Connect2Pi Wireless Dongle setup management configuration

Hi Andy,

I passed your query onto lprs.co.uk.  Their Technical Director replied :

Afternoon Mike

Sorry I've not responded sooner.

Could you please email me the missing attachment(s).

Also, could you provide a little more of an overview as to how this functions ?

(I'm really not sure what you mean by "[... where you can add then send a command of your choice (Type in) and then just click the ‘Send ACK’ button. If it does not run, you might need to install the QT4 framework...]"

I'm a complete novice when it comes to the Raspberry Pi and programming and basically had expected LPRS' ER Companion Software to install and function exactly as it's designed to do - anything different that requires me to manually control Inputs/Outputs and interpret results of Commands sent to the RF Dongle is stretching my current capability right now :-(

Regards - Andy (have emailed you for attachments)

Afternoon Mike

Sorry I've not responded sooner.

Could you please email me the missing attachment(s).

Also, could you provide a little more of an overview as to how this functions ?

(I'm really not sure what you mean by "[... where you can add then send a command of your choice (Type in) and then just click the ‘Send ACK’ button. If it does not run, you might need to install the QT4 framework...]"

I'm a complete novice when it comes to the Raspberry Pi and programming and basically had expected LPRS' ER Companion Software to install and function exactly as it's designed to do - anything different that requires me to manually control Inputs/Outputs and interpret results of Commands sent to the RF Dongle is stretching my current capability right now :-(

Regards - Andy (have emailed you for attachments)

Hi Andy,

I don't know the product I'm afraid, all I can tell you is that I started the program on

Ubuntu Linux 12.04 and it came up exactly as described by the firm, no missing libraries (like qt4, for

example). If you install the file that I will forward to you (Waiting for your email..), this forum is

the ideal place to obtain enough information  to allow you to get it into running order on the Pi.

Not forgetting the company of course, they are eagerly awaiting any feedback...

best regards,

Malcolm

Hi Andy,  I've tried the program on 3 flavours of Linux with the results detailed below.  Before executing it, I

performed the following operations to prepare it (everything after # is just a comment)

(1)  Download from Email to any folder

(2)  start a terminal window

(3)   sudo bash    # become root to obtain maximum system permissions (we

                              don't know what it needs..).   Needs user password, not root

(4) cd into the folder which has the downloaded file

(5) chmod 777 er_com_linix   # allow execution by everyone

(6) ./er_com_linix       # start the program

The results were:

(a) Ubuntu 12.04  

        Messages in terminal Window :   QMetaObject::connect slotsByName: No matching signal for on_Dialog_accepted()

Setup notification failed...

     The program window opens with header "LPRS easyRadio". Documentation needed from here, although it seems to be fairly straightforward.....

(b)  Linux MInt  (Ubuntu under the hood...)

   Messages in terminal window :

Unable to load library icui18n "Cannot load library icui18n: (libicui18n.so.48: wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS64)"

QMetaObject::connectSlotsByName: No matching signal for on_Dialog_accepted()

Setup Notification Failed...

  Same program window as for Ubuntu above,ready to go....

(c)  Raspberry Pi

bash:  ./er_com_linix: cannot execute binary file

Any suggestions on  how to start a binary program in a terminal window as in (a) and (b) on RPi would be welcome !!!!

Engage brain !!!!!   If it starts on an Intel/AMD machine,  that means that it is 80386 code, no chance of running it on RPi !!!!  (confirmed by file-command)

Andy, you need an ARM-executable; that will be a challenge for the company !!

Evening Malcom

I had a further response from LPRS today and their Beta Linux version of the ER Companion Software still isn't available. Having looked at the Windows Version via my Laptop it looks like it would do exactly what I need it to in terms of allowing me to establish 2 or 3 separate Wireless connections via unique Channels from the USB connected Dongle out to 2 or 3 Wireless Nodes... no idea when it's going to surface still though :-(

I'm now thinking of trying to do something slightly different by writing my own Python Program to control things via the Pi's (USB) COM Port and try to establish the sort of connections I need that way?

Regards - Andy

Hi Andy,

Good luck with your revised project. I've gone a slightly different way, via http://shop.ciseco.co.uk/rf-module-range/

No device-specific software at all is required, just read and write to a tty-device. I will be using the out-of-the-box configuration, which allows  every node to  broadcast to every other node. My home-grown protocol will use a  from-field and a to-field in the header (I think I've invented the internet !!).

regards,

Malcolm

I have to do some programming anyway for generating Message Data and processing at both ends (Base Station LPRS Dongle hosted by the Pi and multiple Sensor Nodes), just wanted to be able to configure the Wireless Comms bit (easily!!!) using pairs of distinct Channels per Node (as the ER Companion Software suggests it can do)

My Design is based on the Raspberry Pi hosting the LPRS Transceiver Dongle (868MHz) and 2 or 3 Microchip Dev Boards (with built-in/plug-in 868MHz Wireless Transceiver comms) each integrated with an Ultrasound Sensor (proximity 10KHz signals). The Plan is to configure the Dev Boards to trigger the integrated Sensors to send signals over known distances from 2 or 3 directions, providing 2 or 3D target Zone coverage for movement detection. The response time for  return signals should be within certain known thresholds based on the fixed distances. Anything blocking any signal or causing some sort of unexpected propogation, will be recognised by a little monitoring Program hosted on the Dev Boards and trigger a (standard) Message back to the Pi ("Hello, NodeX, intrusion detected"... sort of thing). The Program I want to host on the Pi should continuously monitor signals received by the Dongle over any 1 of 2 or 3 distinct Channels, capture the (standard) Message Data and generate an Alarm.

That's the basic Design and all I want to achieve initially. I'd hoped the Companion Software would allow easy configuration of the Dongle and Nodes to communicate over distinct Channels. There are other approaches if the Software fails to surface but I didn't want to overload myself with too many Technical challenges on too many fronts at once... this is the very first time I've attempted anything like this... but I've enjoyed all the Research and am finally starting to "dabble" with implementing things.

Evening Malcolm

I've tried using advice from LPRS to run Commands on my Pi to check the configuration of my installed Connect2Pi Dongle or to reconfigure and the Commands themselves are not recognised at all by my Debian installation.

LPRS advised that installation of their Dongle and the associated FTDI Drivers/Firmware for their Dongle would/should mean I could use their Commands.

Commands suggested were ER_CMD#C? (to find current Channel configured) and ER_CMD#Cn (to configure Channel n)[similar Commands #P? and #B? for Port and Bandwidth queries).

So right now, I can't check or change the Channel, Port or Bandwidth.

I don't suppose you could advise me how to do this using some standard Debian Commands... it's likely to take me "forever" to trackdown what the Commands might be, never mind what the correct Arguments might need to be

I'd appreciate any advice you can offer during the next 24 hours

Thanks in anticipation

Regards - Andy