Kira IR Receiver and Transmitter Plugins

Plugins & Plugin Development General Plugin Discussion
241
I shall continue to think about this.

One possible solution is for me to replace KiraTx by adding a Transmit Only option to KiraRT. This would allow you to have two KiraRTs set to the same port but only one would receive. Both would be able to transmit to their respective Kira modules. I am still trying to think of a way the Transmit Only device could learn codes…

242

Thanks you Rex!

I went back to pre KiraRT backup. Just the Kira Rx and Tx plugins.
I changed the living Rx and Tx to an unused port to make them inop.
I installed the new KiraRT and set the IP and port number to match the old living Rx and Tx.
I left the bedroom Tx unchanged using the same port number as the living new KiraRT.
I have updated some of the triggers and so far I think this will work OK. The living KiraRT gets the codes from both rooms and the bedroom KiraTx sends codes.

Thanks again! Mark

243

Thanks for the update, Mark. Let me know if you run into any problems. I’ll continue to think about alternatives.

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Thanks again!

I am still trying to think of a way the Transmit Only device could learn codes...

I used your tool to convert the existing codes to KiraRT. No need to learn any new codes. If I wanted to learn new codes I could use the first instance of KiraRT and copy the learned code into the second instance of KiraRT that was operating as a KiraTx only.

Thank you, Mark

245

I completed updating my code to work with the KiraRT. All of my living and bedroom codes are being received with KiraRT. The KiraRT in the living room sends codes correctly. The KiraTx in the bedroom transmits codes as before. All good! Thank you Rex! I removed the living Rx and Tx plugins along with the old living codes. After a fair amount of testing I am confident that your new plugin is solid!

Thank you for taming this one. :wink:

Mark

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After a fair amount of testing I am confident that your new plugin is solid!

Thanks for being the test-pilot, Mark.

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@MarkAgain
You should add an App Store Review.

248

I have tried several times to add a review. Nothing happens when I push the add review button. Tried with Firefox and IE.

249

I think you have to be logged in … if you are on UI7 you can’t login.
(Need a UI5 Login)

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I was logged in and I am using UI5. I have posted a review before without any trouble.

Mark

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Maybe they are starting to move the APP store to UI7 …

252

Mark, I know you just went through a bunch of changes to get KiraRT working but would you be up for testing the Transmit-Only option?

The idea is that, by adding TXO to the options, KiraRT will behave rather like KiraTx. You can therefore set the ip attribute to the IP address and port of your second Kira. When you create the second KiraRT it will announce that it cannot bind to the port. If you add ,TXO to the Options variable and restart, it should stop complaining and work as you want.

You can save yourself some effort if you make a copy of your existing KiraRT codes backup (/etc/KiraRTnn.xml) and change the number nn to that of your new KiraRT device. That will allow you to restore it to the new device.

The change is just in the Implementation file (attached). I shall not re-release the plugin until (a) we’ve got it working in your application and (b) you and other users have had time to find any other problems.

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Be happy to try it tomorrow or Tuesday. I will post as soon as I have accurate information. :slight_smile:

Thanks again, Mark

254

[quote=“MarkAgain, post:253, topic:175170”]Be happy to try it tomorrow or Tuesday. I will post as soon as I have accurate information. :slight_smile:

Thanks again, Mark[/quote]

OK, Mark, there is no rush. Whenever you have the time and the inclination. I shall sponsor you for a Brian Trubshaw award (Britain’s Chief Test Pilot for Concord, famous for his cool approach to the task of taking-off in something that had only previously been tested on paper). ;D

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Good engineering and design makes it easy to fly. Way too much credit by the way. ;D

When I first tried the second instance of the plugin I had some trouble. I tried to make all changes at once (set IP, port, TXO). Couldn’t see the Option variable at all. I finally got it to work after trying a few things. Should have followed instructions. This is what you get when you try to shortcut.

I went back to my KiraRT - Tx backup.
Removed the bedroom Tx with http://<Vera_IP>:3480/data_request?id=device&action=delete&device=<device_ID>
Refresh.
Added the second instance of KiraRT.
Refresh
Uploaded your new XML file.
Refresh
Set IP and Port.
Refresh - showed expected error.
Set TXO
Refresh - no error.
Restored bedroom codes (allready converted to TX with your tool when I started the original TX install).

After some testing I think you have done it! :smiley:

I have noticed something else that is worth mentioning. This might not be the best place but, I thought I should share it. When a code is sent to a device that doesn’t work every time the code might not be perfect. However if the same code is sent a second time just 500ms later it will work just about every time. It is as if the first code wakes all the devices up and the second is recognized by the device that you are sending the code to.

Thank you Rex! Wish I about 5,500 miles closer so I could take you to lunch!

Mark

256

Many thanks, Mark. Sorry I ruined your shortcut setup - Until there is a valid ip setting, I don’t create the Options variable.

That’s an interesting discovery about the second send. I have met some IR-controlled devices that only respond to codes that are repeated two or three times but that would normally only work if they were in quick succession.

Please let me know if you encounter any problems. Thanks again for disturbing your working system to test KiraRT.

257

Can anyone provide a walkthrough of how to use this with the Logitech Harmony Hub? I’m not even sure where to start.

258

There is a new version of KiraRT in the App Store. V1.1 adds the TXO option which is discussed a few posts above this.

The TXO option is only useful if you have multiple Kira modules and want to have one KiraRT device handle all received IR codes but also be able to send codes through the individual modules.

You can do this by configuring the Kira modules to have unique IP addresses but the same port number. The master KiraRT device is set to the most appropriate IP address (to which it can send codes) and the single port number. The transmit-only KiraRT devices are set to the IP address and port of the module through which they should send codes and have the TXO option set in the Options variable.

Until you have set the TXO option, KiraRT will display an error message during restart. Once you have set TXO, the error message should not appear.

A transmit-only KiraRT device cannot receive IR codes so also cannot learn them. It can still import them, though, so you can copy them from the master device. You could also make a copy of the master device’s IR code backup file (/etc/KiraRTNNN.xml where NNN is the device ID), change the device ID to that of the new device and then restore it.

If KiraRT does not update automatically, enter the following browser command replacing with the IP address of your Vera:

<veraip>:3480/data_request?id=update_plugin&Plugin=8176

On UI7 it will require an additional restart and refresh before the UI is displayed correctly.

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@tp546, I don’t know about any special requirements for the Harmony Hub. The KiraRT plugin, in combination with the Keene IR Anywhere (Kira) module, can learn, recognize and send IR codes from most types of IR remote.

I created a dummy device on my Harmony 1100 and used the Harmony setup application to learn the code for each of its buttons from a redundant remote. I included the dummy device in each of my Harmony scenes with the appropriate buttons selected.

Then I used the KiraRT plugin to learn the dummy device’s button codes from the Harmony and saved them with appropriate names.

Finally I set up Vera scenes and PLEG logic triggered by KiraRT recognizing the named codes. If necessary, Vera can also send the named codes from scenes or PLEG using the SendIRCode action.

Instructions for KiraRT are available here.

See http://www.keene.co.uk/infra-red/ir-distribution-extenders/ir-over-ip/keene-ir-anywhere-single-worldwide.html for more information on the Kira module.

It has been reported that Xantech’s XLIP200 module is similar to Kira and compatible with the plugins. I don’t have access to one of these so I have not been able to test it.

260

How exactly do you do this part?