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Unique Perspectives housemate User Manual

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User Manual
the Smart way to control your world
Features:-
Environmental control from your iPad or iPhone
Learn and transmit InfraRed codes
Control Z-wave devices over Wifi
Optional built-in EasyWave controller
HouseMate Switch drives iOS Switch Control
Full control over iOS device
Important Notes:
1.
This manual assumes that you are familiar with the operation of an iOS device and should be read in
conjunction with its user manual.
2.
Read this manual carefully before installing or operating your HouseMate.
3.
Due to continuous product improvement Unique Perspectives reserves the right to update this Manual.
This Manual supersedes all previous issues which must not continue to be used.
4.
Any attempt to gain access to or in any way abuse the electronic components of the HouseMate
renders the manufacturer's warranty void and the Manufacturer free from liability.
©Unique Perspectives
App version 1.1
www.housemate.ie
October 2015
Page 1 of 74

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  • Page 1 This Manual supersedes all previous issues which must not continue to be used. Any attempt to gain access to or in any way abuse the electronic components of the HouseMate renders the manufacturer’s warranty void and the Manufacturer free from liability.

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Introduction Getting Started 1.1 Downloading the software 1.2 Enabling Technician Mode 1.3 Setting up your device Using HouseMate Editing your Project 3.1 Editing a Cell 3.2 Editing a Grid 3.3 Creating and populating a new grid 3.3.1 Importing a grid template 3.3.2 Using the wizard...
  • Page 3 User Manual October 2015 Intended use, Safety and Misuse Warnings Maintenance CE Marking Warranty & Sales and Service Information ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 3 of 74...

  • Page 4: Introduction

    Answer a phone call and send some texts. Browse the Internet, play some music or watch YouTube. HouseMate hardware in combination with an iOS device enables you to do this and much more. Read on and discover why HouseMate, together with an iOS device is the smart way to control your world.
  • Page 5 User Manual October 2015 A further possibility is the control of EasyWave or Z-wave devices. HouseMate can be fitted with an EasyWave transmitter on request. Z-wave requires the installation of a Z-wave enabled router such as a Vera 3 and Z-wave appliances such as sockets, light switches, thermostats etc.
  • Page 6 October 2015 TELL ME ABOUT THE APP The HouseMate app that has been specially designed for switch access and can be downloaded free from iTunes. It will run on any iOS device running 8.0 or higher. The HouseMate app communicates with the HouseMate hardware using Bluetooth Smart.
  • Page 7 USE IT FOR FUN AND ENJOYMENT... Switch accessible MP3 player? Switch accessible camera? Switch accessible Internet? Yes, yes and yes! In fact you can control any app installed on your device using iOS Switch Control. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 7 of 74...

  • Page 8: Key Features

    Designed to be used in conjunction with the scanning features of iOS Switch Control. Control over third party apps using iOS Switch Control. HouseMate can be downloaded free from iTunes with automatic updating as new versions become available. Can be installed on iPads or iPhones running iOS 8.0 or higher.

  • Page 9: Getting Started

    Install the HouseMate app from iTunes. “HouseMate Home Control” and click the install button. Search for After installation the HouseMate icon should appear on your home screen. Enabling Technician Mode Now, open the App. The example grid will appear. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie...
  • Page 10 Mode dialog appears. Note: Every time you launch HouseMate the spanner icon will appear. However, after 60 seconds it will change to a padlock icon, thereby preventing the user from making inadvertent changes. If you run out of time return to the home ©Unique Perspectives...

  • Page 11: Setting Up Your Device

    User Manual October 2015 screen and start HouseMate again. Technician mode can also be password protected. When technician mode is enabled a navigation bar appears at the top of the screen with two buttons, the Project button and the Configure Button. When you press either of these buttons on an iPAD you will be presented with a popup menu.
  • Page 12 If you intend to use the touch-screen only then you can click and jump to step 5 below. Step 1: Pairing the HouseMate Switch The first step is to pair the HouseMate Switch. The switch is used to drive the iOS scanning. When you are ready choose Settings and you will be brought to the iOS Settings page.
  • Page 13 HouseMate switch and then choose Select Item action. Step 4: Enable & optimize Switch Control This is the last step to set up the HouseMate switch to drive the iOS scanning. Navigate back to Switch Control. Tap Behaviour ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie...
  • Page 14 Hide All Items. In this set up, after you launch HouseMate, there is no way for the user to return to the home screen or control other Apps. Switch Control If you wish to start the iOS scanning at this point return to Switch Control and turn on the Switch Control switch.
  • Page 15 When you are finished, return to the HouseMate app for the final step of setting up your hardware. Step 5: Pairing the ECU Module.
  • Page 16 User Manual October 2015 Make sure your hardware is on and then press Continue. A popup dialog will display the text Scanning for HouseMate and after a moment this should change to Found HouseMate and then Connected to HouseMate. Your done! However, unless you want to start editing the grids and recording codes, be sure to exit Technician mode by tapping on the back arrow in the ©Unique Perspectives...
  • Page 17 If you switched on Switch Control you can now confirm that you can use the HouseMate switch to navigate the example grids and choose icons. Although you have not recorded any InfraRed codes spend some time familiarizing yourself with the iOS scanning, entering and exiting grids and selecting cells.

  • Page 18: Using Housemate

    Wifi by connecting your iOS device to a Z-wave enabled router such as a Vera. When you launch HouseMate for the first time a set of default grids and icons are generated. These grids can be edited in technician mode and you can save your project to memory.
  • Page 19 Tip: The bell symbol in this default grid is Project Command 1, and as such will trigger the output relay in your HouseMate hardware or activate the RF alarm if fitted.

  • Page 20: Editing Your Project

    3 Editing your Project Note: Before you can make changes to the grids or edit the cells you must Technician Mode. When you launch HouseMate press and hold on the enable spanner icon for 5 seconds until the Technician Mode dialog appears.
  • Page 21 You can change the name or cell label of the grid. The cell label appears under the chosen picture. The grid name is the name that is used to identify the grid when reconfiguring a cell. In many cases they will be the same. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 21 of 74...
  • Page 22 You can also define a cell as a back key or a stand-by key. will bring Stand-by you back to the previous grid. will instruct the HouseMate Disable Lock Screen hardware to turn off and, if is enabled, allow the screen to dim down.
  • Page 23 User Manual October 2015 Back keys Disable Lock Screen Back position disable the option. keys Project->Scanning Options. can be found under ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 23 of 74...

  • Page 24: Editing A Grid

    3.2.2 Templates A number of grid templates are included in the software. To import a predefined Templates Configure Grid grid template choose from the menu. The following dialog will appear: ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 24 of 74...
  • Page 25 3.2.3 Operations You can apply a number of “batch” operations to the current grid which help Operations Configure speed up the configuration process. Choose from the Grid menu. The following dialog will appear: ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 25 of 74...
  • Page 26 In the example below the cells of the Home grid have been repositioned and the grid size has been reduced to 2x2. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 26 of 74...
  • Page 27 October 2015 3.2.3 Font size You can change the font size used for the cell labels throughout the project. 3.2.3 Colors You can change the color of the grid background, key background and font. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 27 of 74...

  • Page 28: Creating And Populating A New Grid

    If none of the grid templates suit your requirements you can create a new grid yourself. First reconfigure a cell to link to a blank grid. Press on a cell and choose Reconfigure Cell Open another grid from the popup dialog. Then choose the option. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 28 of 74...
  • Page 29 User Manual October 2015 30 grids can be defined within HouseMate. Eight grids are pre-defined within the example project but if you create a new project you can define all 30 yourself. For now choose one of the unused grids, “Grid 10”, for example. An empty 3x4 grid will be assigned to the chosen cell.

  • Page 30: Importing A Grid Template

    A number of grid templates are included in the App. To import a predefined grid Templates Configure Grid template choose from the menu. The following popup dialog will appear: Then select the template you require. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 30 of 74...

  • Page 31: Using The Wizard

    After the final step the grid will be populated with the commands you have chosen. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 31 of 74...

  • Page 32: Populating A Grid One Cell At A Time

    3.3.3 Populating each cell one at a time Use the wizard to create a new Make a long click on a cell and then choose command from the popup dialog. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 32 of 74...
  • Page 33 You can optionally choose to use the command name as the cell label during this final step. When you are done the new command will appear in the grid. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 33 of 74...

  • Page 34: Recording Infrared Signals

    Before you start, make, sure that you have the Infra-red controls of the devices you want to control and that they have new batteries. Position the Infra-red control facing into the left hand side of the HouseMate as in the picture below, at least one foot apart.
  • Page 35 User Manual October 2015 Turn on HouseMate and wait until it connects. Then navigate to the grid that contains the Project Command that you want to record a signal for. Make a long click on the cell until the popup dialog for that command appears. This is called the Command dialog.
  • Page 36 You should see the red InfraRed LED on the HouseMate hardware light up. Next press and hold the button on the HouseMate hardware. When you are ready make a short press of the button on the remote control whose signal you want to record and then release the HouseMate button.

  • Page 37: Recording A Toggle Signal

    InfraRed signal. Therefore there is no rush to press the remote button after you have pressed the HouseMate button. In fact you can keep the HouseMate button pressed for as long as you want. However it is important to keep the button press on the remote as short as possible AND then release the HouseMate button quickly after that.
  • Page 38 5. If HouseMate did not detect any InfraRed signal the record operation will be canceled. Otherwise the following dialog should appear. 6. Now HouseMate is ready to record a second copy, or alternate, of the signal. This is how HouseMate records the toggle codes described earlier. As before press and hold the button on the HouseMate hardware.

  • Page 39: Recording A Macro

    Another mistake is to press the HouseMate button and the remote control button at the same time. It is important to press and hold the HouseMate button before you press the remote control button so as to capture all the signal. You can leave...
  • Page 40 You stop the sequence by pressing your switch or joystick a second time. To record a Macro 1. Make sure that you are connected to the HouseMate hardware. Make a long Record signal- click on the command you want to record and then choose >Record macro...

  • Page 41: Recording A Macro With Ok Command

    HouseMate allows you to do this by recording two series of codes. In the PROGRAM+ example above the first series would be the codes and the second series, or “OK command”, would be just the...

  • Page 42: Recording A Push Button Code

    Note that there is no visual indication on the iOS device that you are recording an OK command. It is purely a feature of the HouseMate hardware. 6. Now press the OK button on your remote control and then release the HouseMate button.

  • Page 43: Using The Signal Databases

    Using the signal database HouseMate is supplied with a number of InfraRed signal databases pre-installed. You can also create your own. The databases include SKY, UPC and GEWA and others and will be expanded over time to include other generic brands.
  • Page 44 In the example Info Info below we have paired the signal in the SKY remote database with the command in Grid 10. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 44 of 74...
  • Page 45 Download You can make more than 1 pairing and after you have done so click Signals. The InfraRed signal data will be transferred into the HouseMate memory. When the transfer has completed you can test the commands by clicking on them.

  • Page 46: Examining The Infrared Macros

    Remember that if you record a macro that is less than 4 seconds long it will be stored in the single InfraRed code memory and will not appear in this list. To examine the Macro memory, make sure you are connected to the HouseMate hardware and then choose Configure->Advanced.
  • Page 47 User Manual October 2015 InfraRed The HouseMate Advanced Settings window will appear. Choose settings-> InfraRed Macros and a progress bar will be displayed as the Macro information is retrieved from the HouseMate hardware. Followed by a list of the 32 Macros and which Project Commands they are assigned to.

  • Page 48: Erasing Infrared Signals

    Advanced Settings Remote Control Brands, InfraRed Macros Erase all Besides the InfraRed signals options already discussed the HouseMate Advanced Settings window gives you access to the following additional options. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 48 of 74...
  • Page 49 You will be asked to enter a filename for the database and to confirm this action as it may take several minutes to upload the signal data from the HouseMate hardware. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie...
  • Page 50 Finally, commands with no mark are no longer in use and will be recycled when a new command is created. Clean up project. Alternatively you can choose This action will analyse the project for unused commands giving you the option to remove them if desired. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 50 of 74...

  • Page 51: Easywave

    1. The RF signals, or “Telegrams” are unique to each HouseMate. So, for example, Channel 0 Button B, will be a different EasyWave Telegram on every HouseMate. The reason for this is that they are intended to be used as security signals for opening doors and raising alarms.
  • Page 52 October 2015 2. It is not possible to backup EasyWave signals with your project files. If you need to replace a faulty HouseMate device you will need to either swap out the internal EasyWave transmitter or reprogram the system. EasyWave signal Channel 0 Button A is reserved as the Alarm signal and will be transmitted if you make a hardware alarm, even if HouseMate is not connected to your iOS device at the time.

  • Page 53: Z-Wave

    User Manual October 2015 6 Z-Wave It is possible to control Z-wave devices using HouseMate and a MiCasaVerde Vera home controller. The Vera home controller is available from www.getvera.com and is essentially a wifi router with Z-wave capabilities. The Z-wave enabled appliances within your home must first be paired with your Vera unit.
  • Page 54 – refer directly to Vera documentation. Project->Setup your devices->Z- 4. Now launch HouseMate and choose Wave Gateway->Search for gateway. 5. The HouseMate app will search for the Vera gateway and if successful will display the following message. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie...

  • Page 55: Controlling A Z-Wave Device

    2. Make a long click on the command you want to use. The familiar Command dialog will appear allowing you to edit the cell and record infrared signals etc. with two additional entries to allow you to control your Z-wave devices: Control Z-wave device Run Z-wave scene. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 55 of 74...
  • Page 56 4. Choose the device you want to control. The dialog will appear containing a list of possible actions that you can perform with the chosen device. This list will vary depending on what Z-wave category the device belongs to. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 56 of 74...
  • Page 57 A short popup dialog should confirm the action that is being performed on the device. Note: HouseMate only supports two Z-wave devices types directly. Appliance modules (including light switches and relays) and Dimmer modules. If you want ©Unique Perspectives...

  • Page 58: Running A Z-Wave Scene

    6.3 Running a Z-wave scene The major benefit of Z-wave is the ability to run scenes. Scenes reduces the complexity of the HouseMate grids and lowers the cognitive demands on the user. A scene is simply a set of devices and associated actions to perform on them.

  • Page 59: Erasing A Z-Wave Command

    2. If a Z-wave device is unplugged then you may experience delays running scenes that contain that device. You can view what Z-Wave signals have been assigned to what Project Configure->Advanced->Z-Wave settings->Z-Wave commands by choosing commands. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 59 of 74...
  • Page 60 User Manual October 2015 ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 60 of 74...

  • Page 61: Alarms

    7 Alarms HouseMate contains different methods for generating alarms. Relays HouseMate contains a relay that is available on a 3.5mm jack socket. This can be connected to a wireless call bell system. EasyWave HouseMate can be fitted with a 32 channel EasyWave module. When you make an alarm the first EasyWave telegram is transmitted by default.

  • Page 62: Hardware Settings

    8 Hardware Settings The hardware settings option allows you to control the power down and relay output functions of HouseMate hardware. These options affect the behavior of the hardware units even when they are not connected to your iOS device.
  • Page 63 User Manual October 2015 When set to 1 or 5 minutes the HouseMate hardware will automatically switch off if you have not made any switch presses for the chosen time. This allows the device to turn off or dim the screen and conserves the battery life of both units.
  • Page 64 Set-Top mode is intended to be used by persons who can fully use their device, including the on/off button, and require InfraRed control. To switch off HouseMate in Set-Top mode it is necessary to hold the switch for several seconds until the unit beeps and switches off.

  • Page 65: Saving Your Project

    October 2015 9 Saving your Project HouseMate allows you to save all user data, including recorded infrared signals to your iOS device’s memory. You can then copy the data from your device onto your computer to have a permanent backup of your all your settings.

  • Page 66: Opening An Existing Project

    User Manual October 2015 9.2 Opening an existing project To open a project Project->Open Project. Existing Projects 1. Choose dialog will appear. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 66 of 74...
  • Page 67 2. Choose the project to want to open. As before, once the project has been opened, you will be prompted as to whether you want to restore the InfraRed signal data from memory to the HouseMate hardware. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie...

  • Page 68: Connections

    InfraRed and Wake-up status HouseMate button Has two functions. See text Exactly the same as the below for details. Switch i/p. the HouseMate button can be used to control your iOS device. Battery Charging Illuminates orange when the battery is charging.
  • Page 69 Charging the battery HouseMate hardware contains a 1950mAh Li-Ion battery. When the battery is low the HouseMate hardware will beep continuously and when you connect with your device a message will appear on the screen warning you that the battery is running low.

  • Page 70: Hardware Specifications

    Quiescent Current 20mA Mechanical Weight Approx. 250grams Case material Black ABS plastic. Environmental Units Operating ambient temperature range ºC Storage temperature range ºC Operating and storage humidity HouseMate is not designed for outdoor use. ©Unique Perspectives www.housemate.ie Page 70 of 74...
  • Page 71 12 Intended use, Safety and Misuse Warnings Intended Use HouseMate is a combined iOS switch interface and InfraRed remote control. It is designed to enable those individuals who cannot use a standard remote control to operate television, lights, door openers, curtains and other equipment in their home or place of work/study.
  • Page 72 User Manual October 2015 13 Maintenance Your HouseMate hardware should be regularly checked for integrity. Loose, damaged or corroded connectors or terminals, or damaged cabling should be reported to your Service Centre and be replaced immediately. The Li-Ion battery should be regularly checked for corrosion or leakage.
  • Page 73 User Manual October 2015 CE Marking HouseMate is marketed as a technical aid for people with disabilities and satisfies the requirements of the Medical Device Directive 2007/47/EC. This includes conformity with essential requirements of Council Directive 2004/108/EC of 15th December 2004 concerning electromagnetic compatibility.
  • Page 74 October 2015 Warranty & Sales and Service Information All equipment supplied by Unique Perspectives Ltd. is warranted by the company to be free from faulty materials or workmanship. If any defect is found within the warranty period of 12 months, the company will repair the equipment, or at its discretion, replace the equipment without charge for materials and labor.

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