Devices Layout - Suggestions

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rhett7660
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Devices Layout - Suggestions

Post by rhett7660 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:08 am

Hello,

I am very new to Demopad and was looking for some guidance on how I should layout my Devices folder:

Currently it looks like the following:

Devices
-GC-100-12
--Commands

But I was wondering if the system will still work if I do the following:

Devices
--GC-100-12
--Tv
---Commands
--Receiver
---Commands

The reason behind this thinking is because the GC-100-12 has all of my IR repeaters and blasters associated to it. I am only using 5 of them.

Any advice is welcome.
Thanks

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Re: Devices Layout - Suggestions

Post by DemoPad » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:28 am

A device in the software is a single IP destination for the commands - a combination of IP address and port. So the only device you should have for all your GC-100 IR equipment is the GC-100 itself. You can organise your equipment commands within that device using command folders.

Note the GC-100 only allows 1 client connection to it at once, so having multiple devices in the software with the same IP address / port will not work.

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rhett7660
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Re: Devices Layout - Suggestions

Post by rhett7660 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:38 pm

DemoPad wrote:
Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:28 am
A device in the software is a single IP destination for the commands - a combination of IP address and port. So the only device you should have for all your GC-100 IR equipment is the GC-100 itself. You can organise your equipment commands within that device using command folders.

Note the GC-100 only allows 1 client connection to it at once, so having multiple devices in the software with the same IP address / port will not work.
I just want to make sure I understand you correctly regarding the bolded part.

If I am using the same IP address but different ports for the IR Sensors, I should be ok correct? From what I read, it would look something like this:

sendir,1:1,1,38000
sendir,1:2,1,38000
etc

That will work correct? But if I have say a splitter IR sensor, meaning one input but two to three sensors off that one input I would run into trouble.

So far I have a one to one, no splitters. Hopefully this will work.

For my folder structure it would look something like this then:

Devices
GC-100-12
-Commands
--Receiver
--TV
--Blu-Ray
--Cable
--AppleTV

Correct?

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Re: Devices Layout - Suggestions

Post by DemoPad » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:00 pm

Correct. 1 device in the devices tree view for all the GC-100 IR ports. Within the GC-100 device, have all your IR commands, to the different IR output ports, and it is convenient, but not essential, to put them in their own command folders.

If you were using the serial RS232 port of the GC-100 as well, you'd need another IP device, as it operates on port 4999.

Not entirely sure what you mean by the splitter comment - the equipment plugged in to the IR output port of the GC-100 has no bearing on the IP commands. The single client limitation is referring to how many network devices can establish an IP connection to it. If you had 2 devices in the software pointing to the same IP address, the app would try to establish 2 separate IP connections to it - which the GC-100 would not allow.

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rhett7660
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Re: Devices Layout - Suggestions

Post by rhett7660 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:40 pm

DemoPad wrote:
Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:00 pm
Correct. 1 device in the devices tree view for all the GC-100 IR ports. Within the GC-100 device, have all your IR commands, to the different IR output ports, and it is convenient, but not essential, to put them in their own command folders.

If you were using the serial RS232 port of the GC-100 as well, you'd need another IP device, as it operates on port 4999.

Not entirely sure what you mean by the splitter comment - the equipment plugged in to the IR output port of the GC-100 has no bearing on the IP commands. The single client limitation is referring to how many network devices can establish an IP connection to it. If you had 2 devices in the software pointing to the same IP address, the app would try to establish 2 separate IP connections to it - which the GC-100 would not allow.
Ahhhh, ok, I think I understand re: IP versus the IR Sensors. I was referring to something along these lines regarding the IR splitter:

http://getirule.com/product/global-cach ... r-emitter/

It allowed you to have more than one device IR sensor per IR port. So I could control three devices from one IP port.

But this is different than what you are talking about, if I am using more than one IP address to control my devices,

For example:

IP to control TV
IP to control Receiver
IP to control Blu-Ray player
versus
IR to control TV
IR to control Receiver
IR to control Blu-Ray Player

If I try the IP via GC it will run into issues versus using the IR ports. Correct?

Sorry if this sound elementary, but I am coming at this as never worked with the software and trying to figure it out.

Thank you again.

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Re: Devices Layout - Suggestions

Post by DemoPad » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:47 pm

No worries -

The GC-100 cannot control anything via IP. It controls things via infra-red, RS232 or relay, depending on the model.

It is however controlled via IP, on port 4998, and you can send it IP commands from our app. The command can instruct it to emit an infra-red code out of any of its Infra-Red outputs. By changing the command itself, you can determine what the IR code is, and what IR output it comes out of. There is nothing to stop you using the same IR output to control several devices, as long as the IR is within line of sight of the devices, and the signal was powerful enough (which is where you might have issues with a splitter). Another command, sent to the same IP address/port might instruct it to close one of its relays outputs for example.

In the scenario you describe, if you wanted to control a TV, receiver and bluray via IP, then each of those devices would have an IP address / port to communicate on, and each would be set up as a separate device in our software. The app would then communicate with each separately. The GC-100 would not be involved.

The GC-100 is like any other device which is controlled via IP - it has an IP address, communication port (4998 for IR), and you can send it commands. It just happens to convert some of those commands into IR & determine which IR output to use. The GC-100, like some other devices, only allows 1 client connection (eg our app running on an iPad) to connect to it at any given time. So the problem would be if you had several iPads all wanting to send commands to the GC-100 at the same time. Or if you told the app to establish separate IP connections by entering the GC-100 device more than once in the device list.

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rhett7660
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Re: Devices Layout - Suggestions

Post by rhett7660 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:55 pm

DemoPad wrote:
Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:47 pm
No worries -

The GC-100 cannot control anything via IP. It controls things via infra-red, RS232 or relay, depending on the model.

It is however controlled via IP, on port 4998, and you can send it IP commands from our app. The command can instruct it to emit an infra-red code out of any of its Infra-Red outputs. By changing the command itself, you can determine what the IR code is, and what IR output it comes out of. There is nothing to stop you using the same IR output to control several devices, as long as the IR is within line of sight of the devices, and the signal was powerful enough (which is where you might have issues with a splitter). Another command, sent to the same IP address/port might instruct it to close one of its relays outputs for example.

In the scenario you describe, if you wanted to control a TV, receiver and bluray via IP, then each of those devices would have an IP address / port to communicate on, and each would be set up as a separate device in our software. The app would then communicate with each separately. The GC-100 would not be involved.

The GC-100 is like any other device which is controlled via IP - it has an IP address, communication port (4998 for IR), and you can send it commands. It just happens to convert some of those commands into IR & determine which IR output to use. The GC-100, like some other devices, only allows 1 client connection (eg our app running on an iPad) to connect to it at any given time. So the problem would be if you had several iPads all wanting to send commands to the GC-100 at the same time. Or if you told the app to establish separate IP connections by entering the GC-100 device more than once in the device list.
Correction on my part IR, not IP. Sorry about that.

And ok, I understand now. Thank you very much for the explanation and I am only using one iPad to control everything with. Ok, I understand now.

Last question, my folder structure for devices, would you recommend this:

Devices
GC-100-12
-Commands
--Receiver
--TV
--Blu-Ray
--Cable
--AppleTV


Again thank you very much!!!!!

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Re: Devices Layout - Suggestions

Post by DemoPad » Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:11 pm

When you create a device, you are given a command folder called 'Commands'. Recommend you rename this, and add further command folders, one for each of your piece of equipment, just to keep them organised:

In the screenshot, I've added some AppleTV commands, using the command prefix which keeps all commands within a device unique (which is a requirement)
Screen Shot 2018-01-17 at 22.09.55.png
Devices
-GC-100-12
--Receiver
--TV
--Blu-Ray
--Cable
--AppleTV
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

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rhett7660
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Re: Devices Layout - Suggestions

Post by rhett7660 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:16 pm

DemoPad wrote:
Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:11 pm
When you create a device, you are given a command folder called 'Commands'. Recommend you rename this, and add further command folders, one for each of your piece of equipment, just to keep them organised:

In the screenshot, I've added some AppleTV commands, using the command prefix which keeps all commands within a device unique (which is a requirement)

Screen Shot 2018-01-17 at 22.09.55.png

Devices
-GC-100-12
--Receiver
--TV
--Blu-Ray
--Cable
--AppleTV
That is exactly what I was looking for along with the explanation! Great!!!

Again, thank you very much!!!

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