Special Function not passing through NTWK bridge

Doing a out-of-town job which includes using several color touch screens to disarm an Elk/Ness alarm with the c-bus interface. Works fine on the network where the alarm interface resides, but on a different network the 'Special Function' (Security Keypad) numbers don't seem to work. My first thought is that 'Special Functions' won't cross a network bridge>?

I tried to get around this by using a logic engine (on the alarm's network) and having Lighting Group addresses from another network trigger the Special Function for that particular numeric key, but this doesn't work either. Perhaps the 'value' for the special function doesn't equal the actual numeric key value when doing this in logic? Here's a sample;

{for keypad 0}
once (GetLightingState("Keypad 0") = ON) then
begin
ExecuteSpecialFunction("Security Keypad", 0);
end;

{for keypad 1}
once (GetLightingState("Keypad 1") = ON) then
begin
ExecuteSpecialFunction("Security Keypad", 1);
end;


Anyone have a solution/suggestion?

Thanks,
-Duke

 

The Special Functions do not actually go onto C-Bus as such. In the case of the Security Keypad Special Function, this causes a security message to be sent onto C-Bus.

If your bridges are set to forward C-Bus messages to the adjacent network (we call this "Application Connect Mode"), then the messages will be sent to the network on the other side of the bridge.

Alternatively, you can get the Security Messages sent directly to specific networks (as Nick suggested).

Refer to the following documents for more information:

• C:\Clipsal\PICED\Manuals\C-Bus Concepts.pdf
• C:\Clipsal\PICED\Manuals\C-Bus Networks.pdf
• PICED help file topic "C-Bus Network Manager"

 

Network Details

Basic network Bridge 253/254. 'Application Connect Mode' is ON (i.e. 'Send to adjacent networks is checked on both sides of the bridge, and 'Application 1' = 'All Applications'. C-bus Lighting application messages are passing across both networks with no problem)

In PICED, all the Nework Manager Properties are YES - including 'Send Security Application Messages.

Any other ideas?

-Duke

 

You could use the C-Bus Diagnostic Utility on the network where the alarm panel is connected to verify that the security messages are arriving in that network.

If they are, then the most likely cause is that the alarm panel is not handling C-Bus messages containing network routing. This would need to be taken up with the alarm panel manufacturer.

 

Diagnostic Utility

Thanks Darren -

It's the Ness (Elk) M1 with their add-on C-Bus interface card. Has anyone else heard of this problem with Ness?

I'm hoping to spend some time at Elk in North Carolina soon for training - I'll bring this up with them if it's indeed an issue. (I have several other issues with this interface - like the status feedback over C-Bus isn't reliable, etc.) For right now though, this is the best option we have in the USA for a C-Bus Alarm interface.

-Duke