Install alert

The alert sender plays a given sound on the reception of the corresponding xPL message.

Before all, make sure you have installed an xPL hub.

Install xPL alert sender

The alert sender bases in a command-line control allowing to play a sound file. On Linux, this generally is the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA). Basic debug info:

lspci -nn
head -n 1 /proc/asound/card0/codec*
lsmod | grep '^snd'
aplay -l

Plug loudspeakers on your PC's line out. The PC System Design Guide defines the analog line level audio output phone connector to be lime green.

Play a sound:

SOUND_FILES_LOCATION='/home/control/Documents/Controls/Sounds'
aplay $SOUND_FILES_LOCATION/doorBell.wav

Download the xPL alert sender script.

Move the script to xPL scripts directory:

SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR=/home/control/Documents/Controls
mv xpl-alert.pl $SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR
chown control:users $SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR/*.pl
chmod 775 $SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR/*.pl

Test xPL alert sender

Test it on a BeagleBone:

su control
SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR=/home/control/Documents/Controls
$SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR/xpl-alert.pl -h
$SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR/xpl-alert.pl -vn alert

Open a 2nd terminal window (on any machine with xPL installed) and monitor the xPL protocol:

SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR=/home/control/Documents/Controls
$SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR/xpl-monitor.pl -vf

Open a 3rd terminal window (on any machine with xPL installed) and control the lights:

SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR=/home/control/Documents/Controls
$SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR/xpl-send.pl -v -c lighting.request device=3
$SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR/xpl-send.pl -v -c lighting.basic device=3 command=activate
$SCRIPTS_BASE_DIR/xpl-send.pl -v -c lighting.basic device=3 command=deactivate

The first xpl-send command asks for the status of the bulb. The answer is seen in the xPL traffic monitor.

Launch the xPL alert sender at startup

The xPL alert clock controller is to be launched after the xPL hub.

Ubuntu

On Ubuntu, the xPL alert sender starts-up once xpl-hub_started has been emitted.

Edit /etc/init/xpl-alert.conf :

################################################################################
# xPL alert, controls Philips alert light bulbs
#
description "xPL alert"
version     "1.0"
author      "Francois Corthay"

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Configuration variables
#
env SCRIPTS_DIR='/home/control/Documents/Controls'
env SCRIPT_NAME='xpl-alert.pl'
env PARAMETERS='-n alert'

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Start and stop conditions
#
start on xpl-hub_started
stop on shutdown
respawn
setuid control
setgid users

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Start daemon
#
exec $SCRIPTS_DIR/$SCRIPT_NAME $PARAMETERS

Start the device and test it:

su root
service xpl-alert start
service xpl-alert status
initctl list | grep xpl
ps aux | grep -i xpl | grep -v grep | sed 's/.*\/Controls\///'

Mac OS

On Mac OS, the xPL alert sender starts-up later than the hub.

Edit /Library/LaunchDaemons/xpl-alert.plist:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>xPL Philips alert sender </string>
    <key>OnDemand</key>
    <false/>
    <key>UserName</key>
    <string>control</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
      <string>/Users/control/Documents/Controls/xpl-alert.pl</string>
      <string>-n</string>
      <string> alert </string>
      <string>-w</string>
      <string>25</string>
    </array>
  </dict>
</plist>

Load the xPL client:

launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/xpl-alert.plist
launchctl list | grep -i xpl 
ps ax | grep -i xpl | grep -v grep