Large scale residential remote access

joec

Hello all,
I was just wondering how the installers are managing large residential complexes (MDU) remote access to the homeowners?

Without going the Amenities solution, is meeting manager really up to the task for the homeowner to check in on their home adjust lights, temps and security status?

How exactly would the homeowners log in?

TurnipTruck

Would this be a single home in the MDU?

Probably would be best to have them VNC into a G4 panel.

joec

TurnipTruck wrote:

Would this be a single home in the MDU?

Probably would be best to have them VNC into a G4 panel.

Thanks Turnip.

Yes I am looking for ways other than Amenities for the homeowner to access their individual residence within the MDU. I would think there has to be a better way than setting up VNC for each residence. I am looking for a webpage type interface that all homeowners can browse to , display a login / pasword prompt and based on the userid, the user is instantly connected to there touchpanel.

I was told that meeting manager is what AMX offers for this, but it looks very commercial like and residential unfriendly..

GSLogic

I think not having a FAST web interface to G4 panels this is one of the biggest short comings of AMX. They need to create an easy setup and/or supply us an easy access to create our own web interfaces to the master.

maxifox

A problem with AMX is lack of common interfaces, AMX is quite self-oriented. It is difficult to integrate AMX with a regular database - for example, try mysql, you need to invent the wheel (write your own odbc-like library and use a proxy)...

If we had such interfaces/APIs, one would easily write a web service to provide you with monitoring plus the history.

I beleive that lack of standard interfaces is the weakest point for AMX. For me, it is a shame to answer my customer that we cannot easily integrate AMX with a database in order to provide the system history (say, in a standard way, i-databasePlus or custom xml writing/reading solution are not counted - that requres a proxy). Not even saying about a web browser on the panel.

What I see on the market is that more and more feature rich, standard-oriented computer based systems are coming. Check for example, Pluto... AMX is still on the top of the market, but absense (or ignorance?) of standard interfaces is getting to be very inconvinient and would be a fatal in the future...

joec

I agree with the fact that more PC based systems are comming to the market more feature rich and easier to implement than AMX. I have looked at Homelogic as an example and it looked really good. I just cant seem to get myself to highly recommend a PC based system yet because of all of the years of frustration using them in automation.

maxifox wrote:

A problem with AMX is lack of common interfaces, AMX is quite self-oriented. It is difficult to integrate AMX with a regular database - for example, try mysql, you need to invent the wheel (write your own odbc-like library and use a proxy)...

If we had such interfaces/APIs, one would easily write a web service to provide you with monitoring plus the history.

I beleive that lack of standard interfaces is the weakest point for AMX. For me, it is a shame to answer my customer that we cannot easily integrate AMX with a database in order to provide the system history (say, in a standard way, i-databasePlus or custom xml writing/reading solution are not counted - that requres a proxy). Not even saying about a web browser on the panel.

What I see on the market is that more and more feature rich, standard-oriented computer based systems are coming. Check for example, Pluto... AMX is still on the top of the market, but absense (or ignorance?) of standard interfaces is getting to be very inconvinient and would be a fatal in the future...

joelw

maxifox wrote:

A problem with AMX is lack of common interfaces, AMX is quite self-oriented. It is difficult to integrate AMX with a regular database - for example, try mysql, you need to invent the wheel (write your own odbc-like library and use a proxy)...

If we had such interfaces/APIs, one would easily write a web service to provide you with monitoring plus the history.

With Duet you should be able to access MySQL via JDBC no problem.

If you need commercial support/assistance on the matter please don't hesitate to call me.

DHawthorne

I had always thought that Duet was intended to fill the gap somewhat for common control interfaces, but so far all I have seen in any quantity are "upgrades" of device modules to Duet, many of which that don't work as well as the NetLinx predecessor. It seems to me that something like this just cries out for a Java solution ... anyone want to step up to the plate?

maxifox

Joel, that is what I was wondering for so long time, asking questions on database connectivity here... If you are using Duet would you please tell whether did they include JDBC Optional Package for CDC/Foundation Profile (JSR-169) or it is something else (I have no Duet yet)?

What is the list of packages, especially optional ones?

Thanks in advance.

joelw

Duet currently supports CLDC 1.0.

For optional JDBC with CLDC see this:
http://developers.sun.com/techtopics/mobility/configurations/articles/cdc/jdbc/

"To support the JDBC optional package, a device must meet the requirements for CDC/Foundation, plus an additional 256KB of RAM and 256KB of ROM."

Remote Method Invocation is also supported my means of an optional package:
http://www.sun.com/software/communitysource/j2me/rmiop/index.xml

To what extent servlets are supported I don't know at the moment.
If any of the OSGI hooks are exposed I don't know at the moment either.
I understand the net classes have a custom flavor.

Once I spend some time researching this a bit deeper I'll post up an informational thread. Without looking at Duet (Eclipse with AMX plug-in) there is little to no information on the subject.

joelw

DHawthorne wrote:

anyone want to step up to the plate?

I will once I have my Duet license, I'm still waiting on it.