http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/ 2012-05-16T23:55:11-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/ http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/lib/tpl/newpa/images/favicon.ico text/html 2009-01-27T16:36:12-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=action_groups&rev=1233095772&do=diff Action Groups are collections of actions (control lights, change variable values, send emails, enable/disable triggers or t/d actions, etc) that are not tied to a specific Trigger (button press, light state change, etc.). Why would you want to create an action group? When you want to have the exact same collection of actions executed via many different triggering events: text/html 2011-12-20T17:46:53-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=ademco_alarm_system&rev=1324424813&do=diff Note: this How-To assumes you have an Alpha keypad, such as a 6160. If not, you will have a really hard time setting up your system, because you need to go into programming mode to assign an new keypad address. Also, if anyone finds errors or additions, please PM me on the Indigo forum and it will be fixed. text/html 2011-04-18T11:44:27-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=advanced_home_automation_topics&rev=1303145067&do=diff So, now that you've figured out the basics, maybe you can now control iTunes from your RemoteLinc, you want to try some more advanced stuff. This is the place for you! Unless otherwise stated, these solutions require Indigo Pro. * Creating a Scene that restores the previous state of the devices * Setting up a Dakota Motion detector FIXME - need to reformat into a How-To here * Integrate weather data into Indigo * Indigo and Security Systems (or how Indigo can help with security) * Lo… text/html 2012-04-25T10:34:02-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=advanced_thermo&rev=1335368042&do=diff The basic thermostat wiki page describes a simple way to change your thermostat settings at various times of day. This will help to reduce your energy consumption considerably. However, as you add more control over your home, you may find that the sheer number of time/date actions grows quickly. Consider this: if you want behavior that's different when you're on vacation or when you have the windows open in your house, you now potentially have to add complex conditionals and perhaps many more tr… text/html 2012-01-16T10:05:19-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=applescript&rev=1326729919&do=diff : This article was written before Indigo 5 so there is no mention of Python Scripting. While all of the information in this article still applies to Indigo 5, if you're new to Indigo we recommend learning Python Scripting instead as it is more full-featured - see the Python Scripting Tutorial for more information. If you need to communicate with other Mac applications then AppleScript is probably still the best way to go. text/html 2010-06-05T09:38:53-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=applescript_conditionals&rev=1275748733&do=diff This How-To will show several common and useful AppleScript Condition scripts. Most will run correctly if you just paste them in to the “If script returns true” text field in the Conditions tab. * If the current time is between 8am and 10am OR between 4pm and 6pm text/html 2011-11-01T06:10:50-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=applescript_snippit&rev=1320145850&do=diff This page is intended to provide a library of Indigo related AppleScript handlers (functions), hints, algorithms and other ideas to help you with your AppleScripting projects. Send submissions to berkinet (via PM) on the Indigo Forum. ---------- * Make sure only one instance of an AppleScript is running at a time. text/html 2009-02-05T16:57:06-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=application_integration&rev=1233874626&do=diff Here you can find How-Tos on integrating 3rd Party software. * Parliant PhoneValet - check out the Indigo-PhoneValet Integration in the User Contribution Library for more information * Ovolab's Phlink * iTunes * iCal text/html 2009-05-11T12:27:05-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=as_create_action_steps&rev=1242062825&do=diff The following AppleScript code snippit illustrates how to make action steps using AppleScript. tell application "IndigoServer" set actionGroupName to "New Action Group from AppleScript" -- First, we create a new action group. It could also be a trigger action or time date action make new action group with properties {name:actionGroupName} -- Because Action Groups, Trigger Actions, and Time Date Actions can all have multiple -- Action Steps, the AppleScript terminology to address each ste… text/html 2009-02-04T15:15:48-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=auto_off&rev=1233782148&do=diff Often times users have a room where someone forgets to turn off the light like a closet or utility room. There is a simple solution to this problem: the How-to level of difficulty is Simple. Just follow these steps (which should work with any type of on/off switch or device that sends ): text/html 2011-12-20T11:37:03-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=common_ha_tasks&rev=1324402623&do=diff On this page, we wanted to link to common how-tos. When you first start down the Home Automation path, most people have one of these uses in mind. If you have another you think is common, create an account and add it or just let us know. * Turn a light off automatically after a certain amount of time * Turn a light on at a specific time (or make it kinda random - the "lived in" look) * Turn a light on (or send an email) when a motion sensor detects movement * Create a scene (multiple li… text/html 2009-04-17T22:26:17-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=common_tasks_in_applescript&rev=1240025177&do=diff This How-To will show you how to perform common tasks in AppleScript. These lines will run as is if they are run from an embedded AppleScript. If you want to run them from outside Indigo (i.e. Script Editor), then enclose them in a tell application block like this: text/html 2011-11-30T14:40:38-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=conditions&rev=1322685638&do=diff Each Schedule and each Trigger have the ability to conditionally fire: that is, when the time/date specifier is reached or the trigger event occurs, you can have other “conditions” checked before the actions are executed. The Condition tab in the Schedule and Trigger dialogs allow you to specify these extra conditions. The manual has a good description of all conditional options. text/html 2012-05-03T09:43:50-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=control_page&rev=1336056230&do=diff * Use custom images on my control pages * Edit Indigo variables from a web page (only necessary for Indigo v2 & v3 - built-in to 4.x+) Tips for designing Control Pages for the Indigo Touch client With the introduction of the iPad, designing control pages for Indigo Touch Clients became a bit more complicated. The addition of iOS 4 has also complicated it as well, and now that we also support screen rotations (Indigo Touch v1.6+), well, it's just not a simple matter any more. Hopefully th… text/html 2012-01-18T10:10:59-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=cp_custom_images&rev=1326903059&do=diff There are several places to add custom images to control pages. NOTE: images should be in PNG format. If you look in the following directory: /Library/Application Support/Perceptive Automation/Indigo 5/IndigoWebServer/images you'll find a couple of directories under there: text/html 2009-03-05T08:43:15-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=custom_email&rev=1236264195&do=diff You can have Indigo send you an email as an action to various events, but the UI for the email sending feature doesn't allow you to insert any data from Indigo (variable values, device states, etc). However, if you're familiar with AppleScript, you can use a script to send an email that contains any information that Indigo stores (as well as anything that you can get to from AppleScript - pretty much any application on the Mac). This How-to level of difficulty is Moderate. text/html 2012-04-22T13:02:24-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=fanlinc&rev=1335117744&do=diff The FanLinc is a unique device that allows control of most ceiling fans, including those with light kits. It's basically two devices in one: a dimmer which behaves much like an In-LineLinc Dimmer and a custom device to control the ceiling fan speeds. The latter has options for setting the fan to High, Medium, Low, and Off. This has been a much requested device over the years and Smarthome has apparently become the first HA vendor to deliver such a product for the DIY market. text/html 2012-04-27T14:15:33-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=fanlinc_and_keypadlinc&rev=1335554133&do=diff The FanLinc is a great device - it's custom made to control ceiling fans including the light kits attached. And, if you consider a 6-button KeypadLinc and how it might control a FanLinc, I think you'll see that they are a great combination: When you look at the above image, it looks very logical and you would intuit that when you press the ON button the light goes on and when you press the OFF button the light goes off. Press and hold ON and it brightens, etc. When you press the FAN HIGH butt… text/html 2011-12-20T12:23:20-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=garage_door_kpl_control&rev=1324405400&do=diff A pretty frequent request is to have an I/O Linc Garage Door Kit controlled by a KeypadLinc button and for the button to show the status of the garage door. This How-to level of difficulty is Moderate. The only reason it's moderate is because you need to manually set one of the KeypadLinc (KPL) features. text/html 2009-06-09T11:00:24-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=generic_sprinkler&rev=1244563224&do=diff Setting up a basic watering schedule Creating a simple watering schedule, is, well, simple! Here's the scenario for this How-To: I want to have a different watering schedule for each season: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. I want the right schedule to run based on the value of a variable I have in Indigo, that I'll change manually when the season changes. I have a single sprinkler controller, with 3 zones: Front Yard, Side Yard, Back Yard. text/html 2009-12-16T13:57:11-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=harmony_remotes&rev=1260993431&do=diff A lot of HA users also use these remotes. On this page, we wanted to foster some discussion on using them in your HA systems. We recommend adding a Xantech Gate Keeper Audio/Video switch to your Harmony. It has lots of buttons that you can assign, many map to the hard buttons on the Harmony. In the Logitech Harmony Remote Software, when you add a device: text/html 2012-02-24T13:40:48-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=i2csfirmware&rev=1330112448&do=diff Some newer INSTEON modules have the i2CS firmware, which includes many reliability improvements. However, these modules now require INSTEON extended messages to be fully configured and the older PowerLinc 2414U does not support extended messages. The i2CS modules work with the newer PowerLinc interfaces, including: text/html 2012-03-04T16:19:00-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=i2csfirmware_requiresv5&rev=1330899540&do=diff Some newer INSTEON modules have the i2CS firmware, which includes many reliability improvements. However, the extensive Indigo changes required for the i2CS firmware compatibility are only available in Indigo 5 and higher. You can download the latest version of Indigo here. Note that all major version upgrades to Indigo are paid upgrades, but upgrade discounts are available. To upgrade visit our purchase page and enter your current registration code and we'll show your specific upgrade discount… text/html 2012-03-04T16:17:41-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=i2csfirmware_requiresv5andextended&rev=1330899461&do=diff Some newer INSTEON modules have the i2CS firmware, which includes many reliability improvements. However, the extensive Indigo changes required for the i2CS firmware compatibility are only available in Indigo 5 and higher. You can download the latest version of Indigo here. Note that all major version upgrades to Indigo are paid upgrades, but upgrade discounts are available. To upgrade visit our purchase page and enter your current registration code and we'll show your specific upgrade discount… text/html 2011-09-19T12:15:47-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=ical&rev=1316452547&do=diff There are several different ways you can integrate iCal with Indigo Pro, but the most obvious is to have Indigo Pro act on an iCal alarm somehow. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't publish an API for writing custom alarms, so doing this requires some round-about configuration. However, it's completely doable. If you're using Indigo Pro 5 or later, the iCal Alarm Processor plugin is the perfect solution for you. But if you are using an older version of Indigo Pro you can use the script described on thi… text/html 2011-05-19T17:54:26-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=indigo&rev=1305845666&do=diff Indigo is Perceptive Automation's Home Automation software for the Macintosh. It comes in Pro and Lite versions. Check out the online Indigo Documentation if you haven't already. We'll also continually add some general background material here for using Indigo's various features. Indigo supports two Home Automation protocols, INSTEON and X10, and with the Pro version, it's possible to integrate other hardware and software as well using AppleScript. Our Serial Bridge product can help with communi… text/html 2012-04-01T18:47:45-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=indigo_s_restful_urls&rev=1333324065&do=diff These RESTful semantics are loosely based RoR's use of RESTful URLs. Examples to get HTML, XML, and TXT versions of the device list: http://127.0.0.1:8176/devices/ http://127.0.0.1:8176/devices.xml/ http://127.0.0.1:8176/devices.txt/ Examples to get HTML, XML, and TXT versions of device “office-lamp”: text/html 2009-12-16T13:57:11-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=indigo_startup&rev=1260993431&do=diff Since Indigo is a Client/Server system, there are several different ways to have it start up. First, if you're only doing basic light automation and don't plan on keeping your Mac running (uploading to either an 1132CU or 2414U), then you'll really only want the server to be running when the Mac client is running. In this scenario, you'll want to select the Run client/server as single application radio button in the Start Local Server dialog box. So, the server is only controlling your automati… text/html 2010-09-14T14:01:06-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=indigo_touch_clients&rev=1284490866&do=diff Indigo Touch Clients The current versions of the Indigo Touch Clients are: iPad 1.6.0 and iPhone/iPod Touch 1.6.0 What's new in version 1.6.0 (Updated 15th June 2010) Requires IOS3.0 or later - Native support for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch in a single universal binary app (no guessing which version to get) - Supports all scree orientations and resolutions on current devices - Control pages now support double-taps to zoom in and out for faster resizing - Control pages now automaticall… text/html 2012-03-14T12:45:08-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=indigo_touch_urls&rev=1331747108&do=diff iOS Apps can enable URL schemes so that a URL can launch a specific app. Indigo Touch registers the “indigo:” handler when installed on an iOS device such that when the URL is opened (for instance, in Safari) it will go directly to specific UIs when Indigo Touch launches. text/html 2009-03-30T19:28:21-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=indigo_web_server&rev=1238459301&do=diff Indigo's web server, based on the cherrypy Python web server, allows you to use a simple graphical environment to create control pages for your automation system. For basic Web server usage and UI creatiion you should read up on Control Page design. Developers and hackers should read over this forum post about the Web Server plug-in architecture. The Web server also supports XML and HTML access via Indigo's RESTful URLs. text/html 2009-02-11T16:44:26-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_button_basics&rev=1234392266&do=diff Buttons on INSTEON compatible controllers enable you to perform complex home automation tasks. But most people want to start with simple scenarios: this button turns on/off this light, or maybe this set of lights. The latter are referred to as scenes: that how-to is a good guide to creating scenes that don't use INSTEON specific technology and that can control devices of multiple protocol types. text/html 2009-02-11T16:51:03-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_controller&rev=1234392663&do=diff INSTEON devices tend to fall into two categories: controllers and responders. Controllers are devices that send INSTEON commands to other INSTEON devices. The ControlLinc is a device which has 5 button pairs (along with all on/off and dim/brighten). You can set these buttons to perform many different actions. text/html 2009-01-16T17:07:55-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_define&rev=1232147275&do=diff Defining an INSTEON device is quite simple: * With DEVICES selected in the outline view (or a sub-folder of DEVICES), click the New... button above the device list. * Give the device a name in the Name: field. * Click on the Define and Sync... button. * In this window, you'll provide the INSTEON address of the new device. You have a choice: you can either enter it manually and click Start or you can put the device into link mode, and Indigo will usually discover the device address auto… text/html 2010-04-09T09:42:24-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_in_wall_dimmer&rev=1270824144&do=diff On this page, you'll find information and links to pages to help you best use your in-wall INSTEON dimmer (available for purchase here and here). Note: while dimmer switches and relay switches look very similar, they have a fundamental difference that you should read about. This page talks about dimmers - there is a corresponding page that talks about INSTEON relay switches. text/html 2009-04-15T14:04:27-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_in_wall_relay&rev=1239822267&do=diff On this page, you'll find information and links to pages to help you best use your in-wall INSTEON relay (available for purchase here and here). Note: while dimmer switches and relay switches look very similar, they have a fundamental difference that you should read about. This page talks about relays - there is a corresponding page that talks about INSTEON dimmer switches. text/html 2009-02-11T17:24:25-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_indigo_scenes&rev=1234394665&do=diff Defining Indigo INSTEON Scenes INSTEON scenes (also called groups) can be used to control multiple INSTEON modules, such as light switch modules, lamp or appliance plug-in modules, and thermostat modules, all in unison. For example, you could create a home theatre lighting scene that turns off all lighting in your media room, except for a few sconce side lights which are set to 20% brightness. You can create lighting scenes for any activity you desire: dining, entertaining, sleeping, reading in… text/html 2009-02-17T15:53:40-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_io&rev=1234907620&do=diff There are several I/O devices that use INSTEON technology. These devices have various inputs and outputs, some analog, some digital, etc. Using these devices definitely falls into the Hard category; not necessarily from the Indigo standpoint, but also from the hardware setup side as well. How-Tos are challenging, since these devices, by design, can be used for a very wide range of solutions. text/html 2009-05-08T16:20:56-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_ioezxx&rev=1241817656&do=diff There are several I/O devices that use INSTEON technology. The EZIO line of devices have various inputs and outputs, some analog, some digital, etc. Using these devices definitely falls into the Hard category; not necessarily from the Indigo standpoint, but also from the hardware setup side as well. How-Tos are challenging, since these devices, by design, can be used for a very wide range of solutions. text/html 2010-02-02T09:57:34-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_iolinc&rev=1265126254&do=diff There are several I/O devices that use INSTEON technology. The I/O-Linc module (available for purchase here) has a single input sensor and output relay. Using this device definitely falls into the Hard category; not necessarily from the Indigo standpoint, but also from the hardware setup side as well. How-Tos are challenging, since these devices, by design, can be used for a very wide range of solutions. text/html 2010-08-25T08:02:59-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_irlinc&rev=1282741379&do=diff Currently there are three devices to bridge IR and INSTEON: the (available for purchase here), the (available for purchase here) and the EZUIRT (available for purchase here). This page will cover and only: the EZUIRT is Pro Only and is discussed in this forum post in more detail. text/html 2012-04-22T13:11:57-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_keypadlinc_buttons&rev=1335118317&do=diff KeypadLinc buttons, and how you use them, is a pretty complex topic for a variety of reasons. One, while the buttons are directly addressable from Indigo on newer KeypadLincs, doing so is quite expensive in terms of INSTEON traffic. So if you're doing a lot of button LED manipulation it's often better to do it in a more efficient manner (explained below). text/html 2010-03-31T16:35:54-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_misc&rev=1270071354&do=diff This page is dedicated to those miscellaneous INSTEON devices that don't fit into any other category. If you have an interesting How-To for one of these devices, feel free to sign up for an account and write one up - others will definitely appreciate your expertise! text/html 2010-09-21T13:25:32-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_motion&rev=1285093532&do=diff The INSTEON motion sensor (available for purchase here) broadcasts wireless RF commands when they detect motion. Those RF commands are received by an AccessPoint RF and then relayed to Indigo (via the PowerLinc interface). Indigo, upon seeing this command, will update its internal ON/OFF state for that motion sensor Device. An example of this, and details on Indigo's options for motion sensors, can be seen on the Motion Sensor Basics How-To. text/html 2009-04-15T14:05:20-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_plug_in_dimmer&rev=1239822320&do=diff On this page, you'll find information and links to pages to help you best use your Plug-in INSTEON dimmer (available for purchase here). Note: while dimmer modules and relay (Appliance) modules look very similar, they have a fundamental difference that you should read about. This page talks about dimmers - there is a corresponding page that talks about INSTEON relay switches. text/html 2009-04-15T14:06:07-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_plug_in_relay&rev=1239822367&do=diff On this page, you'll find information and links to pages to help you best use your Plug-in INSTEON relay module (aka Appliance Module, available for purchase here). Note: while dimmer modules and relay (Appliance) modules look very similar, they have a fundamental difference that you should read about. This page talks about relays - there is a corresponding page that talks about INSTEON dimmer modules. text/html 2009-02-11T16:46:59-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_remote_device_links&rev=1234392419&do=diff Remotely Managing INSTEON Links and Scenes (Groups) The INSTEON specification allows devices to be linked together for various purposes. Generally, you want to link a responder (for instance, a light switch) to a controller (for instance, a RemoteLinc remote control), so that when a button is pressed on a controller, the light responds to the command. This linking may be done manually by following the directions that come with the devices or they may be managed in Indigo. We're going to focus o… text/html 2009-04-15T14:11:50-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_sprinkler&rev=1239822710&do=diff The EZFlora (also known as the EZRain) is an INSTEON (and X10) 8-zone sprinkler controller (available for purchase here). You'll find some interesting information about using the EZFlora (aka EZRain) in this forum thread. You'll also want to search the forums for “EZRain” or “EZFlora”. text/html 2009-04-15T14:11:02-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_thermostat&rev=1239822662&do=diff The INSTEON Thermostat Adapter (available for purchase here) connects to the Venstar T1700, T1800, and T1900 thermostats. The adapter draws power from the thermostat itself, and is an RF based product, so you'll need at least one Access Point for it to work correctly. The thermostat How-To describes basic operation of thermostats from Indigo, and this forum has a great series of posts regarding usage of the adapter from Indigo. text/html 2010-09-21T14:55:06-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=inst_triggerlinc&rev=1285098906&do=diff The INSTEON TriggerLinc (available for purchase here) broadcasts wireless RF commands as its magnetic contact closure is activated. Those RF commands are received by an AccessPoint RF and then relayed to Indigo (via the PowerLinc interface). Indigo, upon seeing this command, will update its internal ON/OFF state for that TriggerLinc Device. text/html 2009-01-15T10:42:48-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=insteon&rev=1232037768&do=diff INSTEON INSTEON is a home automation hardware standard developed by SmartHome. The technology employs both power-line carrier and wireless technologies. It has many improvements over the X10 protocol and in most circumstances is more reliable. Unfortunately, INSTEON hardware is only available in the US and Canada (110v). Smarthome has discussed creating hardware for other markets, but no hardware is currently available. text/html 2010-05-30T15:50:34-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=insteon_devices&rev=1275252634&do=diff INSTEON is a home automation hardware standard developed by SmartLabs. If you're unfamiliar with INSTEON, you might want to read up on how INSTEON links work. Manufacturers of INSTEON compatible products are: * SmartLabs * SimpleHomeNet * Interactive Electronic Systems text/html 2011-06-21T11:12:47-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=insteon_interfaces&rev=1308672767&do=diff As of version 4.1, Indigo now supports 3 different INSTEON interfaces from SmartLabs: the PowerLinc PLC (2414U), the PowerLinc PLM (2413U/2412U/2412S), and the INSTEON Portable USB Adapter (2448A7). Which you choose depends on how you plan on using Indigo. You can find some information comparing the two on our hardware page, but here we'll try to break it down in simple terms. text/html 2011-05-03T18:09:12-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=insteon_links&rev=1304464152&do=diff INSTEON devices provide a simple way to link together so that one device knows about and can (optionally) control another. And, unlike X10, you can link multiple devices together in different ways to create groups or scenes. For instance, let's say you have a SwitchLinc called “Dining Room”, a KeypadLinc (that has 6 buttons) called “Hallway”, a LampLinc called “Office”, and another SwitchLinc called “Media Room”. You could link these devices together in the following ways (these are just a few e… text/html 2012-03-28T06:33:51-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=iolinc_garage_door_alert&rev=1332934431&do=diff There are several options for alerting you when your garage door is open. The intent of this page is to show you those options. How to create an email or SMS alert if a garage door is left open at night Level Of Difficulty: Moderate This wiki is intended to enable the I/O Linc Garage Door Kit and Indigo to provide an email or SMS alert when a garage door is left open past a certain time at night. text/html 2011-09-15T10:48:43-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=itunes&rev=1316101723&do=diff There are many ways to integrate iTunes and Indigo Pro; this page will show you how to perform these integrations: * Set up the iTunes sync script * Set up a PalmPad or other X10 Controller to control iTunes * Set up an Insteon ControLinc to control iTunes * Set up an Insteon KeypadLinc to control iTunes text/html 2010-09-14T17:46:26-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=kr21e_security_remote_control_keyfob&rev=1284504386&do=diff Security Keychain Remote Button 1 Button 2 Arm Disarm Button 3 Button 4 Lights Lights ON OFF Button 5 Button 6 Pressed together PANIC Picture would be better here text/html 2009-02-11T16:44:05-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=load&rev=1234392245&do=diff When a device is directly connected to electricity, it's said to be connected to the load. So, load refers to power. For instance, a KeypadLinc has 6 or 8 buttons. In the 6 button configuration, button 1/2 and button 7/8 are said to be connected to the load, because they directly control the light that they are wired to. text/html 2009-06-15T10:45:18-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=manual_addendum&rev=1245080718&do=diff This page exists to describe features that haven't yet made it into the User Manual. As those manual updates are made, then those topics will be removed from this page. There are currently no features that are missing from the User Manual. text/html 2011-08-27T12:00:20-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=morninglinc&rev=1314464420&do=diff MorningLinc RF Controller The MorningLinc RF Controller has an additional INSTEON security feature which requires special linking steps. Specifically, you must use the technique of holding the MorningLinc's SET button when defining it and not try entering the INSTEON address directly into Indigo. To define the MorningLinc device in Indigo: text/html 2011-05-03T09:51:59-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=motion_sensor_basics&rev=1304434319&do=diff Motion Sensors come in both X10 and INSTEON flavors, and each work a little differently than the others. They all have one thing in common: when they initially detect movement, they send an ON command. Beyond that you have to get into the specifics of the device. None of the Motion Sensors currently supported by Indigo maintain “state” - that is, they don't know whether they're “on” or “off”. However, Indigo will create a virtual state for them so that you can use “Device State Changed” triggers… text/html 2012-01-21T21:41:39-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=ms_overriding_with_switch&rev=1327203699&do=diff Here's a scenario that comes up from time to time: you have a motion sensor that turns on/off a light, but you want it to NOT turn off the light when you turn the light on via the switch. There are many ways to accomplish this and we'll walk you through one example here. The level of difficulty of this how-to is moderate because of the number of parts that make up the solution. text/html 2010-09-28T14:19:23-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=ms_porch_light&rev=1285701563&do=diff This short How-To will show you how to setup a motion triggered security light. Using Indigo's conditional logic, you will define the light to only come on if motion is detected after sunset, and using Indigo's auto-off functionality you will instruct Indigo to leave the porch light on for 30 minutes after motion is last detected. text/html 2011-12-02T15:29:43-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=ms_sensing_during_specific_times&rev=1322861383&do=diff So, you have this cool motion sensing light. But, what if you only want the light motion sensing to work between 10pm and dawn? The easiest way is to make a couple of Time Date Trigger actions that will enable/disable the Front Porch Motion Detected that were created in the Motion Triggered Porch Light scenario. NOTE: this technique only works with the Motion Triggered Porch Light scenario - if you have directly linked your Motion Sensor to your switch via INSTEON links it will always work becau… text/html 2010-09-14T16:39:23-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=other_third_party_hardware&rev=1284500363&do=diff Our users have managed to interface many different types of 3rd Party hardware with Indigo. Here you can find some of their experiences. Many of these use our Serial Bridge software. * irTrans Infrared Adaptor * GC-100 Infrared Network Adaptor * The Energy Detective (TED) * SlingBox text/html 2011-06-18T13:14:27-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=pullup_resistor&rev=1308420867&do=diff Home automation often involves interfacing with contact closure type switches. Some examples include: alarm magnetic reed door/window switches, water float level switches, push button switches, etc. Some input hardware can be directly wired to these switches, such that the INPUT pin/terminal goes directly to one switch wire while the other switch wire is connected to +5V. This hardware, like the INSTEON I/O-Linc, has an internal circuit so that is can specifically be used for contact closure ty… text/html 2009-12-16T13:57:11-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=remote_intro&rev=1260993431&do=diff There are various wired and wireless controllers for use in Home Automation. These controllers generally allow you to turn on/off devices, brighten/dim lights, etc. The simple and basic way of using a controller, without relying on any specific technology, is best represented by the scenes How-To. If you want to attempt something more complex or are interested in using INSTEON linking for better scene performance, you should check out the information on using an X10 remote and/or INSTEON control… text/html 2012-02-08T16:25:04-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=remotelinc2&rev=1328739904&do=diff The new RemoteLinc 2's from Smarthome come in a couple of styles and capabilities, all of which work differently than the previous RemoteLinc. We will discuss each here and some odd characteristics of each. They are, at their heart, controllers, so that article will apply to them just like the original RemoteLinc. text/html 2011-04-18T09:31:27-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=scenes&rev=1303137087&do=diff One of the biggest uses of HA is to control multiple lights from one switch, to create a mood or “scene” in HA speak. There are a LOT of ways to do this, some of which don't even involve Indigo (using INSTEON to directly connect devices, for instance). In this How-to, we'll describe how to create a scene in Indigo that can be used for any type of device using any technology, without using any features that are specific to a technology. There are two slightly different scenarios listed below: one… text/html 2011-12-07T12:58:21-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=scenes_multiway_groups_overview&rev=1323284301&do=diff Multi-way lights, scenes, INSTEON links, group commands, etc., can be quite confusing. Which to use in what scenario, which is better, and what the differences are takes some background knowledge. This page is meant as a primer on those topics, and will lead you off to more specific pages (which may lead to even more). The one thing you MUST remember about home automation, and more specifically the do-it-yourself home automation market (of which Indigo is a part), is that it requires some planni… text/html 2010-03-16T16:24:43-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=scenes_restore_state&rev=1268774683&do=diff This is an advanced scene scenario (requiring 4.0 Pro), based on the basic scenes How-To, with some additional functionality. It is sometimes desirable to return a light or other device to a previous state when a “scene” is turned off. In this How-to, we'll describe how to restore the lights in a scene to their state prior to the scene getting activated. This How-to level of difficulty is Moderate. text/html 2011-04-22T18:28:40-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=security_monitoring_with_indigo&rev=1303514920&do=diff One major feature of Indigo is it's plugin design. While Indigo v5 is expected to be a great improvement, the current Applescript based design is quite powerful. The Indigo Security Script extends Indigo's native features, and adds two important features: text/html 2011-04-22T17:31:56-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=security_script&rev=1303511516&do=diff On this page you'll find links to all the various ways to have Indigo control/monitor/act as your security system. * Ademco Alarm System - This page reviews integration of the Ademco/Honeywell Vista system using the AD2USB adapter and Serial Bridge. * Security Monitoring with Indigo - This page Discusses setting Indigo up to Monitor X10 & Insteon Security Devices (eg. DS10A, and TriggerLincs) using the Indigo Security Script. text/html 2009-12-16T13:57:11-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=serial_bridge&rev=1260993431&do=diff This application allows AppleScript access to serial devices using a USB-Serial adaptor. You can then use AppleScript to bridge those serial devices with Indigo. Visit the Serial Bridge web page to learn more information. text/html 2011-11-30T12:08:07-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=simulate_sunrise&rev=1322676487&do=diff We often get asked how to simulate sunrise by gradually increasing the brightness of a lamp over a longish period of time. There are a bunch of different ways of doing this, some specific to the technology, others requiring AppleScript. The first scenario here will be technology agnostic and not require AppleScript so that both Pro and Lite customers can use this technique. text/html 2009-07-26T11:01:07-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=sql_logging&rev=1248624067&do=diff Indigo has the ability to log data into either SQLite databases (10.5 or greater) or PostgreSQL databases. You can choose to log device changes, variable changes, and/or event log data. The latter can generate quite a large amount of data, and the client doesn't attempt to delete any data, so you'll need to periodically purge data yourself. text/html 2012-05-03T10:47:29-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=standalone_controllers&rev=1336060049&do=diff We often get requests to support uploading to various other controllers (CM11, CM12, CM15, etc). To be honest, the capabilities of all of the current standalone controllers (PowerLinc 2414/1132, CM15 and CM11/CM12) are extremely limited compared to what Indigo can offer. These controllers don't generally have enough memory, processing power, or an extensible embedded OS that would allow for the the types of home automation tasks that Indigo is so good at. We want the Indigo experience to be as u… text/html 2011-03-21T10:29:12-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=start&rev=1300721352&do=diff So, you've decided to take the Home Automation plunge - congratulations and welcome. Here you'll be able to find step-by-step directions on how to do just about anything with Indigo and other Perceptive Automation products. There are also some great general discussions of features. Feel free to use the search box in the upper right corner of the screen to search for specific topics. Otherwise, you can follow the links below to browse the How-Tos. text/html 2009-12-16T13:57:11-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=switch_vs_relay&rev=1260993431&do=diff We thought it would be prudent to have a page that discusses the difference between a dimmer switch and a relay switch. Some loads (devices) are inherently dimmable: incandescent lights and most ceiling fans come to mind. Dimmable in the sense that you can vary the amount of power to the device and it will do something interesting: lights will dim, ceiling fans will slow, etc. On these devices, you would install a dimmable switch if you wanted to vary the power to the device. text/html 2011-11-30T11:59:33-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=td_action_basics&rev=1322675973&do=diff A common requirement of any HA system is to automatically turn on/off devices at a certain time of day: this is where Indigo's Schedules (formerly Time/Date Actions in Indigo 4 and before) come into play. Using Schedules, it's possible to turn on/off lights, coffee makers, etc. at specific times during the day. You can even introduce some randomness to them so that it will make your house look more “lived in”. This How-to level of difficulty is Simple. text/html 2009-02-23T15:01:55-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=thermostat&rev=1235422915&do=diff Thermostats generally share some common functions: * Heat Setpoint - the temperature at which the heating function of the HVAC system turns on. * Cool Setpoint - the temperature at which the cooling function of the HVAC system turns on. * Mode - usually one of: Off, Cool, Heat, Auto * Fan Mode - usually either Always On or Auto On text/html 2011-06-06T20:26:42-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=triggerlinc_water_detector&rev=1307410002&do=diff Water detectors can be expensive, and if you have one, you probably need more. If you've ever had a bad leak, and I have, the thousands of dollars in damage repairs can quickly offset the cost of a few strategically placed detectors. To keep the costs down, and allow me to install more detectors in my house, I've created cheaper battery powered one that almost anyone can assemble. The completed unit costs under $60 in parts. text/html 2010-09-14T16:53:16-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=ts10_digimax_210_thermostat&rev=1284501196&do=diff Thermostat The Digimax 210 is a Wireless Thermostat that can be detected by the SC9000 Controller. The temperature at which it triggers can be set, creating an event which can be used by the SC9000 to create an action, such as “Switch on a Heater”. text/html 2009-12-16T13:57:11-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=user_created_hardware&rev=1260993431&do=diff This page has links to hardware that was created by users and instructions on how they did it. * Wireless INSTEON Decora Switch text/html 2010-07-01T11:24:07-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=weather_script&rev=1278001447&do=diff For users in the US, Indigo ships with a script, called “Weather NOAA sync.scpt”. If you just create a startup trigger to launch that script, it will create a pile of weather variables and populate them at regular intervals. Those variables can then be used anywhere, such as in the custom email How-To. To create that trigger, follow the steps in this excerpt from the iTunes How-To, but select the “Weather NOAA sync.scpt” file instead (if you've already created this trigger, just add another acti… text/html 2009-04-01T17:48:05-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=web_var_edit&rev=1238626085&do=diff * Select CONTROL PAGES in the outline view on the left side of the home window * Double click on a control page to open the control page editor * Create a new control page element by clicking on the New... button at the top of the window * In the lower part of the screen, select Link to External URL on the Client action popup and insert the following): text/html 2009-12-11T17:41:12-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=wireless_insteon_decora_switch&rev=1260574872&do=diff Created by gmusser As yet, neither SmartHome nor any other Insteon manufacturer sells an Insteon wireless wall switch analogous to those available for X10. Fortunately, you can easily rig up one using the TriggerLinc device. TriggerLinc is sold as a magnetic switch for telling when doors or windows are opened, but it also has a terminal for attaching an external switch, so it will function as a wireless controller if you provide the switch. text/html 2010-09-20T14:53:17-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_devices&rev=1285012397&do=diff X10 is an older power-line carrier home automation technology. Indigo supports many different types of X10 devices. In many of the How-Tos on this site, you can use INSTEON and X10 modules interchangeably. Remember, however, that X10 modules don't repeat their signals, so you may find the technology less reliable. Adding X10 repeaters may help. text/html 2009-02-05T15:09:44-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_in_wall_dimmer&rev=1233868184&do=diff X10 in-wall dimmer switches come in 1-way and 2-way. 1-way switches are only controllable via an X10 command - the switch, when manually activated, doesn't send out a status change message nor will it respond when Indigo asks for it's status. So, you may find that Indigo isn't correctly representing the state of the device - that's normally because the switch was manually activated. text/html 2009-02-11T11:57:50-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_in_wall_relay&rev=1234375070&do=diff X10 in-wall relay switches come in 1-way and 2-way. 1-way switches are only controllable via an X10 command - the switch, when manually activated, doesn't send out a status change message nor will it respond when Indigo asks for it's status. So, you may find that Indigo isn't correctly representing the state of the device - that's normally because the switch was manually activated. text/html 2009-04-15T13:56:50-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_motion_detector&rev=1239821810&do=diff Most X10 motion detectors (available for purchase here) use the X10 RF protocol, much like X10 remotes. So, you'll need an X10 RF transceiver of some type. Once you have that in place, any X10 command sent from an RF motion detector will be put onto the powerline and acted upon, simple as that. X10 motion detectors generally work the same way: when it senses motion, it sends an ON command to the address it's set to. Some also send OFF commands after a configurable amount of time sensing no motio… text/html 2009-02-20T11:52:40-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_plug_in_dimmer&rev=1235152360&do=diff X10 plug-in dimmer modules come in 1-way and 2-way. 1-way modules are only controllable via an X10 command - the modules, if it can be manually activated, doesn't send out a status change message nor will it respond when Indigo asks for it's status. So, you may find that Indigo isn't correctly representing the state of the device - that's normally because the switch was manually activated. text/html 2009-12-16T13:57:11-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_plug_in_relay&rev=1260993431&do=diff X10 plug-in relay modules come in 1-way and 2-way. 1-way modules are only controllable via an X10 command - the module, if it can be manually activated, doesn't send out a status change message nor will it respond when Indigo asks for it's status. So, you may find that Indigo isn't correctly representing the state of the device - that's normally because the switch was manually activated. text/html 2010-09-14T14:49:52-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_remote&rev=1284493792&do=diff Most X10 remotes (available for purchase here and here) use the X10 RF protocol, much like X10 motion detectors. So, you'll need an X10 RF transceiver of some type. Once you have that in place, any X10 command sent from an RF remote will be put onto the powerline and acted upon, simple as that. X10 remotes have lots of different configurations, but they all share the same basic functionality: they have buttons which send out ON/OFF/DIM/BRIGHTEN commands for some number of X10 addresses. text/html 2010-09-14T17:28:19-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_security_devices&rev=1284503299&do=diff X10 Security Devices Controllers * Marmitek SC9000 Security Controller * KR21E Security Remote Control Keyfob * SH624 Security Comfort Remote Control Detectors * Marmitek SD90E Wireless Photoelectric Smoke Alarm * Marmitek Door/Window Detector * Marmitek MS90 Security Motion Detector * TS10 Digimax 210 Thermostat text/html 2010-09-14T16:36:07-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_security_events&rev=1284500167&do=diff X10 Security Events Event Types Commands are normally manually created by human intervention on a Remote Control, where as Detection occurs when a device is triggered by the event that it was designed to detect. sec_ArmHome_min - Command: Arm home with minimum delay to action the arming sec_ArmHome_max - Command: Arm home with maximum delay to action the arming sec_ArmAway_min - Command: Arm home with minimum delay to action the arming sec_ArmAway_max - Command: Arm home with maximum dela… text/html 2009-04-15T14:01:47-05:00 http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x10_sprinkler&rev=1239822107&do=diff X10 Irrigation/Sprinkler controllers (available for purchase here) come mostly in 1-way models (you can't ask them their status) although there is at least one model that will return status when queried. The following How-To, however, doesn't rely on 2-way communication, so you're good!