New to C4 - Issues with Dealer and question about IFTTT integration

[jasonC4]

Hello, I recently purchased a new property with C4 built in. The previous owner's dealer is completely unresponsive, but fortunately the owners have left me with detailed instructions to open/close the window blinds with a physical remote, which is all that this system currently controls. I would like to be able to use the phone app to open/control the windows, but I can't get a response from the dealer to setup an account. Is this something I require a dealer for or can I setup an account on my own?

Separately, I use google home to control my nests, smart lights and cameras. It would be great if I could use google home to open and close the blinds as well. Does this absolutely require 4sight, or is there a way to use IFTTT to voice control my blinds as well? 

Apologies for the basic questions, I'm new to this system and not by choice.

[eggzlot]

2 minutes ago, jasonC4 said:

Hello, I recently purchased a new property with C4 built in. The previous owner's dealer is completely unresponsive, but fortunately the owners have left me with detailed instructions to open/close the window blinds with a physical remote, which is all that this system currently controls. I would like to be able to use the phone app to open/control the windows, but I can't get a response from the dealer to setup an account. Is this something I require a dealer for or can I setup an account on my own?

Separately, I use google home to control my nests, smart lights and cameras. It would be great if I could use google home to open and close the blinds as well. Does this absolutely require 4sight, or is there a way to use IFTTT to voice control my blinds as well? 

Apologies for the basic questions, I'm new to this system and not by choice.

There are several remote dealers on here who will chime in offering to help you soon

1) Phone app - its free to use once configured IF you are home wifi.  If you want to use the phone app away from your house its a yearly fee of $99

2) 4sight would allow you to use Google home but also the phone app away from the house (as mentioned in point 1)

3) There is an IFTTT driver that is fantastic.  You can pull any activity in/out of C4 based on basic IFTTT commands.

4) are you sure all that is left is the windows being controlled by control4?  No music or lights, hvac, etc?  If so, why bother with a phone app for the blinds?  What are the blinds - if its something like Somfy or Lutron they have their own app you can likely use and be done with it.  I mean I like C4, but if that is all that is involved you can likely bypass C4.

[jasonC4]

2 minutes ago, eggzlot said:

There are several remote dealers on here who will chime in offering to help you soon

1) Phone app - its free to use once configured IF you are home wifi.  If you want to use the phone app away from your house its a yearly fee of $99

2) 4sight would allow you to use Google home but also the phone app away from the house (as mentioned in point 1)

3) There is an IFTTT driver that is fantastic.  You can pull any activity in/out of C4 based on basic IFTTT commands.

4) are you sure all that is left is the windows being controlled by control4?  No music or lights, hvac, etc?  If so, why bother with a phone app for the blinds?  What are the blinds - if its something like Somfy or Lutron they have their own app you can likely use and be done with it.  I mean I like C4, but if that is all that is involved you can likely bypass C4.

Thanks for the fast reply!

1) So do I need my current pro to authorize my account? I have physical access of course to the control4 box which is a C4-EA1-V2 and I found the registration page to create an account on the control4 website. 

2) I don't require remote (away from home) control over the blinds. 

3) The IFTTT driver sounds like it would allow me to use voice commands. I could write a simple routine in google assistant that triggers the activity in C4 assuming I keep it.

4) I'm positive all it controls are the blinds. The smart lights, cameras and thermostats were installed by myself, and there was no other A/V gear or smart devices in the house. I'm trying to locate the blind manufacturer, will likely have to take off one of the panels on the shades. Thanks for that tip! 

[eggzlot]

20 minutes ago, jasonC4 said:

Thanks for the fast reply!

1) So do I need my current pro to authorize my account? I have physical access of course to the control4 box which is a C4-EA1-V2 and I found the registration page to create an account on the control4 website. 

2) I don't require remote (away from home) control over the blinds. 

3) The IFTTT driver sounds like it would allow me to use voice commands. I could write a simple routine in google assistant that triggers the activity in C4 assuming I keep it.

4) I'm positive all it controls are the blinds. The smart lights, cameras and thermostats were installed by myself, and there was no other A/V gear or smart devices in the house. I'm trying to locate the blind manufacturer, will likely have to take off one of the panels on the shades. Thanks for that tip! 

you can use ANY C4 dealer.  I am not a dealer so I don't know the specifics steps needed to delete the old user and add the new user.  I am sure some remote dealers will chime in soon

IFTTT Driver would let you do stuff, correct, and maybe bypass the need for 4sight for your Google Needs

Seems overkill to just control blinds.  if you have other "smart stuff" speak to a dealer about changing accounts and figure out what else you can tie into c4.  

[DWRobinson]

3 hours ago, jasonC4 said:

4) I'm positive all it controls are the blinds. The smart lights, cameras and thermostats were installed by myself, and there was no other A/V gear or smart devices in the house. I'm trying to locate the blind manufacturer, will likely have to take off one of the panels on the shades. Thanks for that tip! 

Sounds like Google Home is enough for you. As Eggzlot said, if this is all that is connected and you don’t want/need anything else, just do away with Control4. Unplug it and use the remote the owner left you.

[zaphod]

And you could sell the EA-1 here or on ebay. Do you not have a Control4 remote as well? 

[jasonC4]

Google assistant is enough for my needs lol, except I can't control the blinds without control 4. There is no window blind remote, just the control 4 remote which works fine but each and every window panel requires a separate toggle. I've gone ahead and created a control 4 account, but can't register the controller to the account. It gave me 3 options to connect the account to the controller. 

 

Touchpad: don't have one, just a regular control 4 remote 

Tv: I carried a tv over to the control 4 controller and tried an hdmi cable. Nothing appeared on the screen.

Myhome pc app: will try this next. 

Hopefully I dont need a pro just to reregister this device. 

[msgreenf]

You will need a pro to register

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

[jasonC4]

1 minute ago, msgreenf said:

You will need a pro to register

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk
 

Thanks, that's what I was worried about. Hoping the pro will get back to me and not charge an arm and a leg to simply register.

I'm really struggling to find out how all the blinds are connected or what brand they are to see if there's an independent app or remote I can use to control them. The control 4 unit has a serial port connected to what looks like another stripped Ethernet cord. 

Before I tear apart one of these to try to find a label, does anyone know just by looking at this photo? 

[eggzlot]

31 minutes ago, jasonC4 said:

Thanks, that's what I was worried about. Hoping the pro will get back to me and not charge an arm and a leg to simply register.

I'm really struggling to find out how all the blinds are connected or what brand they are to see if there's an independent app or remote I can use to control them. The control 4 unit has a serial port connected to what looks like another stripped Ethernet cord. 

Before I tear apart one of these to try to find a label, does anyone know just by looking at this photo? 

The pro you are waiting on or any remote dealer here can likely figure out what blinds based on your project as there will be specific drivers directing how Control4 controls the blinds

and yes you need a dealer to add your tv

a c4 remote and an ea1 to control blinds seems crazy.  The original owners must have had a tv or two or something else that they took with them. 

[mujtaba.khokhar]

Judging by the fact it’s rs233 sounds like it might be Somfy rs485 blinds.

There’s probably a rs233 to rs484 converter taped up then the white cable goes out to the blind.

I’m a dealer, I can get you set up with an account etc and get you registered, if you can create a VPN for me to log into the network temporarily and get things setup. I’d be more than happy to help.

Send me a PM if you’re interested

Thanks
M


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jasonC4]

Just wanted to provide mujtaba.khokhar with a big thank you! This community is great and Muj has the patience of a saint when working with a newbie to this ecosystem like myself. I'm all sorted out, and Muj was also able to correctly identify  the brand and model number of my blinds simply by looking at the connector photo above, which he confirmed once he became my pro. Thanks again to everyone that contributed on this thread!