Would EventGhost fill my needs or should I look elsewhere?

[daturner01]

Windows 8.1 with the latest updates. In tend to download the most recent Alpha Version of GH if it would fill my needs. RFXmngr doesn't give me version and it is currently only collecting data from Oregon T/H sensors.

Newbie here trying to decide if EventGhost is what I need. I initially put my post as a response in the News Section hoping if it saved someone else it could also save me. After trol toiling through the forum for awhile I feel this is more likely the best place to start. Most of the current discussions appear to relate to controlling something. My current needs and expectations are a little different so if you think I should be using a different software for it then just say and I will be looking it over as well.

I have just purchased an RFXrec433 receiver and almost stopped looking at EventGhost because the Wiki I looked at showed the last update was 2009 and the last documentation update was 2011 so I thought it would not be a good match with my Windows 8.1 OS. Fortunately I continued to look and registered for the forum intending to ask about recent updates when low and behold I see the latest release on Jun 09 2014. Now I just need to find out if it is going to do what I need then I will download and see if it can change my life.

I may expand in the future, but, my current needs are to receive the information I see in RFXMngr to display, set alarms and put into a database so that I can analyze the data preferable within OpenOffice Calc. I currently have 14 and growing Temp/Humidity sensors which I am currently manually monitoring for my cigar and wine storage and it is time to be able to automate and log the data. I may add NH3 detectors to know when it is time to transfer stored cigars and clean that particular humidor, but, until I Find support for Ammonium buildup I will stick with the smell and taste test.

There is one other thing, but, I doubt I will be able to use them. I have 8 Ambient Weather F007TH T/H Sensors that are not detected by RFXrec433 and the only system I have found so far that will allow me to get that data is on a Unix/Linux based system which I have no ambitions to convert to. I have included the links for the import of that data which is also GNU below just incase anyone has any ideas.

Any input/opinions from anyone familiar with EventGhost would be greatly appreciated and if I decide to use the software a Donation will be forthcoming.

Thanks for your time...David T.(Newbie)



https://github.com/AMcAnerney/Arduino-F ... s%20upload)

https://github.com/AMcAnerney/Arduino-F007th-Sketches

https://github.com/volgy/gr-ambient

[krambriw]

Hello David,

As a long time user of EG also starting as newbie and later actually developing plugins, I can say you are in the right place for what you describe.

I also monitor areas but no cigars or wine, in this case special areas of my house like ground and attic, for temperature and humidity. I have created special algorithms calculating actual difference to dew point because that's when it gets critical.

For measuring I use Oregon sensors and a RFXtrx433 (I am the author of the plugin) as well as some OneWire sensors (I am the author of that plugin too). OneWire might be something you should consider for your cigars and wine storages. It will give you better accuracy and you could avoid messing with batteries. I also know about a sensor that can connect to a OneWire network and convert readings into RF messages that are understood by your RFXtrx.

Regarding your specific device, the F007TH T/H, it is up to RFXCOM if they will add support for it in an upcoming firmware version. If you look at history, they have been outstanding in delivering support for new devices. Otherwise your best option could be to retire/sell them and migrate to OneWire (or buy some more Oregons).

Data can be stored in databases, I think there is even a plugin for MySQL in the forum somewhere. I have myself experimented saving measuring data directly into the cloud (Google Spreadsheet). Currently I am just saving to text files locally and presenting graphs on a web page.

Besides measuring, my EventGhost system is controlling multiple things in my house like
- outdoor and indoor lighting using both cheaper x10 type of devices as well as the more expensive z-wave stuff,
- scene selections depending on the status of the alarm system,
- automatic weather dependent control of awnings/shutters during summertime,
- heat pump monitoring,
- event and alarm messaging using emails, pushbullet, prowl,
- other functions for convenience.

To give a human friendly interface to it, I have a couple of android tablets in the house where you can see actual status of lights, temperatures, humidity and other important information. You can of course do manual override of lights and others if, for some reason, the automation is not fitting your current mode or if you want to change the scene manually.

Since you are in a stage where I think you need to be flexible, I think EventGhost would fit. There are tons of plugins available for various purposes and new are developed all the time. What might not be there can most of the time be sorted out with so called python scripts. This might sound scaring but it is not, you will learn and there are many people online willing to help.

So in summary, I have not seen many other free software that are close to the same flexibility. What is really missing is if you dislike having a Windows machine running 24/7, then you should look somewhere else. I have an old outdated laptop with a SSD disk running since years and it is working fine. There are also mini PC's on the market if you really want to hide it away.

The whole EventGhost community is founded on the work of committed volunteers and EventGhost including plugins and support is free. Donations are rare but of course very much appreciated.

Best regards and most welcome,

Walter

[daturner01]

Thank you very much for your input Walter. The only other software I am seriously considering at the moment is OSA at http://www.opensourceautomation.com/. Initially I shied away from them because they started out on primarily Unix/Linux based OS, but, looking through their forum there is more Windows support than I initially thought. The other system I looked close at is French based and that language barrier is probably going to be a bit to overcome.

I should of, but, never thought of Dew Point. I was planning on looking into Barometric Pressure, but, now I will have to add Dew Point to my list as well. So much to do so little time.

There are so may options available with the RFXrec433 that I won't worry about the F007TH sensors for right now. I have those GNU starting points from GitHub I can look into later or like you said RFXCOM may add support(fingers crossed). I won't through them away or sell them, but, I will set them aside.

If I do opt to use EventGhost what would be the best Program Development System fit. I haven't programmed for over 15 years and back then the last Windows system I used was Visual Studio 97 or 6 I forget which and primarily used Visual Basic when not working on the AS400 System. Even then my primary responsibilities were system management and data analysis so my programming experience is limited. Everything I am going to be doing now is for personal use or to pass on to a GNU forum like this so I do not want to spend a bunch of money on a system. I am looking at the systems listed below and would appreciate any opinions on which would be the best fit for EventGhost.

1.) One of the Microsoft Visual Studio Express possibilities at http://www.visualstudio.com/products/vi ... express-vs

2.) Eclipse at http://www.eclipse.org/

3.) NetBeans at https://netbeans.org/ Leaning towards after initial quick looks.

4.) Code::Blocks at http://www.codeblocks.org/

There are many out there so if anyone has any other suggestions please let me know. Once I pick one and start learning and developing in it I do not want to switch so the time for research is now.

Thanks....David T.