I noticed that some users like 325xi seem to have good experience with the BAFO DX SKU 5947. I purchased a couple of them, and are having some issues. The adapter does not appear in vera’s web UI, but is somehow recognized by vera, as dmesg shows this:
+hub.c: new USB device 00:03.0-1.1, assigned address 7
+usb.c: kmalloc IF 8125a440, numif 1
+usb.c: new device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
+usb.c: USB device number 7 default language ID 0x409
+Manufacturer: Prolific Technology Inc.
+Product: USB-Serial Controller
+usbserial.c: PL-2303 converter detected
+usbserial.c: PL-2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0 (or usb/tts/0 for devfs)
+usb.c: serial driver claimed interface 8125a440
+usb.c: kusbd: /sbin/hotplug-call add 7
hub.c: port 2, portstatus 103, change 0, 12 Mb/s
From your email yesterday it sounds like you addressed this by adding the entry into the [tt]serproxy.ports[/tt] file. Please post again if this isn’t the case.
For some background…
The [tt]serproxy[/tt] module is a Vera-specific Linux program that Vera uses to “detect” the USB devices being plugged in, and configure (add, remove) Serial Port entries in Vera’s UI. It runs in the background and automatically manages the Lifecycle of these entries in Vera. Most people don’t need to know this exists as, well, “it just works” 8)
Internally, [tt]serproxy[/tt] “wrappers” (Launches) [tt]ser2net[/tt], which is a standard/open-source module that actually does the Ethernet-to-Serial Proxying work, including establishing Baud rates, etc.
[tt]serproxy[/tt] will effectively restart [tt]ser2net[/tt] each time someone plugs-in, or removes, a USB-attached Serial port.
I was planning to write a summary for the forum, but wanted to wait until I had tried the steps a couple of times to make sure they are correct. At some point Vera may be able to recognize the BAFO USB to serial adapter and have it display in Vera’s WEB without hacking via SSH, but for now this seems to be required. The steps below describes all sections and can be used for users even if they have no clue what SSH actually is
Set SSH password: From Vera control panel
Advanced–>Net & wifi–>Advanced configuration
This gives a page of the router login. Here you are prompted to create a root password. Set that (twice)
In Vera’s web UI select Devices–>Luup plugins–>Serial Port configuration
Now the serial adapter will display with a set of configurable parameters like baudraate etc. and some prefilled parameters like
* name=“pl2303’”
* device number = “usb-00:03.0-1.1” (or similar)
The adapter also as a parameter with a pop-down box called: “use this device with”. Don’t change this yet, as we need to install the luup application we want to use with the serial port fist
As a side comment, not related to the subject on this thread - in case you want to use the Somfy blind controller interface - then I wanted to highlight the importance of following every single part of the steps here http://wiki.micasaverde.com/index.php/Somfy_Plugin
The trick here is, that the deafault value in the somfy controller plugin for the “Urtsild” parameter is not correct. The steps to make it correct is covered in detail in the tutorial on the wiki above. Obviously this require the serial port to be configurable through the web UI which my first post covers in the beginning.
I only hope that some beautiful day I’ll upgrade FW and will see an easy way to add serial ports and download serial adapters configs in actually user-friendly way… No, stop dreaming, start working…
Personally I’d be happy with CJ completing the list he set out in the sticky thread on Serial ports At this point it’s more of “the path well taken” for anyone that’s wanting to try this without hurt.
It the BAFO’s require manual steps, can you update the Wiki to specifically indicate that? I think we’ll want to drive folks to one of a smaller set of [cheap] models that work, and warn them about the pitfalls for all other models.
I’ll have to remember what I did then… Couldn’t run a cable from second floor to basement, and so being unable to do serial over wifi I eventually had to hibernate that project altogether…
[quote=“nanckekr, post:3, topic:165402”] 3. Enable the FABO USB to serial adapter, via SSH:
1. echo "vendor:067b product:2303" >> /etc/cmh/serproxy.ports[/quote]
