Multiple TPI connections?

[ibrewster]

I have an Envisalink 3 connected to my DSC Power security system. Currently I'm using it successfully with the DSC plugin for Vera home automation systems, which I believe uses the TPI to communicate.

As a programmer who likes to tinker, I was thinking about playing around with the TPI "just for fun", i.e. for some custom monitor/control software that can interact locally with my security system, but I noticed this line in the TPI documentation:

The Envisalink ... will only accept one client connection on that port. Any subsequent connections will be denied.

Since that port is presumably "in use" by the Vera plugin (or at least needs to remain available for it), does this mean that if I want to have anything else able to interact with my security system on the local network, I would need to purchase/install a second EnvisaLink device? Or is there some way to work around this limitation?

[GrandWizard]

There isn't enough RAM in the Envisalink3/4 to support two simultaneous TPI sockets. So yes, you would either need a second Envisalink or turn off Vera while playing with the TPI interface.

Your other option is try some of the hacks of the HTTP interface. See this posting....

http://forum.eyez-on.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5192

[ibrewster]

That makes total sense, thanks! The HTTP interface looks like it would be a good option for a lot of things as well, so thanks for the pointer to that as well.

[mikep]

If you've got a PC or MAC you keep running you can use this java app (from https://sites.google.com/site/mppsuite/ ... scserver-2) that provides a "fan out" function. It connects to the envisalink directly while exposing the envisalink API to any number of incoming API client connections. You could connect the vera and whatever other app/apps you were using for control at the same time.

[ibrewster]

Oh, nice! Yeah, I have a linux server running on my network, I'll have to see if I can get it running there. It's Java, so in theory it *should* work Thanks!

Edit: I just realized that the page for that has instructions for getting it running on a Raspberry Pi, which of course runs a Debian variant, so I should be able to simply follow those directions (more or less) to get it running on my server.