AK1 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Hi, I have created some scheduler sequences that take care of "vacation mode" for my house e..g turning lights and AV equipment on and off during a 24 hour period. I want to trigger vacation mode by setting a variable to a specific value. I have set up a custom button to set the variable in question.However, I don't see how I can access this custom button form outside the home e.g. from 4sight. If I go on vacation and forget to set the home to vacation mode, I want to do so remotely.Perhaps custom button is not the way to go. Any ideas?Thanks to all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pharmdsmith Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 There may be an easier way to do this and hopefully someone else will chime in if so. Since you have already created a custom button, I would create a lighting scene "vacation mode" with no loads attatched. Then under programming go to your newly created lighting scene on the left and then on the right side of composer select custom buttons and then below that select your custom button vacation mode and choose press. Drag that to the center pane. On 4sight if you go to your lights, on the right side are your lighting scenes which you can excecute. Execute Vacation mode which will then press your custom button vacation mode. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 Thanks, works perfectly - just what I needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 You could also use the Twitter driver. Then you could send your phone a tweet telling it to activate vacation mode. It is also possible to get a tweet back confirming the command was received and executed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Thanks, where does one find info about the Twitter driveR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Thanks, where does one find info about the Twitter driveR?Call your dealer. I wish I had a better answer than that...sorry.Stay tuned at C4Central.com, we should have a write-up done in the near future. That way you can familiarize yourself with it before deciding if it is worth the (slight) hassle of having your dealer add it to your system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 I'm sorry, but that answer "call your dealer" is simply unhelpful and contrary to the spirit of a discussion forum. There are a number of ways you can better handle this: you can say this is confidential information only for dealers, this is a a privater development with details to be released soon or here is a website. Rather than simply plugging c4central.com a little more openness and forthrightness would be beneficial to all concerned. If the Twitter driver is indeed so top secret it can only be revealed by a dealer deity, then I suggest you should never have posted about it at all in this public forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Well, being that Control4 *is* a dealer-installed system, I don't think 'call your dealer' is an inappropriate response to someone asking where they can get a driver which has been posted on Control4's Dealer Forums.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 ^^You're joking right? Where's the smiley face thingy? You forgot that, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I'm sorry, but that answer "call your dealer" is simply unhelpful and contrary to the spirit of a discussion forum. There are a number of ways you can better handle this: you can say this is confidential information only for dealers, this is a a privater development with details to be released soon or here is a website. Rather than simply plugging c4central.com a little more openness and forthrightness would be beneficial to all concerned. If the Twitter driver is indeed so top secret it can only be revealed by a dealer deity, then I suggest you should never have posted about it at all in this public forum.I said I was sorry I didn't have a better answer, that's the only way to get info on in right now. It's brand new, it doesn't have a website that shows it off or explains it, there is no "hotline" to call, nowhere to go for the information or the driver other than to your dealer. I told you that there would be a writeup at C4Central soon, which will provide you more information. I also explained what it did in my post. I don't know what further info you wanted from me, were you expecting me to post the driver? I told you what it did, how it would work for you, where you could get it, and where you could find more detailed info soon. If that doesn't work for you, I'm sorry but it sounds like I wont be able to help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrader Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Well, being that Control4 *is* a dealer-installed system, I don't think 'call your dealer' is an inappropriate response to someone asking where they can get a driver which has been posted on Control4's Dealer Forums.RyanEI think this is why some of us 'power' end user get frustrated. Twitter driver? Wow... sounds cool. But how would I, as an end user, ever know about this, and any other driver that's posted on the dealer forum? Am I supposed to call my dealer on a weekly basis and ask him to explain to me all new drivers and concepts that involve Control4? Maybe he could just read the dealer forums to me over the phone? I have absolutely no issue paying my dealer to install new hardware and create all the needed bindings and whatever, but I would prefer not to pay him to research for me. If it weren't for C4Central.com, I probably wouldn't know about anything new released via the dealer forums. If there are dealers here that know the details about new drivers, what's the harm in informing us end users about what the driver can do? AK1 didn't ask where he could get the Twitter driver, he asked for where he could find more info about the Twitter driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgbrown Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Well' date=' being that Control4 *is* a dealer-installed system, I don't think 'call your dealer' is an inappropriate response to someone asking where they can get a driver which has been posted on Control4's Dealer Forums.RyanE[/quote']I think this is why some of us 'power' end user get frustrated. Twitter driver? Wow... sounds cool. But how would I, as an end user, ever know about this, and any other driver that's posted on the dealer forum? Am I supposed to call my dealer on a weekly basis and ask him to explain to me all new drivers and concepts that involve Control4? Maybe he could just read the dealer forums to me over the phone? I have absolutely no issue paying my dealer to install new hardware and create all the needed bindings and whatever, but I would prefer not to pay him to research for me. If it weren't for C4Central.com, I probably wouldn't know about anything new released via the dealer forums. If there are dealers here that know the details about new drivers, what's the harm in informing us end users about what the driver can do? AK1 didn't ask where he could get the Twitter driver, he asked for where he could find more info about the Twitter driver.And I believe that question has been answered as well .... c4central.com of course.I believe that's one of the reasons it was started. Look at the late breaking news on the HC1000V3 price drops, and the availability of the 2way AppleTV driver.Peace out ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 If it weren't for C4Central.com, I probably wouldn't know about anything new released via the dealer forums.And that's the delicate balance we have to manage. There's always someone working on something new. It may not work to meet 100% of your needs. Your dealer may not feel comfortable enough to both understand how it works and and support it fully.There are dealers who aren't installing 1.8 right now.There are dealers who don't currently offer media streaming solutions.Others will not offer 2.0 right away whenever it comes out.Many will *only* install what they have personally tested for some time, to ensure that it works 100% and they understand it and can support it.After all, that's why dealers get paid - not because it's "everyday easy" but because of the knowledge & experience. We're supposed to take the risks so you don't have to have a system crash in the middle of a party with all your frirends over - or even be frustrated at it in everyday use.The blog is a great way to communicate some of what's happening in the scope of Control4's environment, and we created it in part because we saw a lack of communication as to what Control4 could do, or that it could *only* do certain things. The other part is that we want people to realize more ways that they can take advantage of something they've likely already paid for and didn't know they could do on their own. The best thing to do is to communicate with your dealer - let them know what you're looking for. They may already have something to fit your needs that they know is worth spending your hard earned money on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Schrader also feels my frustration. My point is we are participating in a public and open forum. If this is something that was announced on the private dealer forum, then I would assume no dealer should be discussing it at all here. Similarly, if I am to call my dealer I assume he should not disclose it. If it is to be disclosed here, then great. But let's not play half disclosure and the cabalistic mantra of "call your dealer". in other words, if my dealer is going to tell me about the driver over the phone then i assume it's fair play for those in the know to disclose details about the driver. After all, assuming it is a commercial product and a decent one, then the developer should generate revenue from enthusiasts like me and Schrader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 "The best thing to do is to communicate with your dealer - let them know what you're looking for. They may already have something to fit your needs that they know is worth spending your hard earned money on."This is a very linear and traditional approach that doesn't harness the power of the collective Internet. IMHO the "best thing to do" is to communicate openly in a community environment like this as well as maintain a good relationship with my dealer. After all, even though I love my dealer, he doesn't have a knowledge monopoly on this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 "The best thing to do is to communicate with your dealer - let them know what you're looking for. They may already have something to fit your needs that they know is worth spending your hard earned money on."This is a very linear and traditional approach that doesn't harness the power of the collective Internet. IMHO the "best thing to do" is to communicate openly in a community environment like this as well as maintain a good relationship with my dealer. After all, even though I love my dealer, he doesn't have a knowledge monopoly on this stuff.That's fair. The people contributing the blog don't have a knowledge monopoly either, nor do the few dealers that actually take the time to post on the forums. I understand the past grievances with poor communication, that's why we started the blog. Do a search on my posts and go all the way back to 2007 when I didn't work for a dealer and just started posting here - I was told by a dealer at the time that the Sony 400 disc dvd changer was the solution for distributing music cd's around the house. They neglected to mention it's impossible to "shuffle" or create playlists of tracks off of different cd's. Through the forum, I learned about putting music on a USB drive and streaming. Later, Rhapsody came out. When the dealer said "Why upgrade, 1.3.2 is running stable!", I decided to find someone else.However, the blog (and this forum) is not the complete picture - we're just trying to aggregate all the information and discussion into one place. There are people doing things with Control4 that we may never know about. In the end, you still have to "call your dealer" - it's the only way at this time to get new things added to your system. As great as the Internet is, it still doesn't make me a sandwich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 "In the end, you still have to "call your dealer" - it's the only way at this time to get new things added to your system. As great as the Internet is, it still doesn't make me a sandwich."Absolutely - I call my dealer a lot and value the relationship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Schrader and AK1, this is the exact reason why Cody and I started C4Central. At C4Central's inception Cody and I were end users, who were frustrated just like you are at the lack of information out there. I feel like we had common interests in getting the most out of Control4, and we worked together on some things to get stuff figured out. That is the reason why we started the blog - to share information about things like the Twitter driver.I am not a dealer, but feel that I am fairly well connected and "in the know" with regards to Control4, and Cody is a dealer now. That is why the blog now belongs to The SOHO Shop. I started the blog with Cody to help people realize the potential of their Control4 system, and with Cody now being involved with The SOHO Shop it simply made sense. A dealer has a wealth of knowledge that end users traditionally have a hard time finding. That is why this marriage is so perfect.AK1 - I am sorry that I brought this up prior to donating hours of my time to a complete write-up. There is a write-up on this product drafted on the blog, but unfortunately those write-ups take time, and yield no return other than the personal enjoyment I get out of playing around with this stuff and knowing I am helping people get more out of their investment, so hopefully they can enjoy it as much as I do. I am not simply "pimping" c4central, it doesn't do me any good if you hit the site everyday or never hit it...there is no ad revenue or anything of the sorts. Stay tuned for a write-up outlining what this driver can do, hopefully it will get completed this week.I don't want anyone to read this and think I am complaining about the time investing in writing those posts, because if I didn't want to do it I wouldn't. I just hope people enjoy them and realize that I am doing this as a hobby and to help the community, not trying to "pimp" the site.As a side note I should add what I do know about this driver (other than the enjoyment and use I have gotten from it). A dealer developed the driver for him to use personally. This dealer decided to release it to the dealer community, so they could have fun with it. That may be one reason why dealers are gun shy to push this on their customers - it has no support system if it doesn't work correctly. I can imagine that if there is a flaw in it, or it works inconsistantly, it would be a nightmare for the dealer that installed it. The customer would have the feeling like they paid for something that isn't working the way they wanted. I am sure dealers can chime in more on that perspective, but I just wanted to point that out. It is awful hard for people (including me) to promote and sell a product that doesn't have proven reliability or a good support system.</rant> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil12011 Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 Ditto what Dan said, it's not like there's a secret batch of ultra-cool C4 stuff that we keep on the hush. The Twitter driver was made by one of the tech support guys at C4 for fun. Who knows if it's ready for prime time yet, we'd never know about it if he didn't make the announcement. The C4central guys I'm sure just like to keep you guys informed about what's going on, and what's being thrown around. It's certainly not top secret, but it is NOT supported officially by Control4. I honestly would not know how to troubleshoot it since I did not write it. I think C4central is one of the best knowledge bases to come along; that and the public forums hosted by cytexone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 "This dealer decided to release it to the dealer community, so they could have fun with it. That may be one reason why dealers are gun shy to push this on their customers - it has no support system if it doesn't work correctly. "I wouldn't be gun shy about this approach. This is the way good open source software evolves e..g Linux, Apache, Tomcat... - with community involvement. The leverage of the community goes much further than the ability of one dealer to support a driver. While I am not discounting the value of the traditional dealer-support-the-customer model, I do believe there is a place and a role for more collaborative projects for those that are interested in participating i.e. us geeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Hey guys....the ever helpful codeman has a write-up published about the Twitter Driver.Check it out: http://c4central.com/2009/12/22/2-way-twitter-driver-for-your-control4-system/Great work codeman...great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I forgot to mention that you guys are going to love the Twitter driver.It is one of the coolest things to come for C4 in a long time. The possibilities are endless, and getting confirmation/feedback from the house based on certian variables is just unreal.I absolutely love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 There's a new version in the works that will allow up to 20 tweets & 20 direct messages, among other things. No ETA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tebery Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I don't tweet, so what is the difference between email notification and a tweet notification? (aside from you dont need a 4sight subscription) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I don't tweet, so what is the difference between email notification and a tweet notification? (aside from you dont need a 4sight subscription)Well, in our nifty little article, it lets you know that you can send a message to your system and have it do programming based on the message it received... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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