I have not seen a whole lot of information here at HTS on the iRule app to control one's theater, so I decided to start this thread to detail my journey through it.
After reading through a slew of build threads and seeing what was used to control the room, I decided to follow Simon's (raZorTT) and Moggie's steps and use iRule to control the room. Main reasoning was we already had an iPad that could be used (as well as a couple iPods) and it had the ability to tie in with the Lutron GE well to handle lighting. It did not hurt that I could ask Simon questions too.
I tried the free 2 week trial earlier this year to see how intuitive it was. TBH, I was a bit nervous about it because there is a learning curve involved and the trial did nothing to sway me from that opinion. However, for those considering iRule, using the trial does not give you a real good idea of building panels.
I took the plunge and purchased the GC-100-12 a couple weeks ago. Once I got the modem, router and switch set-up earlier this week, I purchased the iRule license. I decided to go with the Pro license as opposed to the basic - for $50 more, you get 2 additional handsets, the ability to use the feedback functionality, and you can share panels, etc.
The GC-100 is a communication device as far as I can tell. You connect it to your network (it needs a direct connection - I used one of the ports on my switch) and all communication is done through it. You can use IR emitters which plug into an IR port on the GC-100 and the emitter side is placed on the unit you wish to control over the IR point. Fortunately, it seems like most of the newer equipment has an IR port that you can plug a TRS jack into instead of taping the emitter to your equipment.
When I installed the Lutron unit, I ran a length of Cat6 from the Lutron into my AV closet (using cat6 was suggested by Simon). The Grafik Eye has an IR Com and Data connection point - these are used to send commands to the GC-100. I used the Orange and white/orange lines. I put a TRS on the other end.
Yesterday, I used one of the Panels that was already there called LIGHTING and, using iRule's iBuilder page (you need a Google account to do this), set up the panel that would allow me to turn the lights on and off. It was a simple matter of using the database codes that were already provided for the Lutron units and dropping them onto the buttons.
Once that was done, I installed the iRule app to my iPad and configured it using my Google account. Once that was entered, I clicked the Sync button so that it could pull any panels I created using iBuilder.
Then, I set up the equipment. I connected the GC-100 to my switch and plugged the power in. I then plugged the TRS jack from the Lutron unit into IR Port 1.
Now, it was time to create the Gateway so I grabbed the iPad, tapped the Gateway icon, and it brought up a list of the different unit types (mine is the GC-100). Then, I clicked on the EDIT buttion which allows you to search for gateways for each device. Once I clicked on ADD for the GC-100, it started a search for an existing gateway and found the unit I had just powered up. Then, I selected IR Port 1 which brought me to the ADD DEVICE screen. There were several to choose from - the first was Lutron. I selected that and it brought me back to the previous gateway display screen. I then renamed the gateway and saved it.
Finally, I touched the Panels tab - it brought me up my list of panels of which LIGHTING was one. When I selected that one, it took me to the panel display I created. Be sure to check in the lower right corner for a green "wi-fi-like" icon. If it is green, it is connected to the gateway; otherwise, you have an issue. I then touched my LIGHTS ON button and VOILA! The lights came on. I was so excited.
That is as far as I have made it thus far - I spent the next 30 mins or so creating scenes on my Lutron unit so I could program those into iBuilder when I next had a chance.
I realize this is an incredibly lengthy post - thanks for bearing with me. I will do my best to get some screen shots or pictures when I can. If you have any questions as I go along - fire away!
After reading through a slew of build threads and seeing what was used to control the room, I decided to follow Simon's (raZorTT) and Moggie's steps and use iRule to control the room. Main reasoning was we already had an iPad that could be used (as well as a couple iPods) and it had the ability to tie in with the Lutron GE well to handle lighting. It did not hurt that I could ask Simon questions too.
I tried the free 2 week trial earlier this year to see how intuitive it was. TBH, I was a bit nervous about it because there is a learning curve involved and the trial did nothing to sway me from that opinion. However, for those considering iRule, using the trial does not give you a real good idea of building panels.
I took the plunge and purchased the GC-100-12 a couple weeks ago. Once I got the modem, router and switch set-up earlier this week, I purchased the iRule license. I decided to go with the Pro license as opposed to the basic - for $50 more, you get 2 additional handsets, the ability to use the feedback functionality, and you can share panels, etc.
The GC-100 is a communication device as far as I can tell. You connect it to your network (it needs a direct connection - I used one of the ports on my switch) and all communication is done through it. You can use IR emitters which plug into an IR port on the GC-100 and the emitter side is placed on the unit you wish to control over the IR point. Fortunately, it seems like most of the newer equipment has an IR port that you can plug a TRS jack into instead of taping the emitter to your equipment.
When I installed the Lutron unit, I ran a length of Cat6 from the Lutron into my AV closet (using cat6 was suggested by Simon). The Grafik Eye has an IR Com and Data connection point - these are used to send commands to the GC-100. I used the Orange and white/orange lines. I put a TRS on the other end.
Yesterday, I used one of the Panels that was already there called LIGHTING and, using iRule's iBuilder page (you need a Google account to do this), set up the panel that would allow me to turn the lights on and off. It was a simple matter of using the database codes that were already provided for the Lutron units and dropping them onto the buttons.
Once that was done, I installed the iRule app to my iPad and configured it using my Google account. Once that was entered, I clicked the Sync button so that it could pull any panels I created using iBuilder.
Then, I set up the equipment. I connected the GC-100 to my switch and plugged the power in. I then plugged the TRS jack from the Lutron unit into IR Port 1.
Now, it was time to create the Gateway so I grabbed the iPad, tapped the Gateway icon, and it brought up a list of the different unit types (mine is the GC-100). Then, I clicked on the EDIT buttion which allows you to search for gateways for each device. Once I clicked on ADD for the GC-100, it started a search for an existing gateway and found the unit I had just powered up. Then, I selected IR Port 1 which brought me to the ADD DEVICE screen. There were several to choose from - the first was Lutron. I selected that and it brought me back to the previous gateway display screen. I then renamed the gateway and saved it.
Finally, I touched the Panels tab - it brought me up my list of panels of which LIGHTING was one. When I selected that one, it took me to the panel display I created. Be sure to check in the lower right corner for a green "wi-fi-like" icon. If it is green, it is connected to the gateway; otherwise, you have an issue. I then touched my LIGHTS ON button and VOILA! The lights came on. I was so excited.
That is as far as I have made it thus far - I spent the next 30 mins or so creating scenes on my Lutron unit so I could program those into iBuilder when I next had a chance.
I realize this is an incredibly lengthy post - thanks for bearing with me. I will do my best to get some screen shots or pictures when I can. If you have any questions as I go along - fire away!