I've been meaning to post this for a while. A few months ago I was able to perfect RF control and Premise using a zone based method. Since I can't post all the pics at once, please review the following posts. The attached image is a wiring diagram of how it's hooked up.
Philosophy
I wanted to get rid of (hide) all the original IR remotes, and build a system where all device control is done through Premise. This means Premise will be used to keep track of the selected source, equipment state, etc... and control all IR devices using Global Cache products such as the GC100 and the new iTach line (WIFI2IR). I'm not a huge fan of touch screens, so I wanted more of a quasi hard button approach.
System Overview
Several (an almost unlimited number) of IR/RF remotes are distributed throughout my home. I chose to use Universal Remote Control's MX-900 remotes. The remotes can be programmed either for a single room, or all rooms. In my installation, the user selects what room they are in using a soft-key display that lists various rooms. Once the room is selected, all the buttons on the remote are set to codes for that room. These codes can any combination of RF and/or IR. The codes are set individually one button at a time to allow for custom integration. For typical use, the buttons are set to RF codes that a main MSC-400 controller interprets, then sends RS232 commands to Premise.
Another option is seldom used, but is very handy: each room also has access to the factory IR codes once the user navigates to that room, then selects the component. For example, navigating to the "Theater", then to "Projector" gives all of the factory options that the original projector remote has. This is very handy when you want to bypass Premise altogether and just send the IR code. The IR code can be sent in one of two ways: from the MX-900 remote directly, or out of an IR port on the MSC-400 controller. The IR output from the MSC-400 system controller is connected to a Xantech block. This allows one set of blinkies glued on the IR devices that both the GC-100 and MSC-400 can use.
Example of How it Works
A user enters the theater and picks up the MX-900 remote. They want to watch TV. They hit "Theater", then hit "WatchTV." The remote then sends the proper RF code to the MSC-400 controller. This code is internal to URC's software and not edited by the programmer. The MSC-400 controller decodes this RF code and sends "THEATERWATCHTV" (plus a carriage return) out its serial port. The serial port is connected to an GC-100 that is setup in Premise. The GC-100 sends the received serial command to Premise over TCP/IP. Premise receives the command, then gives the projector and A/V receiver a command to come on.
Another example is if the user hits play after selecting "Theater." This allows Premise to receive the command THEATERPLAY. What's neat is this is all Premise needs to receive! There's no need to have a play command for each device programmed into the remote and MSC-400 since Premise knows what source is selected on the A/V receiver for that zone and will now send the IR or RS232 play command to the selected device. If the command is IR, Premise will use the GC100 to send the command.
Another example is if a user wants to modify temperature for zone 1. All they do is navigate to "Home" on the soft-key display, then to COOLZ1. Now options appear such as Temp that will allow a user to select the desired temperature for zone 1.
This sounds more complex than it is. Study the attached diagram for clarification
This is actually a very nice system that is 100% reliable and operates very fast (lag is not noticeable). I can post the MSC-400 and MX-900 programming files too if anyone is interested in trying this too. I'll also throw in the XDO file I use.
Philosophy
I wanted to get rid of (hide) all the original IR remotes, and build a system where all device control is done through Premise. This means Premise will be used to keep track of the selected source, equipment state, etc... and control all IR devices using Global Cache products such as the GC100 and the new iTach line (WIFI2IR). I'm not a huge fan of touch screens, so I wanted more of a quasi hard button approach.
System Overview
Several (an almost unlimited number) of IR/RF remotes are distributed throughout my home. I chose to use Universal Remote Control's MX-900 remotes. The remotes can be programmed either for a single room, or all rooms. In my installation, the user selects what room they are in using a soft-key display that lists various rooms. Once the room is selected, all the buttons on the remote are set to codes for that room. These codes can any combination of RF and/or IR. The codes are set individually one button at a time to allow for custom integration. For typical use, the buttons are set to RF codes that a main MSC-400 controller interprets, then sends RS232 commands to Premise.
Another option is seldom used, but is very handy: each room also has access to the factory IR codes once the user navigates to that room, then selects the component. For example, navigating to the "Theater", then to "Projector" gives all of the factory options that the original projector remote has. This is very handy when you want to bypass Premise altogether and just send the IR code. The IR code can be sent in one of two ways: from the MX-900 remote directly, or out of an IR port on the MSC-400 controller. The IR output from the MSC-400 system controller is connected to a Xantech block. This allows one set of blinkies glued on the IR devices that both the GC-100 and MSC-400 can use.
Example of How it Works
A user enters the theater and picks up the MX-900 remote. They want to watch TV. They hit "Theater", then hit "WatchTV." The remote then sends the proper RF code to the MSC-400 controller. This code is internal to URC's software and not edited by the programmer. The MSC-400 controller decodes this RF code and sends "THEATERWATCHTV" (plus a carriage return) out its serial port. The serial port is connected to an GC-100 that is setup in Premise. The GC-100 sends the received serial command to Premise over TCP/IP. Premise receives the command, then gives the projector and A/V receiver a command to come on.
Another example is if the user hits play after selecting "Theater." This allows Premise to receive the command THEATERPLAY. What's neat is this is all Premise needs to receive! There's no need to have a play command for each device programmed into the remote and MSC-400 since Premise knows what source is selected on the A/V receiver for that zone and will now send the IR or RS232 play command to the selected device. If the command is IR, Premise will use the GC100 to send the command.
Another example is if a user wants to modify temperature for zone 1. All they do is navigate to "Home" on the soft-key display, then to COOLZ1. Now options appear such as Temp that will allow a user to select the desired temperature for zone 1.
This sounds more complex than it is. Study the attached diagram for clarification
This is actually a very nice system that is 100% reliable and operates very fast (lag is not noticeable). I can post the MSC-400 and MX-900 programming files too if anyone is interested in trying this too. I'll also throw in the XDO file I use.
