Email notifier board

[Desert_AIP]

Check your settings for when DST triggers.

 

[BobS0327]

Checked my settings and "Daylight Savings Time Active Now" was UNCHECKED.  Checked this option and problem was resolved.
 
Thanx!
 
BTW, does this mean that I'll have to manually uncheck this option in the Spring when DST is no longer in effect to display the correct time?

 

[Desert_AIP]

The dates of the DST transitions should be settings in PC Access
 
We should be OFF DST now, back to standard time.
Daylight Savings Time Active Now should be UNCHECKED

 

[ano]

So I have a question; how many on this forum are beta testers for Leviton and what other features did you ask for in the Notifier Board that don't exist today? :horse:

I think everyone here is a beta tester for Leviton.  Of course we don't get paid and in fact have to purchase their equipment in order to test it.
As for features, it would have been nice if this board could have actually checked to see if you have a new message. Maybe rev. 2. Wait, I forgot, Leviton never updates hardware that has been released.

 

[BobS0327]

The dates of the DST transitions should be settings in PC Access
 
We should be OFF DST now, back to standard time.
Daylight Savings Time Active Now should be UNCHECKED

The first time I went into PC Access, Daylight Savings Time Active Now was UNCHECKED but the time on all my consoles was an hour ahead.  So, I checked this option, saved the file and downloaded everything to the controller.  This immediately resolved my time problem.  I again just went into PC Access to check the status of Daylight Savings Time Active Now and it was UNCHECKED.  But anyway, the console time is no longer a issue.
 
Update.  The source of the problem was that my DST starting and ending dates were incorrect in PCA. 

 

[Desert_AIP]

Weird, glad it got fixed. 

 

[pete_c]

Unrelated to the email board sort of; here have been DIYing a modifyed TP-Link microrouter for use with the OPII panel.
 

 

 
It will function as an email and time sync board for the OPII.  Going really slow working still on the hardware pieces.
 
I could also probably make it emulate the current offered email board with some added stuff making it a bit more useful.
 
The interface is just a web gui plus ssh to it.  One web page can be created to configure everything (really basic stuff though).
 
The original microrouter cost me some $20 USD.  The added board / RTC clock will cost me some $30 more.  ~$50 USD total.
 
The added board will add two more serial ports and 3 USB ports to it plus the RTC clock stuff.
 
The basic OpenWRT OS is free. 
 
The modded with OpenWRT microrouter has:  (note that the OS is in firmware and I do not have much space to play with 8Mb kernel and 32Mb OS stuff - I can upgrade the 8Mb kernel though to 32Mb's).
 
Network - two wired NIC ports plus wireless - one port is connecting to OPII - it is being utilized today (NIC in/out).
USB - one USB connection to a little mini USB which has a serial port connection to the OPII - GSM modem drivers which work fine.
 
This would allow an alternative connection to the OPII (wired/wireless LAN and serial both at the same time).
 
I wanted to put in a little mini RTC battery backed up clock.  To be able to do this I ordered a custom daughter board for the TP-Link microrouter.
 
I am looking to do some very basic stuff with this microrouter.  Tiny it fits right next to the serial port / network port and gets its power from the panel.  It will talk to the panel via the IP or serial connection both or one or the other.
 
The DIY / device will provide out of band management / well failover to GSM connectivity, basic email stuff / texting stuff.  No time lately though and now waiting for the TP-Link daughter board plus have to add a tiny RTC to it and fit it to the tiny case.

 

[StarTrekDoors]

[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]StarTrekDoors - I've dealt with several embedded systems and can say with fair certainty that the lack of including onboard features in the OPII for the NTP and SSL e-mail capability comes down to processor and memory limitations of the current platform.  Additionally, I'd bet the design choice of using a serial port for communications to the OPII is two-fold: (1) no IP config needed on the notifier board as the OPII will always find it on the designated serial port and (2) the OPII is limited in the number of concurrent IP connections it can support and the notifier board would have to take one of these precious connections.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]Leviton did not have any of their own controllers in the alarm/automation segment, so I just can't see them letting the Omnipro line die.  The [/SIZE]acquisition[SIZE=14.3999996185303px] was just too big to go that route.  I would also guess that there is an OP3 in development that would bring all the new features that people want (the OPII platform just can't support it).[/SIZE]

 
In any development with an add-on daughterboard like the notifier, it was easy for Leviton to add the needed email sender processing capability (email doesn't take much and is well served via serial bus). In terms of technology, It's really amazing the processing capability that a very small phone has including internet access, wifi, bluetooth, text notification, email, apps, etc..., so the technology for an add-on module is nothing new - but in this case, it was a half step.  The premise of embedded systems too is not about capability but design to provide capability.  If you put together a great design to meet the requirements of a need, then you have capability.  In this case, it was the requirement for notification but not a truly full design.
 
Our demo system has a notifier board so we did buy into it, but will probably develop an interface to use someone elses SMS and Voice calling via GSM - even Leviton's GSM modem only supports calling but no SMS texting. Another half step when others some ago had already put both Phone and Text on on their GSM module.  I guess I just expected more and was disappointed.  Nonetheless, did any of you beta test this before release or is the public beta testers?
 
I'm sure Leviton would not scrap their HAI purchase, I simply meant they are falling behind which is disasterous in the tech business and their new products like the Omnitouch 7 was actually less tech capable than the old touchscreen (which Leviton tech support pointed out - I didn't say it they did).
 
As to emailing sms messages - it requires an external email service which vs. a direct text like has been for years by others. No 2-way communication either and with a SIM-based notification and email module, the Omni could email AND send text messages, so even if email or the network is down, as least the SMS text message would go out.  All I want to see if some great development and fantastic new products, not a car that needs tires.  Gotta love updating the notifier board via PC Access over Ethernet to Omni Ethernet to serial port to notifier board - only another half hour to go....
 
Anyway, my next lab project is to find a way to interface someone else's alarm system GSM modem into the Omni for "direct without a phone line and no email server" cellular voice calling and SMS 2-way texting.

 

[StarTrekDoors]

Oh and the MAC address printed on the board does not match what is advertised on the network after the 1.3 update for the notifier board. So xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:ef was MAC before the update then changed to xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:ff (next one up) after the update.

 

[StarTrekDoors]

Whoops - spoke too soon.  Now the notifier is offline after being up for 3-4 hours.  I also found it fails to honor DHCP reservations by MAC address and simply reuses the IP it had previously.  Wireshark and ping no longer show it active on the network although the port shows a connection, just no activity.
 
Disconnected power, waited 30 seconds, reconnect - back online.

 

[mariomp]

I just downloaded the latest version of email notifier firmware, number: Omni_Notifier_1_3.onbf
 
It only took few seconds to download the 130Kb file from the server.
 
It took over 55MINUTES to perform the firmware update on the controller!
 
Is there a setting for speed on the bus that I’m supposed to change?
I have that serial port set up for 9600 baud.
 
Surely a 130Kb file should not take 55minutes to transfer. My 1980s 300 baud modem was faster than this.

 

[jcd]

I happened to notice that my notifier board hasn't been sending e-mails for the past week or so... (that it took me maybe a week for this to register says something about how reliably I found this board to be in the first place = NOT).
 
I opened the panel last night and the board didn't have any activity - I'm not entirely sure, but doesn't it have at least one activity or power LED on it?? Anyway, it's not working, has no lights, etc.... I disconnected the Ethernet cable and the serial cable, I rebooted and unplugged/replugged the OPII panel as well and I am still not able to get anything out of it.
 
I tried to connect to it via PCA as if I were going to flash the FW and it *seemed* to connect, though I am already running FW 1.3, so there was nothing to update...
I also tried to send a test mail via PCA and nothing was received.
 
Could anyone please remind me if there is a way to reset this, or otherwise verify if it's working - or do I just have a dead board?
 
Thanks!
Jcd

 

[Frunple]

There will be led's lit if it's working, I believe two of them.
No way to reset it other than removing the cables and replacing them, like you already did.
Really a piece of crap if you ask me. Nothing but problems with mine also. And how about some kind of status when you go to send a test email??? You never know what the problem is if it doesn't work and the only way to know it did work is if you get the email. Poor design, poor quality, poor implementation.

 

[fcwilt]

Anybody know why the board needed to have its own network connection? 

 

[mariomp]

Anybody know why the board needed to have its own network connection? 

?
I don't know what you mean.
It needs it, so that it can send emails.
Now, if you're asking if that's a silly design since the main board already has network port, that's a whole another topic.