I currently have HomeSeer and an OLD X10 controller and looking to upgrade everything to Z-Wave and a similar controller. I've been looking at Z-Troller but having difficulty figuring out if it works while unplugged from the computer?
With my old X10 controller I would have homeseer update with everything programmed and then the controller can be unplugged from the computer and events would trigger etc. without homeseer or the computer required. Can this be done with Z-Troller? If not, is there a similar controller for Z-Wave that works this way and also works with HomeSeer?
Seems to me that the best place to ask basic questions about the Z-Troller which was designed and marketed by HomeSeer for HomeSeer software, would be the forum specifically dedicated to this interface in the Homeseer message board.
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When it is not connected to HomeSeer, the Z-Troller can be used to manually communicate with and interconnect Z-wave devices as a hand-held, battery-operated device. When it is connected to a PC, HomeSeer can trigger Z-wave events. The reason you don't see anything in the Z-Troller documentation or discussion about real-time clocks, or programming events, or scheduling is that it doesn't do any of those things without HomeSeer software.
There are several devices and ways to have standalone (no PC) scheduling/triggering of Z-Wave events that also communicate with HomeSeer (which I presume is an objective of yours).
One way is to _also_ use an Elk M1G (and perhaps a different panel like HAI or Stargate -- I dunno) to also communicate with Z-wave. This approach has significant, possibly fatal limitations depending on your needs including devices stumbling over themselves and difficulty in sharing groups, scenes, and events.
Another approach would be to use a Z-Troller as primary controller and _also_ use a secondary controller such as the Intermatic HA07C. In this configuration, last I knew, the HA07C would have the limitation that it couldn't directly/natively control most non-lighting Z-wave devices such as thermostats, and would operate as a secondary controller with attendant limitations. This may or may not meet your needs. Ask in the HomeSeer discussion group I previously referenced.
What "old X10 controller" did you use that downloaded events defined using HomeSeer and then ran them in standalone (no PC running) mode? Downloading of scheduled X-10 events to the CM11a is not supported by the Homeseer plug-in or directly by HomeSeer.
The objective of being able to use GUI-based home-automation PC software to program a standalone controller with events defined using the PC was first accomplished by CyberHouse ca 1999 using Elk MM443 Magic Modules and X-10.
The plug-in (driver) provided by HomeSeer never provided this capability for the Adicon Ocelot, CPU-XA and Leopard family of controllers and I don't know of a third-party plugin that does/did either. Michael McSharry's enhanced Ocelot plugin for Homeseer adds the essential ability of connecting and disconnecting the comm port among other useful additions, but also it doesn't program the Ocelot to trigger events in standalone mode as you want to do.
Many folks bought the Ocelot having been led to believe that programming was trivially accomplished and then discovered that they actually would need to manually program the Ocelot in an arcane and proprietary controller language in order to do what you want to do. This mis-impression was fostered by misleading the advice and recommendations slathered on comp.home.automation participants for years.
Keep your eye on development of the new (now in alpha release) HomeSeer plug-in for the ISY-99 from Universal Devices. It will initially only support INSTEON although UPB and Z-Wave versions are also planned. See
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HTH ... Marc
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