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Communicating with Netlinx from a wifi enabled PDA device.

JMadsenJMadsen Posts: 6
in AMX Technical Discussion
I?ve got a request to look into using a wifi PDA to control some aspects of a Netlinx NI3100 system. Basically the customer already has a TP (MVP8400) already but would like to be able to control a subset of the TP functionality from the PDA.
So I?m thinking this would involve writing a program for the PDA (probably in C or Java) that opens a TCP/IP connection to Netlinx and sends channel push commands, in effect emulating the actual TP, as I figure that would be the easiest solution. I guess the questions I have are how to go about this i.e.

1) To be able to emulate TP push commands I would need open a TCP/IP connection and use the ICSP protocol, right?
2) And if so are there any C/Java modules out there that I could use to do this so I don?t have to do the low level coding of ICSP of which I can?t seem find any documentation on anyways?
3) As a newbie I might be going about this all wrong and if so are there any better suggestions out there?

Any responses would be much appreciated,

J

Comments

  • ClingpeachClingpeach Posts: 156
    As an end user I cant give you all the correct info. I use this functionality from PALMVNC and VNC into my panels. It works but what i really want is functionality from either my old blackberry or my IPHONE...that would be the cherry.
  • jweatherjweather Posts: 320
    If the PDA supports VNC, you can indeed VNC to a G4 panel. If you're going to write a custom app for the PDA, you'll do better writing your own protocol and using an IP server on the AMX side, instead of trying to speak ICSP and actually emulating a touchpanel. The IP server can then process the incoming commands any way you want, as well as sending status information back.
  • JMadsenJMadsen Posts: 6
    The customer wants a different GUI to the TP so VNC is not an option for me. Granted it would have been a simpler solution...
  • ericmedleyericmedley Posts: 4,177
    JMadsen wrote:
    The customer wants a different GUI to the TP so VNC is not an option for me. Granted it would have been a simpler solution...

    If one could develope an interface using VBasic or whatnot. (or perhaps even Flash) that communicated vi IP, you'd be set. There have been some threads in this forum about creating such applets. Since the Netlinx master is fairly open-ended when it comes to IP communications, a person should be able to develope something. Security is a whole different issue.
  • JMadsenJMadsen Posts: 6
    jweather wrote:
    you'll do better writing your own protocol and using an IP server on the AMX side, instead of trying to speak ICSP and actually emulating a touchpanel.

    Would you be able to expand on how to create your own IP server or better yet point me in direction of some samples?
    The reason I wanted to just emulate the panel is that the Netlinx program for that is done and dusted so my thinking was that that would be the easiest. As mentioned previously I haven?t been able to dig up any useful information on ICSP so I don?t know how hard it would be to create client code to send the push commands ? I basically ?just? need the same functionality as the Netlinx Studio device emulator with a GUI on top?

    Thanks,

    J
  • Joe HebertJoe Hebert Posts: 2,159
    I remember reading a while back that GSLogic had success creating a Flash interface.
  • NMarkRobertsNMarkRoberts Posts: 455
    Coding for IP communication in Netlinx turns out to be much simpler than you might imagine.

    Take a look at this telnet server that I posted earlier today:

    http://www.amxforums.com/showthread.php?t=323
  • JMadsenJMadsen Posts: 6
    Yep I do believe that will do the trick nicely!

    Thanks again!

    J
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