Smart RV Capability

[flyboy013]

First off, I’d like to apologies for the long post, but I wanted to provide interested individuals with a good overview of what I’ve been working on.

For the past several years (we got our coach in Dec 2017) I’ve been developing a smart home capability for my Newmar couch and I’ve finally reached a point where I’m ready for a beta tester (besides my wife)!

My goal was to develop a capability that utilizes the modern technologies that we have become familiar with in smart homes. This system that I developed runs on a small footprint server (roughly 3”x4”) and connects to the RV-C network via the maintenance port or an available hub port. (I originally had the system in my RV plugged into the maintenance port, but now have it plugged into an available RV-C port that I found the cabinet above the driver). The system can be power via a 120V outlet (available in overhead cabinet), or via 12V DC.

Most of my effort to date has been focused on the RV-C network, but I have also integrated with the KIB network and can perform most any function that is available on the KIB panels themselves. Although, I’m in the process of developing a new HW module for interfacing with the KIB network.

Here’s a snapshot of the “Home” screen, which I customized based on what I have found to be important to me.

To give you a little but of an overview, the top row of buttons show the temperatures of each zone within the coach. I have color coded the temperature to show if it’s out of what I considered the normal range (to be configurable later). I have also set the background color to show me if the HVAC system is currently active for the zone. This provides me with a quick status of the temperatures and info on which HVAC units are currently running to cool or heat the coach. Clicking on the temperature brings up a graph that provides historical temperature information.

The next section provides information on the water pump/tanks. I can click on the water pump icon button and it will toggle the pump on and off. This interaction is immediate and doesn’t require any email or FTP protocols. On the “water” page, I can also control the Oasis burners/AC, and open/close my waste tanks utilizing a separately developed capability.

The next section provides me with battery information. Voltages for both sets of batteries and whether the charge bridge is current active. Then I have the current charging state and how much current is being output by the charger. This information updates several times a second as I am reading data directly off of the RV-C network and the application updates at the same rate as the data is available.

We then have AC power information and then the lock status (with the ability to lock and unlock the entrance door and compartments). Also the ability to turn the burner on/off. The light buttons turn on/off all the lights just as you would when pressing the two KIB panel buttons simultaneously.

In addition to displaying all this data; allowing the user to turn things on and off; and graphing the historical data; I have integrated notifications (application based notifications and SMS) and automations.

My goal was to be keep informed when “things” happen. Right now I receive notifications when the doors are [un]locked, the power source changes, the generator starts, the engine starts, batteries are low, and many more. I find this to be useful for when my coach is in the shop, so that I know when they are actually working on it, as well when I’m away from the campground and the coach looses power. There are also many other use cases.

I have setup automations such when the coach starts to move, the water pump will automatically turn off. I even have an automation to turn off the pesky KIB panel backlight at night time and then turn the back on the morning. (I actually have the system setup to dim them at late evening, and then turn them completely off at bedtime).

I have tested out integration with Siri and Alexa. I haven’t finished this yet, as there is so much on my roadmap and only so much time to implement.

As many of you may know, remote access into the RV is not easily available as your coach typically has a private IP address from the campground or cell provider. The system connects up to a commercial cloud server via a secure tunnel and the the user/coach owner does the same. I was concerned with having the coach accessible via the Internet so I built in a means to limit access to the coach.

As I stated above, I have worked on this capability for nearly 2.5 years now and the capability has matured quite a bit, but there are still so many ideas that I have for additional capabilities.

So I’m at a point where I’d like for someone to give the capability a try. I’m located in Southern Maryland and would prefer a beta user that’s in the general area so that I can do the install and be available for in person updates and discussions. Given that I’m working on a update to the KIB interface capability, the testing would be limited to accessing the RV-C network, thus a Newmar Mountaine Aire on up.

If you’re interested and/or have any questions about this capability, please chime in.

I’m hoping that his capability will be helpful to the many of us that desire to have a smart RV / connected coach. I’m not yet sure what the path will be to get this out there, but I’ll get that figured out as things proceed.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I really like the look of the Home screen; lots of information in an easy-to-read format. Nice! Since I am the resident "dinosaur," I don't know how much other "smart home technology" I need. Time will tell.

TJ

 

[flyboy013]

I'm the type of person that likes to be informed ... perhaps to a fault. I get my morning USPS Informed Delivery email letting know what's being delivered that day, which is especially nice when I'm traveling. I like getting the immediate SMS notifications when there's a charge to my credit card. I have my security camera's set up to upload motion clips to my DropBox so that when I'm traveling I know whats going on at home (ie. a package was just delivered).

Thus, I want to know how my coach is doing whenever I want. And I want an immediate notification if something abnormal takes place. My goal is to build as many notifications (and automations) as I can think of. While many of the conditions may never occur, I want to know if they do. There's a lot of information on the RV-C network and its great to be able to take advantage of it. You just need to have an imagination and/or analytical mind to take advantage of it all.

 

[sheridany]

That is really slick! You should make a business out of it smart enabling RV's.

 

[RKins]

Nice job on the app.

 

[Neal]

Nice work. I'd be happy to beta test. Please provide Mountain Aire BETA1

 

[MapNerd]

Unfortunately I am no longer in SoMD otherwise I’d be all over this. What a great job, really hope this becomes a product I can get

 

[Jabber Jaw]

WOW! IMPRESSIVE!! GENIUS! Great job!
You could make a small fortune integrating this technology into Newmar caoches!
Better yet, license it to Winnebago Corp, and draw "royalties" for the rest of your life!

But too much technology for an ol codger like me! I still wrestle with trying to use my Samsung S7......!!

 

[flyboy013]

Nice work. I'd be happy to beta test. Please provide Mountain Aire BETA1

You know ... I was getting you mixed up with @Cinergi, who has a New Aire. Unfortunately, he's lives a bit too far for me to install and support as I work out any issues.

As for providing the Mountain Aire BETA coach, I'm sorry to say its beyond my development budget!

I've had loads of (mostly) fun developing this capability. And I have so many ideas of future capabilities. Retirement is great as you can spend time on those things that you truly enjoy. Of course, that's what work is suppose to be like too.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Great job!

I AM a techie and continually have to “defend” the benefits of having technology DONE RIGHT!

For those who fear, or resist technology...allow me to explain my point...

The reason you hate it, is because it is a bastardization; cluttered, complicated, and nothing but confusing operation. That’s NOT a benefit, and that’s exactly what we have right now.

On the other hand...IF...technology was done CORRECTLY, let me ask you this simple question: What’s easier, picking up a half dozen remotes, figuring out which one is which, then figuring out what mode, what input, what source, blah blah blah.
OR, a simple ONE button...or even better, a common sense VOICE request to “Watch Fox News”?

The other example is this: I’m tired of constantly trying to figure out what is what in terms of overlapping functions, panels, etc. I hate playing with the Dometic thermostat every hour to balance zones, hate constantly opening the OHC for the tanks and generator panels.

I would LOVE a common sense, properly done gathering point SUCH AS THIS, in order to at least consolidate all the various systems. You still have to have modules, motors, circuits, etc., but having a one point access that is simple would really benefit even the tech-challenged folks.

That’s my sales pitch. Hope I didn’t pull the thread to far off course.

 

[the_hern]

Looks like there hasn’t been much movement I. This thread in a while. I’m picking up mu DSDP this summer and plan on going full automation where possible. I came across this thread in my research.

i am a fellow tinkerer, I’m in InfoSec by trade. I’d LOVE to find out more about how this has progressed especially any hardware tie ins as I was planning on a mix of Pi and Arduino to talk to systems. Please reach out to me!!

 

[flyboy013]

There hasn't been much movement on this thread, per se, but the capability continues to be improved. I finally resolved the issues that I had in interfacing with the KIB network and all is good!

I've have developed an Alexa Skill and can now do things like treat a shade as a shade instead of as a light bulb. ie. I can tell Alexa to open/close the shade as opposed to turning it on/off.

I'm in the process of designing a custom PCB which includes all the necessary components. I'm hoping to put a few beta units together and have then ready for the Newmar International Rally in July. I'm still trying to figure out how best to get this capability out there - work directly with owners or reach out to Newmar. There's pros and cons of each approach.

 

[redbaron]

If you need help with pcb stuff I have done a few.

Would be interested in your final product.

 

[BPeas]

I am also interested in your product, even assisting with testing. Would love to see it at the International.

 

[msramanujam]

I’d love to work with you to test things & also help make any improvements to the product. Please let me know how I can go about working with you. FYI, I’ve got a 2021 Newmar Dutch Star.

 

[smoorehome]

@flyboy013 I would be interested in testing your technology.

 

[DavidL]

Hi flyboy013 - I was wondering if you made headway. Didn't see you post on that "other" forum. So, tell us a bit more about your KIB adventure. Did you find protocol docs? Squeeze it out of KIB? Reverse engineer it? Are you talking to KIB via the RV-C network? Do they follow RV-C standards or did they mod it a bit to make it proprietary? Does your hardware talk only RV-C? or other networks as well? Does / Can your solution talk MQTT by chance to integrate with our myServer automation system? If so, we could very quickly add support for it. If not MQTT - any other integration methods supported? Are you thinking you will go commercial with it?
Congrats!! I know you have been beavering away at it for quite a while. Wish my rig supported the newer protocols so I had something to test and develop with! I did purchase a CAN module to write software with but haven't found the time yet.

"do things like treat a shade as a shade instead of as a light bulb." myServer (and many other automation systems) treat a shade as a lighting device. The "dim" value opens the shade to "50%" open. Shades fall into myServer's "lighting family" (a class of devices).

I would be very surprised if Newmar took interest in it. I suspect you will have to go direct to consumers. Would be good to start a list of "known compatible with" and test results.

 

[flyboy013]

Hi flyboy013 - I was wondering if you made headway.

I’ve made quite a bit of progress. I currently have integrated with both the RV-C and KIB networks. I’ve been improving things as issues or lack of capabilities pop up. At this point in time, I think I have a very very good beta capability. Still finalizing the HW.

Didn't see you post on that "other" forum.

I had posted an update on the "other" forum a while back, but the moderators had issues with it. Whatever.

So, tell us a bit more about your KIB adventure. Did you find protocol docs? Squeeze it out of KIB? Reverse engineer it?

I did not find any additional KIB documents. I (with some help) was able to analyze the KIB capability and integrate with it. I won’t say that it was reverse engineered it, as some may have issues with that terminology.

Are you talking to KIB via the RV-C network? Do they follow RV-C standards or did they mod it a bit to make it proprietary?

The KIB network is not a RV-C based network.

Does your hardware talk only RV-C? or other networks as well?

It talks to both the RV-C and KIB networks. It also talks to other components (ie. electric waste vales) via MQTT.

Does / Can your solution talk MQTT by chance to integrate with our myServer automation system? If so, we could very quickly add support for it. If not MQTT - any other integration methods supported? Are you thinking you will go commercial with it?

The solution does utilize MQTT, but it is not designed to be an interface to external systems. The MQTT server is currently userid/password protected. The goal is to secure it further with SSL, limiting access to LAN, and restricting accounts to reading/writing only a portion of the data in the database. I worked developing DoD systems for quite some time and understand the need for securing the system.

Congrats!! I know you have been beavering away at it for quite a while. Wish my rig supported the newer protocols so I had something to test and develop with! I did purchase a CAN module to write software with but haven't found the time yet.

"do things like treat a shade as a shade instead of as a light bulb." myServer (and many other automation systems) treat a shade as a lighting device. The "dim" value opens the shade to "50%" open. Shades fall into myServer's "lighting family" (a class of devices).

I total agree that many systems are treating a shade as a light bulb. That was I original didm but I didn't like having to tell Alexa to turn a shade on/off in order to raise/lower it. It just doesn't make sense. That's why I decided to develop an Alexa skill. So that I have just better control of the various device. My goal is to be able to ask "Alexa, what is the house battery level" or "What is the grey tank level" and have it tell me the appropriate value. You cannot do that by treating devices as light bulbs.

I would be very surprised if Newmar took interest in it. I suspect you will have to go direct to consumers. Would be good to start a list of "known compatible with" and test results.

I suspect you are right about Newmar not being interested. I'd believe there is a market for this capability. I wish I had already push this capability out. It was my intent to have it done, but to be honest the KIB integration ended up being an issue for me that just took time to resolve. Now, my biggest obstacle is designing a PCB. It's a new technology for me, but fortunately I have a few kids that have provide me needed guidance. Perhaps the biggest issue is dedicating the necessary time while I'm not on the road. Seems like when I'm home there just too many things that need to be taken care of!.

 

[AbdRahim]

Looks like great work. I guess I am old school. One of the reasons I went with the Bay Star as opposed to the Tiffin open Road was switches - no computer panel. I can fix switches. Where are the wires my panel is controlling?

Hats off to those who love that stuff.

 

[DavidL]

"The solution does utilize MQTT, but it is not designed to be an interface to external systems. The MQTT server is currently userid/password protected. The goal is to secure it further with SSL, limiting access to LAN, and restricting accounts to reading/writing only a portion of the data in the database. I worked developing DoD systems for quite some time and understand the need for securing the system."

Are you saying that with proper credentials, that a third party system couldn't use the MQTT to bidirectionally control KIB / RV-C devices using your solution?
I would rather leverage your solution (including pointing people to buy yours or resell yours) than spend the effort to reverse the KIB protocol for the small number of expected people that would want to use it (relatively speaking). The two systems would be on same LAN. The user IDs would belong to the owner of the RV. Certainly we would need to know how to pass and accept the authentication method you use.

So hardware wise, on your RV - is your hardware on a breadboard? And your talented kids are helping you get it onto a PCB?
FYI, there are lots of free PCB design software (Kicad is one). Once you have your circuit in the software, you just email the resultant file to one of thousands of inexpensive PCB manufacturers that support that output format. Then a week later, you will get the PCB populated or not (depending on what you choose). Easy peasy.

Would be nice if the PCB was designed as a Raspberry Pi4 Hat.
Another thing to consider is I assume KIB is just a CAN based protocol. There are lots of PCB / Hats for CAN readily available. Just write your software for it.