Cannot Trigger Alarm

[sabamimi]

Hello there,

First thank you for creating node-red-contrib-rfxcom.

I am using Homeassistant (Hassio) but failed to trigger Alarm using the newly deployed RFXCOM RFXtrx rfxtrx.send service. I found your module described somewhere in the web and decided to try it. I removed all traces of Homeassistant RFXCOM module and I am using Home Assistant node-red add-on.

My existing Alarm hardware is a Chinese Chuango wireless/gms one sold under the name Fujionkyo F3 in France .

So far, all my attempts to trigger the alarm from node-red-contrib-rfxcom failed. I am trying to send the "Panic" command (as physically send by the real Alarm remote control button) through the frx-alarm-out node to the USB connected (successfully) RFXtrx433E to emulate a remote "Panic" button and trigger the alarm main unit.

Please indicate to me what I should provide you in order to debug this sequence.

As side notes , please notice that:

• The remote control(s) are detected by rfx-detector node as "X10_DOOR/0xXXXX" but only the first button (out of 4) and with a (wrong) message payload of "Battery Low"
• All doors / windows contact units are correctly detected as "X10_DOOR/0xXXXX" with Alarm payload when opened.
• I have been able to "software trigger the alarm main unit" under windows using the RFXmngr software but only using Raw Transmit (of the remote Panic button, previously raw captured) and only with a repeat count > 1 (did not work with 1 and worked with 7)

[maxwellhadley]

The RFXCOM user guide states that Chuango alarms are decoded as X10, but are receive-only. Since you are receiving X10 messages, I assume you are using either Ext2 or XL firmware in your RFXtrx, otherwise (I think) they would be received as type Lighting4 (PT2262). You could try temporarily disabling X10 reception & enabling lighting4 reception in your RFXtrx, then use an rfx-pt2262-in node to see if messages are received (or just use rfxmgr).

If you can capture the lighting4 messages sent by the remote control, it should be possible to use an rfx-PT2262-out node to transmit them, even with X10 reception enabled. You may need some assistance setting up the node, but let's see if you can capture the messages first.

[sabamimi]

Thanks for your quick feedback. I am using the V1043 Pro1 firmware correctly reported in your nodered connected status GUI (sorry that I forgot to mention it) I will try the Lighting4 (PT2262) capture this afternoon and report to you. Thanks for your support

[sabamimi]

Very happy to report: SUCCESS !!!

I went back to RFXmngr and disabled X10 (Lighting4 was the only additional protocol already enabled) In that configuration, RFXmngr reported all the 4 buttons as follow:

21/08/2020 02:26:22:631= 09130000298D28022780 Packettype = Lighting4 subtype = PT2262 Sequence nbr = 0 Code = 298D28 decimal:2723112 S1- S24 = 0010 1001 1000 1101 0010 1000 Pulse = 551 usec Signal level = 8 -56dBm

21/08/2020 02:26:30:623= 09130001298D21022780 Packettype = Lighting4 subtype = PT2262 Sequence nbr = 1 Code = 298D21 decimal:2723105 S1- S24 = 0010 1001 1000 1101 0010 0001 Pulse = 551 usec Signal level = 8 -56dBm

21/08/2020 02:26:32:586= 09130002298D24022680 Packettype = Lighting4 subtype = PT2262 Sequence nbr = 2 Code = 298D24 decimal:2723108 S1- S24 = 0010 1001 1000 1101 0010 0100 Pulse = 550 usec Signal level = 8 -56dBm

21/08/2020 02:26:34:881= 09130003298D22022680 Packettype = Lighting4 subtype = PT2262 Sequence nbr = 3 Code = 298D22 decimal:2723106 S1- S24 = 0010 1001 1000 1101 0010 0010 Pulse = 550 usec Signal level = 8 -56dBm

I was the able to define correctly a device list to be used by both rfx-PT2262 nodes and using an inject node I was able to trigger the Alarm sound (as if using the Panic button of the remote) I am very (very) happy, thanks for pointing me to the correct solution. If there is any way to send a beer in your direction , I will gladly do ! Thanks again !

[sabamimi]

....maybe I should have not close it ....

[maxwellhadley]

I'm glad to hear you got it working (and also that my guess was correct!)

Can I ask: is this the first time you have used the PT2262 nodes & their device list? Did you find the help text explained what you needed to know adequately, or did you have problems in understanding it (especially if english is not your first language)?

I have been reviewing the node help texts recently, but I haven't got round to the PT2262 nodes yet

[sabamimi]

Yes , your guess was correct!!! and yes, it was the first time I used the PT2262 nodes. By the way:

• I had to keep X10 disabled otherwise the PT2262 node was not picking up anything.
• The windows/doors detectors are now pick-up as well by the rfx-PT2262-in node, I only have to create the device list accordingly. Yes, the documentation was clear enough and also comparing the RFXmngr output to the device list documentation did help to populate the list correctly. In my case, disabling the X10 protocol was key to enable PT2262 nodes. Thanks again for your work and support.

[maxwellhadley]

Regarding your comments:

I had to keep X10 disabled otherwise the PT2262 node was not picking up anything.

I have only recently realised what the User Guide means when it says 'decoded as xyz' as in the description of the Chuango devices. There must be an internal device list, like I use for my PT2262 nodes, that recognises known lighting4 patterns and converts them to whatever - in this case X10. But if reception of X10 is not enabled, this doesn't happen, and the received lighting4 pattern is sent instead.

In my case, disabling the X10 protocol was key to enable PT2262 nodes.

Receive and transmit are totally independent. You can now re-enable X10 reception in the RFXtrx: the alarm messages will then be handled by the rfx-detector-in node instead of the rfx-PT2262-in node. However, you will still be able to send alarm messages from the rfx-PT22622-out node.