Hi all, playing around with new LED lighting for Christmas and wanted to see if anyone had done an integration with HCA and WLED controller? I'm currently running HCA 16 (latest) and haven't taken the plunge to v17 just yet (purchased but not installed). Thanks!

I am running HCA on Windows 2012R2 Server. I found that I can only run the server portion. The client crashes immediately. Anyone figured out how to fix that? I tried compatibility mode with no success.

Is there a version of HCA that supports Smarthome's Portable USB interface - model 2448A7?

Hey everybody, I hope you all are making it OK through the pandemic.

I just got a message from HCA on my iPhone letting me know that my recirc pump is still ON. I have it programmed to tell me these types of things a lot, instead of automatically turning things off that I might want to keep ON until later.

What I really want to be able to do is tell HCA, from my phone, to TURN OFF RECIRC PUMP in X number of minutes. AND, I want to be able to do that for any device.

Does anyone think this would be helpful in your automation setup AND does anyone have any idea how to make it happen. (spoiler alert, I don't think you can do anything like this from the phone apps.)

So the title says it all. After a win 10 update, HCA stopped communicating. If I looked at the logs I'd see all sorts of Illegal address J10 and J13. Of course windows updated without telling me it updated so I was trouble shooting the network. Bought a second serial controller. Sigh.

Anyway, at the end of the day, the speed of the port was set to 9600. When I changed it to 19,200 everything worked just fine.

Learn from my pain!

Using HCA for about 5 years but yesterday implemented my first geofence program trigger on my iPhone. It opens a gate for us automatically and seems to be working well on the first few tests. However when I looked for any documentation on how to set this up I could not find any. So I just blundered my way through it and I feel a little lucky that I figured this out.

If anyone wants to geofence or already has one working or just wants to discuss, let me know. I am quarantined at home and have more HCA time than usual!

Hi - I'm trying to create a virtual presence sensor. I've added the Life360 connector to hubitat to detect when people are home. However, Life360 isn't supported in HCA. So I thought I could create a virtual switch and a rule in hubitat to switch that on when presence is detected. However, the virtual switch I created using Generic Switch Component is also not supported when brought into HCA. Any thoughts on how to do this so that HCA will recognize the state of this virtual switch?

The "new and improved" Insteon Motion sensor turns on/off regardless of the environment. The old version had jumpers that allowed you to disable the sensor during the day but the new one required an Insteon hub and a phone or PC app. I need to add another hub to my home network like a hole in the head. I also need to delete controller/responder links from some switches. Again, no joy there. I haven't found anything in HCA 16 to directly change settings on individual devices and am not aware of an "HCA compatable" device controller. Anyone have some ideas on these concerns. Thanks.

I've been setting up some zigbee and z-wave smart plugs with hubitat, which is able to get power usage from some of them. However, HCA apparently doesn't have access to that data. What code would I need to alter in HCA so that it could access the power usage from those plugs that support it?

Hi - I'd like to use the Zooz Zen 25 double plug with HCA. Hubitat fully supports it and allows controlling the individual outlets separately. However when imported into HCA you can only control the two outlets together. I'm trying to determine what code I'd need to change in HCA to provide full support. Can anyone give me guidelines on what needs to be changed to address this ? I've done programming but haven't dug into HCA's classes to understand how the code works.

I noticed that HCA central hasn't posted this yet, so here's an official preview. This update features Z-Wave lock support, along with ST button (with full support for its built-in temperature sensor) and ST Arrival sensor support. Link: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Auzn1vVcq494iH0nMdHsxlpfVkmT?e=3cM6MO

Has anyone had luck getting weather from other than currently? I would like to be able to get information from the daily portion of the report.

So now that I've gotten my firewall situation sorted out I'm considering adding a Smart Things hub to the mix. Anybody using Smart Things with their current HCA set up? Any pitfalls etc. that you could pass on? Really interested to know if thermostats are supported at all, as my Insteon thermostat is occasionally picking up a command from somewhere to turn on the A/C and turn off the furnace. In northern Indiana in January that means the wife is not best pleased with my smart house.

Has anyone used the X10 SC1200 Security console in their systems? I believe it has its own PLC interface so it can flash X10 modules on its own, but I wonder if it could talk to HCA for further actions that could be programmed in HCA

I notice that even in HCA version 16 there is no support for the Philips Wiz Wifi bulbs sold at Home Depot (at least none that I can find). I ran a sniffer between my phone and the wiz app and have most of the json commands needed to control the bulbs using a perl script and a UDP connection from my linux box to the bulbs. It would be nice to be able to control the bulbs directly using HCA. Any plans for Wiz bulb integration in HCA?

- Jim

Kimberly mentioned the Windows 10 update reboots causing problems sometimes in the last newsletter...

I set my "active hours" to 4PM to 10AM so the computer never reboots itself in the middle of the night. Microsoft wants a minimum of 6 hours of non active hours to automatically reboot, so that happens when I can monitor it and resolve any problems.

Anyone else having Alexa issues today? I was dinking with my router, so maybe I did something, checking to see if it's me or the cloud. Thanks!

Hubitat recently updated their maker API to support push notifications for device status changes and it didn't take Kimberly long to add support for it in v16.0.30. Based on this, I picked up a Hubitat Elevation hub last week and coded Z-Wave lock support into the HE library. All of my Z-Wave August locks are now working without issues on this platform! As an added plus, HE correctly captures their battery state too. The key to Hubitat Z-Wave reliability are Aeotec Range Extender 6 devices. You need to add at least two of these to your Z-Wave mesh with the first one within 2 feet of the HE hub and others within 10-15 feet of your door locks. Also, put fresh batteries into your lock before you try pairing. Expect the HE HCA library to have lock support soon. As an aside, HE also supports ST Arrival Sensors and smart buttons (which make great ambient temperature sensors). HE is a great platform with an awesome community.

I’m new here and looked around but couldn’t find posts regarding what I’m needing help connecting. Once a motion alert is triggered from a ring doorbell pro I need it to turn on outside lights only if it’s dark outside. I am using HCA pro and it is linked in Alexa along with the Ring app as a skill. There is very little documentation on this subject that I was able to find. Thanks for your help.

Having trouble figuring out what to do about my HCA server running w7. I thought that I had solved the problem but now it is rebooting every night again. I decided to just purchase upgrade to w10 but at $100-150 or more I don't want to do that for this $150 computer. If I buy a use pc from pcliquidators, then they will throw in windows pro for $50. But I am confused about which older systems will work with the latest Windows10 builds. It seems like ms and intel's documentation do not formally endorse any processors that are more than 2 or 3 years old. As you know, I am a mac guy so haven't been following this stuff. Can you guys help me understand what are the hardware minimums so that I can stay completely up to date with the w10 for at least for a couple years? ...thanks.

I've created an app that lets you make Alexa speak with HCA. It installs as a local website on your HCA server and listens on port 3000. Just enter the text along with which of your echo devices you want to activate and they will simultaneously and immediately speak the message. Full step by step install instructions are included.

https://github.com/sleuth255/alexa-speaks

note: early code release so there may be bumps. Follow this thread for updates.

Updated! This code gives HCA control over your z-wave locks in SmartThings and also has Samsung Button support. Samsung Buttons are cool because they also report the ambient temperature!

You need to have already successfully performed the steps to link up HCA outbound control before trying this. Here's my library export that has the updated lock and button classes:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hzjv2w2fdq9u1z3/SmartThings.zip?dl=0

How to install: First, remove all programs from your SmartThings folder. Next, Download the zip file and unzip it to a temp folder. Now use Export/Import on the design ribbon to import the SmartThings.hclass file. The import will repopulate all of the programs in your SmartThings folder.

Next, start the Get Devices program and it should import your SmartThings devices including locks and buttons. You now have lock functionality! On = lock, Off=unlock. Get status returns On or Off depending on the lock state. You also have button functionality: Requesting status on a Samsung button will update the temperature displayed on its icon as well as it's device tag "ST_Temperature". You can use that tag in your programs to get the ambient temperature. I set Poll on my button to update temperature every 10 minutes. I also change Options on my button to show the icon background as ON then OFF.

If you have inbound notifications set up, make sure you run the program "#2 Setup for Event Reports" to re-link the updated Handle Events program to the inbound notification handler. With inbound notifications running, Lock state will automatically be updated when the locks are operated outside of HCA. Pressing a Samsung Button will update the device's temperature.

Enjoy!

I have been looking at 'Note's in my HCA log3 for a couple of months but unable to find the text content of the notes. I just booted up HCA client on a different screen and now I can see the text content of the notes; It says that HCA is rebooting from a computer 'power outage' every night at almost exactly 327am. I am more of a MacOS guy. Does anyone know if I could have accidentally set my windows HCA server computer to shutdown every night at the same time? Or is this an HCA action or problem?

HCA Cloud outage. Due to denial of service attack on the cloud host.

This is one of the reasons I do not want my home control to rely on internet or cloud services.

Also, this is why I am more interested in Hubitat to add Z-Wave going forward than any of the new HCA connections that will rely on internet connectivity and remote sites being operational.

What do you think?

Hey everyone:

With the release of V16 I thought I would go over a few of the major features included in the new version.

There is a new method for connecting to your server from the cloud that does not require port forwarding.

Email can be received by the server (for IFTTT)

ZWave through Smartthings and Hubitat is rolling out. Not everything is supported (yet) but more stuff is being added.

New Clients for different phones.

Lots of other things here is a link to the release notes:

https://homecontrolassistant.com/download/V16/ReleaseNotes.pdf

I found many online Forum posts from people with X10 systems (not HCA based), and their 1132Cu has died, and they are wondering if the 2413/14 is what they should try, which I’ve found is a bad idea as the current 2413/14's are Insteon focused and do a terrible job with X10. I’ve seen no suggestions about going “Back” to the earlier technology of the CM11 with a USB to Serial adapter, probably because their control software doesn’t work with the CM11. NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE TOTALLY AWSOME HCA WHICH DOES X10 PERFECTLY WITH THE CM11!!!.

The 1132cu is rarely found, and always USED, on EBay. However, the CM11 I recently purchased from an online retailer definitely appears to be newly/flawlessly manufactured, https://thex10shop.com/products/x10-genuine-cm11a-activehome-serial-computer-interface-pre-cm15a ($29!), and even has a “warrantee voided if opened” sticker that would be torn if you tried to open it up. (The retailer has confirmed the CM11s listed for sale are NEW, and from a batch of 1800 that were built years ago as a special order.)

Speaking of that, the X10.com CM15 that I have used for over 10 years has never failed, is working concurrently with HCA, see my system diagram here: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AtOSsBq4n5Uxg7ZCfpS9DPTlpdZFJw?e=dAcAB6 (I am running the CM15 in parallel with the 1132 as I transition my lighting control/scene programs from AHP to HCA, but I've also found that I can use AHP+CM15's "Tools>Activity Monitor" to get a usefull look at the X10 actually being sent by HCA.) In general ALL of the X10 devices with the exception of Motion Floodlights are available right now NEW online. And with HCA’s integration with RING FLOODLIGHT CAM, HCA can integrate an X10 Lighting system with RING cameras (not to mention all the other Cloud Services that can be integrated with X10 Lighting by HCA! See the diagram for a list of Cloud Services)

So, the idea that there are no new HCA X10 interface devices, (or other X10 devices) available NEW right now, is not really the case with the Awesome HCA’s support of CM11. The rumors of X10’s death are exaggerated, X10 is NOT dead, and HCA’s support of it with CM11 is very cool/Important.

HCA has a competitive advantage: it is the only modern software in production that supports the CM11, and by implication the only modern software that properly supports X10 (ISY only supports 2413/14 S, as X10 interrface which are Insteon focused, crappy, I think are unreliable for much of X10). Thus HCA is also the only software that properly integrates an X10 lighting with all the modern Cloud Services! You do need a USB to serial adapter to use the CM11 with HCA, but there are dozens of USB to Serial adapters for sale on Amazon--This the highly rated one I got on amazon for $9.00. Easy to install and works fine. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IDSM6BW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

See the diagram of my HCA X10 Lighting System here https://1drv.ms/b/s!AtOSsBq4n5Uxg7ZCfpS9DPTlpdZFJw?e=dAcAB6

Just payed for v16 on PayPal. I am ready to finally get my z-wave devices integrated with HCA!!!!

I'm preparing to integrate my August locks into HCA using Z-Wave and don't want to re-invent the wheel here...

I have a simple setup. I have an Insteon Switch, 2466S which controls an electric natural gas valve (GAS). Works great at the physical switch and also from within HCA. It's status within HCA is live and correct.
Tonight, I added an Insteon Keypad 2334-232. Within HCA, the keypad added fine and it operates it's local load (lamp) properly and within HCA I can see the status of the local load. In HCA, I added BUTTON C of the Keypad as an on and an off trigger for GAS. I also went to the Keypad in HCA and in the LINKING RIBBON, I selected the top option for BUTTON C, Keypad Link to HCA. Once this step was completed, the Keypad button C will turn the GAS on or off and the status light for button C lights accordingly. Here's my problem:
If I turn the GAS on or off at the 2466S switch, OR from within HCA client, the GAS operates fine but the status LED for button C does not turn on or off .... vice versa. So, I can turn the GAS on at the keypad by pressing button C. But if I use the client to turn the GAS off, the light on the keypad is still illuminated. It won't display the true status.
I have tried both linking options for the Keypad, one at a time for button C and then both at the same time. I have turned on the option in the INSTEON tab to send the same command to responders.
Do I have to program the Keypad or did I do or miss a step within HCA? Again, I just want button C to be on with the GAS is on, and off when it's off. Regardless if I used the client, the keypad or the 2466S switch itself. Thank you!

Has anyone out there found a way to get a temp reading remotely? I need to monitor temperature in a shed that has no AC power. I have Ecobee thermostat and remote sensors, but I'm not sure those sensors will work at extreme low temperatures and I'm not convinced the thermostat will completely ignore a sensor if I want it to, given all its smart features.

There are a few multipurpose sensors out there, but I haven't found one that will work with HCA. I already have X10, Insteon, and Z-wave set up - but HCA's z-wave support is only with Vizia-RF compatible devices, which eliminates quite a few out there.

I do have an old Venstar thermostat and outdoor sensors that work with it - but I'm not sure I can use any of that without the thermostat being in active use. (I'm wondering if I can power the thermostat indoors without connecting it to HVAC and use it to access the outdoor sensor - this worked previously when I was using it as my actual thermostat).