[[Image(PanasonicTVIRDevice.png,align=right,20%,title=Existing Panasonic TV IR Device configured to use the SQBlaster IR Transmitter Plugin)]]
[[Image(SQBlasterDevice-UI4.png,align=right,20%,title=SQBlaster IR Transmitter Plugin)]]
[[Image(SQBlasterPlusDevice-UI4.png,align=right,60%,title=SQBlaster Plus IR Transmitter Plugin)]]

= Introduction =

This component permits the registration of the !SquareConnect [http://www.squareconnect.com/sq_blaster.html SQBlaster], or [http://www.squareconnect.com/docs/SQ_Blaster_Plus.pdf SQBlaster Plus], as an ''IR Transmitter'' Device with Vera.  The use of these devices allows IR controlled components to be operated "remotely" from Vera, in addition to using SQRemote iPhone app, via the [http://wiki.micasaverde.com/index.php/Luup_IR MiOS IR] (aka "Remote") devices.

This Plugin allows the SQBlaster, or SQBlaster Plus, to show up as an ''IR Transmitter'' under MiOS, and any existing ''IR Devices'' can be re-attached to use the SQBlaster instead of the prior USB-UIRT or GC-100 IR interfaces.  In addition, the SQBlaster Plus device exposes an additional 4x ''IR Transmitter'' devices, for a total of 5 independently controllable IR channels.

It also goes on to show how these ''IR Devices'' can be sourced from the MiOS IR Catalog, hand-built, or extracted from SQRemote files.

In MiOS, the Remote Control functions are broken into a few different components.  Each of these components is required to Control "something" over IR from a MiOS (Vera) unit.

Roughly, these are:

a. A physical device that can accept ''Pronto Codes'' and Transmit, or ''Blast'', IR signals.\\
   We'll call this the ''IR Transmitter''.  An example is the SQBlaster device from !SquareConnect, other examples include the GC100, iTach and USB-UIRT devices.

b. A MiOS Plugin for the ''IR Transmitter''.\\
   This ''Plugin'' will adapt calls, from a MiOS defined interface, and translate them into calls that the ''IR Transmitter'' requires in order to deliver the ''Pronto Codes'' as IR signals.

c. A MiOS ''IR Transmitter Device'', created for the SQBlaster Plugin from (b), and configured to use the correct IP Address of the SQBlaster\\

d. A MiOS ''IR Plugin'' for each piece of AV Gear you want to Control.\\
   Each ''IR Device'', such as a TV/Receiver/AirConditioning etc, has a specific set of ''actions'' that can be performed, as well as a specific set of ''Pronto Codes'' that need to be delivered for each of these actions.
   In MiOS, these need to be represented as another Plugin, and related Device, that can be called upon to trigger the sending of a specific IR Code for each of it's actions.
   These can be sourced from:
   1. the MiOS "Remote Control" Catalog ''OR;''
   2. hand built ''OR;''
   3. derived from the [http://box.net box.net] Backup of your SQRemote configuration

   The process for hand building these is outlined here:
      Building [http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=4542.msg24677#msg24677 MiOS ProntoCode IR] by hand

   The process for transforming existing SQBlaster/SQRemote `devnnnnnnnn.xml` files, from a Backup on Box.net, into MiOS Plugin file(s) outlined here:
      [http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,7239.msg46227.html#msg46227 MiOS IR Device Extraction from SQRemote Devices]


e. A MiOS ''IR Device'', created for the ''IR Plugin'' from (d)\\
   This MiOS''IR Device'' must be associated, in the MiOS UI, to use the MiOS ''IR Transmitter'' from (c).

NOTE: In MiOS Beta release 1.1.1183, the IR-Device mechanism was broken, along with the ability to associate an IR Device with it's ''IR Transmitter''.  This has been fixed in the subsequent Beta builds.



NOTE: A more advanced IR integration with the SQBlaster is being Developed by the !MiCasaVerde team.

= Installation =
  * For UI4 Installation, please follow the [wiki:Installation-UI4 UI4 Installation procedure]
  * For UI5 Installation, please follow the [wiki:Installation-UI5 UI5 Installation procedure]

= Scenes =
Once you've installed both the SQBlaster ''IR Transmitter'' Plugin, and a AV-Device specific ''IR Device'' Plugin (like the Panasonic TV), you can use MiOS Advanced Scenes to control the component over IR.

[[Image(SceneAdvancedPanasonicIRDevice1.png,align=left,50%,title=Panasonic TV IR Device configured to be turned off as part of my All-House-Off scene)]]
[[Image(SceneAdvancedPanasonicIRDevice2.png,align=left,50%,title=Panasonic TV IR Device being setup with a new action as part of my All-House-Off scene)]]

\\
= Debugging =
  * For debugging tips, please follow the [wiki:Debugging-UI4 Debugging tips]

= References =
  * [http://www.squareconnect.com/ SquareConnect] Website
  * [http://www.squareconnect.com/sq_blaster.html SQBlaster] Product page on the !SquareConnect Website.
  * [http://www.squareconnect.com/docs/SQ_Blaster_Plus.pdf SQBlaster Plus] Product page on the !SquareConnect Website.
  * [http://www.squareconnect.com/sq_remote.html SQRemote] Product page on the !SquareConnect Website.
  * [http://wiki.micasaverde.com/index.php/Luup_IR MiOS IR] Page on the MiOS Wiki
  * Building [http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=4542.msg24677#msg24677 MiOS ProntoCode IR drivers] by hand
  * Prototype for MiOS-based control of SQRemote IR "Devices" [http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=4639.msg29906#msg29906 MiOS IR Device Extraction from SQRemote Devices]