Linux Smart Home :: Insteon & Misterhouse

MHSend with PHP & Apache

Peter — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:15:17 +0000

So lets say you want to create your own web application to integrate into Misterhouse… is it possible? Of course it is! Misterhouse has a program called mhsend that lets you communicate directly without having to access the Misterhouse we application. In order for mhsend to communicate with Misterhouse, you will need to activate the mhsend server. This is pretty straight forward. Access your Misterhouse web service and from the main page click the MrHouse Home button. Then on the left column click the Setup MrHouse button. Now there will be a second column. At the top of the new column, click the Common Code Activation button. In the Search box at the top of the page, type in mhsend and click the Search button. This should return one result for mhsend_server.pl Now click the checkbox next to mhsend_server.pl (making sure it is checked) and then click the Process selected files button. Now Misterhouse will be ready to listen to anything mhsend passes its way! Next you will want to add the user that Apache is running as to your super user list. We don’t want to give them crazy permissions to do everything to your server, so we will just limit the user to run mhsend. You will need to make sure that you give mhsend permission to run in Apache. For this tutorial, I will be showing how to use PHP to control Misterhouse.

nano /etc/sudoers

Then, scroll to the very bottom and add the following lines of code:

## Add ability for Apache & PHP to talk to MisterHouse
User_Alias APACHE = apache, www, www-data, nobody, noone
Cmnd_Alias MISTERHOUSE = /opt/mh/bin/mhsend
APACHE ALL = (ALL) NOPASSWD: MISTERHOUSE

/opt/mh/bin/mhsend is the path to where your mhsend program is located. I am just staying with the paths our other tutorials will use. Now that we have added Apache as a users list, we can use any server side programming language to send commands to Misterhouse. QUICK FIREWALL NOTE!!! If you are using SELinux as your servers firewall, you will need to add permissions for this script to be executed. Here is the code to do it:

semanage fcontext -a -t bin_t './mhsend'

Restart Apache to make your updates work:

/etc/init.d/httpd restart

Here is a quick PHP test script to make sure everything is working:

&1",
  "sudo /opt/mh/bin/mhsend -run 'lamplinc on' 2>&1",
  "sudo /opt/mh/bin/mhsend -run 'lamplinc off' 2>&1",
  "sudo /opt/mh/bin/mhsend -run 'lamplinc2 on' 2>&1",
  "sudo /opt/mh/bin/mhsend -run 'lamplinc2 off' 2>&1",
);

foreach($commands as $command){
	$response = '';
	$result = exec($command, $response, $return_code);
	$output = "RUNNING: $command";
	$output .= html_entity_decode("");
	$output .= print_r(array(
		'result' => $result,
		'response' => $response,
		'return_code' => $return_code
		),
		true
	);
	$output .= html_entity_decode("");
	echo $output;
	ob_flush();
	flush();
	sleep(1);
}

ob_end_flush();
?>

Now you can control Misterhouse from your own custom web service. But to be fair, here are some things to consider… PROS: Once you have everything setup with Misterhouse, you can write your own program to interface with your own devices. This would be a nice finishing touch to an already killer home automation system. CONS: You will have to do twice the work. Your custom program will still need to have Misterhouse setup to work with your devices. While it might be nice to work with something you are more familiar with, you are still forced to learn how to use Misterhouse in order to setup your smart home before you can even think of writing your own application.

MisterHouse Auto Start

Peter — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:33:59 +0000

So, if you’re like me, you want MisterHouse to start automatically when the computer boots up. Here is a script I put together that does just that, plus it also lets you override some of the default settings that MisterHouse usually assumes when it launches. I am sure there is room for improvement, so leave some feedback if you see how this can be improved. To get started, let’s make a new file. Using your favorite Linux editor, create the new file /etc/init.d/mh

nano /etc/init.d/mh

Now copy the following code and paste it into your editor and save it.

#!/bin/bash
#
# mh        Startup script for MisterHouse, 
#			written by Peter Schmalfeldt
# chkconfig: - 80 30
# description: Misterhouse Home Automation
# processname: mh
# pidfile: /var/run/mh.pid

# Source function library.
. /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions

INITLOG_ARGS=""

RETVAL=0
logpath=/usr/local/src/data/mh.log

prog=mh

mh=/opt/mh/bin/mh
mhpid=/usr/local/src/data/mh.pid
mhini=/usr/local/src/mh.private.ini
mhlockfile=/var/lock/subsys/mh

festival=/usr/bin/festival
festivallockfile=/var/lock/subsys/festival

# Start MisterHouse & Festival
start() {
	#Launch MisterHouse
	echo -n $"Starting MisterHouse: "
	export mh_parms=$mhini
	daemon $mh > $logpath 2>&1 &
	RETVAL=$?
	echo
	[ $RETVAL = 0 ] && touch $mhlockfile
	
	# Launch Festival
	echo -n $"Starting Festival: "
	daemon $festival --server > $logpath 2>&1 &
	RETVAL=$?
	echo
	[ $RETVAL = 0 ] && touch $festivallockfile
	return $RETVAL
}

# Stop MisterHouse & Festival
stop() {
	echo -n $"Stopping MisterHouse: "
	killproc -d 10 $mh
	RETVAL=$?
	echo
	[ $RETVAL = 0 ] && rm -f $mhlockfile && rm -f $mhpid
	
	echo -n $"Stopping Festival: "
	killproc -d 10 $festival
	RETVAL=$?
	echo
	[ $RETVAL = 0 ] && rm -f $festivallockfile
}

# See how we were called.
case "$1" in
	start)
		start
		;;
	stop)
		stop
		;;
	restart)
		stop
		start
		;;
	status)
		status $festival
		status $mh
		RETVAL=$?
	;;
	*)
	echo "Usage: $prog {start|stop|restart|status}"
	exit 1
esac

exit $RETVAL

There are a few things happening in that file that should be pointed out. There are a few lines of code that make reference to the path /usr/local/src. What we are doing with this script is overriding the default settings for MisterHouse by telling it where to look for our own custom code. This allows us to both create our own custom version of MisterHouse (and avoid all the pre-installed stuff that comes with it) as well as leave our Subversion controlled copy of MisterHouse intact. By using our own custom paths, we can leave the default application alone, and update it when new versions come out… meanwhile, we can use a separate folder to store all our new code in without fear of it being erased with a Subversion update. Here is a breakdown of some of the lines of code:

logpath=/usr/local/src/data/mh.log

This is where all the output from MisterHouse will be written. You will want to check this from time to time to verify that there are no weird things happening. This is also where you will need to check if MisterHouse is not starting correctly.

mh=/opt/mh/bin/mh

This is the installation path for MisterHouse. If you installed this yourself, and did not use our tutorial, make sure you have the right path.

mhpid=/usr/local/src/data/mh.pid

This is the file that will hold the PID of the executed MisterHouse program while it is running in the background.

mhini=/usr/local/src/mh.private.ini

This is probably the most important line in the file. This tells MisterHouse where your custom INI file is located. Making your own custom INI file will tell MisterHouse to ignore its default settings and use what you are telling it to use.

festival=/usr/bin/festival

This is the installation path where you installed the text to speech engine Festival. If you have not yet installed it, please check out our article on installing the text to speech engine. Now you need to set this new file to be able to be executable and assure it will be added to your startup list. Type the following in your terminal window:

chmod +x /etc/init.d/mh
chkconfig --levels 235 mh on

That’s it! Now MisterHouse will automatically start when the computer starts. You can also control it easier through terminal. Here’s how… let’s say you want to restart MisterHouse through the terminal:

/etc/init.d/mh restart

Or if you want to stop it…

/etc/init.d/mh stop

And start it back up again…

/etc/init.d/mh start

Or if you just want to check the status if it is running or not…

/etc/init.d/mh status

If you need any further help getting this up and running, leave a comment below.

Installing MisterHouse

Peter — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:39:52 +0000

Before you can install MisterHouse, there are a few tasks that must first be completed. First you must be sure that you meet the minimum system requirements to install MisterHouse. According to their website, these requirements for Linux are as follows: Mister House has been tested on the unix OSes Linux, FreeBSD, AIX, and Mac OSX. In theory, much of the function should run on any platform that can run Perl. The core Mister House code will use between 10 and 30 Megabytes of memory. On Linux, the Festival TTS engine takes about 20-30 MB of memory. The cpu time used -vs- loops per second is controllable. On a 100 MHz Pentium with a 100 ms sleep time, mh uses about 20% of the cpu and gets about 8 passes per second. If you meet these minimal requirements, then you are good to go… assuming you already have a valid Linux distribution installed with Perl & Subversion capabilities (If you don’t please visit our Linux section to get started). MisterHouse needs a few specific Perl modules installed to work out of the box. Here is what you can type into a terminal window (one line at a time) to get what you need installed:

>su root
>perl -MCPAN –eshell
cpan> install Tk
cpan> install Tk::JPEG
cpan> install Tk::CursorControl
cpan> install DB_File
cpan> install Term::ReadKey
cpan> install Time::HiRes
cpan> install Audio::Mixer
cpan> install GD
cpan> install Text::LevenshteinXS
cpan> install DBI
cpan> install DBD::mysql
cpan> exit

The first time you run the CPAN code, it creates a configuration file. The defaults (press enter a bunch of times) usually is good for all questions except the one that ones you to pick which site to download from. You may need to type “export FTP_PASSIVE=1″ before “perl -MCPAN -eshell”. This is because by default the CPAN installer will generally try to use active ftp sessions which may fail if you are behind some firewalls and/or if your ISP caches ftp sessions. By exporting the FTP_PASSIVE variable prior to running the CPAN installer session, passive connections will be used instead. Dependencies for above modules:

Tk requires an X-server be installed
DB_File requires Berkley DB be installed
Audio::Mixer requires kernel sound support
GD requires several libraries installed: GD library, zlib library, png library

Once you have installed all this good stuff, then you are ready to checkout a copy of MisterHouse. For the purposes of this tutorial, as well as others on this site, I will suggest that you install MisterHouse into the following directory: /opt/mh The reason for this is because most of the documentation you will find online will assume this is where you have it installed. You can really install it wherever you want… but, I will be using /opt/mh in this write-up. So let’s go ahead and get MisterHouse installed.

cd /opt
svn checkout https://misterhouse.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/misterhouse/trunk   mh

OK, now that was not very hard, you now have MisterHouse installed. Better yet, you can update your copy anytime by typing the following into your terminal window:

cd /opt
svn update mh

So now that we have everything installed, let’s start MisterHouse up and make sure it works. Just type in:

/opt/mh/bin/mh

And that will start MisterHouse up. You should now be able to go to http://localhost:8080 and see the main screen. If not, comment below and we will try to help. So now that you have MisterHouse’s default installation working, you probably want to customize it just for you. You may also be interested in using our startup script so you can have MisterHouse startup for you by default when you boot your computer. Make sure to look in our MisterHouse category for all sorts of goodies you can do.

What you will need

Peter — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:40:56 +0000

But before we get started on them, we should clarify who we are writing too. This website assumes you are taking on the Home Automation task because you are a geek at heart and have the technical/electrical knowhow to complete basic tasks. INSTEON requires you to use electrical skills to replace electrical outlets in your home. It also requires that your home be equipped with newer electrical wiring. If you have three prong outlets (US) then you should be fine. You will not be able to work with the old knob & tube as INSTEON sends messages over the neutral wire that is only available on the newer electrical systems. Our Linux instructions will assume you have some familiarity with your distribution. While most of our instruction should work on the majority of Linux Operating Systems, you may need to know some tricks to get our instructions to work with yours. To get started you will need the following:

Dedicated Computer with a Linux distribution installed (such as Ubuntu or CentOS)
INSTEON USB PowerLinc Modem (Model 2412U)
INSTEON Starter Kit

If you already have these parts, then you are ready to begin. First, you need to verify that your INSTEON works out of the box. That way we know that your house can support what we are trying to do. The next step is to set up your Linux distribution by installing MisterHouse software. Once MisterHouse is correctly configured, you’ll be well on your way to creating a killer home automation system.

INSTEON Remote Contol Appliance Kit, Silver

PowerLinc - INSTEON Modem, USB

Putting it All Together

Peter — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:03:25 +0000

The hard part is taking these Linux, INSTEON & MisterHouse pieces and putting them all together. This How To section will be where we post hints, tutorials and sample code. If you are looking for something specific that you are not already seeing on this site, post a comment with your question, and we will try to shoot you an answer ASAP.

What is MisterHouse?

Peter — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:27:10 +0000

MisterHouse is an open source home automation program. It’s fun, it’s free, and it’s entirely geeky. Written in Perl, it fires events based on time, web, socket, voice, and serial data. It currently runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2k/XP and on most Unix based platforms, including Linux and Mac OSX.

What is Linux?

Peter — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:25:03 +0000

Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL and other free licenses.

What is INSTEON?

Peter — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:03:32 +0000

INSTEON is the best-selling, most reliable home automation technology. Using both the existing wires (power line) in the home and radio-frequency communication, INSTEON adds remote control and automation to lighting, appliance and home control applications of all types. From lighting control to integrated security systems, the new home automation standard allows you to manage your home the way you want. Easy to install and set up, INSTEON offers the flexibility and dependability to make life more convenient, safe and fun. For more information about INSTEON, visit their corporate website at http://www.insteon.net. If you would like to purchase their products, visit http://www.smarthome.com.