Homeseer support for HAI

Hi,
  I currently have an HAI controller installed and wanted something better than the way the HAI is programmed so I am looking at Homeseer (specially with the 50% off). One concern I have is that HS3 for the Omni seems to be spotty because the driver is not supplied by Homeseer. Anybody using Homeseer?
 
Thanks
 
 

I am a Homeseer user (since the late 1990's) and currently have two Homeseer 2 boxes (Wintel) in use and two Homeseer 3 boxes (Linux) today.
 
Homeseer 3 Pro runs on Wintel (just installed it on a Windows 7 64 bit machine), Mac and Linux (my base HS3 is running on Ubuntu 14.04 64 bit).  Clients run on Wintel, Android, Linux or Ipads.  My current HS2 console clients are running on embedded Wintel and utilizing MS SAPI 32 bit voice fonts (which I have a few of).  Text to speech here remains in the home and using my personal voice fonts. Looking at using the Kinect have purchased a few of these devices, one dual touch in wall capacitance screen and one mini baytrail quad core Intel PC to see how it works.  The Kinect plugin for Homeseer was made by a Microsoft developer and folks are happy with it right now. I have had no time to connect the kinects at this time or play with it.   Playing with MS Mobile 8.1 Cortana and still have yet to open my Amazon Echo box to play with it. 
 
I have two Leviton HAI OmniPro panels and utilize Homeseer 2 today to talk to them via a serial connection.  It works fine for me. 
 
I am playing with the beta Homeseer 3 HAI Omni Pro network plugin.  It has been written by a long time Homeseer 2/3 user. 
 
While the plugin is not finished it works and I do not think that the author is going anywhere for a while.  Plugin author also owns an OmniPro II panel. 
 
Very old now (he is ancient and older than my parrot) original Homeseer 2 plugin author still works for Homeseer and also has an OmniPro II panel. 
 
You can today install the plugin on an RPi2 and put that inside of the HAI OPII can and have it do all sorts of stuff just fine. (email, mysql chit chat, events et al).
 
The plugin options are writing to a mysql / internal DB (both or either or).  The Homeseer 3 HAI plugin is fast as I watch it writing to the mySQL DB while it is changing variables in whatever state it is in. 
 

Thanks Pete_c, 
    There are 2 versions of the software HS3 and HS3Pro. It looks like HS3Pro includes all drivers written by Homeseer but since the HAI drivers is not done by them it will be and additional charge. Is it worth getting the Pro version? I have HLC switches, a couple of Zwave Locks with some Zwave devices and a Rain8 upb. 
 

I can only say what I use today.  The two boxes are Homeseer Pro 2 and each is connected to one Digi 7 USB hub and two Digi 8 port Edgeports.  I am at port capacity with my doo whats on my two boxes (serial / USB).  I am only starting (baby steps) with Homeseer 3.  I initially purchased the Homeseer Zee which is Homeseer 3 lite (not regular HS3) because it ran Homeseer on Linux.  I then purchased Homeseer 3 Pro.  I am though only testing one plugin / script at a time with Homeseer 3 Pro. 
 
Relating to the plugin for the OmniPro II panel I got involved with promoting it with Rob a few years back.  We did take up a collection for monies for purchasing the hardware that Rob is using today.  That said we didn't accumulate enough money such that Rob paid for the OmniPro II panel out of pocket.  The price you see is the suggested price of the plugin when it will be complete.  That said if you start to play with it you will be considered a beta tester and will not have to pay for it until it is finished. 
 
Personally here looking for the same speed of variable changes that I see with my Omnitouch screens (well and Omnitouch software).  Fast is good for me.  The new HAI Homeseer 3 plugin is fast.
 
Please read all of the HAI OmniPro threads relating to the old plugin and beginnings of this plugin.  Some of the older threads are actually very entertaining. 
 
You can talk Z-Wave, UPB and X10 with HS3 Pro. There is more.  It's up to you.  Here many years ago started with the standard version then went to the Pro version.  I had already purchased most of the plugins anyways.  Thinking at the time it was relating to getting the HSTouch / designer application.  The new Z-Net device talks Z-Wave +.  I have been playing with it and am impressed.  My Leviton panel also talks old Z-Wave via the Leviton stuff. 

Thanks Pete. When using HSpro would  you connect UPB Pim and the VRCop to the Omnipro or to the system running HSPro? Depending on how much information the HAI driver is able to make available to HS3 it seems like direct access is better.

I have both Homeseer and OmniPro connections and each is an addendum to the other.  My having multiple of everything here and it is just a personal thing and not required.  
 
Note too that the SA and PCS USB UPB PIMs are different.  The SA UPB PIM uses a USB driver where as the PCS UPB PIM is using a USB/Serial device (built in).
 
Unless you using the Leviton remote Z-Wave device; you don't see much with the Z-Wave nodes via the Leviton Z-Wave PIM.  Personally here its just lighting and units and all the same to me.
 
Today Homeseer and the Omnipro are each using one HAI UPB PIM.  I can control a UPB device via the Homeseer connection to the OmniPro or just Homeseer talking directly to the UPB PIM.
 
The Leviton Z-Wave PIM is connected to the HAI Panel and the Z-troller/Z-Net is connected to the Homeseer boxes.  These are autonomous Z-Wave networks and the same UPB network.

Pete,
 
It seems there should be a best practices approach to the UPB control, either HS or Omni, and if both which should be used as the primary path for control?  
 
If you use the Omni UPB, I thought you had the additional advantages of better 2-way communication through HLC? No? Comments?
 
i.e. if you had to design a hardware system for someone else to program, specifically how would you recommend UPB be setup for ease of use?
 
Thanks!

It seems there should be a best practices approach to the UPB control, either HS or Omni, and if both which should be used as the primary path for control?

Click to expand...

 
Primary path here for control is the OmniPro II panel.  Best practices design methodology would be using Upstart.for either OmniPro or Homeseer.  Best practices relating to UPB control can be different for each house.  I mean here just recently started to utilize multitoggle / multiload UPB switches.  The Multitoggles handle scenes for me.  Early on here it was single toggles with single loads.  I didn't really consider multitoggle / scenes much until I started to help a widow of an friend who had automated (with Homeseer) and utilized multitoggle UPB switches.  I was looking at his implementation and he installed some 3 multitoggle UPB switches in the bathroom.  Personally I thought that was a bit much for a bathroom.  None of the switches were labeled and she knew each of the toggles without even looking at them.  You can add security randomness with Homeseer if you want.
 

If you use the Omni UPB, I thought you had the additional advantages of better 2-way communication through HLC? No? Comments?

Click to expand...

 
I have read you have more/better status views through HLC.  Not sure if that means that the 2-way communications is better.
 
I can't really comment on my use of HLC as I did use it for a time; then unused it.
 
i.e. if you had to design a hardware system for someone else to program, specifically how would you recommend UPB be setup for ease of use?
 
The someone else to program person would have to become familiar with the HAI HLC methodology of UPB programming. 
 
The easy peasy (relatively writing) methodology is just HAI UPB. 
 
I am not sure if it would make much of a difference to the end user other then maybe the end user reading the HAI documentation relating to HLC and wanting what he has read. 
 
Many folks do not read their instruction manuals.