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burowyako

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Posts posted by burowyako

  1. 20 minutes ago, alanchow said:

    Please don't double post.  I highly recommend you reach out to VSSL for support on this as they provide the support for the Control4 driver.  They have inhouse expertise on the driver and can assist.

    Thank you for your response.

    I wasn't trying to double post as I originally responded to the A.6 post and not the one for the A.6x.

    I figured it was appropriate to ask a question about the driver since a post was made about it.

  2. I've spent several hours trying to troubleshoot before posting this and I could use some help from one of you geniuses.

    To start, I can't get the driver to auto locate the amps for the life of me. I entered the MAC for each amp into the driver but couldn't ever get it to connect. I then manually assigned static IPs at the router level to each zone, but even those connections drop in Composer.

    I have a Control4 audio matrix in the mix (not the Triad one). How should the connections be mapped in Composer? Something like this:

    C4 Matrix Output --> Generic Local Driver Input

    Generic Local Driver Output --> VSSL Zone Input

    I don't have the generic driver in place right now, and I've already found that I can't listen to certain inputs from the C4 matrix. The C4 app shows that it's playing but nothing comes out of the speakers and I assume it's trying to send it over a different input.

    I've also found that the default audio level for a room in Composer wants to take over when a stream is sent straight to the VSSL amp. I try to bump up the volume in the Google Home app, and it'll go up a little, but I have to go into the C4 app to get it where I want it to be. I have the inputs for the VSSL set to a fixed level. Is that correct?

    Any help is appreciated!

  3. I've spent several hours trying to troubleshoot before posting this and I could use some help from one of you geniuses.

    To start, I can't get the driver to auto locate the amps for the life of me.  I entered the MAC for each amp into the driver but couldn't ever get it to connect.  I then manually assigned static IPs at the router level to each zone, but even those connections drop in Composer.

    I have a Control4 audio matrix in the mix (not the Triad one).  How should the connections be mapped in Composer?  Something like this:

    C4 Matrix Output --> Generic Local Driver Input

    Generic Local Driver Output --> VSSL Zone Input

    I don't have the generic driver in place right now, and I've already found that I can't listen to certain inputs from the C4 matrix.  The C4 app shows that it's playing but nothing comes out of the speakers and I assume it's trying to send it over a different input.

    I've also found that the default audio level for a room in Composer wants to take over when a stream is sent straight to the VSSL amp.  I try to bump up the volume in the Google Home app, and it'll go up a little, but I have to go into the C4 app to get it where I want it to be.  I have the inputs for the VSSL set to a fixed level.  Is that correct?

    Any help is appreciated!

  4. On 1/15/2020 at 7:57 PM, sonic30101 said:

    From my testing it doesn't work reliably at night time when the night mode is enabled. But you can just use a magnetic recessed security door contact

     

    I just want to follow up on this as I'm wanting to do this again.

    Is it possible to wire one of the relays on my HC-800 to the Nest Hello chime adapter to get this to work?  As of today, I don't have my doorbell chime working with the Nest Hello because we have plenty of Google devices in the house to announce the doorbell event.  However, I know an adapter comes with the Nest Hello so an existing doorbell chime can ding when the button is pressed as well.  I don't know if this is a big no-no or why it would/wouldn't work.

    I'd love to get some fun sounds to play over the whole home audio system for the holidays.  Any help is appreciated!

  5. I have a damper system in my home, which allows me to use one AC and furnace for three separate zones.  When one zone needs air and the others don't, the dampers close for the other two and the one zone gets the air it needs.  The dampers are connected to a controller that is connected to three separate Nest thermostats, with one for each zone.

    The bonus room is above the garage and is its own zone.  It gets really warm up there during the summer months, and I choose not to turn on the AC because it cycles on and off so much throughout the day because it cools so quickly.

    Is there a way to have Control4 turn on the AC in the bonus room only when the AC turns on for one of the other levels?  That way, both dampers will open and the bonus room will ride out an existing cycle rather than starting and stopping its own.  I'm trying to reduce unnecessary wear and tear if possible while also keeping the room at a decent temperature.  I've looked at the variables available for the Nest thermostats but am not familiar with what information they give me and what I can do with them.

    Any help is appreciated!

  6. 13 hours ago, kylejdavies said:

    Hi, for the wiring I took a 12v from the C4 contacts and fed this to the com on the relay (jumper wire) then I used a spare IR bud and cut off the IR end, plugged the 3.5mm mono plug to the trigger port on my amp and the 2 wires to the relay on the controller.  The tip wire is the +12v feed which goes to the NO port on on the relay and the GND wire from the plug goes to the GND on the C4 contact.  Thanks

    Thank you!  I'll give this a shot and see how it goes.  Any concerns with me using one contact and relay to feed more than one amp?

    7 hours ago, lippavisual said:

    Because you're using the TruAudio amps, you'll have to add the C4 AMP drivers, so they will give you audio endpoints along wit the trigger option.  You'd use the 8 channel version even though you only have 6 zone amps.

    Awesome.  Thank you!

  7. 2 hours ago, mujtaba.khokhar said:

     

     


    The best way for you to do it is via IFTTT

    So you’d program against ifttt triggers for example when the doorbell button is pushed to play an announcement in the ceiling speakers and send a push notification to homeowners mobile phone if that’s what you needed.


    Another way is if the nest or your chime has a trigger out you can use that to achieve the same thing.

    I’ve not used the nest in a while so I can’t remember if you can actually program against a a doorbell push or it’s just motion. You’d have to have a look at the ifttt docs to find out.




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

     

     

    Thanks, @mujtaba.khokhar.  Bear with me as I'm not too familiar with IFTTT, but I don't see anything related to the Nest Hello doorbell.  I've also searched in Composer for any kind of driver but haven't been able to find anything. 

    If you have any ideas, please let me know.  I'd prefer to trigger the announcement via IP if possible because I might be losing all of my contacts to another project I'm working on.

    Thanks again!

  8. I've been wanting to get the triggers on my amps working for a few reasons.  I'm still unclear of a few things and any help that can be provided is appreciated.

    I have an HC-800 as my controller, two Control4 audio matrices, and four 12-channel amps with triggers.  If it helps, the amps are the TruAudio A75 amps.  I have only used the audio sensing on the amps in the past, so as of today, the amps don't exist in the Control4 programming but everything works fine.

    Can I use a single relay on the controller for more than one amp if I need to?  I understand that I'll turn on both amps when the trigger fires but I just want to make sure the circuitry won't get anything.  I'm already using two of the relays for garage door sensors and I only have two others available.  I've only used audio sensing in the past and didn't necessarily associate specific zones with specific amps but I'll try to clean it up and group things as much as possible.

    Is there a generic amp driver that I can use to bind the connections in Composer?  I need a contact and relay for each trigger, correct?

    @kylejdavies, can you walk me through the wiring?

    Thanks again!

  9. On 12/21/2019 at 2:38 PM, SouthernSmarthome said:

    The only thing you can do is have it trigger an announcement if it gets wired up.
    Otherwise nothing


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

     

    On 12/21/2019 at 2:40 PM, mujtaba.khokhar said:

     

     


    From what I’ve heard the only thing you can do is have a push notification when the doorbell rings. You can also have an announcement that triggers, ie a doorbell sound from ceiling speakers.

    You also miss out on the intercom anywhere app.

    I mainly use DoorBirds are they support the intercom anywhere app and are very good when it comes to integration and custom programming.

    I could however be wrong about the nest only having push notifications as integration. I’ve not heard from anywhere that you can pull the video in also.

    Thanks
    Muj


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

     

     

    Can you point me to how this would need to be wired to trigger an announcement through Control4?  That's the only functionality I'm after right now.

    Thank you!

  10. I've been trying to figure out how to use Google Assistant devices with my whole home audio system that is managed by Control4.  I've tried to research how others are dealing with this lack of functionality and haven't come up with much other than replacing amplifiers or trying to find some EOL'd Google Chromecast Audios.  Having already invested in very nice hardware that only seems to lack this functionality, my goal is to add to my existing system rather than replace components.  All that I'm after is, "Hey Google...play (this song)" and have it play on the much larger speakers in the room using the default music service configured in the Google Assistant.

    After doing some testing, I found something that can work.  I took a Chromecast with an HDMI output, connected it to an HDMI audio extractor, and then took the stereo output into the input on my Control4 audio matrix.  In Composer, I configured the audio matrix port to switch the audio source for the room when audio is sensed.  I then configured the Google device to use the Chromecast as the default music speaker, and when using Google Assistant to play a specific song, everything works beautifully.

    I am now trying to figure out the best way to deal with the volume levels.  Control4 has its own levels for the room, but the Chromecast also has its own controls.  When using the Google Assistant to change the volume level, it changes the volume of the default music speaker, ultimately being the Chromecast in this example.

    To address this problem, one thought was to have Control4 set the volume of the room to something like 80 when the Chromecast is the source.  This way, the volume level doesn't have to change through Control4 and the Chromecast can ultimately set the volume level.

    Is there a downside to this approach?  By all means, please feel free to poke holes in this setup and educate me if there are other options available.  It's amazing to me that more hardware solutions aren't available for what I'm after, but maybe people aren't chasing it as much as I'd think.

    Any and all help is appreciated.  Thank you!

  11. On 1/1/2020 at 10:32 AM, burowyako said:

    Is it possible to have Control4 play an announcement when the Nest Hello button is pressed?  I thought I could do this with IFTTT, but I don't know what's possible anymore as I haven't been following the latest with IFTTT and Google integrations.

    Thank you!

    Any thoughts on this?

  12. Is it possible to have Control4 play an announcement when the Nest Hello button is pressed?  I thought I could do this with IFTTT, but I don't know what's possible anymore as I haven't been following the latest with IFTTT and Google integrations.

    Thank you!

  13. 24 minutes ago, wyrob2 said:

    Hi.   Happy new year to all

    so another quick one

    in programming if you have one zone playing music and want to add another room to that zone what is the logic.  I have a routine to play a radio station in the bedroom.  What I want to do is add another room to that stream. When I do it now both zones have a different stream not joined together and out of sync.  I try to match the audio to what is playing in the bedroom but it still plays as a separate stream.  Can I say ‘play this station in BOTH these rooms’?

    probably very easy but confusing me!

     Thanks 

    I can try to help here.

    Are you wanting both zones to play the same source from the start, or are you trying to add a zone after the first zone starts to play?  If the latter, it can be done through the Control4 app just by adding the room to the existing audio stream.

  14. I'm trying to help a family member with their current security camera situation.  I don't have any experience with security cameras, and I've been wanting to add some to my own home, so maybe now is a good time to dive in.

    In short, my family member currently has a Control4 HC-800 as their controller, and they have a third party security camera system that isn't integrated with Control4.  Though the security cameras were only installed just a few years ago, the installer decided to pull coax instead of Category cable for some reason.  My family member isn't happy with the video quality and is looking to upgrade.

    I imagine that only having coax cable available is going to limit our camera options.  I'm not opposed to running new cable if needed, but it's definitely going to be a challenge.  With that said, I have a few questions:

    1. Are there any wireless cameras that are worth looking at for outdoor use?
    2. Can the coax connections be used for anything, including just power?
    3. Do good-quality cameras require dedicated Category cable runs for each camera, or can they connect to a switch?  The reason I ask is there is a Cat 5e cable near where some of the new cameras would be installed.  It currently serves a wireless AP but if a switch can serve some of the cameras, I can make that work.

    Along with any kind of new cameras, I know that an NVR will be needed, and I don't have a clue what's needed.  In the end, this setup will only have four to five cameras in total.  They'd like to not have to pay for any kind of monitoring service if possible, but they'd like to go back and view footage as needed.

    Lastly, should I worry about integrating the cameras with Control4?  As I mentioned, this person is currently using an HC-800, but they'll make the jump to a newer controller if needed.  What are the pros and cons of having the cameras integrated with Control4?  Viewing the live feeds within the Control4 app is a plus rather than using a third party app, but again, I don't have any experience with security cameras and don't know what they do/don't need.

    I know that I'm all over the place, but I promise that I'm a good student. :)  Any help from those of you that have been there and done that is appreciated!

  15. 1 hour ago, msgreenf said:

    Yup. Hey google on your phone works perfect

    Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk
     

    Thanks, @msgreenf!  I was hoping that was the case, but I haven't played with this type of setup at all so I wasn't sure what to expect.

    Does anybody have any thoughts on the audio side of things?  I assume that nothing has changed with this update, but it doesn't hurt to ask.  I'm dying to give Google Assistant a command to play Spotify in a certain room and have it use my whole-home audio system.  I've already put the money into the Control4 audio matrices and nice amps, and now the actual sources are the problem.  I have some close family members that own VSSL and they make an amp that includes a Cast device for each amp zone, but going that route would cause me to replace all of my amps that I currently have.  Additionally, I'm still not clear on what issues would occur since Control4 wouldn't be aware of any of the Google commands that are handled natively by the VSSL amp.

    I'm dying here.

  16. 47 minutes ago, jrh1812 said:

    @C4CA

    For me so far they offer the same experience. I think it will truly come down to which ecosystem you have or which "Wake" word you prefer to say. 

    Can the commands be sent from a phone with Google Assistant without requiring hardware like a Google Home?  As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been holding out on everything until I can control audio from Google Assistant with my current configuration.  I don't know how any of this stuff works because I haven't put any time into it yet.

  17. This is some good stuff!

    Does anything else Google-related come with this update, such as Cast capabilities?  I have a great whole-home audio setup with Control4 matrices and some nice amps, but I can't control the system with Google Assistant as of today.  The Chromecast Audios are end-of-life and I don't know of any other affordable alternatives for hardware that provide similar functionality.  Being able to trigger music over the whole-home system through Google Assistant is at the top of my wish list right now, and I just feel like it's still so far away.

  18. Unfortunately, no luck.  With the help of @jackstiffer, I flashed an HC-800 image to a new drive, put it in the HC-800, tried a factory reset, and nothing.  The Link light blinks a few times, the Data light blinks once, and then nothing happens.

    I was certain that the new drive would fix it, especially since the old drive wasn't recognized when I connected it to my PC but the new drive came up as a new device with the same USB adapter.

    Any other thoughts before I throw in the towel?  I'd really prefer to go the sub-$100 route instead of getting a new controller, especially since I'll need the EA-5.  This HC-800 is only four years old.  I'm really curious what went out on it.

  19. 51 minutes ago, jackstiffer said:

    i think its a 16 GB ssd. look at the label on the ssd to the right of the cmos battery.

    i made an img my hc800 SSD if you need a copy.

    Thank you for your reply.

    It looks like mine is an 8GB drive.  This is an mSATA drive, right?  If so, I don't have a computer that takes this type of drive as my new one takes the M.2 type.  Do you think I'm good to buy an mSATA USB adapter and then flash the image?  Does the drive need to be the same size as the original to flash the image?  Any recommendations for a drive?  I'm fine to buy a bigger one though it isn't needed.  I doubt that I'll be able to find a drive that small.

    I will gladly take the image if you're offering it.  Thank you very much!  I've only done a few clones in my past so I'm not sure how to flash the image.  Any pointers and help are appreciated!

    I might be able to get a drive and adapter delivered tomorrow (Sunday) via Amazon Same-day Delivery.  I'd love to get it up and running again.  I came home to a dark house tonight without the front lights on.  It's amazing how much stuff in the house doesn't work when the controller is down.

    I should add that it's just a guess that the drive is bad.  The unit powers on, the LAN port shows a connection but the Link light on the front blinks after a reboot and then goes dark.  I'm hoping that something else didn't go wrong with it.  As much as I'd like to upgrade, my wallet is saying otherwise.

    Please let me know your thoughts.  Thanks again!

  20. I'm having a similar issue and would appreciate any help.

    I tried streaming audio to one of the Spotify Connects ran by my HC-800 last night and couldn't get it to work, but other audio sources worked fine.  I restarted the HC-800 using the System Manager in Composer and I haven't been able to get it to come back since.  I've connected the controller to a TV but nothing shows, even after trying a factory reset.  The Link light blinks for a bit and then stops, and I can't see the controller on the network or in Composer.

    I've built a few desktops, but I'm a little confused with the drive in the HC-800.  Where is it, and what type of drive is it?  Please see the attached picture of my controller.  I'm assuming it's the device on the bottom left but I want to be sure.  I've read a few posts saying people plugged them into their computers like it was an easy swap.  I have access to another HC-800 and will hopefully be able to clone its drive, but I need to make sure I have a computer that can connect to both drives first.

    Also, am I correct that I'll need a drive the exact same size as the drive I'm cloning?  If so, what are the specs of the original drive?  I'm hoping that I can find a replacement drive locally.  Going even a day without music isn't fun.

    Any help is appreciated!

    15630580877132579982371757345091.jpg

  21. 18 hours ago, Cyknight said:

    NVR - Network Video Recorder - ie the device that records the footage. By Distribution system I mean my video distribution, in other words It's available at every TV - What I mean is that I don't find it all that necessary

     

    Blue Iris is one example of an NVR, and it works well (but is not a dedicated device, but software that runs on a computer). Certainly a good option. Allows a LOT of cameras to be integrated, and indeed allow a lot of mix and match. Main question was on what cameras though 😉

    Switch wise, stay away from managed switches, and make sure they are rated properly (ie max wattage equals total wattage of cameras). If they have to be on their OWN switch mainly depends on how may you think you'll have. Up to 8 cameras I wouldn't say it's required - more than that I would strongly advise it.

     

    The big advantage there is simply that the drivers are preset and able to use the secondary stream as the feed to C4, leave the main stream at max resolution for recording, and it all gets set automatically (so very ease). Note that as such, Pakedge cameras are NOT tied to a Control4 system, and can be used completely independently.

    They are just one option though.

    Thank you very much for the information!  I'll do some research and see if I can make a plan for my house.

    Any recommendations for a security system that works well with Control4?  Is it worth paying a third party to install and monitor it, or can I get better get with a DIY model?

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