EcoPilot Manual | Version 1.1.

0 (May 2014)

Setup, Tutorials, Examples and Troubleshooting

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What is the EcoPilot and how does it work?

The EcoPilot is an application running on an stationary Android device which automates functions in
KNX based smarthomes. You can define automation rules and the EcoPilot will store and execute
them. Rules contain actions which are performed based on a variety of conditions.

Such a rule could be for example: “On MON, TUE and WED at 8am turn the light in the corridor on.”

Why should you use the EcoPilot?

● It's a very cost efficient way to automate KNX projects without expensive server solutions or touch
panels.
● No additional configuration effort for the electrician because the EcoPilot uses the existing
ayControl configuration.
● Even end users can create or modify rules in an intuitive graphical user interface directly in
ayControl for iOS and Android.
● You create unlimited rules with as many conditions and actions as you want.
● You can use astro clock functions like “At 30 minutes after sunset or sunrise move the blinds”.
● Simple to use for both end user and electrician.

How does the EcoPilot relate to ayControl?

● The EcoPilot acts as automation server. Once installed on an permanently powered Android device it
doesn't need any maintainance.
● ayControl acts as client. All rules are defined in ayControls intuitive graphical user interface.
● Like ayControl the EcoPilot connects to the KNX system via KNXnet/IP Tunneling or Routing.
Therefore, when using KNXnet/IP tunneling, a separate KNXnet/IP tunneling connection will be used
up by the EcoPilot.

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Functional diagram

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Which hardware should be used?

The EcoPilot runs on every Android 2.3 or above device. However, it is strongly recommended to run it
on an always-on device, which is permanently connected to power, network and stays in your building.
Why? It needs to be always on and connected. Only then the EcoPilot can monitor states and execute
the rules at the right time.

For quick tests you can run it on Android phones or tablets as well. However for professional
permanent usage we strongly reccomend to use all-in-one Android mini-PCs: They are energy-efficient,
they automatically reboot after an energy blackout, even have a LAN interface and suit perfectly for
running the EcoPilot. Last but not least, they are available for less than 100€

Tested and recommended hardware:

● MINIX neo X5 mini

● MINIX neo X7 mini

Available at Amazon, Conrad and many other electronic resellers.

http://www.minix.com.hk/

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How does the licence system work?

EcoPilot server

The EcoPilot server can be run in 2 modes.

● In the demo mode, without entering your upgrade package credentials in the EcoPilot server app,
the EcoPilot allows one rule for free.
● In the registered mode the EcoPilot will support unlimited automation rules. Registering the
EcoPilot works the same way as in ayControl. The EcoPilot will also count as one device at the
upgrade package.

EcoPilot client app

Creating and modifying of automation rules is done in ayControl. For accessing the EcoPilot client
functions, ayControl has to be activated with one of the following upgrade packages: Gold, Platinum,
Platinum Single or the Sales Partner package.

If you have Titanium, Silver or any older ayControl upgrade package, you need to upgrade it to one of
above packages in order to be able to use the EcoPilot

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How to set up the EcoPilot?

The EcoPilot server app is available on the Google Play Store.

● Download the EcoPilot server app from the Google Play Store to your Android device.
● If you want to use more then the one basic rule, enter the credentials for your ayControl Upgrade
package in the EcoPilot.
● Thats it, you're done configurating the EcoPilot.

Networking note: The device running EcoPilot has to be connected to the same network as other
devices running ayControl. The EcoPilot will connect to KNX using the same KNX/IP Interface or KNX/IP
Router as ayControl. If you are using the KNXnet/IP Tunneling protocol then you need a KNX IP
Interface supporting multiple parallel connections.

EcoPilot User Interface

● Enter credentials: Here you can enter the credentials for your ayControl upgrade package.
● Shutdown: Shuts down the EcoPilot and closes the app.
● Logging: Option to turn off/turn on the logging and send a log file to the ayControl team for
troubleshooting.
● Reset: Deletes all profiles and rules stored on the EcoPilot server.
● Status: Turns connection to KNX ON/OFF. The EcoPilot will not execute rules when turned OFF.
● “Info” Icon: Shows name and IP address/port of the EcoPilot server, as well as the active profile
and the current version.

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How to configure the EcoPilot with ayControl
for iOS?

Please make sure to use at least ayControl version 3.3.0 or higher

Check if you have an appropriate ayControl upgrade package activated (see ”How does the licence
system work?“); The EcoPilot option will only be available if a compatible upgrade package is used.

● Open ayControl on your iOS device.

● Make sure to select the ayControl profile used for controlling your KNX smarthome, and not the built
in demo profile.
● The EcoPilot server will always use the active profile of the device which connects to the server
the first time.
● If you want to control the EcoPilot server with multiple ayControl installations, make sure all “clients”
are using exactly the same profile. For switching profiles, you can click the “Reset” button in the
EcoPilot app, switch the profile on the device running ayControl and connect to the EcoPilot again.
● To connect with the EcoPilot you have to open the menu in ayControl (“Settings” icon) and then
choose “EcoPilot”. ayControl now automatically searches for the EcoPilot in the local network.
Alternatively, you can connect manually by entering the IP address and port shown in the EcoPilot
server info dialog.
● When connecting , your current profile is directly stored on the EcoPilot. You can always check the
connection by tapping “Connection” and “Server info”.
● Congratulations, you've set up EcoPilot and are now ready to create rules!

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How to configure the EcoPilot with ayControl
for Android?

Please make sure to use at least ayControl version 3.3.0.

Check if you have an appropriate ayControl upgrade package activated (see ”How does the licence
system work?“); The EcoPilot option will only be available if a compatible upgrade package is used.

● Open ayControl on your Android device.

● Please make sure to select the ayControl profile used for controlling your KNX smarthome.
● The EcoPilot will always use the active profile of the device which connects to the server the first
time; if you want to control the EcoPilot Server with multiple devices, make sure all “clients” are
using exactly the same profile. For switching profiles, you can click the “Reset” button in the
EcoPilot app, switch the profile on the device running ayControl and connect to the EcoPilot again.
● To connect with the EcoPilot you have to open the menu in ayControl (Android menu button) and
then choose “EcoPilot”. ayControl now automatically searches for the EcoPilot in the local network.
Alternatively, you can connect manually by entering the IP address and port shown in the EcoPilot
server info dialog. (Note: It is not possible to connect manually if one or more EcoPilot servers are
found)
● When connecting , your actual profile is directly stored on the EcoPilot. You can always check the
connection by tapping the “Info” icon (I).
● Congratulations, you've set up EcoPilot and are now ready to create rules!

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How to create and use rules ?

Rules are the tasks which are executed by the EcoPilot. They consist of conditions and actions.

Conditions available:

Condition Example
Time at 8am
Time range from 8am to 5pm
Day of the week on Monday and Tuesday
Switch state if ceiling light in corridor is ON
Slider value if slider value >50%
Vaule display if temperature >22.0°C
Sunrise / Sunset 30 minutes after sunset

Actions available:

Action Example
Set switch set corridor light to OFF
Set slider set central light to 60%
Push button arm security system
Move blinds move blinds in bedroom down
Wait wait 10 minutes

Conditions and actions can be combined and used multiple times in a single rule.

If you specify multiple actions in a rule, they will be executed sequentially. When actions are executed
also the Wait action can be used in between.

You can create a variety of automation tasks with rules, from simple to advanced, the possibilities are
almost endless. The following 4 examples will show you how rules are created, starting with a simple
one up to a more complex rule.

Note: Difference between “time” and “time range“

When “time range” is the only condition specified, it just works like a normal “time” condition.
Example: “If time is between 13pm and 16pm, turn on the ceiling light”
In this case, the EcoPilot just turns on the light at 13pm (if it is not already on). Nothing happens at
16pm.

To accomplish turning on the light at 13pm and off at 16pm, you need two rules.
Example: “If time is 13pm, turn on the ceiling light” & “If time is 16pm, turn off the ceiling light”

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Example rule 1 (turning on a light)

In the beginning, we are going to create a rule which turns on a light at 8pm

For this example, we are going to use an Android device. To see how it's done on iOS, please refer to
Example rule 2 (closing blinds after sunset).

First, tap on “Add rule”. You now have to specify a name for the rule, we call it “Light evening”. The
“Status” slider below tells us, that the rule will be active, once uploaded to the server.

Its time to add the condition. Tap on “Add condition” and select “Time”, since we want the EcoPilot
to do something at a specific time. Select 8pm and tap OK.

Now that we created our condition, we have to specify an action. Tap “Add action” and select “Set
switch”, since we want to switch a light on. In the list, we can see all the switches in our profile. Select
the switch for the light we want to turn on. Make sure that you select ON as the desired state for the
light and tap OK.

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Finally, we just have to tap Save, and the rule will uploaded and stored in the EcoPilot. On the start
screen you will now see, that “Light evening” is added to the list of rules. The EcoPilot will now
automatically turn on the desired light at 8pm.

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Example rule 2 (closing blinds after sunset)

In the next example we want to create a rule which puts the blinds down in the bedroom when it
is 1 hour after sunset. This should only happen on business days.

Again, first we create a new rule and name it “Blinds down sunset”.

In this case we have to use the conditions Sunset and Day of week. Click on “Add condition” and on
“Sunrise/Sunset”. Since we want the action to be executed 1 hour after sunset, select “Sunset” and
set the offset to 60 minutes after sunset.

Note: The Sunrise/Sunset function requires the EcoPilot server to have internet connection and the
location services turned on, in order to correctly calculate the time of the sunrise/sunset. If you turn
these off, this feature might not work properly.

Now we have to add a second condition. Select “Day of week” and mark Monday, Tuesday,
Wedneday, Thursday, Friday, and confirm with OK.

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The rule will be executed 1 hour after sunset on business days. Now we are ready to add the desired
action. Click “Add action” and select “move blinds”. Now we can select the blinds which should be
controlled. In our case we select the one in the bedroom and choose “press left button (long)” / “press
down long”, since we want it to be fully closed.

That's it, tap Save and you're done.

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Example rule 3 (switching on light in time
range)

In this example, we want to turn on the outdoor light from sunset to 11pm. Therefore we need
to create two rules.

Create the first rule by clicking on “Add condition” and “Sunrise/Sunset” and select “Sunset”. Now
click on “Add action” and “Set switch”. Select the control element of the outdoor light and set the
slider to ON.

Now we have to create a second rule. Add the condition “Time” and set it to 11pm. After that, we
add the action “set switch”, select the control element of the outdoor light and set the slider to OFF.

Congratulations, you've set up an automation consisting of two rules!

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Example rule 4 (creating a silent alarm)

Here we want to create an automation that arms the alarm from 10pm to 6am and blinks with a
light whenever the alarm is triggered.

First we add a new rule and tap on “Add condition” and select “time”. We set it to 10pm. Now we add
the action “set switch” and select the control element which arms/disarms the alarm and set to ON. In
most cases, arming/disarming is programmed as a standard ON/OFF Switch. You can also use a
button, with which you will have to use the “Push button” action.

Now we create a second rule, add a condition and select “switch state” and choose the control
element for arming/disarming your alarm, which you used above, and set state to ON. Note: In case
you are using a button for arming/disarming, you need an additional value display to show the arming
status of the alarm system. The value display can be used in a condition with “Value display value”.

We add another condition, select “Value display value” and select the control element which displays
if the alarm was triggered (doors/windows) and set value to 1.

For the alarm, we need to create a few actions: First we add the action “set switch” and select our
prefered light for the alarm and switch it to ON. Then we add another action “wait” and type in 1
second. Then we create the next action “set switch” and again we have to choose our prefered light
but now we switch it OFF. We add another “wait” action with 1 second. Repeat adding these four
actions as long as you want the alarm to be displayed.

Finally we need to create a third rule which is disabling the alarm. We just need to create a new rule
and add a “time” condition and set it to 6am. Then we add a “set switch” action and select the control
element for arming/disarming the alarm and set it to OFF.

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Edit and delete rules

It is possible to edit and delete rules.

● To edit a rule just select it on the list and change it as desired.

● To delete a rule, simply tap on the “recicle bin” icon right next to each rule in the list.

If you want to clear all rules and delete the profile from the EcoPilot server, tap “Reset” in the menu
of the EcoPilot.

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FAQ / Troubleshooting

When connecting to the EcoPilot server, a

profile related error pops up

These errors will show up when the EcoPilot server has a different profile loaded than the device you
are using to connect.

If you have installed the profile of the EcoPilot server on your device, but it is not your active profile,
ayControl will ask you if you want to activate the profile, so you can connect.

When you do not have the profile of the EcoPilot server app installed on your device or have an older
version of it, you can not connect. There are three ways to fix this:

● Install the profile (or the version of the profile) the EcoPilot uses to your device
● Click the “reset” button in the EcoPilot server app. This will delete the profile and all its rules on the
server. Then you can connect to the server with any profile, which then will be loaded and used.
● Delete all rules on the EcoPilot, this will also remove the profile from the server. This can be done
from the ayControl App.

Note: You might need to restart ayControl in order to detect the server correctly again!

What do I have to mind when updating my ayControl profile?

If you updated your ayControl profile (e.g. added a new switch) and installed it to your device, you
don't need to reset the EcoPilot server. It automatically updates its profile with the version on your
device.

Note: The profile needs to have the same profile id (which changes if you save it in a different file in
the editor). It is only allowed to differ in the version code. If the profile id changed in the update, you
will be prompted with an error and need to reset the EcoPilot server and define you rules again.

Error: Too many rules

You've exceeded the basic amount of one rule in the EcoPilot server app. You just need to enter your
upgrade package credentials in the EcoPilot server app to unlock unlimited rules. However, the
EcoPilot needs a slot in the upgrade package, so make sure it is available.

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ayControl does not find an EcoPilot server

This can have various reasons:

● Restart the EcoPilot server app and click the “Info” icon to check if it is running correctly.
● Make sure that the ayControl app, the EcoPilot server and the KNX IP interface are in the same
network.
● Check if your router and your network support “IP Multicast”

If none of the above work, you can enter the servers IP manually. Just click the “Info” icon in the
EcoPilot server app, note IP and port written there and enter them in ayControl.

The Sunrise/Sunset condition does not work

The Sunrise/Sunset function requires the EcoPilot server to have internet connection and the location
services turned on, in order to correctly calculate the time of the sunrise/sunset. If you turn these off,
this feature might not work properly.

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