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Controlling a central ventilation system with Homey

13

Comments

  • Yes, that's correct!
    Thanks!
  • I found this tried on tweakers maybe it's useful 
    https://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1690945
  • jovink said:
    I found this tried on tweakers maybe it's useful 
    https://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1690945
    Well it usefully because some if the people in who reversed engineered the itho signal are there. 

    If have asked for help there in the hope that they can provide the info to fill in the signal specifications homey needs to send and receive the itho signals . 

    So I really hope we can get some help there. The signal specification really is  it my field of expertise . Writing an app is reasonably easy,  but interpreting the data that they provided  and getting the info needed for homey is not doable for me. 
  • I don't no if I am right but I what I understand is that not al 868 MHz chips are the same. 
    You need a special one. But please correct me if I'm wrong. 
    And if so, i don't now if homey has the correct one. 
  • kludonkludon Member
    edited September 2016
    We have a Brink Renovent Excellent wtw  unit.Does someone has Experience with this
    unit to control it with domotica/homey/zwave. Or Have an idea to control it?
  • MrDutchfighter,

    What kind of article number does your RFT transmitter (see attached documents) have? If I am correct, there are at least 2 protocol versions and the software only supports the newer version.

    An older version (used from 2003 - 2012)
    Itho CVE Eco Fan series
    Infineon TDK5110 ASK/FSK Transmitter 868/433 MHz
    Carrier frequency: 868.260Mhz
    data rate 8000bps
    Modulation: FSK?

    Newer version (used from 2011 - present)
    Itho CVE ECO RFT series
    Atmel MEGA 169PV microcontroller and a standard Texas Instruments CC1150 chip for RF
    Carrier frequency: 868,299865 MHz
    BaudRate: 4004,47845458984375
    Modulation: 2-FSK
    MANCHESTER_EN = Disable
    Deviation of 25,390625 KHz

    By the way: At the bottom of this https://developers.athom.com/library/signals/rf/ page it says the mentioned receiver configuration cannot be changed by a developer so this may be a futile excercise.

    868 MHz configuration

    Attribute Value
    Carrier frequency 868300000Hz
    Channel spacing 325000Hz
    BaudRate 12004Bd
    Modulation ASK

    kludon,

    The Brink Renovent Excellent wtw is able to use Opentherm communication according to its manual. Parhaps you can experiment with an Opentherm Gateway http://otgw.tclcode.com/?
  • I am wondering if there is any progress on the development of an app to control the ITHO ventilation box.
  • edited December 2016
    Nope, not from my part at least. I tried and applied the setting I could find. But just don't have the time to fully reverse engineer it. Still on my to do list of projects though. But not before March if I have to do it by myself

    the start of the project can be found here: https://github.com/robertraaijmakers/nl.ithodaalderop

    I still think it can be done since the Homey is using the same chip as the projects found on the internet. So the cop is capable. If the Homey API is I still have to find out. But saw that there is now also a HoemEasy app in the tire. So will see if there are some useful tips and tricks in there.
  • CassieCassie Member
    edited December 2016
    @Annemarie Does Athom have any plans on developing an app to control the ITHO Ven box? There are some code repositories we can find online (here and here), but they need some adjustments to make it Homey specific.
  • fiekfiek Member
    edited December 2016
    I also would like to control my ventilation unit through Homey. Is there anyone that has a Orcon MVS-15RH. They have a remote that works on 868.3 mhz.

    http://www.orcon.nl/wp-content/uploads/files/gebruiker_montage_handleiding_co2-bedieningssensor-15rf.pdf

  • Internet search has led me here. I also have a Itho ecofan I would like to control via RF. would certainly donate the appbuilder.
  • Hi all,

    Long story for those interested in a little project...   :)

    While it would be great (and the ultimate goal) to get Homey to control the Itho directly, the nodemcu (a small Arduino variant with WIFI) + CC01 RF chip combination described at https://www.maredana.nl/itho-mechanical-ventilation-with-esp8266/ works really well. The hardware can be bought for ~8 euro's on Ebay. The most difficult bit is to wait for the cheap components to arrive from China (free shipping, but it takes a month... :|  ).

    As mentioned above the nodemcu comes with a WIFI chip. After connecting (soldering) the C1101 RF transmitter chip and uploading the software through the Arduino IDE you can connect the unit to a USB power supply anywhere and control it through WIFI via a builtin webserver (see screenshot below).

    The software includes support for a temperature / humidity sensor (another ~5 euro's or so, available in most electronic stores), so you can use it for instance to control the humidity in the bathroom by switching the Itho fan to 'high' when the humidity reaches a certain threshold (which is what I use it for). It can also receive RF commands sent by other Itho remotes in order to track the state of the Itho fan.

    The author has made a neat web interface for controlling the Itho Fan, see below. I have the modified the code to update Homey with the temperature, humidity and state of the fan through http POST messages using the HTTP request flow cards and better logic app. The better logic app tracks the value of the temperature and humidity variables, resulting in nice graphs (see below, the green line is humidity, the darker line is the temperature). Homey can control the Itho unit through HTTP GET requests.

    In the meantime I am planning to put together a second unit to experiment a bit with the RF to see if I can help figure out how to get Homey to control the Itho. I wouldn't hold my breath though... ;-)







  • BTW, with the nl.ithodaalderop code (https://github.com/robertraaijmakers/nl.ithodaalderop) Homey can receive RF signals from the Itho remote. You can see the received data by checking the console (F12 in Chrome) and enabling the following function:

    api('POST', '/manager/microcontroller/record', { frequency: '868' }, console.log)


    Based on http://www.progz.nl/blog/index.php/2015/01/reverse-engineering-remote-itho-cve-eco-rft-part-3/ I think the 'words' in the 'signals' definition in app.json should be 254 (0) and 255 (1), corresponding to 0b 1111 1111 1111 1110 and 0b 1111 1111 1111 1111.

    Right now I am only getting data when I press a button on the remote many 4-5 times in rapid succession, and the data doesn't make a lot of sense yet, but it's a start I guess...
  • Any progress/news on controling the itho ventilator directly or any way of copying the signals from the remote? 
  • anneanne Member
    In the meantime it turns out that by default Homey listens only to ASK (amplitude modulated) 868 MHz signals. The Itho signals are FSK (frequency modulated), which is why the data received by Homey looks so random.
     
    Homey can send FSK and receive FSK two seconds after sending. In an upcoming release the possibility to enable Homey to receive FSK signals and display them on the console will be added. When that's the case I will probably have another look at the app.

    Note that this also means that it will not be possible to have Homey track that state of the ventilator by receiving the signals when using the remote. Not a big deal, but it's nice that the Itho Wifi remote can do this.

    BTW, I have published the Homey version of the Itho Wifi remote on github: https://github.com/abaretta/Itho-WIFI-remote-Homey.

  • EdoEdo Member
    Nice  progress on understanding how it works. Would love to see an app later.
  • jovinkjovink Member
    @anne is it possible to create a how to. And post the links to the devices that we need. 
    I'm complete noob don't know where to start. 

    Or maybe you can sell a complete device to me
  • anneanne Member
    edited May 2017
    I could put together a unit for you, however I wouldn't want to provide support on the hobbyist stuff I produce :# And I have plenty of other stuff to do, sorry. However, it is a fun project to do yourself, and I can definitely help out in case you have questions.

    The best starting point is the following link which describes the process:

     https://www.maredana.nl/itho-mechanical-ventilation-with-esp8266/

    Instead of using the Arduino sketch linked from that page you can use the one I created for use in combination with Homey: https://github.com/abaretta/Itho-WIFI-remote-Homey.

    About the hardware, you need to order a NodeMCU, preferrably a development version which is a bit bigger (but still quite small) and which has easily accessible pins. They are only 3-4 euro's, so I would buy a couple in case something breaks, you can always build another temp/humidity/whatever sensor with it ;-)

    You also need the C1101 RF chip. Make sure you get the 868 MHz version. For instance: http://www.ebay.nl/itm/2PCS-CC1101-wireless-module-Long-Distance-Transmission-Antenna-868MHZ-/172009556160?hash=item280c9188c0 (2 pc for USD 6.16).

    I bought both at Ebay from http://stores.ebay.nl/satisfyelectronics/.

    I also have good experiences with banggood.com, see https://www.banggood.com/search/nodemcu.html, however they don't appear to have the CC1101 at the moment. I did buy a small enclosure for the unit there: https://www.banggood.com/search/948279.html (I think the smallest, not 100% sure).

    You will need a small breadboard for the NodeMCU, and some wires with connectors to connect to the NodeMCU pins (all items can be bought in the eBay store above). I soldered the wires to the CC1101 chip, but used connectors to connect them to the NodeMCU. A glue gun will come in handy as well, I glued the CC1101 straight to the NodeMCU and used it to to support the antenna as well. 

    I bought the temperature/humidity sensor 'ready made' with a cable and a small enclosure around the sensor, it was actually the most expensive part. I bought it in a Dutch electronics webshop, can't remember which one.

  • anneanne Member
    Oops, my post was truncated, I guess I was rambling a bit   ;)
    ...

    Once you have the hardware, follow the instructions to connect the CC1101 to the NodeMCU. I found the trickiest bit to solder the antenna to the CC1101, the chips I received only had a very small area to attach the antenna (and other wires) to. My version looked like this:



    Next connect the unit to a PC via USB so you can load the Arduino sketch. You need to edit the sketch to include the credentials for your wireless network as well as the Homey bearer token (assuming you want to upload humidity/temperature data to Homey ;-)

    Once done (hardware assembled and Arduino sketch loaded), you will need to power off the Itho unit (pull the plug ;-) ), and after powering it back on start the NodeMCU. If the Itho goes to full power mode you are done. You can now control it via the web interface and via Homey.

    I trimmed the breadboard and crammed everything in the plastic enclosure (see picture in previous post), it looks nice with just the USB cable and the cable for the sensor sticking out. 

    It works great, one nice detail is that it also receives the signals sent by Itho remotes, so it can update Homey with the actual state. An eventual Homey app will not be able to do this, as it can only listen for Itho signals 2 seconds after sending. 
  • jovinkjovink Member
    I have just ordered the hardware. 
    I hope it is the right one ;)

    I saw the temperature sensor on your photo, I guess it is this one
    https://www.kiwi-electronics.nl/AM2302-bedrade-DHT22-temperatuur-vochtigheidssensor?gclid=CjwKEAjwsLTJBRCvibaW9bGLtUESJAC4wKw14jNVLu7B0DBOgDpcWrkUTi_4AFqECI0bw4oVHjX1tRoC1nbw_wcB
    But didn't order that one. I saw that someone working on Xiaomi sensors and want that one in de bathroom so that I can place the NodeMCU can be placed on a safer place. 

    I have never build some thing like this so I hope it's all gonna work.
    Thanks for your post. 

  • anneanne Member
    edited May 2017
    That's the spirit :+1:  :)

    And yes, that's the one! A bit ridiculous to think that the simple sensor is 4 times as expensive as the entire NodeMCU. I didn't want to wait for another shipment from China, and liked the finished product. I only put some heat-shrink tubing around the leads of the sensor. DHT22 sensors can be found much cheaper, but then you need to do something to make it more rugged/presentable. 
  • EdoEdo Member
    edited July 2017
    If I read the new V2 SDK properly Homey will now allow listening to FSK signals. Would that help @anne? It will only become available with version 1.5 but would that be a good moment to give it another try?
  • anomanom Member
    edited July 2017
    I've tried connecting a KlikaanKlikuit to an Optifor PCB via the bathroom switch - this is not recommended.
  • This would definitely be a great addition to the Homey possibilities! Like half of all houses built after 2000 have such a unit upstairs. Would greatly impact the yearly power usage and oxygen level in doors.

    @Athom should make an app for it, mostly because the needed information to make an app is available (see all the links to Git). It's not like a Tweakers app would add more to homey ;)
  • WilfredWilfred Member
    edited September 2017
    Now that 1.5 has been released, is there any news on this subject to control the itho  directly from the Homey ?
  • That would indeed be great :)
  • Yes, the news is that it is still not possible to receive 868 MHz FSK modulated signals  :/

    It is not clear when this functionality will be released. Possibly it will be made available as part of the developer tools (at some point). 
  • anne said:
    Yes, the news is that it is still not possible to receive 868 MHz FSK modulated signals  :/

    It is not clear when this functionality will be released. Possibly it will be made available as part of the developer tools (at some point). 
    Are you saying this is a software limitation of Homey and in the end it will be possible to use Homey directly to control your Itho ventilation system? All we need is patience and perhaps some stimulation of the people at Athom?
  • yes :)
  • bvdbos said:
    yes :)
    Great, another thing to nag about ...  :p
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