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Using ARC With Homeseer Automation Software?

I was wondering if one could use ARC to control the Homeseer Automation Software. Thanks to PTP and the Techguru I have been able to use HTTPGet successfully to control a foscam camera on my network.

I was thinking it might be possible to control the automation sotware as it is also connected to my network at a different IP Address of course.

The Homeseer Software can be controlled using ASP (which I am not familiar with) and also you can control it or have custom web pages that control certain events and devices. The particular web page (mypage.htm) needs to be in homeseer html directory.

The following is some code that controls devices and events from the web page:

<form method="POST"> <p><input type="submit" value="table lamp on" name="run_event"></p> </form>

<form method="POST"> <p> <input type="hidden" name="control_device" value="den table lamp=dim=50%"> <input type="submit" value="Lamp 50%" name="control_device"> </p> </form>

I was wondering if one could use HTTPGet statements or one of the HTTP Server Controls to control the Homeseer Software? It must be noted that I have no idea what I am doing with HTML or ASP stuff and things. All of your help would be much appreciated on this. Seems it could be done but you couldn't prove it by me. Thanks in advance for all the help ! Rick B.

:) :)


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Synthiam
#1  

That pasted content is simply html typeset and not actually code. There is most likely a javascript module behind the scenes. Although HTTPGet() won't really be the most suitable method to communicate with the device.

I would recommend identifying the SDK or API provided by the product as first step. Browse their website and see if there is either an SDK or an API and we can start from there.

#2  

I haven't used HomeSeer. I use openhab. It is definitely possible with openhab. OpenHAB is a bit of a pain to get the hang of. OpenHAB2 will be much easier to use.

#3  

Also, we are in the process of adding these features into EZ-AI currently.

#4  

I haven't used Homeseer in years, but it is quite flexible and powerful. I don't think HTTPGet will work since most of the built in web pages and custom web stuff you can do with it use HTTP Post, not HTTP Get, but it has many other ways to communicate, including many of the same kinds of things you can do with ARC (file writes and reads, telnet interface, etc....).

Alan

#5  

Hello DJ,

I have version 1.7 of the Homeseer software and did a quick search and there is both an API and SDK. It is an older version of software and people have added plugins to the Homeseer software over time. Being an older version I don't think Homeseer directly supports it anymore. However as long as this version supports and has an API and SDK interface available, this is good I would think a good thing. What are you thinking is the next move? I believe I have the original CD with the SDK and API on it. Thanks again for all your help and quick responses ! Rick :)

#6  

Hello Alan,

I was interested in your previous post where you mentioned one could do file reads and writes and use telnet to control Homeseer. I'm not familiar with these methods and was wondering if you had some thoughts on how to do this. I have an older version of homeseer. It is version 1.7.3.

Also one can create simple web pages to access homeseer and store them in the homeseer html directory for access, but not sure how to do this? Would ARC be able to access the homeseer web page. It would be neat to be able to do a simple page to turn on one light and have ARC activare it. Would this be possible to do?

Any help on this is much appreciated. I am just needing to control a couple of x-10 lamp module devices.

Thanks Again. Rick B. :)

#7  

It has been years since I had Homeseer installed. I think my version was 1.6. Can't even start it now without reinstalling because the computer it was on was destroyed in the basement flood last summer.

Probably best to ask on their user forum. Last time I looked they had a very vibrant and helpful user community (a lot like this place).

Alan

#8  

Hello Alan,

I have checked on homeseer forums and there is virtually no interest in supporting homeseer version 1.7.3. Also there is no one familiar with ez-robot's ARC. I have already tried this avenue to no avail. Thank you for your help and if you have any other ideas on homeseer or an alternative solution to controlling X-10 devices via ARC I would be intetested in your thoughts. Thanks much. Rick :)

#9  

As Dave suggested, you might want to look at Openhab. Also, if you don't have the controllers yet, I would look ay Insteon or Zwave instead of X10. Much more reliable. The reason I am not still using Homeseer is because X10 was so unreliable it drove my wife crazy, and Zwave was new and very expensive, so I couldn't afford to upgrade. I wound up trading all my X10 stuff to jstarnes for robot parts after it was sitting in a box for a couple of years.

The other issue, which I guess you are seeing too is that once Homeseet became a real business, their prices skyrocketed. I paid around $60 for 1.x. The upgrade price for 2.x was nearly twice that, and they are charging it again to go from 2 to 3, not counting the pro versions.

One of their developers lives near me, and I visited his house once. He must be paid very well because it was easily a million dollar home. (although I don't know what his wife does, she may make the real money).

Alan

Alan

#10  

Alan,

Thanks much for your help on this matter....Rick Bonari

#11  

+1 for openHAB. It's the cat's meow for opensource extensible home automation. The approach of having an open source bus with modularized plugins and a killer contributing community seems to have prove successful as it continues to grow. Basically anything is possible if you are determined to look into it, and this is coming from a non-programmer. Plus you are not bound to running onn windows, so linux, arm is fair game for hardware platform. MQTT is implemented well and of course http as well through the bindings. Oh, and it's free.

I am ready to start looking into robotics as it has been a dream of mine since a kid in the 80's with an omnibot, but I don't want to mess with ROS for months or weeks before getting something fun going, even though I want to get there eventually. I just ordered an ez robot dev kit and naturally my first thought is how can I tie this into all of the commnicating devices already tied together with openHAB. All of my security, lighting, HVAC home theater, etc is there to mesh with so I figure iI'll have some ideas before long.

I am not familiar with the ez robot sdk other available software/api etc, but I am excited to see what possibilities there could be and am glad there is an "easy" on ramp into robotics to prevent getting deterred early on.

Let me know if you guys have any good HA integration tips to share with openHAB already.

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New Zealand
#12  

Hey @ubergeek & @thetechguru

I have been using a combination of open source programs to make an Jarvis (Ironman) / Sarah (Eureka) like AI that revolves around the ARC application.

I have connected ARC to an MQTT broker that I have installed.

You might like to read about it here in another forum thread I started so that I didn't hijack your conversation. Linking it all together