than using those!!

If you don't mind me asking' date=' why?[/quote']

I just don't like them. They consistantly cause problems and most end users don't understand how they work. Media scenes are not "Everyday Easy".

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Well, for me, I never change the volumes enough to warrant. Is this all that is done with Media Scenes? Aside from this, what I'd really like is the ability to play some Rhapsody music while watching a game on TV. Can a Media Scene do this? Probably not unless my dealer tears-up the bindings...

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I liked the idea of the Media Scene, and understand the intent of them ... but I still think something about the linkage of rooms wouldn't completely go away on deactivation. But for me that may have something to do with running 1.6.0.512 without a newer controller.

But, for everyday use, I just don't use them that much. And what I was using it for, I was able to recreate manually with programming.

I'll eventually test the media scenes again to see if the problems reoccur ... but for now, I'm content staying away from them.

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