velbus VMBHIS Home Center Interface Server User Guide
- June 3, 2024
- VELBUS
Table of Contents
velbus VMBHIS Home Center Interface Server
INTRODUCTION
This document explains the installation and initial configuration of the VMBHIS Home Center. For a detailed explanation of all the Home Center possibilities, see the “Home Center User Guide” (see “More information” on p. 6).
CONTENT
In the packaging of the VMBHIS Home Center server you’ll find the following articles:
- the server module VMBHIS
- a short manual
- the necessary cables, consisting of:
- a power cable .. optional power plug
- a network cable
- a USB cable
The Home Center server software (license included) is already preinstalled on the VMBHIS.
CONNECTION
The VMBHIS server module must be connected to both your Velbus demotics system
and to your LAN. It must also be
connected to the mains voltage.
Preferably, do not connect your VMBHIS module until you have fully programmed
and configured your Velbus installation. In this way all settings and channels
will be correctly read at the first use.
Connect the cab les in the correct order:
- First the USB cable and network cable
- and last the power cable (mains voltage)
CONNECTION TO THE VELBUS INSTALLATION
To connect the VMBHIS with your Velbus inst allation you can use the VMB1USB
or VMBRSUSB module and a USB cable.
CONNECTION TO YOUR LAN
Connect your VMBHIS to your local network using a standard network connection
(RJ45).
CONNECTION TO MAINS VOLTAGE
Connect the power cable (mains voltage) always last, after the network cable
and USB cable are connected. In this way the VMBH IS will detect both the
network and the Velbus system at startup.
Make sure you have a worl<inginternetconnection before you connect the VMBHIS
to the mains voltage, otherwise the license will not be activated. If the
Velbus installation is at a location without an internet connection, you have
to activate the VMBH IS license beforehand, where an internet connection is
available.
Insert one end of the supplied power cable in the VMBHIS, and then plug it
into the socket. The VMBHIS will be activated immediately. The server will
activate its license in the background, and the date this happens is the start
date of 1 year of free updates.
If it’s the first time a Velbus installation is connected to the VMBHIS, it
will read all modules and automatically sort them into groups (zones). As soon
as the activation and first scan are completed (wait approximately 5 min.
after connecting the power cord), the VMBHIS is ready to use.
FIRST USE
When the license activation and first scan are completed, you can immediately start to operate your Velbus installation, using devices connected to your LAN:
- iPhone, iPod touch, iPad using the free Home Center iOS App (free to download at the App Store)
- Windows PCs using a web browser (latest Firefox or Chrome) or Home Center Windows Client (included)
- any other device with a Firefox or Chrome web browser (Android, Mac, Linux, Windows, … )
These devices communicate via your LAN with the Home Center server (the VMBHIS
module), which in turn communicates with the Velbus installation (see
illustration below).
OPERATION
You can approach your Home Center in 3 ways:
- A. via a web browser
- B. via the Windows program Home Center Windows Client
- C. via the Home Center iOS App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch
OPERATION VIA WEB BROWSER (ANDROID, LINUX, MAC, WINDOWS, … )
Using a normal web browser (Firefox, Safari or preferably Chrome) you can log
into Home Center and operate your
Velbus installation. To do this, start the web browser, type in the IP-address
of your Home Center server in the address bar and push Enter.
The standard login credentials are:
- username: ad min
- password: admin
If you don’t know the IP-address of your Home Center server, please follow the
steps in “Appendix 1: Find out the IPaddress
of your Home Center server” on p.6.
OPERATION VIA THE WINDOWS CLIENT
The Home Center Windows Client is a Windows program to be installed on a
Windows PC. You can find the setup file on the WMBHIS server. To do so, login
via a web browser (see above) and go to the Settings page. On that page, click
on Windows Home Center client setup (see image below).
The file “hc_client.zip” will be copied to your PC. Open this file and double
click on setup. The installation wizard will guide you through the rest of the
process.
As soon as the Home Center Windows Client is installed, you can start it via
the Windows Start menu > Home Center.
With the Home Center Windows Client, you can operate your Velbus installation
and configure the layout of the zones which are also visible in the other
clients.
OPERATION VIA IPHONE, IPAD OR IPOD TOUCH
The Home Center iOS App for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad can be downloaded for
free from the App Store. To use the app for the first time, execute the
following steps:
- make sure that your iOS device is connected to your LAN
- start the Home Center iOS App and go to the Settings page (via the gear icon)
- Select Add Server
- the App automatically searches for available Home Center servers and displays them under Home Center in LAN
- Tap the IP-address of the detected Home Center. Push OK in the pop up Warning: replace details with….The IP-address will automatically be copied to the Server field.
- Enter a name for the Home Center server in the box Description (eg. “home”)
- Tap the blue shortcut < Settings (top left). On the Settings page, tap the name of the server you wish to connect to. When the green checkmark appears next to the server, it means it’s ready for use.
- Select one of the zones in the menu bar at the bottom of the Home Center iOS App to operate your Velbus installation. (To change the zones or other settings, see the Home Center Web Client and Home Center Windows Client above).
COMPARISON OF THE DIFFERENT CLIENTS
- the most complete user interface is provided by the web browser client. All functionalities of Home Center (both configuration and operation) are available here, except the zone management (see below).
- The Home Center Windows Client is the only client’ where you can configure the layout of the zones and menu bar. From here you can create, delete and modify zones. You can also operate your Velbus installation using this client.
- With the Home Center iOS App you can operate your Velbus installation from iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. It’s not possible to configure Home Center using the iOS App.
- In the “Home Center User Guiden there’s a detailed explanation of how to configure and operate Home Center (see “More information” p.6).
USER MANAGEMENT
The default username and password for Home Center is “ad min” (without the
quotation marks). For security reasons, it’s strongly recommended to change
the password as soon as possible. Depending on the version of Home Center,
it’s possible that a second account exists, with both username and password
“homecenter”. For security reasons, also change the password for this account.
To make changes regarding user rights, go to User Management on the Settings
page of the Home Center Web Client. Here you can decide who gets which rights.
Passwords are configured or changed here as well. You can find more
information in the “Home Center user guide” (see “More information” p.6).
SONOS INTEGRATION
Home Center will automatically detect your Sonos installation when available.
Using the logical module of Home Center, you can connect it to your Velbus
installation.
The glass touch panels with OLEO display (VMBGPODB and VMBGPODW) can show
which song is currently playing. All Velbus button interfaces (push buttons
and touch panels) can be configured in Home Center for the basic operation of
your So nos system (play, pause, next, previous, volume up, volume down and
mute).
For more information about the Home Center logical module, log into Home
Center via the Home Center Web Client (see “A. Operation via web browser” on
page 3) and download the “Home Center logic guide” from the “Settings” page.
MORE INFORMATION
The “Home Center User Guide” is an extended manual regarding installation,
configuration and operation of the Home Center. At all times you can download
the last version from within the VMBHIS Home Center server itself:
- log into the Home Center Web Client
- go to the Settings page
- click on Home Center user guide
For more information about Home Center, go to www.homecenter.be or go to www.velbus.eu > Producten > VMBHIS.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1: FIND OUT THE IP-ADDRESS OF YOUR HOME CENTER SERVER
You can find out the IP-address of your Home Center server in the following
ways:
Using Velbuslink (Windows)
You can find out the IP-address of your Home Center server in Velbuslink, the
Windows configuration program of your Velbus installation. You can download it
for free at www.velbus.eu >Support> Downloads>
Velbuslink.
- Start Velbuslink
- Open a project or create a new one
- When you chose to create a new project in the previous step, you will be asked which connection method you want. Choose Connect to my existing installation and click Next
- In the following screen, choose Connect to HomeCenter Server (TCP/IP) and press Next
- In the following screen press Search
- Click on Refresh . A list with available Home Center servers appears. In the column “Host” you can see the IPaddress of the Home Center server.
Via the Home Center Discovery Utility
For Windows
Download the Home Center Discovery Utility at the Velbus website
(www.velbus.eu >Support> Downloads> VMBHIS), or via
www.homecenter.be. After starting the utility you
can see the available (correctly started) Home Center servers. Select the
server and click Open in browser
For Android
Go to Google Play and download the “HC Discovery” of Stijnen Solutions. The
direct link is
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=be.stijnen.hcdiscovery.
Using Windows Explorer (Windows 7 and newer)
If you have a standard home network and Windows 7 or higher, the VMBH IS is
automatically detected.
In Windows 7for example, in Windows Explorer you can select Network . Double
click on the Home Center server interface icon. A web browser window will open
with the correct IP-address filled in.
Via Bonjour in MacOS X
If you’re using MacOS X and you have a standard home network, you can find the VMBHIS Home Center server via Bonjour. Open Safari and click on Bookmarks (the “open book” icon, see print screen below). Then double click on Home Center Interface Server.
APPENDIX 2: SOFTWARE UPDATES
When there are updates available for your Home Center software, you will be
notified on the login page of the Home Center Web Client below the Login
button.
To install the update:
- Make sure you have a working internet connection
- In the Home Center Web Client, go to the Settings > Advanced page and click on Update software (see print screen below)
- the latest Home Center server software version will be downloaded and installed on the VMBHIS. This happens in the background. In the meanwhile, you can continue working with other applications on your PC, but it’s recommended not to use Home Center software during 5 minutes (while the update is being installed on the VMBHIS).
- the update is finished after 5 minutes. Your VMBHIS now runs the latest software version. on your VMBHIS server there’s a new version of Home Center Windows Client available as well.
- The Home Center Windows Client has to be the same version as the Home Center server software at all times. With every new Home Center update, please install the new Home Center Windows
- Client (see “B. Operation via the Windows Client” on page 3)
APPENDIX 3: PROBLEM SOLVING
Should you experience problems during the installation or first use of your
VMBHIS Home Center server, try the following steps, in the order as they’re
described:
- Close all Home Center Clients (Home Center Windows Clients, Home Center iOS Apps and web browser interfaces)
- Unplug the VMBHIS from the mains socket
- Close all programs and reboot your PC
- After rebooting, make sure there’s a working internet connection
- Check if the LAN is active
- Check if the network cable of the VMBHIS is correctly connected to the LAN
- Check if the USB cable of the VMBHIS is correctly connected to the VMBRSUSB orVMB1USB of your Velbus installation
- Check if your Velbus installation is powered up and working
- Are all the previous steps 01<? Then plug the power cable of the VMBH IS into the mains socket
- Wait 5 minutes to make sure the VMBHIS has started
- Look up the IP-address of the VMBHIS (see “Appendix 1: Find out the IP-address of your Home Center server” on page 6)
- Start a web browser (preferably the latest version of Google Chrome) and type in the IP-address of the VMBHIS in the address bar. Press Enter
- The login page of the Home Server Web Client should appear. Standard login credentials are: username “admin”, password “admin” (both without quotes, and lowercase)
If the problems persist, please consult the “Documentationn page on
www.homecenter.be. Solutions to the most common
problems are listed there.
As a last resort, you can contact Stijnen Solutions, developer of the
software. Contact details are listed on
www.homecenter.be > Contact.
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