Description:

This driver provides basic controls for the SmartHome INSTEON™ PowerLinc Modem (PLM) controller model 2412S http://www.smarthome.com/2412s.html. INSTEON™ is a powerful, wireless home-control networking technology that simply, affordably and reliably integrates systems in the home for improved comfort, safety, convenience and value.

This driver provides the following functionality:

• Bidirectional direct communication to INSTEON™ & X10 modules

• Supports sending INSTEON™ groups (scenes) commands & X10 All Lights On/Off

• Automatic update of module status (when devices are linked to PLM)

• Configurable polling for each module defined in the configuration file from 1 to 60 minutes (used for X10 and INSTEON™ devices not linked to the PLM)

• Optionally will automagically link modules to the PLM (allows for push updates instead of polling

• Creates read/write driver fields for each module defined in the configuration file supporting both dimmable (0-100%) and non-dimmable true/false)

• Adding and removing INSTEON™ modules from groups (scenes) through "tap-tap" linking

 Quirks and Limitations:

There is basic X10 support in the driver for users that have a mixed environment. The X10 support is not as robust or full featured as for INSTEON™ devices and can degrade performance especially when polling.

This driver does not provide INSTEON™ device management.

The driver will download the link table from each module in the configuration file the first time it starts and each time it detects a change has been made. The links are persisted in the LINKS.DAT file. You can watch the progress by checking the driver Status field which will show the Poll Load percent decrease to zero upon completion.

This driver does not do any form of device discovery. All modules to be controlled must be configured through the configuration files (see the section below on configuration files).

You can add and remove INSTEON™ modules to and from a defined scene/group from the driver. Simply use the field browser to find the scene name (each scene will be listed as a field) and select the option "Add Module" or "Remove Module". When you do this, the LED on the PLM will begin to blink. Go to the physical module you wish to add or remove from the scene/group and push the button for 10 seconds (the same way you would link a switch to another device). Wait for the Poll Load value in the driver status field to return to zero before linking another module.

 Connection Details

The driver connects through a serial connection to the PLM. You must specify which serial port during setup. It is possible to use USB to Serial converters such as the Keyspan USB to serial device or Rosewill RCW-601.

 Configuration Files

There are two configuration files that should be created to use the functionality surfaced in this driver. They should be placed in the CQCData\MacroFileRoot\INSTEON folder (you will need to create the INSTEON folder). The DEVICES.TXT file contains a list of INSTEON™ device addresses (found on the label for each device) and a name that is to be used for that device. The names are used as CQC field names and must confirm to the constraints of field names (e.g. a single word, no special characters etc.) and must NOT be duplicated.

Additional options may be added after the name of the X10 or INSTEON™ module to change the default behavior:

• NoPoll    Indicates this is an X10 device that does not respond to polling requests. Commonly used with One-Way X10 devices.
• NoDim    Indicates this is an X10 or INSTEON™ non-dimmable device (on/off)

Example:

04.00.01=MyLamp
04.00.02=MyAppliance,NoDim
04.00.03=BedroomLamp
A5=My2WayX10Device
B6=MyOneWayX10Device,NoPoll

The SCENES.TXT is an optional file (only required if you wish to use groups/scenes) and contains a list of group numbers (from 2 through 254, 1 and 255 are reserved) and a name that is to be used for that device. The names must NOT be duplicated.

Example:

2=Downstairs 
3=Pool

The driver will automatically create and maintain a third data file in the directory (links.dat) containing the downloaded link table for each module. This file should not be modified. If the file is deleted, the driver will re-download and recreate it.

 Driver Fields

This section lists the fields that the driver makes available, their types, minimum and maximum values, etc...

Name	Type	R/W	Description/Limits
ReloadConfig	Boolean	W	Writing true to this field will cause the driver to reload the contents of the DEVICES.TXT and SCENES.TXT files.
PollModules	Boolean	W	Writing true to this field will cause the driver to immediate start a new poll of all modules in the DEVICES.TXT file to establish the identification, current level and link table delta of each module and update the driver fields.
Status	String	R	This field is populated with the firmware version and device ID of the controller at startup. It is updated with the poll load percent (indicating how many modules are waiting to be polled for status) and the calculated latency for the last device command (the time it took to send the command and get back a response from the module). You can lower the latency by setting the Hop Level in the driver configuration to a lower value.
FastOn	String	W	This field contains a list of all the modules in the DEVICES.TXT file and will send the FastOn command to the module selected. The module should turn on immediately without the normal ramp time.
FastOff	String	W	This field contains a list of all the modules in the DEVICES.TXT file and will send the FastOff command to the module selected. The module should turn off immediately without the normal ramp time.
RampUp RampDown	String	W	This field contains a list of all the modules in the DEVICES.TXT file and will send the StartManualChange for dimming or brightening command to the module selected. The module will then start dimming or brightening until a StopChange command is set. This is designed to be used with the CQC “OnPush” and “OnRelease” events for buttons to simulate a real controller. During this time the driver field value for the device will not be updated.
RampStop	String	W	This field contains a list of all the modules in the DEVICES.TXT file and will send the StopManualChange for dimming or brightening command to the module selected. The module will then stop dimming or brightening. The driver will automatically query the status for the module after the completion of this command and update the driver field.
SCENE NAME	String	W	This driver will create a field for each scene/group listed in the SCENES.TXT file. This field will show the set of scene operations (On, Off, Fast On, Fast Off, RampUp, RampDown, RampStop) along with Add Module and Remove Module.
MODULE NAME	Card or Boolean	R/W	The driver will create a field for each module listed in the DEVICES.TXT file. This field will show the current device level in percent (0% = Off, 100% = On). Changes to the field will be immediately sent as level change commands to the appropriate device and upon confirmation from the module will update the driver field with the new value. The value will also be automatically updated during polling cycles.
X10AllLightsOn	String	W	This field only appears if X10 devices have been defined in the configuration file and will allow you to choose which house code to send an X10 All Lights On command to.
X10AllLightsOff	String	W	This field only appears if X10 devices have been defined in the configuration file and will allow you to choose which house code to send an X10 All Lights Off command to.