Control4 CORE1 Controller Installation Guide

Control4 CORE1 Controller

Introduction

Designed for an exceptional family room entertainment experience, the Control4®CORE 1 Controller does more than automate the gear around your TV; it is the ideal smart home starter system with entertainment built in. The CORE 1 delivers a beautiful, intuitive, and responsive on-screen user interface with the ability to create and enhance the entertainment experience for any TV in the house. The CORE 1 can orchestrate a wide range of entertainment devices including Blu-ray players, satellite or cable boxes, game consoles, TVs, and virtually any product withinfrared (IR) or serial (RS-232) control. It also features IP control for Apple TV, Roku, televisions, AVRs, or other network- connected devices, as well as secure wireless Zigbee control for lights, thermostats, smart locks, and more. For entertainment, the CORE 1 also includes a built-in music server that allows you to listen to your own music library, stream from a variety of leading music services, or from your AirPlay-enabled devices using Control4 ShairBridge technology.

Box contents

The following items are included in the CORE 1 controller box:

• CORE 1 controller
• AC power cord
• IR emitters (2)
• Rubber feet (2, pre-installed)
• External antenna (1 for Zigbee)

Accessories available for purchase

• CORE 1 Wall-Mount Bracket (C4-CORE1-WM)
• Control4 1U Rack-Mount Kit, Single/Dual Controller (C4-CORE1-RMK)
• Control4 3-Meter Wireless Antenna Kit (C4-AK-3M)
• Control4 Dual-Band Wi-Fi USB Adapter (C4-USBWIFI OR C4-USBWIFI-1)
• Control4 3.5 mm to DB9 Serial Cable (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B)

Requirements and specifications

• Note: We recommend using Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi for the best network connectivity.
• Note: The Ethernet or Wi-Fi network should be installed before starting theCORE 1 controller installation.
• Note: The CORE 1 requires OS 3.3 or newer.

Composer Pro software is required to configure this device. See the Composer Pro User Guide (ctrl4.co/cpro-ug) for details.

Warnings

• Caution! To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.
• Caution! In an over-current condition on USB, the software disables the output. If the attached USB device does not appear to power on, remove the USB device from the controller.

Specifications

Vorbis, PCM, WAV, WMA
High-resolution audio playback| Up to 192 kHz / 24 bit
 | Network
Ethernet| 2 10/100/1000BaseT compatible ports—1 PoE+ in and 1 switch network port
Wi-Fi| Optional Dual-Band Wi-Fi USB Adapter (2.4 GHz, 5 Ghz, 802.11ac/b/g/n/a)
Zigbee Pro| 802.15.4
Zigbee antenna| External reverse SMA connector
USB port| 1 USB 3.0 port—500mA
 | Control
IR out| 4 IR out—5V 27mA max output
IR capture| 1 IR receiver—front, 20-60 KHz
Serial out| 2 serial out (shared with IR out 1 and 2)
 | Power
Power requirements| 100-240 VAC, 60/50Hz or PoE+
Power consumption| Max: 18W, 61 BTUs/hour Idle: 9W, 30 BTUs/hour
 | Other
Operating temperature| 32˚F ~ 104˚F (0˚C ~ 40˚C)
Storage temperature| 4˚F ~ 158˚F (-20˚C ~ 70˚C)
Dimensions (H × W × D)| 1.16 × 7.67 × 5.2″ (29.5 × 195 × 132 mm)
Weight| 1.5 lb (0.68 kg)
Shipping weight| 2.3 lb (1.04 kg)

Additional resources
The following resources are available for more support.

• Control4 CORE series help and information: ctrl4.co/core
• Snap One Tech Community and Knowledgebase: tech.control4.com
• Control4 Technical Support: ctrl4.co/techsupport
• Control4 website: www.control4.com

Front view

• A Activity LED—The Activity LED shows when the controller is streaming audio.

• B IR window—IR receiver for learning IR codes.

• C Caution LED—This LED shows solid red, then blinks blue during the boot process.
  Note: The Caution LED blinks orange during the factory restore process. See “Reset to factory settings” in this document.

• D Link LED—The LED indicates that the controller has been identified in a Control4 project and is communicating with Director.

• E Power LED—The blue LED indicates that AC power is present. The controller turns on immediately after power is applied to it.

Back view

• A Power port—AC power connector for an IEC 60320-C5 power cord.
• B IR OUT/SERIAL—3.5 mm jacks for up to four IR emitters or for a combination of IR emitters and serial devices. Ports 1 and 2 can be configured independently for serial control (for controlling receivers or disc changers) or for IR control. See “Connecting the IR ports/serial ports” in this document for more information.
• C USB—One port for an external USB drive (such as a USB stick formatted FAT32). See “Setting up external storage devices” in this document.
• D DIGITAL AUDIO—Outputs audio (AUDIO OUT) shared from other Control4 devices or from digital audio sources (local media or digital streaming services).
• E HDMI OUT—An HDMI port to display navigation menus. Also an audio out over HDMI.
• F ID button and RESET—ID button is pressed to identify the device in Composer Pro. The ID button on the CORE 1 is also an LED that displays feedback useful during a factory restore. The RESET pinhole is used to reset or factory restore the controller.
• G ENET OUT—RJ-45 jack for Ethernet out connection. Acts as a 2-port network switch with ENET/POE+ IN jack.
• H ENET/POE+ IN—RJ-45 jack for a 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet connection. Also can power the controller with PoE+.
• I ZIGBEE—Antenna connector for the Zigbee radio.

Installation instructions

To install the controller:

1. Ensure that the home network is in place before starting system setup. An Ethernet connection to the local network is required for setup. The controller requires a network connection to use all of the features as designed. After initial configuration, Ethernet (recommended) or Wi-Fi (with an optional adapter) can be used to connect the controller to web-based media databases, communicate with other IP devices in the home, and access Control4 system updates.
2. Mount the controller near the local devices you need to control. The controller can be hidden behind a TV, mounted on a wall, installed in a rack, or placed on a shelf. The CORE 1 Rack Mount Kit is sold separately and is designed for easy installation of up to two CORE 1 controllers side by side in a rack. The CORE 1 Wall-Mount Bracket is sold separately and designed for easy installation of the CORE 1 controller behind a TV or on the wall.
3. Attach antenna to the ZIGBEE antenna connector.
4. Connect the controller to the network.
   • Ethernet—To connect using an Ethernet connection, connect the network cable into the controller’s RJ-45 port (labeled ENET/POE+ IN) and into the network port on the wall or at the network switch.
   • Wi-Fi—To connect using Wi-Fi, first connect the unit to Ethernet, connect the Wi-Fi adapter to the USB port, and then use Composer Pro System Manager to reconfigure the unit for Wi-Fi.
5. Connect system devices. Attach IR and serial devices as described in “Connecting the IR ports/serial ports” and “Setting up IR emitters.”
6. Set up any external storage devices as described in “Setting up external storage devices” in this document.
7. If using AC power, connect the power cord to the controller’s power port and then into an electrical outlet.

Connecting the IR ports/serial ports (optional)
The controller provides four IR ports, and ports 1 and 2 can be reconfigured independently for serial communication. If not used for serial, they can be used for IR. Connect a serial device to the controller using the Control4 3.5 mm-to-DB9 Serial Cable (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B, sold separately).

1. The serial ports support baud rates between 1200 to 115200 baud for odd and even parity. The serial ports do not support hardware flow control.
2. See Knowledgebase article #268 (ctrl4.co/contr-serial-pinout) for pinout diagrams.
3. To configure a port for serial or IR, make the appropriate connections in your project using Composer Pro. See the Composer Pro User Guide for details.
   Note: The serial ports can be configured as straight-through or null with Composer Pro. Serial ports by default are configured straight-through and can be changed in Composer by selecting Null Modem Enabled (SERIAL 1 or 2).

Setting up IR emitters
Your system may contain third-party products that are controlled through IR commands.

1. Connect one of the included IR emitters to an IR OUT port on the controller.
2. Place the stick-on emitter end onto the IR receiver on the Blu-ray player, TV, or other target device to emit IR signals from the controller to the target device.

Setting up external storage devices (optional)
You can store and access media from an external storage device, for example, a network hard drive or USB memory device, by connecting the USB drive to the USB port and configuring or scanning the media in Composer Pro.

• Note: We support only externally powered USB drives or solid state USB sticks. Self-powered USB drives are not supported.
• Note: When using USB storage devices on an CORE 1 controller, you can use only one partition with a 2 TB maximum size. This limitation also applies to the USB storage on other controllers.

Composer Pro driver information

Use Auto Discovery and SDDP to add the driver to the Composer project. See the Composer Pro User Guide (ctrl4.co/cpro-ug) for details.

OvrC setup and configuration

OvrC gives you remote device management, real-time notifications, and intuitive customer management, right from your computer or mobile device. Setup is plug-and-play, with no port forwarding or DDNS address required.
To add this device to your OvrC account:

1. Connect CORE 1 controller to the Internet.
2. Navigate to OvrC (www.ovrc.com) and log in to your account.
3. Add the device (MAC address and Service Tag numbers needed for authentication).

Troubleshooting

Reset to factory settings
Caution! The factory restore process will remove the Composer project.

To restore the controller to the factory default image:

1. Insert one end of a paper clip into the small hole on the back of the controller labeled RESET.
2. Press and hold the RESET button. The controller resets and the ID button changes to solid red.
3. Hold the button until the ID flashes double orange. This should take five to seven seconds. The ID button flashes orange while the factory restore is running. When complete, the ID button turns off and the device power cycles one more time to complete the factory restore process.
   Note: During the reset process, the ID button provides the same feedback as the Caution LED on the front of the controller.

Power cycle the controller

1. Press and hold the ID button for five seconds. The controller turns off and back on.

Reset the network settings
To reset the controller network settings to the default:

1. Disconnect power to the controller.
2. While pressing and holding the ID button on the back of the controller, power on the controller.
3. Hold the ID button until ID button turns solid orange and the Link and Power LEDs are solid blue, and then immediately release the button.
   Note: During the reset process, the ID button provides the same feedback as the Caution LED on the front of the controller.

LED status information

References

• Control4 Smart Homes
• ctrl4.co/contr-serial-pinout
• CORE Quick Start
• Get Latest By Product | Docs
• ctrl4.co/cpro-ug
• ctrl4.co/techsupport
• Policies
• tech.control4.com
• Control4 Smart Homes
• OvrC Cloud Management for Residential & IT Integrators

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