proxicast 1-877-77PROXI 1-877-777-7694 1-412-213-2477 MSNTN01 Controlling the MSNSwitch User Guide

: June 7, 2024
: proxicast

Table of Contents

proxicast MSNTN01 Controlling the MSNSwitch
This TechNote Applies Only to MSNSwitch Models:
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

proxicast MSNTN01 Controlling the MSNSwitch

© Copyright 2019-2020, Proxicast LLC. All rights reserved.
Proxicast is a registered trademark and EtherLINQ, PocketPORT and LAN-Cell are trademarks of Proxicast LLC. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Document Revision History:
© Copyright 2019-2020, Proxicast LLC. All rights reserved.
Proxicast is a registered trademark and EtherLINQ, PocketPORT and LAN-Cell are trademarks of Proxicast LLC. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

This TechNote Applies Only to MSNSwitch Models:

UIS-622b,
UIS-522b,
UIS-523f,
UIS-523g,
UIS-523i,
UIS-523j,
UIS-523k and UIS-523e

Introduction

The MSNSwitch from Mega System Technologies, Inc (“MegaTec”) is designed to automatically power-cycle any AC powered device when Internet connectivity is lost. Either of its AC power outlets can also be reset manually or via scheduled actions.
There are 7 ways to access and control the functionality of the MSNSwitch:

The MSNSwitch’s internal web server screens
ezDevice smartphone app
Cloud4UIS.com web service
Skype
Google Hangouts
A REST-ful API for HTTP commands
The Netility utility software

IMPORTANT NOTE

Support for the ezDevice app and Cloud4UIS.com web service was added in MSNSwitch firmware version MNT.9319
(04/24/2019). MSNSwitch’S running older firmware must be updated – see Updating Firmware on page 16.
Support for the ezDevice app and Cloud4UIS service is Disabled in the MSNSwitch by default.
You must use the MSNSwitch’s internal web server to enable this function under the Network menu.

Internal Web Sever

Full access to all of the MSNSwitch’s functionality is available via its internal web server pages. To access the web server, enter the MSNSwitch’s IP address into any web browser.
http:// e.g. http://192.168.1.33
The default username for the MSNSwitch is “admin”.
The default password for firmware versions prior to MNT.9731 is “admin”.
For MNT.9731 and later, the default password is the last 6 characters of the MSNSwitch’s MAC address (upper case). See the MSNSwitch bottom label for the MAC address.
If you do not know the IP address of your MSNSwitch, check your DHCP server log or use the Netility utility software to scan for the MSNSwitch (see page 15).
NOTE: If you do not have a DHCP server on your LAN, power on the MSNSwitch and wait for Outlet#1 and #2 to turn on. Then press the UIS button for 10 seconds, then release. The MSNSwitch will attempt to assign itself to a free address between .100 – .110 in the subnet of your LAN (e.g. 192.168.1.100).

ezDevice Smartphone App

Download and install the free ezDevice app for iOS from the Apple AppStore or for Android from Google Play.

If possible, connect your smartphone via WiFi to the same LAN as the MSNSwitch. This is the fastest and easiest way to add the MSNSwitch to ezDevice.
Launch the ezDevice app and create a new account. This same account information will be used for the Cloud4UIS.com web service (see page 5).
Tap Add Device on the top right of the screen. ezDevice will scan your LAN for the MSNSwitch. If found, tap the + icon to add the MSNSwitch. Enter the Device Key printed on the bottom label of the MSNSwitch. Tap Done to return to the main screen.
Once the MSNSwitch has been added, return to the main ezDevice screen. Tap the MSNSwitch in the list of devices to change settings.

If you cannot connect your phone to your LAN, then choose the Add by Serial Number option under Add Device.

Follow the instructions on the screen. Remove the LAN cable from the MSNSwitch for 1 second, then replace it. Check that the blue UIS button is flashing. This is “Add Mode” which must be active to manually add the MSNSwitch to ezDevice.
Enter the MSNSwitch Serial Number and Device Key when prompted.

Cloud4UIS.com Web Service

Open the Cloud4UIS.com web site using any web browser: http://Cloud4UIS.com
If you do not yet have an account, create one on the site. If you previously created and account using ezDevice, use the same login credentials for Cloud4UIS.com. The Cloud4UIS service is free.
If you used ezDevice to add devices, they will appear in your Cloud4UIS account automatically.

If you are adding a device for the first time, click the vertical dot icon in the upper right corner and then select the Add icon to open the Add Device screen.

The Add Device screen works the same as it does in the ezDevice smartphone app. If your PC is in the same LAN as the MSNSwitch, you will be able to select it from the list. If your MSNSwitch is not shown, manually enter its serial number to proceed.

See the ezDevice section on page 3 for instructions on completing the device add procedure. Devices added through Clolud4UIS.com will also be automatically synchronized with the ezDevice app.

Skype

In the MSNSwitch’s web interface, select the Skype menu and enable the Skype function.

Click the Auto Rebooter link to add the Auto Rebooter robot service to your Skype contacts.

Click the Get Started button to add Auto Rebooter to your contacts and begin a messaging session.

Click Send Message to begin a messaging session.

Type HELP to see the available commands. Type Get My ID to retrieve the security ID required to connect with your MSNSwitch.

Copy the ID from the Skype response and paste it into the ID field of the MSNSwitch’s web interface. Click ADD to save the settings.
In Skype, enter the command Show My Devices and press Enter. The response will be a menu of your devices and actions you can take. Click any of the menu buttons for more actions.

Google Hangouts

You must first have a Google Hangouts or Gmail account for yourself. You must create a second Google account that the MSNSwitch will use (a unique account for each MSNSwitch you have).
In the MSNSwitch’s web interface, select the Hangouts menu and enable the Hangouts function. Enter Google credentials for the account you created for the MSNSwitch.
In the Add Contact Accounts field, enter all of the Google accounts which will be permitted to interact with and control this MSNSwitch. Click Apply to save the settings.
Check the top of the Hangout tab to ensure that the MSNSwitch was successfully able to log into Hangouts.
Click the Send Test Message button to send a message to the contact

Open your Google Hangouts account and there should be a test message from your MSNSwitch.

Type HELP to see the full list of available commands.

REST API

For firmware versions MNT.A624 and later only
(For earlier firmware versions, please contact Proxicast for additional documentation)
Basic functions of the MSNSwitch can be controlled through a series of HTTP Packet Requests.

Generate a Cookie-Token for User Login:

HTTP Packet Request
“POST /goform/login HTTP/1.1”CRLF
“Accept: /”CRLF
“Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate”CRLF
“Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded”CRLF
CRLF
“user=“ “&password=“
HTTP Packet Response
“Pragma: no-cache”CRLF
“Set-Cookie: WQKJhuEcnAVA3t7WE+ug6A=; HttpOnly; Path=/“CRLF
“Content-Type: text/html”CRLF
“Server: GoAhead-Webs”CRLF
“Location: /index.asp”CRLF
“Date: Thu Jul 1 01:01:01 2020”CRLF
“Cache-Control: no-cache”CRLF
CRLF
NOTE: The generated access token is valid for 24 hours only.

Examples in this section are shown using cURL for Windows. Any software capable of sending and processing HTTP packets can be used.

EXAMPLE: Show Cookie
curl –url “http://192.168.0.42/goform/login” –http1.1 –verbose –cookie- –header “Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate” –header “Accept: /” –header “Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded” –data
“user=admin&password=05FE36”
OUTPUT:

Trying 192.168.0.42…
TCP_NODELAY set
Connected to 192.168.0.42 (192.168.0.42) port 80 (#0)

POST /goform/login HTTP/1.1
Host: 192.168.0.42
User-Agent: curl/7.55.1
Accept: /
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: 26
upload completely sent off: 26 out of 26 bytes
HTTP 1.0, assume close after body
< HTTP/1.0 200 Data follows
< Server: GoAhead-Webs
< Date: Wed Dec 9 05:15:42 2020
Added cookie WQKJhuEcnAVA3t7WE+ug6A=”2ZZeUIu0LxPi80nEd” for domain 192.168.0.42, path /, expire 0
< Set-Cookie: WQKJhuEcnAVA3t7WE+ug6A=2ZZeUIu0LxPi80nEd; HttpOnly; Path=/
< Pragma: no-cache
< Cache-Control: no-cache
< Content-Type: text/html
< Location: /index.asp
<
Closing connection 0

Get the Status of the MSNSwitch

HTTP Packet Request
“GET /xml/outlet_status.xml HTTP/1.1″CRLF
“Accept: /”CRLF
“Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate”CRLF
“Cookie: WQKJhuEcnAVA3t7WE+ug6A=“CRLF CRLF
HTTP Packet Response
XML format:
“<?xml version=’1.0′?>”
“”
“”{SITE_IP}””
“”{CONNECT_STATUS}”” “”{OUTLET_STATUS}””
“”{SITE_LOST}””
“”{UIS_RESET}””
“{RESET_ONLY}””
“”{ASSIGN}””
“”
XML Description:
SITE_IP:
string: Site IP Address.
CONNECT_STATUS:
digit(unit: millisecond): Site response time. OUTLET_STATUS:
digit: 0 means Off, 1 means On.
SITE_LOST:
digit: Percent of ping lost.
UIS_RESET:
digit: 0 means Off, 1 means Auto Reset.
RESET_ONLY:
digit: 0 means Disable, 1 means Reset Only.
ASSIGN: digit: 0 means None, 1 means Outlet1, 2 means Outlet2, 3 means All

EXAMPLE: Get Status
curl –url “http://192.168.0.42/xml/outlet_status.xml” –http1.1 –verbose –header “Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate” –header “Accept: /” –cookie “WQKJhuEcnAVA3t7WE+ug6A=2ZZeUIu0LxPi80nEd”

OUTPUT
<?xml
version=”1.0″?>Google,Yahoo,Bing,Ask.com,Router,,172.217 .7.196,74.6.143.25,204.79.197.200,199.232.66.114,192.168.0.1,null,null21,42, 21,20,1,-1,-
10,0,0,0,0,0,00,0,0,0,0,0,0<outlet_stat us>1,010,03,3,3,3,3,3,3

Control an Outlet

HTTP Packet Request
Packet Request:
“GET” “HTTP/1.1″CRLF
“Host:” CRLF
“Keep-Alive: 300″CRLF
“Connection: keep-alive”CRLF
“Authorization:Base” CRLFCRLF ;auth:encoded account(username:password) with base-64
HTTP URL: “http://< IP>/cgi-bin/control2.cgi?&”
IP: The IP Address of the MSNSwitch
Auth:
user=
passwd=
Action:
target=<0/1/2/3>;
0 means UIS (Auto Reset function), 1 means Outlet1,
2 means Outlet2,
3 means All_Outlets
control=<0/1/2/3>;

0 means Off,
1 means On,
2 means Toggle (supported in next firmware release),
3 means Reset Outlet (applies to Outlets that are On only)

HTTP Packet Response
XML format:
“<?xml version=’1.0′?>”
“”
“”{OUTLET_STATUS}””
“”{UIS_STATUS}””
“”
XML Description:
OUTLET_STATUS / UIS_STATUS: 0 means Off, 1 means On

EXAMPLE: Turn off outlet #2
curl –url “http://192.168.0.42//cgi- bin/control2.cgi?user=admin&passwd=05FE36&target=2&control=0” –http1.1 –verbose –header “Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate” –header “Accept: /” –cookie
“WQKJhuEcnAVA3t7WE+ug6A=2ZZeUIu0LxPi80nEd”
OUTPUT
<?xml version=”1.0″?>1,01

Get Last Heartbeat Time

HTTP Packet Request
Packet Request:
“GET” “HTTP/1.1″CRLF
“Host:” CRLF
“Keep-Alive: 300″CRLF
“Connection: keep-alive”CRLF
“Authorization:Base” CRLFCRLF ;auth:encoded account(username:password) with base-64
URL: http:///cgi-bin/heartbeat.cgi?
IP:
The IP Address of the MSNSwitch.
AUTH:
user=
passwd=

HTTP Packet Response
XML format:
“<?xml version=’1.0′?>”
“”
“”YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM”” “

Example: Get Last Hearbeat Time
curl –url “http://192.168.0.42//cgi- bin/heartbeat.cgi?user=admin&passwd=05FE36” –http1.1 –header “Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate” –header “Accept: /” –cookie
“WQKJhuEcnAVA3t7WE+ug6A=2ZZeUIu0LxPi80nEd”
OUTPUT
<?xml version=”1.0″?>2020/12/09 06:42

Netility Utility

MegaTec provides a software utility for Windows and MAC called Netility that scan your LAN for compatible devices and allows you to change some configuration settings and upgrade firmware without accessing the internal web server pages.
Download and install the Netility utility (Windows or MAC) from the www.MSNSwitch.com web site’s Download page.
Connect the MSNSwitch to the same Ethernet LAN as your PC. Open Netility and it will scan the LAN for any MegaTec devices and list them in its main window.

The Network Settings button allows you to configure the IP address and related network parameters of the MSNSwitch as well as set the password. The Launch Web User Interface will open the MSNSwitch’s internal web server in your default browser.

Updating Firmware

Download the latest MSNSwitch firmware from the Download page at: http://www.MSNSwitch.com
Be sure to download the correct file for your MSNSwitch model. Also download and review the firmware Release Notes for important information on the changes and new features.
MSNSwitch firmware is delivered as a compressed .ZIP file – extract the .BIN file from the zip archive. The .BIN file is the actual firmware image file you need to use.
Using the Web Interface
Log into the MSNSwitch’s web interface and select the Save/Upgrade menu. Click the Choose File button to locate the .BIN file you downloaded above. Then click the Apply button to begin the update process. Do not power off the MSNSwitch or remove its Ethernet connection until the process is complete.
Once the upgrade is complete and the web page refreshes to show the new firmware version number, we strongly recommend performing a factory reset from this screen to ensure that all new firmware parameters are properly initialized. You should also clear your web browser cache, then reconfigure your MSNSwitch as needed.

Using Netility
Launch the Netility software (see page 15).
Select the device you wish to upgrade and click the Firmware Update button. Select the .BIN file downloaded earlier and begin the firmware update process.

Do not power off the MSNSwitch or remove its Ethernet connection until the process is complete.
Once the upgrade is complete and the web page refreshes to show the new firmware version number, we strongly recommend performing a factory reset from this screen to ensure that all new firmware parameters are properly initialized. You should also clear your web browser cache, then reconfigure your MSNSwitch as needed.