EverAction

On 1/6/2020 at 7:02 AM, Dinushan Paranavithana said:

has anyone used matterlink ?

https://www.matterlink.sg/

This is to control an IR fan. Do you have a little remote control to change the fan speed?

What kind of dimmer are you using? Adaptive phase or Forward phase?

Forward phase dimmer supports up to 1000w (with no tabs broken) compared to the Adaptive phase dimmer that supports up to 650w (with no tabs broken). And you can typically get away with forward phase dimming of LEDs with no noticeable difference compared to the preferred reverse phase. From my experience, a forward phase was typically only ran to a chandelier due to the typical high wattage requirements that come along with them -- that they would typically exceed the wattage of an APD even if it was the only load wired to it.

3 minutes ago, Brownbatsbreath said:

This is also a poor way to describe it. 

Depending on how the 3 way is wired, power can be in one box, load in the other, or both can be in the same box. Power can also come in at the light leaving you without a neutral at either box. 

As long as power comes to one of the boxes, you can put the dimmer in either box. You can easily send the load or power to the box you want using the travelers. 

Mine is the basic, easiest explanation trying to not confuse the DIYer who shouldn't be playing with electricity.

Yes to everything you said.

2 hours ago, Jeffrey said:

Dimmer has to go on the side that has power coming into the box.  

Jeff

This is wrong or just a poor way to describe it.

Power is going into both boxes. It's the load wire that determines where the switch/dimmer goes, and the keypad goes into the opposite box.

17 hours ago, Axay said:

Hello everyone, 

I have Control4 dimmer and 6- keypad. One box has line with 3 way regular switch and other box has other 3 way switch with load. Which box should I install dimmer and keypad. Also I have Red, white, yellow, green and black cable on both. How to connect them?

Thank you

The switch should be in the box where the load wire is located. The keypad in the other box.

If you're asking questions about standard electrical wiring I highly suggest you hire an electrician.

On 11/4/2019 at 12:08 PM, snipboy said:

I have that damn doorbell. I just pulled it out of storage over the weekend. Did you ever get any satisfaction with it? I was thinking of asking my dealer to update the driver on it. It is communicating with my project in HE, but not actually controlling anything. I can't believe they shipped those version one and twos with those proprietary Chinese batteries. Unbelievably customer unfriendly. 

I mean if you already own it and you have some ideas on how to use it, why not. But if it's going to cost money to get your dealer involved, then I would say don't bother. Don't throw anymore money into their products. Even Blackwire dropped them, so I don't even know who even sells them in the states anymore (let alone where to get those wonderful batteries).

2 minutes ago, eggzlot said:

And I am going to contact my lawyer re: copywriting the use of wood grain in product photography.  see if I can corner that market!

11 minutes ago, RyanE said:

Surprisingly, they have medium brown Wood Grain both in the US and Switzerland, as well as down under...

RyanE

6 minutes ago, msgreenf said:

Wait, anyone can use wood grain?

LOL this is too funny!!!!

2 hours ago, RyanE said:

Although the speculation is fun to read. 

They start disecting the image and pointing out the "wood grain" background as proof it was a C4 produced image. Here's another! The conspiracy continues! 

52 minutes ago, WhyPhy said:

Wait, are you saying that Control4 released these exact pictures of the Neeo remotes years before the Control4 purchase? Or are you saying that pictures of the Neeo remote have been around for years? I haven't seen or been able to find any Neeo pictures resembling the one in the Instagram post.

Since the picture backgrounds of both the SR260 remote from the second post and the original "C4 Neeo" post are identical, it makes it more likely that this was a legitimate leak. Also, that looks like a C4 logo at the top of the "C4 Neeo" screen.

Any image can be faked, and this is obviously all conjecture before an official announcement. But based on the info available, it appears to be existing Neeo hardware with C4-specific software.

I'm saying that picture of the Neeo remote that was posted on Instagram (screenshots within this topic) have been seen before the Control4 purchase was announced. You can still bring up those photos on Neeo's website.

https://planet.neeo.com/t/m22yqs/neeo-launches-neeo-pro

It's not a fake photo. It's not a legitimate leak. It's some dealer upping his marketing game. There is no such thing as a legitimate leak, because if it happened Control4 would revoke that dealership. Control4 doesn't pre-announce or leak anything, ever. Everyone is getting all goo goo ga ga over stuff that is easily searchable off of Google.

So back to my key point for this thread, everything stated here is bullshit until Control4 announces something.

4 minutes ago, Psykopup said:

In case this helps others... here's my experience with all this. I worked with @msgreenf for a few days on this issue. (Super helpful guy by the way.) He informed me that my local dealer left my system in a bit of a mess. Nothing was updated as they did not turn on automatic updates in C4. After cleaning this up for me and getting everything updated, my C4 was still not controlling my ATV. He tried everything he could, I installed and restarted everything I could. Nothing was fixing this issue.

He called Control4 Monday morning and tried to find a solution from them. They basically told him that the IP driver was problematic and they were aware of the issue. He was told to just use IR for now. I sent a very frustrated email to Control4 because this has been the 4th or 5th time I've had an issue with C4 and my ATV, since having it for only 1 year. I received a call from a Control4 rep this morning. After going back and forth with him, and being put on hold so he could talk to his boss, he finally informed me that there was an issue with the IP driver update because Apple released a limited number of API keys for the tvOS 13 update. Apparently, Apple finally released more API keys and now the updated IP driver should work.

I asked the C4 rep how to avoid these constant issues moving forward. He said that IP is a newer, more robust technology, but that IR should be the more stable solution for future updates. As long as it's serving all our needs, and as along as the IR eye doesn't move out of place, IR is the way to go.

Yeah it sucks. IP is definitely more responsive than IR, but Apple is the ones to blame for this fiasco. C4 knew this would be an issue in the future with Apple and their walled garden, and they're still catching heat because of it.

3 minutes ago, Gene said:

True but images don't lie and aren't normally removed ...  We shall see...

So you missed the part where those images have been available for years before the Control4 purchase was even announced?

Like I said, everyone is basing their theories over old pictures. And guesses.

On 10/20/2019 at 9:38 AM, pfissure said:

I have been using the Houselogix Liftmaster MyQ driver for a few years without a problem.  Yesterday it stopped communicating with my Garage Door opener.  In Composer HE Properties for the driver I see that the License Status is still "Activated" but when I go the Actions tab and click "Get Account Devices" the Lua window shows Fetching... and nothing more.

Does anybody know anything about this? 

Yeah I was afraid this was going to happen. Craftsman Assurelink is shutting down and migrated the accounts over to MyQ. I'm sure MyQ has implemented some changes to account for the migration within the API and this is the end result. I haven't even tried my Craftsman driver since doing the migration. Highly doubt it works at this point.

If I can throw in my two cents... Avoid having any lighting functions tied to a button that involves, double taps and triple taps. Whenever you add double/triple tap programming to a button, you're inheriently adding a delay to the response of that button as C4 is waiting for a potential second or third tap to read as a different command. This could produce delayed results that often get mis-identifed as a larger issue with the system (Zigbee reception) when simply as @Cyknight said -- you're trying to do too much with one button.

LOL I love all the psychics on this thread that had pre-visions of what the remote will look like and how it will function without a microphone.

Let's keep it on the level here, everything in this post is pure conjecture. The images of the new "C4" remote are just old images of the Neeo prototype that any Google search will produce.

In short, you'll know more when they publicly announce it. Anything anyone has to say before then is frankly, bullshit.

On 10/18/2019 at 5:14 PM, Psykopup said:

The last time an update broke the connection, my dealer tried using an IR blaster. This is NOT an option I'd like to revert to again because I did not have all the navigation functionality that it did with IP.

You can totally expect this to keep happening again at $100 a pop since no one can predict what Apple decides to break every time they release an update (which has been happening since the creation of the AppleTV).

It doesn't matter how late to the party you arrive, you could have read everything to catch up. Use the IR driver, that's the recommendation.

2 hours ago, Amr said:

Did I stepped on some one toes? Anyways, for sure slicker interface, better navigation with apps, over all polished experience, etc.  Don’t you still have customers that prefers Apple to Roku? Am not talking about integration now.

Nope that’s a fair point!

1 hour ago, therockhr said:

 

You all knew he meant he just preferred the Apple TV interface (as lots of others do). Just stop it.

22 hours ago, Amr said:

Still ATV is a beautiful interface and much better viewing experience, integration is limited for now but let’s wait and see they are always late in entrance but catching up   in 10-15 years

Yes we knew he meant he refers the AppleTV interface. He said it.

We're curious about the "much better viewing experience" part.

48 minutes ago, therockhr said:

Why are you 2 doing this?

Dealers are fed up with having to eat costs and change implementations across the life of the AppleTV. What you are seeing is the frustrations/scorn . They are laying it on thick but I do not blame them whatsoever.

As much as the end-users are annoyed at this situation, dealers are pissed off. The good ones are not making a dime off of this fiasco, and I would even say that they are losing money due to it.

6 minutes ago, Rita1980 said:

Hi.
Thanks for the reply.
I took the unit to the dealer and suggested that I buy another.
What the distributor tried was:
1) Connect the EA5 to the network
2) Use the Composer Pro to detect EA5, it was not able.
Say the unit is defective.


If I had access to the distributor programs, any suggestions?
Thank you

I'd say your dealer's diagnosis is correct as that exclamation mark means the factory restore had a fatal failure that usually requires a swap out.

There's not any other suggestions to give, you need a new EA5. Now if you want to go find one yourself and buy it, go for it. However, the original project needs to be re-loaded onto the replacement controller. And if there's Zigbee involved, the mesh will need to be re-created. These are all dealer-only tasks. So buying a replacement is only one part of the solution.

4 hours ago, Rita1980 said:

Hi.
This is my first message on the forum.
I'm completely rookie with c4 and that's why I don't handle the terminology.
I have an EA-5, which, after switching off and on, did not work properly again.
I try to do a factory reset but the light flashes "!" in red giving a Factory restore fail.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for your time.

Suggestions? Call a dealer. You're not going to get any help otherwise in this scenario.

3 hours ago, therockhr said:

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/10/15/roku-apple-tv-app-available-today/

Roku today announced that the Apple TV app will be available on its platform starting today, allowing users to access their iTunes libraries of movies and TV shows, Apple TV Channels, and soon Apple TV+.

With this news I dont know how much I will be firing up my ATV anymore. This should be pretty cool!

Ding dong the witch is dead! 

51 minutes ago, CTO13 said:

of all things... Apple TV.. something we use maybe 95% of the time with C4.. about only thing we use..  I have like 3 in main system and 2 others dedicated to specific rooms..  use it for everything.. tv / music / pandora / amazon.. you name it that's my go to.. its easy everything is there.. especially photos / home videos.. and now can't even access it.. going to have to get IR and drivers installed today.. so frustrating.. I'm almost ready to rip everything out and just go back to old school remotes..  then I know everything always works..always something..

You're right, instead of ripping out the one product that keeps giving you trouble, you should rip everything else out instead and go back old school because you clearly just do not get it. Do us a favor and save us from future non-sensical rants.

15 minutes ago, time2jet said:

Could a short/cross-talk/bad termination, etc. in the cables to 1 or 2 WAPs have caused utter mayhem on the entire network (both lan and wan)?  

There's a lot of variables involved with that question, but the short answer is yes.

4 hours ago, knowitall said:

In the documentation for the first gen ATV IP driver, if you look at the screen shots where you pair the driver to the remote, the Apple TV in the pic is linked to Simon’s ipad. It’s possible the driver came out after C4 acquired EV, but Simon is the EV dude. 

The current version of IP control for 4th gen AppleTV's would be the third type of IP control integrators have had to deal with across AppleTV's life span since it's inception:

1. The unsupported EV driver (eventually killed by an AppleTV software update on all hardware)

2. The semi-supported Apple Remote driver created by C4 (eventually killed by a combination of the hardware version of Apple TV and software update)

3. The supported Apple bridge driver -- the current driver only supported by the latest and greatest hardware, which will probably be replaced again with a newer version (software or hardware) that will render all previous ones incompatible to necessitate another IP driver.

Just stick with IR for these things.

5 hours ago, shawkyns said:

as a really involved end user, I would have to agree, but I am going to place the blame on C4 rather than apple.  apple updates, innovates.. all the time. sometimes these standards change in the interest of privacy.. that is a good thing.

However, as a manufacturer of control solutions, C4 as a business should realize that there is a HUGE installed base of apple TV, and with the intro of apple TV plus and the integration of streaming services with apple, this number will only grow. just as they have put the effort in to integrate Alexa and amazon, they should be putting equal effort in to bring apple tv users on board.

When I had my C4 system installed, I had multiple boxes to provide content: apple tv, roku (used mainly for amazon), Dune box, for stuff that I had stored on a local server, Grace Player for Pandora and Sirius, and finally a mac mini used for itunes streaming.

now I am in the process of consolidating. I have gotten rid of the Dune because infuse provided the same functionality on the apple TV (dont see a roku version).. grace is gone cause C4 now streams pandora.. Roku is mostly gone, because appletv now has a amazon app. also, with roku, the box needs frequent restarts because the newer versions of the box are not fully compatible with my SNAP matrix.

Apple is not a closed wall, not for many years, developers can write apps for these boxes and for phones, and they can be controlled with gaming remote that duplicate the function of the apple remote.  I cannot believe that my 40 dollar aftermarket steel gaming remote controls my apple TV, where my 40k worth of control4 gear cannot, without resorting to IR, which is slow, or upgrading to a new controller, which does not seem that different from the old one.  

Ideally they would put in the resources to either 1) allow native control of apple TV AND stream itunes or 2) make the whole system fully integrate with homekit. And BTW to veriatas for their awesome homekit solution.

I am in process of obtaining an ea5 for testing to see how this will work with the new driver, as I find the new IR really unusable on my system.  It does not seem to have the shortcuts that the old IP driver did (home.. please home),and there is always a delay, small, but noticeable enough to be annoying.  and yes, I now have a HC box devoted entirely to providing IR connections to the flashers for my 2 apple TV boxes.

Hopefully this will get sorted soon.. apple tv is becoming more valuable to me than ever before, and as my household slowly cuts the directv cord, streaming replacement content ON APPLE TV will become more and more important.

 

 

 

 

This is a very misguided, and uninformed take.

"Apple is not a closed wall"

Stopped reading there. I'm an Apple fanboy as well, but here's the reality of the situation. It's Apple's hardware, it's Apple's API. At any point they could have branched it off and allowed method of control both ways (legacy IP and new IP), thus not breaking integration for thousands of users. They chose the nuclear option as they often do. They are in fact a closed wall. That is their biggest selling point because a closed wall equals better security (in most cases). That's what you are buying in to. That's why it just works. They care about their ecosystem over anything the third party may have been doing up to that point.

Just because they let developers in the door, they DO NOT give them the keys. Ask any developer who codes for Android or iOS. There is a HUGE difference.

But keep blaming the 40k worth of Control4 equipment that's still working.. Well except for the control of the AppleTV due to an update pushed by Apple. That was warned by Control4 many times throughout the year that it will break because Apple can't get their act together for CI (which also includes Crestron and Savant)

I get it, you're upset. But your anger is misguided and uninformed.