Caddx/GE/NetworX NX-584/NX-8E Security System Jumper Wires

Plugins & Plugin Development Unmaintained
1

Hello,

This seems like a great fourm with alot of smart people. I am very new to all of this and was wondering if someone could help me connect my NX-8E to Vera3 via usb. I bought a 9-pin Rs232 to USB adapter but I cannot get Vera to talk to the NX-8E. From reading the fourm I think it has something to do with the “jumpers”?

Is there a serial to USB adapter that I can buy that will allow vera and NX-8E to talk?

Thank you for all of your help.

2

First read: PhysicalConnection – GE Caddx Networx NX-584 NX-8E Alarm Plugin

Then read: http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,14295.0.html

Then tell us where you are stuck.

There is a wealth of information in this forum, and many posts about the physical connection. Do read them because you are probably having a similar experience.

3

futzle,

Thank you very much for your reply. I have read these before. Where I am stuck is the part that says, “adjust the jumpers on the NX-584/NX-8E board to make it swap RX and TX pins and RTS and CTS pins”. I am not sure what this means. I have the NX-584 board add on that I have added to my NX-6.

4

An installation guide should have come with the NX-584. If not you can download it (here is one place: http://download.homesecuritystore.com/downloadmanual.aspx?FileName=NX-584_Install.pdf). It has a picture on page 4.

A jumper is a set of closely-spaced metal pins that poke out from the PCB. You bridge some of the pins with an easy-to-lose plastic connector. Doing so changes the behaviour of the board in some way. In the case of the NX-584, it reverses the sense of the RS-232 Transmit and Receive pins, effectively the same job as a null modem cable. You either need, or don’t need, to change these from their default settings, depending on if you have a null modem cable in your connection chain. My experience is that most users don’t know if Receive/Transmit are reversed or not, but since there are only two valid configurations you can play Swap Them And See.

Don’t, really don’t, just plug it all in and hope it works. It won’t, unless you are both experienced and lucky. There are too many things to misconfigure. Bypass the Vera and connect a real computer connected to the serial line, and make sure you get valid data first. Then you can think about installing the plugin. You can refer to the myriad of other forum posts in this section of the forum for the specifics.

5

Thanks!!

I want to read the output from the NX-584 on my computer. I downloaded Putty and plugged the USB adapter into my computer but I dont know how to read the USB in Putty. Is this possible?

6

Yes it is. This is not a question about the plugin, nor even a question about Vera, so you will get your best answer by googling.

7

I switched the jumpers from A to B and vera connected and was able to talk with the NX-584!!! Thank you for all of your help. I now have each of my zones as sensors!!! I can see when a door is opened!!

I am unable to arm the system. I can press arm from partition and the alarm system will beep but it wont arm. Do you know why this could be? Also, if I arm the system from the control panel I cannot disarm the unit from Vera.

8

Assuming you are talking “quick arm” without a PIN. Have you enabled the bit “Secondary Keypad Function”?

On some panels (mine is one) you can away-arm by pressing the Stay button on the dashboard. This is, of course, wrong but I’ve never figured out what causes this divergence from the leaked specification.

Also, if I arm the system from the control panel I cannot disarm the unit from Vera.

Most commonly this is because you didn’t enable the bit “Primary Keypad Function with PIN”, which is off by default.

Visit the Configure tab of the plugin and see if those checkboxes are on or off. If they are off, you will have to go back to your alarm keypad and enable those features.

Edit: Take a look at the recent conversation that ke2nny and I were having. Same symptoms, perhaps same fix.

9

Thank you for you reply.

I enabled the “Secondary Keypad Function” and the “Primary Keypad Function with PIN” and I still cannot disarm. I can also not arm without inputting a pin. When I click arm from the partition the in home keypad will beep but that’s it. My goal is to arm and disarm from an iPhone via a app. I have the HomeWave app and it lets me control the Partition. I have attached my Configure panel. Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

10

Please confirm that this is also the case when you use the Vera’s dashboard web interface directly.

I can also not arm without inputting a pin.

Discussed above. I will be more explicit about what I expected you to do: choose “Stay” instead of “Arm”. What happens? Again, use the Vera web interface to ensure that HomeWave is not confounding things.

11

From Vera’s dashboard web interface directly I press “Arm” and the home keypad will beep once and then not arm. If I press stay no sound and nothing happens.

I have also tried creating a scene to arm it and the same thing happens.

If I go to the setting (wrench) of the Partition and type in the code and press “arm” it will arm. If then type in the code and press “Disarm” it will disarm.

If I go to the setting (wrench) of the Partition and type in the code and press “stay” nothing happens.

THANKS

12

Thanks ttam31. So can I summarize?

With a PIN, Arm and Disarm work from the Dashboard, but not from HomeWave. Then there is an issue inside of HomeWave. You and I can work with the developer of HomeWave to address this.

Without a PIN, neither Arm nor Stay have any effect on the armed status. You and I can address that by ourselves. I will need you to enable “Debug to Luup log” and capture a log while you press “Arm”.

Edit: sanity check. Ignore the Vera and think just about your keypad. (1) Does the Stay/Partial feature work when you use the keypad? It can be disabled, but normally isn’t. (2) Does arm-without-PIN work from the keypad? Again, it can be disabled. I want to be sure that hasn’t happened.

13

Good thinking. Thank you.

The “stay” function was not enabled. I enabled it from the home key pad and I can now arm the system from the dashboard using arm and stay and with the Iphone app (HomeWave). I cannot seem to control a partition in other apps like Vera Mobile or Ivera Free.