Control your home automation system with Android
Conductor is an application for Android that allows you to control your home automation
system via your ISY-99i or Orchestrator 992/994 from Universal Devices.
Universal Devices' ISY/Orchestrator is a powerful home automation tool. The Conductor software allows you
to use that powerful tool on any Google Android phone or tablet*.
Learn more about Universal Devices and their ISY-99i
* See System Requirements below
Using the Conductor software is fairly simple. If you've already set up your ISY with a number of
INSTEON devices and organized your devices into folders, your work is nearly done. All you need to do at
this point is install Conductor for Android and enter the configuration settings.
It is recommended that you set up your device folders so that they correspond to rooms in your home and
that you put each device and scene into a folder. Each folder will be listed in
Conductor for Android. As you scroll up and down, devices (and optionally scenes) in each folder will be
listed. Simply tap a folder to view what's inside or tab a device/scene to tell it what to do.
Each device (and optionally each scene) will have control options based on what type of device it is. For
instance, a simple relay switch be represented as a switch. Dimmers, on the other hand, will have bright/dim
control along with an on/off switch.
In addition to viewing and interacting with devices and scenes, you will also have access to your ISY's
installed modules (if you have purchased any). Currently this is limited to the WeatherBug and Energy modules,
but expect more to be included as development continues. To see these modules, check the "Show Modules" box in the
configuration settings and they will show up as buttons on the Home Screen.
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First things first. If you're new to Android tablets, you may have noticed three icons in the bottom left-hand corner
of the screen. They'll look like figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Android Tablet Navigation Buttons
- Back - Navigates back one screen. Press the Back button twice while on Conductor's main
screen, and Conductor will shut down and exit (this is the same as selecting "Quit" from the menu).
- Home - Pressing this takes you to the home screen. Note that Conductor for Android will
continue to run in the background if you press the Home button. Real-time updates will stop after 60 seconds,
however (they will restart when Conductor comes back to the foreground).
- Tasks - Use this to switch between your most recently used/running applications.
You may have also noticed that the menu button has moved. On Honeycomb applications, you can find the menu button
in the top right-hand corner of the screen (when Conductor is running, of course).
Figure 2: Android Tablet Menu Button
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To install, download the installer package by tapping on the link or scanning the bar code found in the welcome email.
If you aren't in the beta or lost the email, you can join (or re-join) using the form on our home page. After the package
has been downloaded, open the download manager in your browser (
Menu > Downloads) and run the package to install.
After installation is complete, run
Conductor Tablet to set your default settings (see figure 2).
Note:
To install a beta version of Conductor for Android directly from your device (instead of from the Android Market,
you must check the box "Unknown sources" in your settings (Settings > Applications). If you have
purchased Conductor from the Android Market, there is no need to do this!
When Conductor starts, it will send you to the settings screen and start the Connection Wizard. Please
follow the instructions in the wizard to get connected. If you ever want to run the Connection Wizard again, choose
Connection Wizard from the menu.
Settings:
Figure 3: Conductor for Android Tablets
Settings Screen
- Location
- Location - Use Location to connect to multiple ISY controllers in multiple locations. Be default,
a single location called "Default" is created. To add more, tap the "Add Location" button at the top of the screen.
You can also rename or delete locations in this way. Nearly all of Conductor's settings are location-specific,
but there are a couple notable exceptions. The Access Code, Security Code, Debug Mode, and Widget settings are the same
across all locations.
- Connection
- ISY/Orchestrator LAN (Local) URL - The URL to be used to contact the ISY controller. On a local network,
this is usually http://isy. You can also enter the ISY's network IP address. The "http://"
prefix is optional. It will be added automatically when Conductor for Android Tablets attempts
to connect to your ISY. If you are using SSL, you can specify "https://" instead of "http://".
- ISY/Orchestrator WAN (Internet) URL - The URL to be used to contact the ISY device when you
are not connected to your local network via WiFi. The WAN URL will be used when you are connecting
to your ISY using your Android phone or tablet's 3G/4G data connection.
Note:
If you are planning on connecting to your ISY from the Internet, it is highly recommended that you use
SSL. By encrypting your connection, you protect yourself from the risk of a third party obtaining the
username and password used to access your ISY. Depending on what you have your ISY doing, that could
compromise you and your home's security.
- ISY//Orchestrator User Name - The user name used to authenticate with the ISY device. This
is the same user name that you use to log into the ISY's Java Administrative Conole. The default
user name is admin.
- ISY/Orchestrator Password - The password used to authenticate with the ISY device.
- Ignore SSL Errors - Check this box to ignore any SSL errors that may occur. SSL
errors can occur for a variety of reasons, the most common of which are:
- Untrusted root certificate - The certificate is either self-signed or is not from
a trusted Certificate Authority (CA).
- Address mismatch - The certificate is valid, but was issued for a different address
than the one you are using to access your ISY. This can happen when you access your ISY via its
IP address or if you use a different host name to access your ISY from your internal network as
you do when you access it from the Internet.
Note:
While it is certainly convenient to ignore SSL errors, it isn't without risk! SSL certificates are
used to verify that you are indeed connecting with the device/address that you intended to connect with.
If SSL errors occur, that means that the address cannot be confirmed. In other words, SSL errors are
for your safety and peace of mind. By ignoring them, it's possible that you could be connecting to
the wrong device, so do so at your own risk.
- Appearance
- Theme - Choose between the default "Dark" theme and the new "Light" theme. If you use
multiple locations, themes can be a great way to tell the difference between them.
- General Options
- Dim/Bright Rate (%) - By default, dimmable INSTEON devices will dim or brighten in
roughly 3% intervals. To change that, choose a percentage between 1 and 100 here. Conductor's default is 25%.
- Weather ZIP Code - Enter a ZIP code here to be used for loading weather forecast
information from WeatherBug. These forecasts will be displayed on the Weather and Home screens.
- Startup Screen - Select a the screen that Conductor will jump to when it starts up.
- Hide Disabled Items - Devices that are marked as disabled in the ISY's
Administrative Console will not be displayed when this box is checked.
- Hide Masked Items - Devices with a name starting or ending with a "~" (tilde) prefix
will not be displayed when this box is checked. For example, a device named "~Kitchen Light" or "Kitchen Light~"
would be hidden if this box is checked.
- Show Scenes - Scenes will be displayed when this box is checked.
- Show Heating & Cooling - The Heating & Cooling section will be displayed when
this box is checked and your ISY controls one or more thermostats or other HVAC devices.
- Show Modules - Supported modules will be displayed when this box is checked.
Currently, the following modules are supported: Energy and WeatherBug
- Show Energy - The Energy module (if installed) will be displayed when this box is checked.
- Show Weather - The Weather module (if installed) will be displayed when this box is checked.
- Sort Items by Status - When checked, devices and programs will be ordered by their
current status. For lighting, this would put lights that are on at the top of the list.
- Keep Awake - When checked, Conductor will keep the screen on while it is running.
This can be useful if you are using it as a wall mounted control panel.
- Check for Updates - When checked, Conductor will check for updates when the app starts up.
- Security
- Access Code - To secure Conductor, enter a numeric access code here. When provided,
Conductor will ask for this access code before allowing you into the app.
- Settings Code - To secure Conductor's settings, enter a numeric code here. When
provided, Conductor will ask for this code before allowing you to view the Settings screen.
- Device Folder Lock - Select a folder to restrict Conductor to show lighting, devices,
and scenes from a single folder. Please note that to use this feature you must have already created
a folder on your ISY, put devices and/or scenes in it, and synched these updates to Conductor.
- Troubleshooting & Debug
- Refresh on Change - If you are having trouble with the real-time status
updates, you can check this option. When checked, Conductor will manually check the device or program's
status when you issue a command. This should only be used if you are having trouble, as it will slow
the app down during normal usage.
- Battery Saver - When checked, the real-time event listener will be disabled.
Conductor will still query device and scene status, but only when you view them. Changes made outside
of Conductor won't be reflected in real-time. For more info, see the Real-Time
Feedback and Updates section.
- Show Controller Errors - Periodically, your ISY may prompt you when there is an
INSTEON communication problem. When checked, Conductor will display those messages to you.
- Debug Mode - When checked, logging messages will be written to the app's debug.
This can be used when asking for support. If you don't need it, it is recommended that you turn it
off as it may slow the app down a bit.
- Widget
- Widget Update Rate - To save power, Conductor Home Screen Widgets aren't updated
in real-time. Rather, they will wake up and check the status of a device, scene or program or a periodic
basis. Change the Widget Update Rate to define how often that happens.
When you are satisfied with the settings you have entered, click the Back button to save
your settings and return to the Home Screen. Once Conductor for Android has valid connection information, it
will automatically connect to your ISY.
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Upon starting up, Conductor for Android will attempt to connect to your ISY-99i using the connection details
you provided. If it cannot connect, it will tell you as much and send you to the Settings Screen so that you
can update/correct your connection settings.
Upon connecting to your ISY for the first time, Conductor will attempt to download a list of modules,
folders, devices, scenes and programs. It uses this information to determine what information to show you
about your home automation network.
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After Conductor has loaded the information it needs from your ISY, it will open up a connection with your
ISY so that it can receive real-time updates when a light, device or program is updated, regardless of whether
that change was initiated by Conductor or whether someone manually turned a light or device on or off. As long
as that connection is active, Conductor will stay up to date with what's happening in your home or business.
The URL (LAN or WAN) and connection type (3G/4G or WiFi) used by Conductor is selected when it is started.
Conductor will continue to use that URL and connection type as long as the app is running. If you use Conductor
a lot, you may find yourself moving between networks throughout your day. If you find that Conductor is no
longer able to connect, you can tell Conductor to reconnect by tapping the connection indicator in the top right-hand
corner of the screen. Conductor will then attempt find your ISY using the local network (if available) and over
the Internet.
When Conductor is connected to your ISY and receiving updates, you'll see an indicator in the top-right hand
corner of the screen:
-
Not Connected - The grey icon indicates that Conductor is not connected to or has been disconnected from your ISY.
-
Connected via LAN - The green icon with a house in it indicates that Conductor is connected to your ISY over your local network.
-
Connected via WAN - The green icon with radio waves in it indicates that Conductor is connected to your ISY over the Internet.
-
Refreshing - The green icon with arrows in it indicates that Conductor is refreshing its data with your ISY.
Please keep in mind that the speed with which Conductor receives updates from your ISY depends on your
connection type (Internet vs. local network) and whether or not you're using SSL (your connection URL starts
with "https"). Local, non-SSL connections are typically the snappiest. By contrast, SSL connections over the
internet using your phone or tablet's cellular connection are the most sluggish. We highly recommend that you use higher
security SSL whenever you connect to your ISY from the Internet (whether that be cellular or via WiFi), but
we'll leave that decision up to you. You've been warned.
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For performance reasons, Conductor won't re-download your ISY data (modules, folders, devices, scenes and
programs) after it has done so for the first time. That means that if you make changes to your home automation
network (such as adding, renaming or deleting a device or program or changing scene membership), you will
have to manually update Conductor receive those changes. To do that, choose Menu > Refresh ISY
Data. Conductor will then re-download this information and update the its data with what it finds.
This may take a minute or two if you have a lot of devices or programs or if you are refreshing over the
Internet.
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To get around, you choose the menu options listed on the left-hand side of the home screen. Alternatively,
you can also tap the icons shown at the top of the screen. You'll see one for each place you can go. See figure 4
below.
Also, along the top you will see some icons. Those are context sensitive (they'll change depending on where you are),
and can be used to do different tasks or navigate to certain screens.
Lastly, to access the menu, click your Android device's Menu button. You can access the menu in almost every screen
in Conductor, and you can use the menu to go back to the Home Screen, go to your Favorite devices/programs,
view/change your Settings, or to do other tasks.
Figure 4: Conductor for Android Tablets Menu Bar
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Once Conductor has started up and connected to your ISY, you'll see the Home Screen. See the screen shot below.
This screen is intended to be a "head-up" view of your home or business, with quick access to your favorite or active
cameras, devices, scenes or programs. You'll also see a number of options on the left depending on the settings you
have chosen and which modules you have installed on your ISY.
If you check "Show Modules," the Home Screen will display buttons for the following modules, if installed:
Additionally, the Heating & Cooling button will be displayed if you have any INSTEON thermostats installed
and set up on your ISY.
Figure 5: Conductor for Android Tablets Home Screen
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At minimum, you'll see the Lighting & Devices Button on the Home Screen. Choosing this button will take you
to the Lighting & Devices Screen. On this screen you will see a list of your devices grouped by folder. The
folders will be listed on the left, and any devices or scenes found in that folder will be shown at the right
(see figures 4 and 5 for details). Folders scroll up and down, while devices and scenes scroll from left to right.
If a folder contains any devices that are switched on, a yellow badge will be displayed along with the number
of devices that are switched on in that folder (or any of its subfolders). The same applies for scenes. If any
devices that are part of a scene are switched on, the scene will display a badge indicating so.
To control devices or scenes, tap the virtual switch just as you would a real switch. If the light is a dimmer,
you'll also see a dimmer control that you can tap or touch and drag to dim the light.
To add a device or scene to your favorites, long press on it and select "Mark as Favorite" from the popup menu.
Figure 6: Conductor for Android Tablets Lighting & Devices Screen
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Figure 7: Conductor for Android Control. Tap the switch to turn on/off and tap or drag the dimmer to set brightness. Press and hold for the popup menu.
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The Energy Screen is a place where you can monitor your current energy usage in real time, see estimates for
what that energy usage will cost you, and communicate with your utility company. Since your ISY is connected
to your smart meter, it can send and receive messages from the utility. Not only can you see the latest important
messages, you can opt-in to load control requests that may save you money.
Note:
This screen requires an Orchestrator series device and a smart meter from your utility company.
Figure 8: Conductor for Android Tablets Energy Screen
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If you have one or more INSTEON thermostats installed in your home, you can use the Heating & Cooling Screen to
monitor their activity. You can also control your thermostat on this screen just as you would a real thermostat.
Figure 9: Conductor for Android Tablets Heating & Cooling Screen
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Use the Cameras & Monitoring Screen to monitor your connected IP security cameras. View thumbnails of the cameras you
have set up here. Choose a camera by tapping on it in the list and you will see a full-screen view of what your camera
sees. To edit or delete a camera from the list, tap on the pencil icon in the top right-hand corner of the camera image,
then choose "Edit Camera" or
"Delete Camera" from the popup menu.
Conductor currently supports both MJPEG streams and still snapshots for a variety of camera makes and models. See
the list of supported cameras here.
To set up a new camera, choose "Add Camera" from the top of the screen. This will open the Add Camera screen, shown below. Fill
out the required information and press the Save button to add your camera.
Camera Settings
- Name - The name that Conductor will use to describe the camera
- Camera Type - Choose the camera type that matches the make/model of the camera that you are
trying to access
- URL - The main URL used to access your camera. This can be either an internal (LAN) or
external (WAN/Internet) address. If you intent to access your camera from outside of your home or internal
network, you'll likely want to use an external address here.
Note:
To access your camera remotely (from the Internet), you may need to configure your router/firewall to forward the
appropriate ports to your camera. Refer to your camera's instruction manual for how to do this.
- User Name - The user name used to authenticate with the camera, if you have configured your
camera to use one
- Password - The password used to authenticate with the camera, if you have configured your
camera to use one
- Related Folder - Relate your camera to a folder on your ISY. When selected, the camera will
be listed with the devices and scenes in that folder in the Lighting and Devices screens
- Preferred Image Quality - By default, Conductor will attempt to automatically determine the
image quality of video/snapshots it displays. If you wish, you can override that here
- Flip Horizontal Control - If you've mounted your camera upside-down, check this box to make
your pan left/right gestures work correctly.
- Flip Vertical Control - If you've mounted your camera upside-down, check this box to make
your til up/down gestures work correctly.
Normally, Conductor will show a two by two grid of your cameras. If you have more than four cameras, scroll to the
right to see them. You can also select the toggle icon at the top of the screel to toggle between a three by three camera
grid and a list view. In any of these screens, tap the camera to view it full screen.
When viewing cameras, Conductor will prefer to show you the MJPEG stream. When that is not available, a snapshot will be
displayed, which will be updated every few seconds. If the camera supports panning, tilting, zooming or presets, you'll
also be able to use those commands here:
- Panning/Tilting - To pan or tilt, swipe your finger across the screen in the opposite direction
you wish the camera to move (basically drag the camera image with your finger).
- Zooming - To zoom, click on the zoom buttons in the bottom right-hand corner of the camera screen
- Presets - Select one of up to eight supported preset buttons to move the camera to the selected
preset. Press the Home icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the camera screen to return to the home position
If you have multiple cameras, you will also see a button at the bottom of the screen. Tap on it or drag it up to open
a drawer containing all of your cameras, allowing you to quickly switch between them.
Figure 10: Conductor for Android Cameras & Monitoring Screen - 2x2 Grid
Figure 11: Conductor for Android Cameras & Monitoring Screen - 3x3 Grid
Figure 12: Conductor for Android Cameras & Monitoring Screen - Full Screen View
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On the Weather Screen, you can view the current status of the weather information gathered by the ISY's WeatherBug
Module. Additionally, you can also view WeatherBug forecast information for your ZIP code (if you've entered it in
the Settings Screen).
Note:
This screen requires the Weather module.
Figure 13: Conductor for Android Tablets Weather Screen
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Conductor for Android Tablets has the ability to add Conductor widgets to your home screen. Widgets are a great way to
monitor the status of frequently used devices, scenes or programs without having to launch Conductor. You can also use
them to "toggle" those devices, scenes or programs simply by tapping on the widget. Think of it as a button used to
control your favorite and most used items.
Currently, each widget is used to control a single device, scene or program. To add one to your home screen, follow
these steps:
- Important! Make sure that you have already synched Conductor with your ISY before settings up any widgets.
- Go your your device's Home screen by pressing the Home button
- Swipe left or right to find a Home screen that has enough room to add an application shortcut (a 1x1 tile).
- Press the "+" button in the top right-hand corner of the screen or long press on an empty part of the screen
- Depending on your device, you will need to select either "Widgets" or "Android widgets" from the menu that pops up.
- Choose "Conductor Tablet" from the "Choose widget" menu that pops up.
- After selecting "Conductor Tablet," the Conductor Widget Setup dialog will pop up. Select a device, scene or
program that you'd like to control and click Save
Note:
Please take care when selecting devices, scenes or programs that may compromise your home or business' security or
otherwise cause problems when inadvertantly triggered. It is also recommended that you configure configure your
Android device with a screen lock to prevent unauthorized use.
Figure 14: Conductor for Android Widgets
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Widget Idle
Widget Refreshing
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Widget Executing
Command (Toggle)
Widget Error
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To save battery, widgets do not update in real time. Instead, they refresh themselves after you tap them
to send a toggle command. They also refresh themselves on a periodic basis. How often this happens is controlled by the
"Widget Update Interval" option found in Conductor's settings. The default interval is 30 minutes.
To toggle a widget, simply tap it. Toggling a widget does the following:
- Devices
- When OFF, toggling a device turns it ON
- When PARTIALLY ON (such as a dimmer at 50%), toggling it turns it OFF
- When ON, toggling it turns it OFF
- Scenes
- When all devices in a scene are OFF, toggling a scene turns all devices in the scene ON
- When some devices in a scene are ON, toggling it turns all devices in the scene OFF
- When all devices in a scene are ON, toggling it turns all devices in the scene OFF
- Programs
- When IDLE (true or false), toggling a program executes the RUN THEN command
- When RUNNING (true or false), toggling a program executes the STOP command
In some cases, a widget may not be able to update its status from the ISY. This is usually due to temporary network problems, or
settings on your phone or tablet that cause it to disconnect from the internet. If this happens, the widget will be displayed with
a red "X" in the top right-hand corner. See the example next to figure 14 above. Tapping a widget that is showing this red "X" will
cause it to reconnect with your ISY and refresh it's status rather than sending a toggle command.
Lastly, you can force all of the Conductor Home screen widgets to refresh their status by choosing Menu > Refresh
All Widgets from Conductor's menu (in the app).
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Conductor for Android requires the following hardware and software:
- Google Android tablet - Version 3.0 (Honeycomb) or higher. This app does not currently work on older versions of Android!
- Universal Devices ISY-99i or Orchestrator 992/994 - Minimum firmware 2.7.9 or higher. Recommended firmware 2.8.15 or higher (IR or PRO support not required. ISY-26 is not supported)
- INSTEON serial PLM (required for the ISY/Orchestrator to communicate with your INSTEON network)
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Conductor for Android should be
just about ready to go as soon as you install it, but you may need to tweak your
setup on your ISY a bit to make things a bit easier to work with on your Android phone. Here are some tips for making Conductor
work a bit better for you:
- Make sure to organize your lighting, devices, scenes and programs into folders to make things easier to find
- Be sure to confirm that your ISY is accessible from the internet via your tablet's web browser when the tablet isn't on your wireless network. Once you confirm that you can connect, use that URL (with the http/https and the port, if applicable) in Conductor's settings
- Hide unwanted or extraneous devices/scenes by choosing "Hide Masked Items" in the settings, then renaming the items you wish to hide so that they start or end with a tilde (~). Lastly, choose Menu > Refresh ISY Data from the menu to make those items disappear
- Use Menu > Refresh ISY Data from the menu to update your phone whenever you make any changes to devices, scenes or programs on your ISY
- Select a startup screen in the settings if you want to skip past the home screen upon startup
- Move folders to the top of the list by marking them as a favorite. You can make devices, scenes or programs favorites by long-pressing them and selecting "Mark as Favorite" from the popup menu. Favorite devices, scenes and programs will be listed on the Home screen and in the Favorites screen accessed via the menu
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If you have trouble with Conductor for Android Tablets or have any questions, comments or feedback, there are a number of ways that you can contact us:
- Post to our UDI Forum - Universal Devices Inc. is generously hosting our discussion forum. You are encouraged to
post your questions or feedback here as others may be able to help (and getting your problem solved may help others).
- Email Support
- Send Us Your Debug Report - If you are having trouble, please go to the settings and turn on Debug Mode.
In debug mode, Conductor will log its activity. Then, when a crash or force close occurs, Conductor will prompt you to send
the debug report to Support the next time you start it up. Additionally, you can send debug reports on demand by selecting
Send Debug Report from the menu.
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