XMC-1 Irule Network Control

[deewan]

Dec 13, 2014 9:04:56 GMT -5 wizardofoz said:

great soon as my XMC parts arrive I will be onto testing this too as I have used iRule for a few years now. Saving some IR emitters and IP2IR bridges saved also will be nice .

Agreed. It was tapped out and using all my IR connections from two IP2IR itches. But now with the XMC controlled via network, I have a spared IR.... hmmm, maybe I need to buy another piece of equipment now.

[wolfman]

The current Emotiva Network Remote Control(ENRC) protocol will not work with allow irule feedbacks. The way irule works is it opens a network connection to a device sends a command. Then irule uses the response back from the device to create the feedback. This is not the way ENRC works.

With the current version of ENRC, when you send a command ENRC only provides whether or not the command was executed.

I would like to see the the current setting returned in the command acknowledgements. Aka, you raise the volume the acknowledgements contains the volume level after the command was executed. I would also like to see commands to query the current state of the settings (volume,source, tuner, etc). When the state is included in the acknowledgements and or query commands are added, irule should be able to provide feedbacks.

ENRC Notifications will not work with irule. The Notifications are sent from the XMC-1 to a set UDP port on the receiving device. This means the irule app /cilent has to be listening on the on the notify port (7003). The XMC-1 sends the Notifications to UDP port 7003 on the network host that has subscribed to them. This is fine for home automation systems. It is not fine for the mobile devices on which irule runs. The notifications would use a large amount of the current stored in the battery.

I do not work for irule. I'm just some one who enjoys understanding networking protocols.

Also ENRC uses the same UDP ports as Andrew File System (AFS). I run AFS. When you select ports for any IP based protocol you should take a look at the IANA's Protocol Port Number Registry, www.iana.org/assignments/service-names-port-numbers/service-names-port-numbers.xhtml. It is bad form to use the same port number as another protocol.

Irule can be used with network IR Blasters. Irule provides support for the Global Cache devices. The IR codes for the XMC-1 are in irule's device database. I do not think you need the irule pro license to access the device database. You need a pro license to access shared devices in irule.

Should my XMC-1 irule network codes get added to irule's device database?

[nicco]

Hey guys!
I am having trouble getting irule to work with my XMC-1. I have downloaded the device from irule into my builder and set up the gateway as a network gateway..used DHCP in XMC networj setup and have reserved that IP address in my router settings to the XMC. I know that this works as I have already set up Dirac on the XMC and had no troubles running that on the XMC , so I know it is on the network and communicating. In my irule I have set the gateway up as an Network gateway , name XMC-1, IP address: the IP from the router reserve and what is showing up in the menu of the XMC as the IP address and they match. I also inputed the port as 7002. I drop the codes for the XMC-1 Network v0.1 on the buttons of choice in irule builder for the XMC for power on and power off, mute and volume up and down. NONE of the buttons control anything. The network icon on the irule panel shows a yellow symbol and when trying a button it shows red on the lower left icons. I am at total loss here as what to try. Any ideas woulod be most appreciated.

[deewan]

Dec 26, 2014 17:38:52 GMT -5 nicco said:

Hey guys!
I am having trouble getting irule to work with my XMC-1. I have downloaded the device from irule into my builder and set up the gateway as a network gateway..used DHCP in XMC networj setup and have reserved that IP address in my router settings to the XMC. I know that this works as I have already set up Dirac on the XMC and had no troubles running that on the XMC , so I know it is on the network and communicating. In my irule I have set the gateway up as an Network gateway , name XMC-1, IP address: the IP from the router reserve and what is showing up in the menu of the XMC as the IP address and they match. I also inputed the port as 7002. I drop the codes for the XMC-1 Network v0.1 on the buttons of choice in irule builder for the XMC for power on and power off, mute and volume up and down. NONE of the buttons control anything. The network icon on the irule panel shows a yellow symbol and when trying a button it shows red on the lower left icons. I am at total loss here as what to try. Any ideas woulod be most appreciated.

With the yellow Gateway light showing, that means you're Gateway is not setup correctly. Everything you mentioned sounds right, but there must be some small thing in your iRule Gateway that isn't correct. Double check your work again, I had problems at first and even after I double checked my work it took me a bit to realize I had a space entered in my IP address.

[Basshead]

Deewan, Thanks for sharing your iRule code,great work! FYI all users, even the fee trial, can access it. In iRule builder menu goto : Browse>Devices>community>Emotiva>Codes>IP. I originally sent chuck a copy of the ENRC last October after receiving it from Keith@Emotiva but he went the PC route and I was looking for a portable device option. No feedback is a fundamental problem and the next time I get a chance to talk to Keith I will ask/beg if it would be possible to have the state included in the acknowledgements in the next revision. I will let you know if/when another version is released. iRule is working great for me on V1.3, has anyone tried v2.0, I really want to run Dirac but not at the expense of IP control.

[deewan]

@basshead Late response so you likely already know, but firmware 2.0 works with iRule and IP control.

Did you ever speak with Keith about getting acknowledgements sent?

[socketman]

Yesterday I bought myself a Galaxy Tab S 10.5 with the intention of using it for irule. Do I have to have the pro version to use irule for the XMC-1.

[socketman]

My Irule Experience !


It is a good thing I had a long weekend, Irule is a pretty good program but the learning curve is pretty steep. Like anything I learn that's new I usually dive in to it from the deep end . I think that a guide needs to be written for people who start using Irule right out of the blue.


The first thing I overlooked was the fact that my Denon receiver and my XMC-1 were not set up with a static IP address, one due to a firmware upgrade that reset dhcp and the other a processor reset long since forgotten. I wasted a lot of hours trying to get the Irule app to connect. After setting static IP's everything connected quickly.

It took some digging to find out what port to poll the XMC-1 on (7002) although my port scanner showed only port 22 but that was not the UDP port which is what I should have scanned for.

My next let down was that the Oppo BDp-93/95 do no support IP control because they do not have a power up feature or standby. Took me a while to realize I needed a ip2ir converter with a blaster so I can run my non-network controlled devices.

Once everything was connected I then had to learn how to created panels and buttons and labels and background images etc to create my custom remote. It turns out that I really need to buy the pro version ( $99 ) to get this working correctly along with making entrances which I have not done since I can only control my XMC-1 at this point.

Now that I have started down this rabbit hole I can see how others would want to add feedback from the XMC-1 which would require a module being written by the Irule staff. Anyone interested in sharing the cost can PM me .

All in all this is a pretty decent app/software suite and the price is bearable but the interface is a little clunky. Searching for buttons and such that are hidden in multiple folders gets pretty lame really quick, though I am sure with the pro version you could make and save some templates to ease the pain. I am pretty stubborn and hate waiting for someone to answer my questions so I can move forward so I just keep hammering away till I figure it out.
I am no expert on this stuff but I think I can help someone who is just starting out so if you have any questions I may be able to help, and deewan is really knowledgeable and helpful and got me over a few bumps along the way. I think in the end it will be worth the effort.

[wolfman]

I do not view Irule as a end consumer product. Is a product that an installer would configure for a client.

I use network packet captures to figure out what Irule is doing.

[zestychicken]

Oct 30, 2015 17:26:43 GMT -5 wolfman said:

I do not view Irule as a end consumer product. Is a product that an installer would configure for a client.

I use network packet captures to figure out what Irule is doing.

Been using it for years as an end-user. You certainly have to be a tinkerer but you don't have to be an installer.

[zestychicken]

Thanks to OP for sharing his device on iRule. I just figured out something important - you must not set the power setting to "Lowest Power" or you will not be able to turn the device On with these network codes. Off works fine.