Russound MCA-C5 Integration with Elk M1 Gold

[Jetjock]

All of the above observations still seem to be the case up to this date - ALL ON/ALL OFF still doesnt work with the latest revisions installed.

BUT Does anyone know if the elk M1 can communicate with a second Russound MCA controller cascaded to the first? Additionally, I was thinking about adding a Arcam T32 tuner which would tie up the serial port on the first MCA controller. Wondering if the IP232 could be connected to the serial controller on the second MCA unit and still be available to control zones on each unit.

 

[dw886]

Since All Off doesn't work, I setup a rule that turns off each zone one by one when the alarm is armed - sort of a manual version of All Off.
 
As far as cascading, I have two MCA-C5s connected via RNET, and the serial connection to controller 2 allows commands to pass to the second controller.

 

[Jetjock]

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[wkearney99]

this is making me wonder why i chose ELK over HAI.

 
I'm facing this decision myself.  I've three CAV66 units with 18 zones active.  I'd like to have some automation control over them.  I'm considering either an HAI or an Elk.  My initial need is to have outside motion sensors and some conditional logic to interact with a Lutron RA2 setup.  As in, monitor a RA2 button state to act as a "motion or not" filter.  It looks like by the time I add the necessary bits to an Elk I'm edging closer to the Omni Pro II.  The ability to support all three CAV66's would definitely tilt me toward the HAI.
 
What I haven't looked into yet is just how much of a chore either one of their programming environments is to use.  I'm capable of programming in assembly language through a line editor, but that doesn't mean I want to.  Having a GUI programming tool is always a nice feature.  I've not yet tried either HAI nor Elk's tools.
 
And, yes, at some point I'll end up doing a lot of stuff in a PC-based system.  I'm just looking to start with an embedded system like an Elk or an HAI as a means to have a 'set and forget' configuration.  PC's tend to be a lot less reliable (for all kinds of reasons).  So having fundamental infrastructure stuff running on an embedded box seems more sensible for my needs/desires.  That way I can 'play' on the PC without causing the rest of the stuff to get wonky.

 

[Big517]

I'm happy so far with everything, and i'm able to use another controller that ties into my ELK and my Russound system and supports mutliple Russound units, its the Vera system  A plugin for RNET was recently released.  That is the hub for me that automates all my lights based on ELK sensors and turns Russound zones on and off depending on room occupancy (I also do this via elk for a few rules).  
I've heard great things about the ISY,  but I havent looked into the ISY too much since it's an insteon controller asll well, and I have nearly 100 zwave switches and devices in my home.  I recently found out ISY was alpha phase of a zwave version is coming out which would/could  benefit me greatly so I am keeping my eyes peeled on that functionality also.
 
Either way, ELK is solid, there are ZERO bugs to deal with, I can't speak about the HAI becasue I have no experience.

 

[wkearney99]

You mean the Mi Casa stuff? 
 
I hear you on the stability factor of an Elk.  That's what I'm after for the motion control and lighting stuff.  Yes, PC-based systems can be made to be 'less problematc' but they're rarely as stable as an embedded box.  For all kinds of reasons, not just hardware.  
 
I'm kind of hesitant to introduce too many steps in-between everything.  There end up being too many chances for little mis-matches and support hassles.  Conversely, if you don't use a middle-man gizmo you're stuck with whatever the vendor chooses to support.  So it's a tough call, either limited to factory implementations or juggle integration issues.
 
I don't "need" this box to do audio control, but if it could, especially for 'all off' scenarios, it'd be a nice feature.  I haven't even started on the whole in-room control scenario.  I'll initially just have the RA2 switches and keypads, along with the Russound keypads and IOS or Android tablet/phone control via the phones and tablets we've already got.  But I've got extra wiring in there and suitable wall space, to potentially use other things later.  So having a system with Russound integration options certainly holds some appeal for where I know I'm going next.  As in, popping out an Uno-S2 and replacing it with a touchscreen,  
 
Anyway, the choice I'm facing presently is which one to pick, Elk or HAI?  I've learned the best way for me to make that kind of choice is to learn what sucks about a product.  Not what it CAN do, but what it CAN'T.  That's often a lot more informative.  

 

[Big517]

I haven't run into any the ELK cannot do especially since it can send any text string via any TCP port which is key for integration.