[Kryptix]

Hi guys,

Please go easy with me, as I'm a complete n00b at this.

I have several things hooked up to this little light device I got from B&Q. It's a "Home Easy" kit. It controls my ceiling light, my ceiling fan, both my side lights on the speakers and the blue neon glow behind the TV. I'd like to use the Harmony One remote to do this rather than the remote that came with the kit.

I believe it sends a RF signal (so my step-dad said), and I don't believe the Harmony One can send these...

Is there any sort of device that converts the signal? So it can accept infa-red and then output the RF signal? I might be dreaming, but I would have thought these devices existed.

Is something like this possible?

[Kryptix]

Anyone?

[Kryptix]

Someone must know?

[Kryptix]

Please?

[Kryptix]

Anyone please?

[kevlar]

My googling shows no sign of RF on the Harmony One. Talk is of a RF enabled model in the future. I'm pretty sure you can buy IR to X10 modules but I don't think that would work with your Home Easy equipment. Others may know otherwise tho.

[vex]

Sorry Kryptix, missed you post.

The RF in Harmonys is unique to the remotes and thier base stations. It is not a generic RF signal that can be used to talk to third party systems.

V.

[Kryptix]

Is there no device that can accept an infra-red signal and then forward a RF signal? Surely?

[MAW]

I'll put you out of your misery. There is no way of doing this. You will never intergate those lights with a remote at all, even one that can emit RF, you cannot learn RF commands. Some lighting systems use Z-wave, and publish the code for z wave compatible devices to use. Harmony 895 being one of them. The other Rf lighting system to look at is Rako, they produce modules for all sorts of control integration. All of these a re a big pile more cash than B&Q, and this is why. Cos they have to put a lot of effort into making the stuff compatible, making it suitable for custom install. It all costs money, and someone's gotta pay. Sorry.

[hornydragon]

Originally Posted by vex

Sorry Kryptix, missed you post.

The RF in Harmonys is unique to the remotes and thier base stations. It is not a generic RF signal that can be used to talk to third party systems.

V.

Well actually its Zwave and can work Zwave lights, home easy is proprietry RF and unless thay make an IR interface you cant do what you want, Rako prodce a IR interface for there ligthing

[JLA]

The Home Easy recievers have a learning sytem,

They can all learn up to 6 rf signals.

Now i have not tried it but you could try pressing the learn button on the Home Easy reciever and send an rf signal from your remote that you wish to use and just hope for the best.

I have managed to pair up My Home Easy reciever to an old Byron rf remote. But am unsure if the advanced rf signals from a more elaberate remote would pair.

No harm in trying

[akewt]

Hi Kryptix

The X10 product range has an IR to RF signal converter. I beleive its the IR543. Not sure whether it sends RF signals or passes signals thru your existing mainsd wiring but it definately works with IR remotes if you get the converter. Search it out on t'web.

Kev

EDIT: this thread is pretty good although US. informative about X10
http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/...essage.id=9752. i'll post more soon if i find it as i will be doing exactly the same using a Harmony One

[fasterfords]

as updates ? as I'm in the same boat

[simon1]

Originally Posted by fasterfords

as updates ? as I'm in the same boat

What you require to automate your appliances or lamps are these X10 products:

IR7243W

+

One or more of these:

AM12

LM12

The harmony database already includes all the necessary codes to operate these.

The remote sends an infared signal to the IR7243W, which then converts to an electrical signal which is sent through your mains wiring all round the house to wherever you have the AM12 or LM12 plugged in.

I have used the very same devices for years successfully with a range of Harmony remotes, including my recently obtained Harmony One.

I also use these wall switches, LW10U

Hope this helps.

[wywywywy]

If you are VERY determined to do it, there is a long-winded way.

RFXCOM is an USB device (network version available) that transmits RF signal, which works with HomeEasy. USB-UIRT is an USB device that can receive IR signals, which can be configured to work with any remote. Bringing the two together on a PC, with a little bit of programming/configuration (probably with the help or xPL or xAP), you can get this to work.

But yea probably not worth all the effort.

[wywywywy]

On second thought, there is an easier but more limited way to do this.

Many "remote control extenders", such as the Marmitek Powermid, converts IR to RF and then back to IR in order to extender the range. And these budget extenders usually use 433MHz (which is the freq HomeEasy uses) rather than something fancy like 2.4GHz like the Harmony One.

So, using just the transmitter of the Powermid, we can essentially take it as an "IR to RF" converter. And utilising HomeEasy's unique RF code learning ability (as JLA mentioned) as well, it should be achieveable!

[kumack]

Anyone try this ? ?

[Kryptix]

I'm too very, very interested in this... Anyone wanna put it into English?

[abs_2006]

Would you not be able to buy on of these and programme the unit to accept Harmony One IR inputs. It does say that only works with One For All remotes but im sure its just a case of finding the right frequency.


Clicky

[ntslik]

Hi, If you can enter HEX codes into the Harmony, then the Rako is the best option, all you need is their modules connected in-line to you lighting circuits, a RAVIR (converts IR control into RF) and away you go

I assume this is for one room though, as you would need a complete multiroom with IR in order to control a complete house

[hornydragon]

Originally Posted by ntslik

Hi, If you can enter HEX codes into the Harmony, then the Rako is the best option, all you need is their modules connected in-line to you lighting circuits, a RAVIR (converts IR control into RF) and away you go

I assume this is for one room though, as you would need a complete multiroom with IR in order to control a complete house

You can have hex added by Logitech support, Can't input hex direct but you can teach it the commands from a machine capable of direct hex entry.

IT works better with 895 and other Z-wave capable products via the extender for lighting control you may need to add a wired IR link for the RAVIR

[johndowne]

I control lounge lights (and potentially many other things in the house) using Harmony One. The lighting control system is X10 and behind that is the software HomeSeer but for a simpler system you could just use X10 switches standalone. The key component as hinted at by an earlier contributor is the IR to X10 interface which in my case is inside the AV cabinet and fed IR by an IR receiver under the TV. The device needed is IR7243W see LetsAutomate here http://www.letsautomate.com/10863.cfm? and it works well in my case anyway.
I realise this doesn't answer your original request with the proprietary RF controls but it would be the simplest way to do what you are after I suspect.

JD

[dunks517]

I use my Harmony 525 & 360 remotes to control the lighting via an IR7243. I spoke with Harmony and requested that they adjust the setup remotely as when I turned a lamp on it turned everything else off (not very good when on xbox live!!!) This was something I overlooked in the inital setup so it now is set to ignore all other devices' status when starting the activity.

[AndyF1]

I've read this thread with interest and thought I'd let you know how I've got on with a Powermid IR - RF Transmitter and Home Easy sockets this weekend.

I want to control the switching on and off of a 32" LCD in the bedroom and a DVD player while in bed, I know, I'm lazy. The sockets are behind a chest of drawers so its a bit of a pain reaching round the back to turn it on/off each night. After reading up on my options I decided to by a Powermid IR - RF - IR Transmitter and Receiver pack and some Home Easy sockets. I obviously could just use the RF remote supplied with the Home Easy gear but think it would be much simpler if my universal remote could do everything in one.

The short answer is that it works , but it was a bit fiddly to get it working. First off I tried setting the Home Easy socket to its learn mode, pointed an old remote for a video recorder I don't use anymore at the Powermid IR to RF transmitter and pressed a rarely used button. The Powermid Transmitter flashed to show it was forwarding the signal but the Home Easy socket never responded. I hoped the Home Easy socket would respond to any 433MHz signal but it seems not.

I then started wondering whether the Home Easy sockets only have a set few signals that they will respond to, and how to work out what they were. It was then that I realised I might be able to use the Powermid RF to IR Receiver to teach my universal remote one of these signals. I set the universal remote to learn and pointed it at the Powermid RF to IR Receiver and then pressed the first On button on the Home Easy RF remote. It took a few attempts but in the end I managed to capture the IR signal on the remote. I then captured the first Off signal in a similar way.

Setting the Home Easy socket to learn again I pointed my universal remote at the Powermid IR to RF Transmitter and sent the captured On signal. After a few seconds the socket responded and sync'ed up.

You do need to keep the universal remote button pressed for about 3 seconds for the socket to switch on and about 2 seconds for it to switch off but it does work. I've also noticed that you need to point the remote pretty acurately at the Powermid Transmitter for it too work aswell, but as i've only had the Powermid units for a couple of days I'm not sure if thats how they are in general.

I would suspect the Home Easy lighting gear would work exactly the sameway.

Now I just need to wait for my Harmony One to arrive from Amazon and I can ditch the Mosaic.

Hope this info is of some use to someone, and apologises if i've hi-jacked your thread, but I was so pleased to get it going I wanted to tell someone about it.

[wywywywy]

Glad it works. It should open up a number of possibilities.

[museumsteve]

Looks like I'll have to give this a go after having a disaster trying to get an IR solution to switch a set of LEDs on and off. I originally wired the LEDs into a varilight dimmer without thinking enough and realising the dimmer always has some power and therefore the LEDs would stay on all the time.
I then bought an 'ecosaver' trailing socket which has IR to switch off sockets to prevent things from staying in standby, well this didn't work either as it seems this super green solution that I assumed switched sockets off completely also still has power and agan the LEDs stay on (grrr)
The only solution I've found is an RF remote socket (cheapies I've had for ages from Maplins) but of course I want to use my Harmony One.
I'm a bit worried that I'll blow another £20 on a power mid pack only to find I wont be able to get it to work with the RF sockets I have..

[Furiously]

Originally Posted by AndyF1

I then started wondering whether the Home Easy sockets only have a set few signals that they will respond to, and how to work out what they were. It was then that I realised I might be able to use the Powermid RF to IR Receiver to teach my universal remote one of these signals. I set the universal remote to learn and pointed it at the Powermid RF to IR Receiver and then pressed the first On button on the Home Easy RF remote. It took a few attempts but in the end I managed to capture the IR signal on the remote. I then captured the first Off signal in a similar way.

Setting the Home Easy socket to learn again I pointed my universal remote at the Powermid IR to RF Transmitter and sent the captured On signal. After a few seconds the socket responded and sync'ed up.

You do need to keep the universal remote button pressed for about 3 seconds for the socket to switch on and about 2 seconds for it to switch off but it does work. I've also noticed that you need to point the remote pretty acurately at the Powermid Transmitter for it too work aswell, but as i've only had the Powermid units for a couple of days I'm not sure if thats how they are in general.

Been a lurker here for a while, and saw this post - I decided to take a risk and order the powermid since someone else has had success.
Only problem is..... the Harmony One won't learn the IR from the powermid
Tried normal and Raw mode, the powermid sends the IR to the harmony, which sees it but then comes up with an error "IR signal not detected" - as soon as you press the remote, which implies its seeing a signal, but cannot process it or something to learn it.

Curiously, an old one for all khameleon seemed to learn it, but I didn't test it by syncing it to the socket, as I was just checking that there was an IR signal coming from the powermid.

If you're still around AndyF1 and have successfully set this up with the harmony one, please let us know.

[AndyF1]

Hi Furiously. My Harmony One came through a couple of weeks back. I have set it up for my other equipment and apart from a few niggles (adjusting delays) have been really happy with it. The last couple of nights I too have been trying to get it to learn the IR commands from the Powermid and I'm getting exactly the same problem as you.

I'd also noticed it appears to realise that you have sent an IR signal but for some reason won't learn it. I've also tried the Raw and Analysed learning modes and it doesn't work for either.

As you say my One-For-All Mosaic learns the IR signal fine, which is what I originally got the plugs working with.

I've even tried getting the Harmony One to learn the IR signal from the Mosaic but the same problem occurs. I don't know whether the IR signal is out of the range of the Harmony One or if its got something to do with the length of time the IR signal is transmitted for ? Any clever people out there got any ideas ?

Its a shame as I was hoping this would work with the Harmony One, I could use the Mosiac but then i'm back to two remotes which sort of defeats the object of it all.

Hopefully we can get it working and I haven't wasted your money on a set of Powermids.

[Furiously]

Ah damn, I was hoping that you'd managed to get it to work
Had another crack at it last night, but to no avail. The harmony just will not learn it, no matter what distance or length of button press.
I even tried to get the one for all 8308 to learn (it at least blinked twice to say it stored something), but the socket wouldn't sync with the learned command. The harmony wouldn't learn the command from one for all anyway

It's not as if there are many alternatives - from what I can see, the options are:
1. Replace the lot with x10, and but the IR-X10 transceiver (£100+)
2. Change the remote to one that supports x10 (old pronto remote?)
3. Hope for logitech to come up with an RF extender or something for the harmony.

I'm just surprised that noone has come up with a gadget to convert a specific IR command to one of the few standard RF commands for the various automation products out there (zwave, x10, etc)

[m4rky_m4rk]

Originally Posted by AndyF1

As you say my One-For-All Mosaic learns the IR signal fine, which is what I originally got the plugs working with.

Maybe there is still a chance if you can get the HEX code for the learned IR from the Mosaic or maybe another learning remote. My old marantz RC3200 could learn IR and I could extract the HEX from the files on the PC. You could then email Logitech with the HEX and ask them to add it to their database.