Chris Cicchitelli Administrator Posts: 3390
2/16/2013
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Setting up the Core Service is a very simple process that should only take a few minutes to complete. For convenience, the setup process is broken down into several sections.
Downloading & Installation 1) First, download the Core Service from our download page. The downloaded file will be called "Install the CastleOS Core Service.exe", please open it 2) Proceed through the (very simple) setup wizard at your own pace, when complete, CastleOS will start and after a few seconds, the CastleOS welcome wizard will display.
First Login & User Account Creation 1) After being taken to the login page, you can login with the default administrator account. The username is "admin" and the password is "password1234". (This account is recommended to be used only for the initial setup listed here, after that, it is highly recommended individual user accounts are used instead, and be sure to change the admin password!) 2) After logging in, you'll be taken to the Portal. Click the Menu button in the top right, and then select Security. 3) On the Security screen, click Menu again, and select Add User from the Security Options. 4) Fill out the form to create the first user account. Upon pressing the "Add User" button, the new user is added, and the administrator account is signed out. Please login with the new account before proceeding.
Important Settings 1) After creating the first account (and if wanted additional accounts), there are just a few more settings to finalize before adding your first device. Please open the menu, and select Settings. 2) At the very top, you'll see options for Title and Zip Code. Title is the text you see at the top of all CastleOS screens, which reads "CastleOS" by default. You can change this to whatever you'd like. The zip code is necessary for getting your local weather and sunrise/sunset times. For international users, please enter a city and country here instead. Please ensure these are updated as needed. 3) Next, scroll down to the Energy Monitoring Settings section. This is where you can input your electrical rate in order for CastleOS to track your energy costs. The Electrical Rate is the total cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which you can find on your electric bill. For areas that have peak and off-peak (day and night) rates, you can input both costs here as well. If you have a single rate, input the same cost into both. The Rate Schedule section is where you can set the time the peak and off-peak prices come into effect, i.e peak starts at 7:00 am and off-peak starts at 6:30 pm. If you have a single rate, you leave this section at the default, or any other setting, so long as both day and night rates are the same in the section above.
Initial Automation Protocol Configuration 1) Proceed to the Settings screen to set up various automation systems, although some are auto-detected. To do so press Menu on the top right, and then Settings.
Adding a Device 1) For protocols that do not auto-detect devices, you can add a device by pressing Add Device on the Menu from either the Portal or Devices screen, or from the Quick Links section of the Settings screen. 2) There are just a few pieces of information you'll need to fill out to add a device. First, select the protocol, X10 or INSTEON. 3) Next, choose a name for the device. It's important to distinctly name the device in order to remain compatible with voice control features. 4) Enter the Address/ID of the device, for X10 it would look like "C4" and for INSTEON it would like like "1A.2B.3C". 5) Choose a group for the device. Groups can be anything you want them to be, rooms, appliance or sensor groupings, etc. There is one default group to start with, but you can add or edit them at will by going to Groups in the Menu. 6) Slave devices are those that don't actually turn on a load (i.e. a light or appliance), but rather relay a message to another device to do so. A common use for slave devices are remote switches and 3-way and 4-way lighting circuits. If you're not sure, leave this as "this is not a slave". 7) Next, choose the model of device you are using. 8) If the model device you have select supports dimming and you'd like to enable it, choose enabled for the Dimming option. 9) Finally, in order to calculate the energy usage, CastleOS needs to know what the estimated load on the device is. In the Wattage box, enter the total wattage used by the lighting or appliance when turned on. For instance, if your light switch controls four 60-watt bulbs, then you'd enter 240 here. If this was a thermostat, and your air conditioning used 300 watts when on, enter 300 here. 10) Save the device, and repeat as needed! edited by ccicchitelli on 12/31/2014
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