Email notifier board

[JonW]

Maybe I'm the outlier but my email board has worked flawlessly with the latest firmware and has never not worked. I've never had to reboot it, and it must send 5 or 6 emails a week, give or take. I don't use Gmail, but just use my own email on my domain provider, so I'm not sure you can blame all your problems on the board.

 
While I can't say that Gmail is blameless, I can attest to the fact that the same Gmail account for my OPII has always worked consistently with my Lorex camera system.  I get 10-20 motion activated e-mails a day from my camera system and those always kept coming through just fine while the OPII messages were not.  Both systems are using the same port configuration as well.

 

[ano]

While I can't say that Gmail is blameless, I can attest to the fact that the same Gmail account for my OPII has always worked consistently with my Lorex camera system.  I get 10-20 motion activated e-mails a day from my camera system and those always kept coming through just fine while the OPII messages were not.  Both systems are using the same port configuration as well.

The most likely problem cause is a mismatch between the protocols the board is sending, and what the email server requires.  Email is far from a single protocol, and it is evolving all the time. Gmail is pretty advanced on their security requirements and Leviton is pretty lax on keeping their firmware current, so its not really surprising there are problems. If your betting on Leviton updates to fix things, don't hold your breath. With Gmail you can tone down some things but not others.
 
Its also not at all surprising that another piece of equipment works with Gmail, but I bet that camera you have sees more updates than Leviton has released.

 

[roadrunner908]

Leviton support has just issued this bulletin regarding problems with Gmail and Yahoo accounts that use SSLv3:
http://info.leviton.com/webmail/48512/178941394/c3d273fd169ea6da5cc99db5fa666719 
 
It recommends changing to another email provider, SMTP2GO.com to get around this problem.
 
 

 

[JonW]

Wow, great solution!  Let's not fix the product, we'll just point everyone to the one service we found that still works with our buggy product. :angry2:   What happens when SMTP2GO starts using current protocol standards?

 

[enry86cami]

I configured smtp2go account in my notifier board and now it works!!!!! I hope it will works for a long time...

 

[jcd]

Well... It's not like anyone uses Gmail anyway. Except those idiot 750,000,000 users, but Leviton shouldn't worry about them :eye roll:

On another topic: how does one sign up for those Leviton technical bulletins? We're a "Five Star" dealer (got a nice engraved plaque from them and everything!) but don't get any sort of proactive communication about bug issues, firmware releases, etc...

 

[mariomp]

Well... It's not like anyone uses Gmail anyway. Except those idiot 750,000,000 users, but Leviton shouldn't worry about them :eye roll:

On another topic: how does one sign up for those Leviton technical bulletins? We're a "Five Star" dealer (got a nice engraved plaque from them and everything!) but don't get any sort of proactive communication about bug issues, firmware releases, etc...

 
I know, right?
I occasionally get somethings from them, but I guess not the bulletins.
I did get this one from my distributor.
 
Gosh, I miss HAI. 
They were far from perfect, but they had a forum, a way to contact some of their people and were coming out with relevant products.
I don't think I've seen anything new since the acquisition. Certainly nothing good (still hate new touchscreens and miss the 5.7e).

 

[ano]

I don't think I've seen anything new since the acquisition.

How about the email notifier board? :unsure:

 

[jcd]

The e-mail notifier board I am guessing was something HAI had in the pipeline and was released under the Leviton brand (I could well be wrong about this)...
 
Aren't the Omnitouch 7 screens a product released post-acquisition (though these too, may have been in the pipeline)? Leviton has released a couple things: a thermostat extension keypad comes to mind (not sure anyone cares about this or asked for it though).
 
In terms of "something new," what are you/we waiting for? 
 
I'm less concerned about "new" than I am having the existing product line stable and enhanced. The e-mail notifier is an obvious example, but there's also a whole bunch of potential for the OT7 screens. The most recent firmware fixes some real broken stuff, notably with the IP camera network stability, but we still have a list of bug fixes and enhancements we'd like to see to really exploit what these touchscreens could be...
 
Anyway, my sentiment is not so much that I need to see new stuff as it is that I need to see a commitment to support the existing stuff and not leave integrators in the dark, as is currently the case. Silence is deadly in communication, especially when it comes to customers!

 

[mariomp]

The e-mail notifier board I am guessing was something HAI had in the pipeline and was released under the Leviton brand (I could well be wrong about this)...
 
Aren't the Omnitouch 7 screens a product released post-acquisition (though these too, may have been in the pipeline)? Leviton has released a couple things: a thermostat extension keypad comes to mind (not sure anyone cares about this or asked for it though).
 
In terms of "something new," what are you/we waiting for? 
 
I'm less concerned about "new" than I am having the existing product line stable and enhanced. The e-mail notifier is an obvious example, but there's also a whole bunch of potential for the OT7 screens. The most recent firmware fixes some real broken stuff, notably with the IP camera network stability, but we still have a list of bug fixes and enhancements we'd like to see to really exploit what these touchscreens could be...
 
Anyway, my sentiment is not so much that I need to see new stuff as it is that I need to see a commitment to support the existing stuff and not leave integrators in the dark, as is currently the case. Silence is deadly in communication, especially when it comes to customers!

 
The new Omnitouch was rushed to market when old supplier ran out of parts and couldn't/wouldn't make more.
The new Omnitouch keeps locking up, is slow to bring up lights (forces you to setup rooms), and I still can't display 90% of cameras on the market today.
 
As for what I'm waiting for -- OP3. You know, something that's not 15 years old. 
I'm also waiting for IP control, so that I can trigger other things and let other things trigger/notify OP panel.
There are half ass baked solutions to get URC, RTI and others to work together, but it's not what I would call integrator friendly.
 
I would also like to see keypads that work more like Lutron, Control4 and others so that I can have buttons for lights, fans, TV On, etc. and where one 'scene' doesn't override the other.
 
I would like for them to realize that the 'programming on the 8s' doesn't fit larger projects where there are 10-15 light switches in the room. Again, I can get around that, but it takes additional work that I shouldn't have to.
 
HAI has done a great job coming out with OPII, but that was almost 2 decades ago. Stop resting on your laurels and come out with something in this century so I don't have to drop you and pickup competitor's line.

 

[ano]

I also agree that they really need to dedicate some resources and go through each product and make updates.  I have no proof of this, but my feeling is that many of the updates made to their products in the last many years were made by interns, or very junior people, because each caused as many new problems as it solved. That wouldn't be the case with an experienced developer. 
 
An Omni III would be nice, but the question i would ask is can Leviton do it, and would they do it?  First, Leviton and HAI for that matter, are not really high-tech companies. Sure they make switchplates and motion detectors, but they are not an Apple or Microsoft.  An OPIII would really be a big project for them because it would need to be at a much higher level than an OPII.  Could they do it, maybe, but it would take some work. 
 
Now the big question, if they developed it, could they recoup their investment, and I think that is the unknown.  My guess is their fear is that technology could leapfrog them, leaving them with lots of development costs for a product not selling.  I mean, would an OPIII even have most of the things of an OPII?  People want smartphone integration not in-wall touch screens.  Basically an OPIII would be a SmartThings or Wing hub with security added.  If Leviton was like an Apple, they could build an ecosystem, but with companies like an Apple now becoming a competitor, maybe Leviton just wants to play it safe and skip that segment. 
 
If the world was the same as 1995, then yes, Leviton could produce an OPIII, but its a much different world, and Leviton has trouble competing in it with the likes of more high-tech competitors.

 

[mariomp]

After being a satisfied dealer for over a decade, I am now looking at other automation products that are more current than OPII.
I tried Total Control by URC, and while a great A/V controller, they are by no means an automation product carrier.

 

[ano]

After being a satisfied dealer for over a decade, I am now looking at other automation products that are more current than OPII.
I tried Total Control by URC, and while a great A/V controller, they are by no means an automation product carrier.

Yeah, let us know when you find that.  If you can figure out why there isn't one, then you are getting to the real problem.

 

[mariomp]

Yeah, let us know when you find that.  If you can figure out why there isn't one, then you are getting to the real problem.

 
For me and my market, I think Control4 will be that solution.
I will marry C4 to any of the existing HAI, Vista, GE or DSC alarm panels and have complete solution. 

 

[ano]

For me and my market, I think Control4 will be that solution.
I will marry C4 to any of the existing HAI, Vista, GE or DSC alarm panels and have complete solution. 

If you are attaching something to an HAI panel, then your solution really isn't a replacement. And Control4 is only sold to dealers so really isn't in the same class as an OPII.