Vera-Serial to 3G Bridge featuring Particle Electron

An easy-to-build Serial Bridge that will enable your Vera Device to transmit 3G messaging (SMS or notification services like Pushover) and the ability to get notifications Via 3G in the case of power loss or loss of internet connectivity.

Uses Particle Electron to communicate over 3G wireless services and an Arduino Nano to bridge the serial communication and buffer messages while the Electron sleeps. This sleep method is used in order to keep the data costs to a minimum. Using the Particle.io services, the monthly cost to operate is less than $3.00 per month.

Setup Instructions:

1. Create a Pushover Account

Follow the instructions here to create a Pushover Account, set up your receiving devices and take careful note of your API key.

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2. Create a Particle Account

Follow the instructions here to create a Particle Account. Familiarize yourself with the Particle device. Learn how to perform a Flash via the Particle Web IDE. Don't forget to register your SIM.

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3. Flash your Particle Electron

You can select DFU flash (no Cellular Data Used) from the command line or do it Over The Air (OTA flash will use cellular data).

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4. Create a Particle Web-Hook

Login to the Particle Console and select Integrations. Create and save Web-Hook identical to this:

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5. Test Your WebHook

Press the Test Button to make sure your Integration is working:

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6. Flash your Arduino Nano

Using the Arduino IDE, be sure to select Nano as the target device and flash the GitHub Code to your Nano

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7. Wire Up Your Devices:

You can wire up the device like this (or optionally power the Electron by its USB connection... better).

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8. Attach the Nano's USB cable to your Vera's on-board Serial USB connection.

Depending on your unit, the USB connection location may vary.

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9. Install the Vera Plugin

Select APPS -> Develop Apps -> Luup Files Drag and drop all 5 ThreeGee1 Plugin Files into the destination directory for plugins and Wait for files to upload.

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10. Create a ThreeGee1 Device

Select APPS -> Develop Apps -> Create Device enter the device's XML file name D_ThreeGee1.xml and select Create device.

Re-Boot your Vera Device; this process takes about 5 minutes. You should then see your device with the following message:

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11. Configure the Serial Device

Select APPS -> Develop Apps -> Serial Port Configuration You should see your FTDI (Serial) connected Nano on the list of Serial Devices. If not, wait a few minutes and try again, as per the on-screen instructions. Select the new ThreeGee Gateway device in the drop-down and set the Baud Rate to 115200, Data Bits to 8, Stop Bits to 1 and Parity to None as in this image:

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12. Re-Boot your Vera... your setup is complete!

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Operating Instructions:

1. Arm your device

If Armed Vera will push messages to your 3G gateway, if Disarmed messages will not be sent. The main panel displays messages as it Pings the gateway, Internet and sends a 3G message.

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2. Configure your settings

The Control Panel appears with the default (preferred) settings showing as:

You can set the

• GateWay Timeout: The time (minutes) that the gateway will send an alert if Vera stops communicating.
• Ping Frequency: The time (seconds) that the Vera will send a ping to the gateway and to the internet. Vera looks for a response from both the gateway and the internet.
• Ping Timeout: The time (seconds) that Vera, in the absence of a return ping from the Gateway will display as "Tripped". It is also the timeout for returning a successful ping from the internet
• IP or Domain: The IP address or domain of the external server to return a Ping. Default is google.com.
• Router Restart Attempts: The number of times that Vera will attempt to Power-Cycle the router if Vera stops communicating to the internet.
• Router Device ID: The device number for the outlet that powers your Router.

Send a message by inputting text (32 char max) into the appropriate text box and press Send.

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Some Operating Notes:

• Messages take several seconds to send as the Electron is awoken from sleep and re-connects to the Mobile Network.
• Messages will buffer (up to 10) so 3G messages should be limited to the most important if the internet is disconnected.
• You can determine the state of the IP Ping checking the InternetPing variable ServiceID: urn:konektedplay-com:serviceId:ThreeGee1, "0" is success "1" is failed.
• Device will report Tripped if communication with the Gateway has failed. Use the variable ServiceID: urn:micasaverde-com:serviceId:SecuritySensor1 "1" = Tripped, "0" = Not Tripped. You can have Vera send a message that the Gateway is down (in this case, gateway stopped functioning but Internet is still connected). Obviously, if communication with the gateway is down, you may not send a 3G message, but the Gateway will also notice the loss of connectivity and will send you a notification accordingly.
• When power-cycling your router's outlet/switch, the router will be shut down for PingInterval seconds. It is a good idea to keep your PingInterval at the default 30 seconds or longer.
• Vera will automatically powerUp your router... in the case you have turned it off. Think of it as an Auto-Power-Restore if you want to manually power-cycle your router from within the network.

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Coming Soon:

• Automatic Power Cycling of Vera (relay control) if inactive for a defined period.