macosr

21 hours ago, therockhr said:

No one hires off-shore resources to get better quality work (unless you are hiring in Europe which comes at a premium even over US based resources). It is strictly to save money (on paper). The work you get is subpar at best and non-exist a lot of times. People in the US spend most of their times holding their hands or fixing their messes (that is if they do anything) so there are no real gains made by hiring them. The existing people just end up working twice as hard. You are also not allowed to talk about how bad it is so you just have to sit and take it.

This isn’t true any longer. Off-shore is just as good and in some cases better for scale than in the US unfortunately. It is also about 1/10 the cost per seat. All tech firms at size run a mix and, again, at least in the past few years off-shore is as good or better unfortunately. 
 

Additionally, AI is starting to take shape in tech support. If I were them I would be driving down this road as fast as I could especially for issue diagnosis. 

Yeah...the MBPs with the M series chips are crazy fast. I have a new Black M3 MBP that I haven't even setup yet because my M1 Pro MBP is so fast I don't know that I really need it. Parallels runs great on it and so does composer. No need to have a Mac version of composer.

21 hours ago, Andrew luecke said:

So if you have 1 port plugged in, it works, if you swap the port, it works, but 2 plugged in, it doesn't?

Try turning off RSTP/STP to the CA10 ports. Also, make sure Link Aggregation isn't enabled on those 2 ports too. Then power cycle the switch and CA10

If you don't have RSTP/STP enabled on your switch, well, I'd be a bit worried (unless there is a very legit reason)

This is exactly what I would bet money on right here. I would also add that if there are multiple switches in the network that would also add layers of complexity to the issue with HA devices if those switches are unable to properly talk to each other due to STP configuration mismatches especially if one is running STP and another is running RSTP and you are using DHCP on the CA10.

I’ve seen spanning tree protocol (improperly configured) cause this type of behavior on HA network configurations where STP would prevent the release of the IP address from the old MAC address to the new MAC address. This would be my first guess at the switching layer. The fact that the ports individually work when one is plugged in and the other is not plugged in is very telling that it is most likely a network device configuration issue of either the CA10 or the switch.

Many of the newest controllers allow your sprinkler professional to have access via the apps to your system. I switched two “dumb” sprinkler boxes to one of the latest rainbird controllers. I can say that features you absolutely want to have are: smart watering time adjustment where the controller automatically adjusts run time based on your local weather. You’ll also want to have an advanced rain sensor that can be programmed to do what you want it to do based on the amount of rainfall you set. And, internet and app access. The newest systems are so advanced and I’m sure that hunter has similar controllers to rainbird. Honestly, the rainbird app has been so solid for me that I haven’t even worked on integrating it with C4. 

On 10/25/2023 at 4:28 PM, ashwinmj said:

My understanding was that the WiFi module/bridge are intended only for Yale app access remotely and HomeKit communicates via Bluetooth only. I believe this is the case for all of the Yale Assure Lock 2 models - the original, the Home Keys model, and fingerprint model. 

That was my understanding with the previous locks as well. However, the Yale website still states that the only thing required for Apple HomeKit to work is: "*Remote access via HomeKit requires Apple TV or iPad as home hub." and this clearly is not the case. Nowhere in the Yale documentation, apart from what a report rep told me after going back and forth with Yale support for a week, does it state that the bridge is required to use HomeKit with the new locks.

Honestly I believe these locks are riddled with software bugs. I can't be the only one having issues with them. Forget HomeKit...I'm having issues with the Yale App being able to properly setup users with the three locks I have installed so far. Some locks don't appear under the same home for some users and some locks say "keypad only" for Access Level and there is no ability to change those users' access level in the Yale App.

On 10/18/2023 at 1:15 AM, ashwinmj said:

I just heard back from Yale a few hours ago on the issue I was facing with HomeKit and the lock - the lock needs to be replaced! so it worked for all of 2 days with the Home Keys! 
 

The 2 days the HomeKit integration worked for me, I was able to control the lock via HomeKit through WiFi. My HomeKit hub is the first gen Apple TV 4k. 

I had Yale support tell me that I need the Yale WiFi Hub in order to use HomeKit over wifi with the new locks and that HomeKit will only communicate via bluetooth with the locks and that the wifi is only intended for their app. At least that is what Yale support told me on Friday. It is curious because this is mentioned nowhere in the documentation online or that comes with the new locks.

My only comment aside from what was already shared is that it is also important to know what distribution wiring is in place already, how devices are going to connect and what future plans you have, if any. All of these should be taken into account when selecting a video matrix. It is also good to have a professional with extensive experience with an array of systems that honestly advises you in what is best for what you are wanting with also considering your audio distribution, audio delays and accounting for them, and if this plays a role in how you will use the system. My last upgrade I ultimately went with an Axion X system instead of an MXNet system for a variety of reasons but primarily because I have no plans of going to 8k any time soon (aside from my theatre which is already 8k) which means I would have no real benefit of utilizing an MXNet system.

The one thing I will mention is that AVPro has been absolutely rock solid for me…both the 16x16 Matrix switcher and the Axion X platform but the Axion X gave me more flexibility in some of things I wanted to accomplish.

28 minutes ago, msgreenf said:

But it’s Apple - there are never bugs….

Unfortunately Apple has been seemingly getting worse with bugs on iOS with each update the past couple years. The underpinnings are rock solid for iOS but...don't get me started  I'm an old school BSD Unix / FreeBSD / etc diehard but I guess that ages me just a bit. I've also found a few bugs in the Yale App so hopefully I can help them a bit...if they want it.

I figured I would update this thread. The C4 integration has been flawless utilizing the wifi cards in the locks. I’m impressed with the speed so I haven’t really tried installing the C4 module in a lock yet. 

On another note: None of my Assure Lock 2 with HomeKeys locks are working with Apple Home Kit over wifi. There is certainly an issue but not sure what it is yet. My other Yale lock, which is within Bluetooth range of the equipment rack works fine with Apple Home Kit. My hunch is that there is some issues with Apple Home Kit and wifi connectivity and the locks. I have an open ticket with Yale on the issue but no resolution as of yet.

57 minutes ago, South Africa C4 user said:

Maybe to add, Control4 is a phenomenal system if setup right and can control pretty much anything (again, if set up properly).  Voice control via Alexa is pretty hit and miss (my personal view) and while I use the for a few things, I much prefer my keypads, touchscreens and iPad / iPhone when it comes to controlling most things.  That said, the beauty of well set up automation is that you can minimise the need for control.

E.g blinds open at a set time in the morning, music comes on, lights come on slowly.  

Walk into the bathroom and the lights come on.  Leave and they turn off.

Push one button and the security system arms, the downstairs and outs airs lights turn off and a small LED on the keypad turns red.

Turn in the TV and music turns off, the lights go dim and the blinds close.

Etc.

I didn't see your reply before typing mine...honestly...the best part about everything is lighting scenes and connected actions and automations. I honestly don't even know where to turn off some of my individual lights in my house because they are part of scenes...press one button and all the lights are turned off at night (that should be)...landscape lighting schedules change all on their own...turn on the projector in the theatre and the lights are dimmed and the blinds go down...etc, etc, etc. I would never go back.

2 hours ago, BCHutch said:

So I have a new build and we were directed to a company that installed whole house speaker, theater speaker setup in the living room, and Control4 to run everything. My goal was to be able to essentially control everything in the home with voice and quickly add new smart home features. My issue is that I feel like this is a very limited and confusing system - but maybe it's training? Here are some examples:

- The only way I can play music in any room using Tidal is to manually search this out through the Control4 app. I can then pick and choose rooms.

- I had a tech come in and finally get Alexa voice control working for music, but now I can't play different music in different rooms. When I try, they all change at the same time. 

- I have constant issues with Roku and the TV setup. Sometimes the watch setting works and everything comes on, sometimes it doesnt? The HDMI signal is very slow and goes out a lot (we moved away from cat6 because nobody could get that to work consistently).

- I'm looking at smart lighting and seem to only have Control4 or Lutron as options. But I don't know why that would be any better through Control4 than setting it up through Alexa and using any lighting I want (think Brilliant).

I feel like the list goes on and on but my main question is really, why Control4? I feel like the only thing it's really doing for me is allowing me to control music in different rooms? What is the value in this extremely costly option?

Thank you for your help!

ANY system is all about components and setup. You should not have the issues you are currently having with a Control4 system if it is setup properly for you with the proper components and setup and it should be easy to use. 

Here are some random thoughts and replies (I'm not a dealer btw but an highly competent end user in the technology sector)...

- You can integrate Alexa with Control4 to control things...I personally took it out of my system because of how Alexa listens to everything and sells your data but that's a personal choice.

- I have Siri integrated for use with my Apple TVs for voice control and it works great.

- If you're having HDMI signal issues over CAT6 there is a problem somewhere with the cable or the baluns.

- I love the Control4 lighting and control around 150 light circuits with lighting scenes and automations, etc and it is amazing.

- With Control4 we control: Lighting, HVAC (six zones), Video Distribution (10 zones with 8 sources), Audio Distribution (23 zones), Alarm System, Video Camera System, Video Doorbells (3), Pool System, Door Locks, Smart Outlets, Landscape Lighting, Blinds, etc, etc, etc.

- Our system is rock solid with absolutely no issues

It is all about setup, your dealer, and your ability to communicate what you want out of your system. 

I'll also add, that with Control4, for usability, I recommend that non-techie people (such as my wife and kids) have access to the iOS or Android Control4 app, that you have keypads with scenes setup, and you have touch screens. 

13 hours ago, ashwinmj said:

I'm actually having trouble with my lock. Home Keys was working great with my phone, but with the watch it would stop working in spurts. To rule out any set up issues, I factory reset the lock. Now the lock fails to add in Home Kit. I talked to both Yale and Apple support. Right now they're clueless, and it seems like they might need to replace the lock. 

Interesting…I have also found that the Home Kit automations do not work as well but I don’t really care. I am going to look into the issue further when I setup the additional locks this coming week.

8 minutes ago, Dueport said:

Curious if, when different users unlock the lock using Home Key, do you get different "LAST_UNLOCKED_BY" values in Composer? With the regular Assure 2 lock, this variable stores the name of the user that enters their code with the name equal to the name associated with that code in lock manager in C4 navigator. This is useful because you can program the system to respond differently based on who is entering the house (like housekeeper v family). Probably anyone with a Home Key is going to be treated the same anyway in programming but just curious.....

Not that I see. I do see in Home Kit who locked/unlocked on my phone but not in the C4 App. But I am using the wifi integration right now. I’ll check in composer later today.

7 minutes ago, ashwinmj said:

My WiFi is strong as well, using a Unifi setup. I don’t suspect that to have been an issue when I tried it out. One difference though - I used the August Connect WiFi bridge. I never tried the Yale WiFi module. A disadvantage of the module though is that it drains the battery on the lock a lot quicker.

 

Yeah…I’m not using a wifi bridge device. I am using the August C4 Driver which works great. It sounds like the bridge was the problem (most likely).

1 minute ago, ashwinmj said:

My setup wouldn’t be a fair benchmark for the response time. The extent of my ZigBee network is a Core 1 and the Yale lock, that’s it. The distance between the two isn’t a lot, but there are several obstructions. 

That said, the response time varies from 1-4 seconds, which is the same as what I experienced with the first gen Assure Lock. Someone else with a more extensive ZigBee network might be better to comment on the response time of ZigBee vs Wi-Fi, but I’ve heard it’s a lot quicker on ZigBee. When I did use Wi-Fi, it sometimes took as long as 15 seconds for a response and sometimes commands completely failed as well. 

My wifi response time is 1 to 2 seconds from the time I tap the lock until it locks and reports back. That said, I have an extensive and robust wifi mesh network that is rock solid and very responsive. I’ve also had no failed events yet.

I’ll be able to test the zigbee network vs wifi once my zigbee card comes in sometime this month. I have ~200 zigbee devices with 3 controllers participating in the zigbee network at my house so mine would be a good test.

15 minutes ago, ashwinmj said:

I have good news! The Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus (with Apple Home Keys) works with the C4 ZigBee module!

I was using the module in my older Assure Lock gen 1. I swapped out the module to the new lock and registered the module in the Yale app, and it all worked immediately. Nothing had to be done in C4. 

I haven't tried it in the model with fingerprint, but I assume it would be the same since the Verge article made it seem like the fingerprint version has wider module support than the Home Keys model. 

 

I would be curious what the response time is from the time you do an action within the C4 app vs when it is executed and reported back vs wifi. I’m actually quite happy with how the wifi integration with C4 is working so it might be helpful for others if a pro/con list is done.

I do have 3 more Yale locks coming in, all with the wifi modules that I plan on installing in the next few days. So far I’m beyond impressed with the Yale Assure 2 Plus lock with the Apple Home Keys. 

So I installed the wifi module in the lock and also got the August driver and bridge setup in C4 and it works great. I'll be curious to see how the Zigbee module works, and if it is actually supported yet or not, once I receive it.

Using the WiFi module the lock responds within two seconds and reports back in the mobile C4 app within less than a second that the lock state has changed. So, overall, from the time I press lock/unlock in the mobile C4 app the lock is locked and the status within the app changes in two to three seconds which is not bad.

I will post back if I experience any issues. 

I will also add that it is nice being able to just use the iPhone and Apple Home Keys to control the lock itself.

11 hours ago, msgreenf said:

If you are using WiFi use the august connector driver 

I’ll try that…I ordered a wifi module for the lock and a few more locks since this one works so well. I got them all with wifi for now.

My lock came in today but I’m waiting on the control4 module to come in. The look works great with home kit. I’m wondering if the C4 driver works over Wi-Fi…I may get the Wi-Fi card for now. 

Let me add one more thought that could apply here. You may have an issue that is more up-stream that only shows intermittently that is causing network issues which may include DNS errors. I have personally had an issue with a cable modem service that ended up being an intermittent problem with the coax cable itself between the street and the house that would cause issues with the cable modem. It took me one week to figure it out but the issue I was having would be intermittent. The way I diagnosed the issue was when the issue would arise I would immediately connect a computer directly to the cable modem (via Ethernet) and would run various ping tests and traceroute tests. Ultimately this is how I found there was an upstream issue that was intermittent and would cascade. The ultimate solution to the problem I was having is the cable company pulled a new cable and all the issues went away.

3 minutes ago, macosr said:

Dumb question but are the DNS settings on the router setup properly… https://www.snapav.com/wcsstore/ExtendedSitesCatalogAssetStore//attachments/documents/Networking/SupportDocuments/Araknis310DNSResolution.pdf

The reason I share the above is not just the firmware update, which you say you’re up to date, but also because of the WAN and LAN DNS settings on the router.

Dumb question but are the DNS settings on the router setup properly… https://www.snapav.com/wcsstore/ExtendedSitesCatalogAssetStore//attachments/documents/Networking/SupportDocuments/Araknis310DNSResolution.pdf

3 minutes ago, PumpUpVolume said:

In brief:

• the WiFi chip in the NEEO remote does not support 5.0 GHz WiFi (I see that you have now realized that you have a Halo, not a NEEO; yes, the new Halo does support 5.0 GHz). I'd put the NEEO on the 5.0 GHz band if the NEEO supported such.
• 4x4 and Wave 2 are irrelevant to the NEEO... An essay could easily be written on this topic, but for starters the NEEO's WiFi chip and antenna array doesn't support 4x4. Most client devices today don't support 4x4, but I digress.... (this is like discussing the merits of the 6 GHz band in WiFi 6E and 7 when most of us don't have any clients that support 6 GHz... and the NEEO is a n/g device (not ac, ax, or axe). The max PHY stream rate for a 20 MHz wide channel in the 2.4 GHz band is 72 Mbps per spacial stream. I'm not sure whether the NEEO supports two spacial streams, but even if it does, then the theoretical maximum PHY rate is 144 Mpbs; generally, real world rates are much lower than theoretical numbers. The NEEO cannot and will never achieve a connection rate of 200 Mbps with the world's most advanced access point. Keep in mind that streaming 4K video doesn't require anything near 200 Mbps and the NEEO is not streaming video. My NEEO is normally communicating at 52 Mbps and that should be (much) more than ample; again, the NEEO has close to nil competition on my network because most other devices connect on the 5 GHz band or are connected by ethernet. None of the ~20 client devices oresently used in my house support 4x4 spacial streams. I do plan to upgrade my WiFi network to WiFi 7 in the fairly near future, but that should be entirely relevant to the NEEO as it only supports the more basic features of WiFi 5. This may come as a surprise to some, but upgrading my Netgear WAC720 to the latest greatest access point is not going to have any meaningful impact on connection speed (I will appreciate the better security features and support for fast roaming, etc, though when I get around to that upgrade). Connection speed is a squirrel here (i.e. a distraction to the real issue).
• Anyone who is going to suggest that the NEEO issues are caused by a WAP configuration issue should, at the very least, suggest one or more configuration settings that could come into play - also note that I've addressed the most common settings (Channel, channel width, guard interval, SSID, etc.); no common device should require some highly specialized configuration - especially outside of those basic settings. The NEEO has a very basic WiFi chip - the last thing it needs is some highly specialized setup on a WAP. When you connect to WiFi at a hotel, friends house, business, etc, do you normally need to ask the property owner to have the network and access points reconfigured to allow your basic, low speed, WiFi device to connect? 
• Although I am working with the largest C4 dealer in my city, the project manager at my dealer doesn't like the NEEO and has sold a total of one (1) NEEO in his career - and that NEEO was sold to me. My dealer doesn't want to get involved in resolving the NEEO issues and has chosen to take the "the problem must rest in the customer supplied equipment" position - which is not helpful. For the record, I also sought help from C4 customer advocacy....
• FWIW (not much, for that matter), I also see an RSSI around -49, sometimes better; 50 Mbps would be much more than ample for the NEEO to work properly.
• 20-40 devices is not a large client set, even for a single AP - some of the people participating in this discussion have 100 or 200 clients on their network.
• I have roughly 20 other devices connected to my WAP (iPhones, iPods, iPads, Samsung phone, PS4, Nintendo switch, IOT devices, laptops, etc. - I also have many ethernet drops, so my WiFi network is relatively lightly used) and none of those other devices have issues connecting to, or staying connected to the WAP. Given that 19 out of 20 devices on the network work flawlessly, does that point to a general network configuration issue or does that point to an issue with the one device that isn't working properly?

Be glad you have a Halo.

You're simply wrong about wifi. My credentials are: I am a very successful dot-com entrepreneur, I have done a datacenter startup and successfully exited the startup (I engineered the first facility which was a 360 cabinet, high density facility), I currently focus solely on SaaS companies, and I am an EE. I only state this because what the AP radio / antenna can support IS important ESPECIALLY for 2.4 devices in a mixed environment. I'll remind you that you're the one with issues and I am simply trying to help you because your setup is broken and you can't figure it out. Good luck and I truly hope you can find a fix for your problems!

10 minutes ago, penn65000 said:

Neeos don’t run on 5ghz. Only 2.4. They don’t have 5ghz radios. And they should “just work” on Wi-Fi like any other Wi-Fi device. But they don’t. They’re a mess. 

Yep...my apologies...I'm running a HALO remote...not the NEEO. Not sure where my brain was when I was typing that up...but my comments are still the same regarding the wifi AP especially in a mixed environment.