alanchow

We just launched our first mobile webview driver.  This is aimed at integrators who want to provide their contact details on a system so that the owner knows how to contact for support along with space for custom text (company description or information that they want the home owner to know).
https://www.chowmainsoft.com/contact-us-control4-driver
 

Today Control4 released mobile webview which is a major feature release for customers running Control4 OS 3.1.3 (or later) with mobile app versions 321.46 (or later). We are proud to announce that we have launched the first 3rd party mobile webview driver for Control4 which is designed to assist integrators to keep in contact with their customerbase through our Contact Us driver for Control4.

The Contact Us driver for Control4 allows integrators to provide an elegrant contact us page on the Control4 T3 touchscreen, Control4 T4 touchscreen, iPhone, iPad and Android devices with the ability to provide their own logo, address, phone and email contact details along with a text field that they can use for whatever they want (eg a short company description or details specific to that project).

The URL is clickable which allows the user to visit the integrator's website on the T3, T4 or mobile device.

On iOS devices a force touch on the phone number will allow them to call the number and force touch on the email will allow them to email the email address.

This provides integrators with the ability to market their business to the people utilising the Control4 system they installed.

We have priced this driver at an extremely low price so that integrators can utilise it in every project.
 

G'day, 
I actually wrote the Chowmain Shelly Driver.. In the past, I had a Vera plus installed in my place, with a lot of the Zwave Plus gear.
 
Zwave
So, Zwave is obviously mesh based. Great for your typical smaller home, but as a custom installer, chances are, you have an awesome wifi network anyway (or should). You can guarantee  the quality of the connection on Wifi a bit better. Zwave is 900mhz so should have better penetration, but there are also less channels available (so, more affected by intererence). And similar to Zigbee, if you have less Zwave devices, you may have a coverage gap, and areas where you need to extend the signal somehow.  
A good Zwave job can be as good as a wifi job though (if you're using a good gateway). Zwave does have a bigger range of products, and a wider variety of manufacturers. Zwave is more power efficient, so some devices like remotes may work for longer before they need new batteries (if you need them, few C4 users do).
Shelly has some really cool products like the Uni though for upgrading dumb devices to smart devices. 
 
 
Shelly Protocols:
There are two types of Shelly modules now, Shelly Gen 1, Shelly Gen 2 (generally known as Shelly NG).
Shelly NG will (likely) be all modules released from now, and Shelly PM Pro (4,2,1), Shelly 1 Plus, Shelly 1Plus PM, and since it uses Websockets and a cleaner protocol (and newer chips), its preferred. 

With Shelly, we basically poll it (and I have some secret sauce that was added into late releases, so it's now extremely fast). In fact, I combined a Shelly Light with Tuya PIR sensor (which had its own built in light), and both the Tuya Light and Shelly triggered at the same time.. 
Both are great protocols, but the new ShellyNG protocol is a lot more succinct. 
 
With Shelly, its cheap, and we have a 90 day trial (or showroom licence) for all of our drivers at chowmain (and you can contact me anytime if you have an issue).
All feature requests have been resolved with our driver at this time, with the exception of 1 which can't be implemented well (dimmer calibration, which is only ever needed once, and is easily accessible via web interface). We have a lot of users with our driver (everything from effects to Control4 BUTTON_LINK connections are supported.. We even built in an easy announcement option).  We only have 3 outstanding issues (2 unconfirmed, and those are only unconfirmed as the installers took a while to get back to us, and I was awaiting some additional hardware). I'm hoping to have all resolved within the next week (so we're back down to 0 once again)
If you do have any questions, feel free to contact me. But overall, the protocol is extremely fast (and we actually work directly with the Allterco / Shelly team, who are amazing to work with).
Shelly is a great Wifi based product, and Shelly NG makes it even better. So, I definitely recommend them. 

G'day all.    Jay Basen (who many of you may recognise for his own Home Automation endeavours) from Residential Tech Today is seeking information in an upcoming article about how Control4 home installers utilise Shelly products. It is an excellent opportunity to help showcase some of your work to consumers and other installers (in particular, some of your more unique applications or installations in exotic locations).  We've already heard from a variety of installers who use our drivers, and this is a great way for the world to hear about your installations too.     You can drop me a message, and I'll provide his contact details so you are able to get in touch.   Andy  

Really shouldn't have to reboot.
 
Only should have to reboot for updates. What driver is it?

Amcrest is mostly rebadged Dahua

Amcrest is mostly rebadged Dahua

G'day All, 
We have some major Announcements with Tuya.
NEW RELEASE - 20211112 [STABLE]
Firstly, we would like to announce the release of 20211112. This is a MAJOR feature release, that we STRONGLY recommend is setup for customers, that adds a few major new features: 
1. Real Time feedback Additional setup is required, however, Control4 can now update feedback status in realtime (instead of 2-5min delay via polling) using the Status Notifications API The biggest benefit of this  is that if the light is triggered via PIR, or Tuya button, it will turn on instantly in Control4 too, so Control4 will match the device status correctly. This is a major update (and we found that feedback is actually really fast, despite being cloud based). PIR is detected almost instantly. You could also use switch relays as triggers for control4 now, without needing to wait minutes for the trigger to occur   2. NEW Tuya Sensor Driver. This driver facilitates triggering Control4 actions from Tuya via RELAY, Button links or contact closure. It supports all boolean, Integer and enumeration variables (and similar to our other drivers, Tuya Variables are also exposed as Control4 variables and the driver can be mixed or matched with others). It also adds easy support for sending notifications. Some examples of use are: Turn on Control4 lights when a Tuya PIR is activated Trigger a doorbell sound via announcement when a button is pushed When the brightness of a light decreases below a certain level (as an example) Trigger an announcement in the kitchen when the water kettle has finished boiling (and turned off)   3. Blind Levels Our driver now supports setting percent levels for Tuya Blinds (as requested). Please note, there are caveats (as per the documentation. Some blind controller may not operate correctly). This was made possible only because of the new feedback code.  
New QuickSetup Video 
By popular request, we now have a video quick-setup guide to assist with installation. The video covers the full setup, including configuration of the message service for instant feedback and provides more information on the codes system.   
 
 
 

Overview
The AMP Motorization Program brings the automatic power of motors to your window treatments, integrating AMP remote controls, APP, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and other home integration devices to create the perfect ambiance morning, noon and night.
AMP motorization has a comprehensive range of motors for a variety of motorized window coverings, including Roller Shades, Roman Shades, Honeycomb Shades, Cellular/Pleated Shades, Sheer Shadings, Revolve/Double Shades and Horizontal Tilt Blinds.
The system also includes a Wi-Fi bridge, which enables mobile app control and doubles as a bridge for integration with third party control systems like Control4 for bi-directional or uni directional control (depending on motor) with up / down / stop, position, tilt based control.
Features
Automatic import of shades for the correct featureset Uni Directional Shade Driver One Way Driver Commands Up Down Stop Feedback Shade MAC address Bi Directional Shade Driver Two Way Driver Commands Up Down Stop Position Feedback Position Battery mAh Shade MAC address Bi Directional Tilt Shade Driver Two Way Driver Commands Up Down Stop Position Tilt Feedback Position Tilt Battery mAh Shade MAC address Bi Directional TDBU (Top Down, Bottom Up) Shade Driver Two Way Driver Commands Top Motor Up Down Stop Position Bottom Motor Up Down Stop Position Feedback Top Motor Position Bottom Motor Position Battery mAh Shade MAC address Battery mAh feedback for bi-directional motors with batteries installed. Ability to specify low battery mAh Event fire on low battery Automatic email notifcation on low battery (requires 4sight) Automatic push notification on low battery (requires 4sight)  
FAQ
Where can i find out more information about AMP products?
You can find out more information about AMP via the link below
https://www.ampmotorization.com/
What is the AMP motor portfolio?
The AMP motorization portfolio is a comprehensive range of motors for a variety of motorized window coverings, including Roller Shades, Roman Shades, Honeycomb Shades, Cellular/Pleated Shades, Sheer Shadings, Revolve/Double Shades and Horizontal Tilt Blinds.
What does this work for?
This will work for all AMP motorization devices connected to a AMP Bridge.
How does the AMP Bridge communicate?
The bridge has Wi-Fi to communicate with mobile devices and internet routers. It also utilizes RF communication to send and receive messages to AMP motors.
Does this device provide two way control?
This driver will provide bi-directional control and feedback over blinds / curtains that have two-way feedback.  If the motor is uni directional only the driver will assume the last state sent is the current state.
How doe Uni Directional Drivers work?
Uni Directional Drivers have up, down and stop commands only.  There is no feedback on the driver.  Note uni directional motors are only supported by the Connector Bridge DD7002B model.
How does TDBU Drivers work?
TDBU drivers have two proxies associated.  One for the top and one for the bottom.  The top motor closes when it goes up and opens when it goes down.  The bottom motor does the opposite and closes when it goes down and opens when it goes up.
Also note that if the top motor goes below the bottom motor’s level it will force the bottom motor to move to the top motors desired level.  This happens in reverse when the bottom motor goes above the top motor’s level as well.
How does Tilt Drivers works?
The Tilt driver has two proxies associated.  One for the position and one for tilt.  Note that on some motors tilt is driven by a single motor and as such tilting the louver will cause the main position to shift slightly between 95-100%.  This is normal behavior
I want to try this driver out before buying it?
All Chowmain drivers for Control4 come with a 90 day trial. 
How do I find out more information about the driver?
Please see the links below for more information about the driver.
Driver Link
 

MAJOR UPDATE
Updated Kasa driver to include support for KP105, KP115, KP400, KP401, KP405, EP10 and EP40 product models.

Good news everybody. We're happy to announce stable release 20211108. This new release adds the following new features (as per popular request):
Positional Blinds support (requires calibration of blinds in the module web interface). After enabling calibration, Set Control Type to Level in Properties. Smooth ramping of dimming for button links (which must be set to dimmable). Advanced Lighting Ramping support, with support for long ramping. PLEASE NOTE: attempting to ramp both White and colour channels simultaneously for long periods may cause problems with the color mode switching back and forth Major Bug fixes    
Please note, we have found that some people on old releases may find that even with auto-update enabled, that they may need to update their installations manually 
For a link to the latest driver download, please go to: http://www.chowmainsoft.com/shelly-control4 
 
 
 
Detailed Changelog is below:
20211108 [STABLE]
This new stable release primarily adds:
Optional support for smooth dimmable ramping on button links
Level/discrete support on Blinds.
Bug fixes and and other improvements have also been included
Refer to the Beta changes for full information. Specific changes for 20211108 are:
Update Documentation (All)
Minor Backend Improvements (All)
20211105 [BETA]
Webviews keep incorrectly resetting to default in some cases (Thanks David Hancock) - (Module)
Improved Debugging (All)
20211025 [BETA]
FEATURE: Add Support For Blind Levels. To enable, set new Control Type property to Levels. Default is toggle (blinds, modules).
Stability fixes for feedback disconnections (Module).
20211019 [BETA]
Add Support For Button Link Smooth Ramping. Please note, Button Link behavior must be set to Dimmable (All Dimmable Light drivers)
Switch default Button Ramp rate from 5% to 8% for smoother ramping (All Dimmable Light drivers)
Add Short term and Long term Ramping support. All Dimmable modules supported, with the exception of the Shelly SHBLB-1 Bulb which does NOT support smooth ramping. Please note, attempting to ramp color and white channel on some devices simultaneously may cause problems.. (All Dimmable Light drivers)
As there have been no reports of problems since introduction on 20210916, Dimmable Button Links now defaults to "Dimmable". Original behavior can be restored by switching to On/Off (All Dimmable Light drivers)
 

I am in trial for Alan's Android TV driver and using it with Formuler GTV.  Works great - have asked my dealer to purchase it.  And with the latest release's "Zank default (Advanced)" option, it is fast and totally usable.  Prefer IP based drivers to IR as there are less wires to deal with.  I would assume it would work with the Formuler Z10 Pro as well - test out the trial license and see for yourself.

Chowmain - TP-Link Wifi Smart Home Driver Suite
Chowmain has integrated the range of TP-Link Wifi based Smart Home products into Control4 with two way control and feedback.  This provides easy to retrofit solutions for outlet/power strip control, inwall switch control, Inwall dimmer control and also LED bulb control.  The hardware is extremely affordable with outlets starting at $24.99 MSRP, bulbs at $19.99 MSRP, light switches at $39.99 MSRP and power strips at $79.99 MSRP.  It definately adds value to any Control4 installation.
Smart Plugs / Power Strips
Control4 supplies the wireless outlet switch that makes any household plug-in device, like lamps, appliances and electronics part of the Control4 system by turning a standard outlet into a smart outlet.
Unfortunately this device is not available to the majority of the world as it only supports 120VAC voltage for US plug type devices.
Introducing the tp-link HSXXX series of Wi-Fi smart plugs. It has plug types and regulatory compliance for the majority of the world and is extremely affordable. This WiFi based power outlet supports up to 10amps and can be easily integrated into the Control4 home automation system using the Chowmain TP-Link HSXXX driver.
The HS110 & HS300 versions can be utilised for energy monitoring and management using our driver and Control4.  It can also be useful for device health monitoring and also for automatic selection of manually controlled AV devices like Playstation 4’s, Xbox One’s and the Nintendo Switch.
Features
Automatic Discovery Self Healing on IP Address change Abilty to connect driver to outlet light or relay device drivers which in turn allows you to view the correct icon on navigator interface or even eliminate standby power on AV based devices. Ability to connect driver to keypad buttons (with LED feedback) to allow for quick on/off/toggle programming Ability to monitor and manage energy using insight based switches. Ability to use energy monitoring in HS110/HS300 outlets for automatic selection and room off of Playstation, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and other manually controlled devices On/Off feedback from the device.  Bulbs
Control4 have provided a variety of lighting solutions for circuit level control.  They have yet to offer an easy to install solution for lamps or individual lights.  The TP-Link solves this problem with their affordable range of Wifi bulbs.  These wifi bulbs can be dimmed, the color temperature can be changed to suit the customer's lifestyle (eg warmer white vs cooler white) and the hue color bulbs can be used for various functionality including notifications via colors (eg flash red and blue to alert the customer).
Features
Automatic Discovery Self Healing on IP Address change Automatically hide Color, Saturation and temperature depending on the bulb type. Ability to change modes between Color Temp and Hue Allows control and feedback over Brightness Hue Saturation Color Temp Ability to connect driver to keypad buttons (with LED feedback) to allow for quick on/off/toggle programming Preset Level and Click Ramp Rate Support In-Wall Solutions
TP-Link’s range of in-wall solutions off elegant and affordable circuit level control over almost every connected device including dimmable lighting circuits, non dimmable lighting circuits and power outlet / GPO.
Features
Automatic Discovery
Self Healing on IP Address change
Dimming control over light dimmers for HS220 units
On/Off control over light switches for HS200 units
On/Off control over individual outlets for KP200 units
Ability to connect driver to keypad buttons (with LED feedback) to allow for quick on/off/toggle programming
Preset Level and Click Ramp Rate Support
FAQ 

What hardware will this work on? 
This driver will work for the following devices. 
Bulbs
LB100 LB110 LB120 LB130 LB200 LB230 Smart Plugs / Power Strips
HS100 HS103 HS105 HS107 HS110 HS300 KP200 In-wall Wall Switches, Dimmers & Outlets
HS200 HS220 KP200 It may also work with other models of the TP-Link smart home products but they are untested.

Can you give us some examples of how we could use this driver? 
In Australia we do not have access to the Control4 outlet switch. As such we cannot easily integrate floor lamps, bedside table lights, fans, electric heaters, towel rails, etc easily. This driver fills in the gap to integrate these devices into the Control4 system.  This driver allows connection to the Control4 outlet light driver and any relay based binding. As such you can get the correct icon on your navigator and also bind it to your AV device to minimise standby power.  This driver can also detect power usage statistics from the HS110 outlet. This can be useful for programming energy management based actions.  This driver allows connection to any Control4 keypad for ease of use programming.  On HS110/HS300 outlets you can turn on your Xbox One, Playstation 4 or Nintendo Switch using their controller and have Control4 automatically turn on the system to the right inputs. Turn off the console using the console's controller or power button and have Control4 automatically turn the room off.  The KP200 device offers two in-wall outlets which is used to replace existing outlets rather than plugging in a smart plug. The KP400 device is an IP64 rated outdoor smart plug with two outlets. It is air tight and rain proof. How do I find out more information about the driver? 
Please see the links below for more information about the driver. 

Chowmain Website 

Installation Guide 

How do I buy the driver? 
This driver can be purchased from our distributor driverCentral. 

Download Driver / Purchase Licence 

Who do i contact for technical support? 
We have two support desks. One in Australia and one in the US. Click on the link below for details. 

Support 

Do you provide trial licences? 
All Chowmain drivers for Control4 come with a 7 day trial. 
 


 
 

G'day guys, Just letting you know that we have a major new beta available for those interested in testing (which we're hoping to launch next week). We're particularly looking for those with larger installs or with a wide variety of smart-home wifi devices

Sorry for the late reply, I fixed it with the shelly cloud platform. I installed Shelly 2.5 roller-shutter functionality and works very well with Drivercentral driver.

Our friends at Hopsoft created one.
https://www.hopsoft.com.au/climate-drivers
@Pavel Kvicera can answer any questions you may have about it.

Yup.  Tuya is my new pet passion.  It’s powering a lot of obscure devices which are different from the usual suspects.
lots of cool stuff and if you haven’t used it yet you should

Robot vacuum.  I have a keypad button on my wall which toggles between vacuum and return to charge with LED feedback on the state.  Same with experience button.

Robot vacuum.  I have a keypad button on my wall which toggles between vacuum and return to charge with LED feedback on the state.  Same with experience button.

Have you tried out our Hikvision driver?  We worked with Hikvision USA to develop the driver which also includes a custom firmware for 76/77/96xx I Series NVRs (for onscreen navigation - other NVRs work also for cameras on navigator).
https://us.hikvision.com/en/control4-smart-home-solution
http://www.chowmainsoft.com/hikvision-control4

We have had lots of requests for air filtration and also air quality detection over the past few years and i am proud to announce that today we have released our Sensibo Pure driver for Control4. Sensibo Pure is the world's most advanced smart air purifier that will keep you healthy and energized. Sensibo Pure has a built in sensor measuring your indoor air quality providing feedback on good, modern or unhealthy air. It is equipped with specially designed strong HEPA & Carbon filters, removes particles as small as 0.1um and protects against viruses, bacteria, dust, smoke, bad odors.
The driver is bundled with our existing Sensibo Air / Sky driver for Control4 meaning existing customers don't need to purchase an additional licence
The Sensibo Air / Sky driver makes your existing air conditioner smart and connected! Sensibo Air / Sky is an external device that you pair your remote controlled air conditioner with. Sensibo will work with the majority of infra-red based HVAC systems whether it is a mini split, window AC, ductless, portable, heat pump and even central air conditioners.
The Chowmain driver for Sensibo communicates to Sensibo devices via the Sensibo Cloud API. For Air & Sky models it enables full two way control and feedback over room temperature, humidity, setpoints, hvac mode and fan speeds. The driver will even configure itself based on the HVAC system capabilities. For the Pure model it will allow you to control on/off, fan speeds, LED lights and provide you with air quality and filter feedback.
 

We have alot of RGBW/RGBWW strip solutions.  Here are the solutions we have
Govee - https://www.chowmainsoft.com/govee-control4 LIFX - http://www.chowmainsoft.com/lifx-control4 Shelly - https://www.chowmainsoft.com/shelly-control4 TP-Link - https://www.chowmainsoft.com/tplink-control4 Tuya - https://www.chowmainsoft.com/tuya-control4 Yeelight - https://www.chowmainsoft.com/yeelight-control4 Here are some notes that may help you decide what to get along with URLs to the manufacturer and specific products of interest.
Govee - https://www.govee.com/
Cloud based API Have lots of products designed for behind the TV style lighting Also have floor lamps, table lamps and other products compatible with our driver LIFX - https://www.lifx.com/
Cloud based API (at least our driver is) Expensive but good quality Also have bulbs, downlights, outdoor lights, beams and all of the products comparable to Govee compatible with our driver Shelly - https://shelly.cloud/
Local based API Shelly RGBW 2 allows you to provide your own power supply and led strip (https://shelly.cloud/products/shelly-rgbw2-smart-home-automation-led-controller/) As such you can utilise 12/24v for use with 4 channels of white, RGB or RGBW led strips for a combined power of 288w Can use it with 4 channels of a single color (eg white) if you want. Also have relays and other cool products compatible with our driver TP-Link Kasa -https://www.kasasmart.com/us
Local based API 2 meter RGBW strip KL430 (https://www.tp-link.com/au/home-networking/smart-bulb/kl430/) Can be extended with the KL430E for upto 10 meters (https://www.tp-link.com/au/home-networking/smart-bulb/kl430e/) Also have bulbs, in-wall switches, in-wall dimmers, smart plugs, smart power boards, outdoor smart plugs a and more compatible with our driver Tuya - https://www.tuya.com/
Cloud based API Tuya has empowered 384,000 developers in over 220 countries and regions who are delivering over 410,000 Powered by Tuya products. As such powered by Tuya products are available pretty much everywhere (Home Depot, Walmart, Bunnings, K-Mart, Costco and other retailers). Usually stupidly cheap. Also have bulbs, in-wall switches, in-wall dimmers, smart plugs, smart power boards, outdoor smart plugs, blind controllers, fans, heaters, airconditioning systems, robot vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, aroma diffusers, smart kettles and more compatible with our driver Yeelight - https://www.yeelight.com/
Local based API Strip1S (https://en.yeelight.com/product/847.html) Can be extended for upto 10 meters Has bulbs, desk lights, spotlights and other lighting products compatible with our driver.

Alan’s Hikvision driver is my favorite new driver this year.  Works so well, and having true IP control of the NVR as an HDMI source is really useful.

Yep no intercom is that important its listed twice

We are currently developing the driver for them and have samples.
I can't say anything further due to NDAs.  Sorry.