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How to Add Components

A component is a service or a vendor specific hardware hub/bridge which supports unique types of home automation devices.  The pre-configured TreeHouse Raspberry Pi has native support for the following Components:

  • When a Philips Hue Bridge is selected, the TreeHouse Raspberry Pi should automatically discover the Philips Hue Bridge on your network.

    • When a Hue Bridge is discovered, the app will prompt you to press the button on the Hue Bridge to link it with the TreeHouse Raspberry Pi.  The TreeHouse Raspberry Pi will then automatically discover all of your Hue lights connected to that Hue Bridge

  • When the Weather Component is selected, press the Information Icon to manually configure the Zip Code where you reside.  NOTE:  Weather data is retrieved from the TreeHouse Raspberry Pi every 30 minutes.

  • When the Wink Hub is selected, press the Information Icon to manually configure the Authentication User ID and Password for the Wink Hub.

 

When selecting a Component from the Component View, the app will display all Devices that have been paired with the TreeHouse Raspberry Pi related to the selected Component.

To add a Component in the TreeHouse mobile app:

  1. Tap TreeHouse

  2. Select Components from the Top Menu Bar

  3. Press the Add New Button at the bottom of the Component View

  4. The app will display a list of supported Components.

  5. Select the Component you wish to add from the List.  The Component is automatically added to the Component View. 

  • When a Foscam Video Camera is selected, press the Information Icon to manually configure the IP Address, Authentication User ID and Password for the Camera via the Properties View.

Add Component

How To Add Locations and Devices

TreeHouse uses a Tree metaphor to describe physical locations and devices within the inner and outer perimeter of your dwelling.  With TreeHouse being the 'Root' of the Tree - you'll create additional Branches (or Nodes) to further describe each location/device.  For example, if the Outdoors of your home contains a Front Porch, Garage and Back Yard Deck - you would create Outdoor as a Branch of TreeHouse.  Within the Outdoor location, you would define three Branches to denote the Front Porch, Garage and Back Yard Deck.  Devices (light bulbs, light switches, motion sensors, camera's, etc) are created as Leaf nodes of a Location.  This hierarchy allows for a natural grouping of devices based on their physical location.

To add a Location to the Root (Outdoor, Indoors) in the TreeHouse mobile app:

  1. Tap TreeHouse

  2. Select Locations from the Top Menu Bar

  3. Press the Add New Button at the bottom of the Location View

  4. The app will prompt for the name of your new Location.  Enter a name and press the Back Button to return to the Location View

  5. Your new location should appear in the Location View

To add a (child) Location within a (parent) Location (Front Porch within Outdoors or Lower Level within Indoors) in the TreeHouse mobile app:

  1. Tap TreeHouse

  2. Select Locations from the Top Menu Bar

  3. Select the Parent Location

  4. Press the Add New Button at the bottom of the Location View

  5. The app will display a menu with Location, Device and Event as selection options.

  6. Select Location from the Menu

  7. The app will prompt for the name of your new Location.  Enter a name and press the Back Button to return to the Location View

  8. Your new location should appear in the Location View

To add a Device in the TreeHouse mobile app:

  1. Tap TreeHouse

  2. Select Locations from the Top Menu Bar

  3. Select the Location where your new device will reside.

  4. Press the Add New Button at the bottom of the Location View

  5. The app will display a menu with Location, Device and Event as selection options.

  6. Select Device from the Menu

  7. The app will display a list of available devices that can be added to your TreeHouse Raspberry Pi.  This list is dynamic, based on the Components that have been added to the app.

  8. Select the Device you wish to add

LocationsAndDevices

How To Add Events

An Event within TreeHouse is a Conditional Statement that may or may not contain actionable Trigger Statements.  Given such, three types of Events can exist within a Location or Device Node of TreeHouse:

Condition Only Examples:

  • When ALL Inside Belkin Wemo Motion Detectors have been No Motion for at least 5 minutes​ (this Event could be named Indoor Presence Indicator)

  • When Upper Level Nest Thermostat Temperature is less than 62 degrees (this Event could be named Upstairs Low Temperature Monitor)

At any given moment, a Condition Only Event can be in one of two states - (True/False).  Condition Only Events may be used as a Condition Statement in other events (When Indoor Presence Indicator is False <DO SOMETHING>). 

​Condition & Trigger Example:

  • When Time is Night Time AND Kitchen Fluorescent Light has been On for at least 15 minute(s) AND Kitchen Camera Motion Detector has been No Motion for at least 20 minute(s) Send Off to Kitchen Fluorescent Light (this Event could be named Fluorescent Light Auto Off)

At any given moment, a Condition & Trigger Event can be in one of three states (Waiting/Sleep/Triggered). An Event in Waiting status is Waiting for all condition statements to become True.  An event in Sleep status is waiting for a Time Condition Statement to become True.  An event in Triggered Status is one that has recently been triggered, resulting in it's action statements being executed.

Trigger Only Example:​​

  • Send Color Change (Thistle) to Front Porch Lights (this Event could be named Restore Porch Light Color)

 

At any given moment, a Trigger Only Event can be in one of two states (Waiting/Triggered). An Event in Waiting status is Waiting to be Triggered.  An event in Triggered Status is one that has recently been triggered, resulting in it's action statements being executed.

To add an Event to a Location in the TreeHouse mobile app:

  1. Tap TreeHouse

  2. Select Locations from the Top Menu Bar

  3. Select the Location where your new Event will reside.

  4. Press the Add New Button at the bottom of the Location View

  5. The app will display a menu with Location, Device and Event as selection options.

  6. Select Event from the Menu

  7. The app will navigate to the Event Editor.  

 

To add an Event to a Device in the TreeHouse mobile app:

  1. Tap TreeHouse

  2. Select Devices from the Top Menu Bar

  3. Select the Device where your new Event will reside.

  4. Press the Add New Button at the bottom of the Devices View

  5. The app will navigate to the Event Editor.  

Add Event

Activity Logs

Activity Log

All nodes within TreeHouse have Activity Logs.  The Activity Log can be configured (via the Properties View) to display a specific number of log entries.  Activity logs contain the Date, Time, Event, Device and the Entity from which the change occurred:

An Activity Log entry may contain hyperlinks to other nodes.  Clicking on a hyperlink will navigate to the Activity Log of the linked node.

Event Editor

Event Editor

Event Editor

The Event Editor is one of the mode powerful features of the mobile app.  The Event Editor allows for the creation of sophisticated automation routines that can occur as frequently as once per minute, every 24 hours, only during the Day Time or Night Time, in the Evening or Morning, when presence is or has not been detected within a given location, or the status of one or many devices meet a particular criteria.  Events can evaluate or trigger actions on all devices within a particular location or a specific set of devices contained within a specific location.  One event can trigger the actions of another event and events may be used as Scenes.

Attributes of an Event:

  • Name

    • An event is a child of a Location or a Device; therefore, it's fully qualified name consists of it's parent's name(s) and the name of the event.  For example, an Event that turns on the living ro​om lights when an infrared sensor detects low light could be named "Lights On".  It's fully qualified name; however, is Inside Lower Level Living Room Lights On - with "Inside", being the fully qualified name of the Lower Level Location.  This naming convention allows for events across multiple locations/devices to have the same name.

  • Condition(s)

    • An Event may have multiple conditions.  There are currently four types of conditions:

      • Time based:

        • After Sunset, Before Sunrise

        • After Sunset, Before Midnight

        • Anytime

        • Sunrise

        • Sunset

        • After Midnight, Before Sunrise

        • After Noon, Before Sunset

        • Day Time

        • Night Time

        • Exactly

      • Location Specific

        • ANY Device Type within a given location

        • ALL Device Types within a given location

      • Device Specific

      • Event Specific

    • Trigger(s)

The Event Editor is one of the most powerful features of the mobile app.  The Event Editor allows for the creation of sophisticated automation routines that can occur as frequently as once per minute, every 24 hours, only during the Day Time or Night Time, in the Evening or Morning, when presence is or has not been detected within a given location, or the status of one or many devices meet a particular criteria.  Events can evaluate or trigger actions on all devices within a particular location or a specific set of devices contained within a specific location.  One event can trigger the actions of another event and events may be used as Scenes.

Component Properties View

Component Properties

Attributes of the Components Properties View:

  • <Component> Properties Section

    • Component Name - the name of the Component and cannot be modified.

    • Optional User Name & Password Fields (for Hub/Bridges that require Authentication)

    • Maximum Log Size- the maximum number of Activity Log entries allowed for this Component

    • Reset Defaults - Resets Maximum Log Size to default setting

    • Refresh - Refreshes Component.  Use to correct connectivity issues.

  • Locations with Controllable <Component> devices Section - Allows actuating all unique devices associated with selected Component​

Location Properties View

Location Properties

Attributes of the Location Properties View:

  • <Location> Properties Section

    • Editable Location Name

    • Maximum Log Size- the maximum number of Activity Log entries allowed for this Location

    • Log to Parent - whether this Location's Activity should also be logged by the Location Parent

    • Reset Defaults - Resets Maximum Log Size to default setting

  • Controllable <Component> Device Types Section - Allows actuating all unique devices associated within this and child Locations.​

Devices Properties View

Attributes of the Device Properties View:

  • <Device> Properties Section

    • Editable Location Name

    • Optional IP Address (for IP Camera's and Belkin Devices)

    • Image Capture Settings (for IP Camera's)

      • Auto Snapshot on Motion - should the camera automatically capture video image on motion?​

      • Send as MMS - should the camera send images as Multimedia Messages (MMS) - {Ideal for Mobile Devices}?

      • App Notifications - In-App Notifications (coming soon, requires in-app purchase)

      • Rotation - Rotates camera images by specified degrees

      • Bursts - Number of images to capture during each capture session.  (Only images with noticeable differences are sent via text/email)

      • Delay - number of milliseconds to wait between each snapshot

      • Recipients - email address(es) to send snapshots (each followed by a comma)

    • Maximum Log Size- the maximum number of Activity Log entries allowed for this Location

    • Log to Parent - whether this Location's Activity should also be logged by the Location Parent

    • Reset Defaults - Resets Maximum Log Size to default setting

  • Controllable <Component> Device Types Section - Allows actuating all unique devices associated within this and child Locations.​

Devices Properties

Event Properties View

Attributes of the Event Properties View:

  • <Event Type> Properties Section

    • Editable Event Name

    • Maximum Log Size- the maximum number of Activity Log entries allowed for this Location

    • Log to Parent - whether this Location's Activity should also be logged by the Location Parent

    • Reset Defaults - Resets Maximum Log Size to default setting

    • Refresh - Resets Event to Waiting Status

  • Event Section 

    • Sleep Time - Amount of time to sleep before event can be triggered again.​

Event Properties
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