Internet Rebooter

Overview

As integrators there are times where we cannot replace ISP provided hardware (eg Cable modem or NBN modem). As such we are reliant on the uptime of these devices and when they go down they take down many of the devices in the home. The Chowmain internet rebooter driver allows reboot of modems, routers, switches, access points and other networking equipment directly from Control4's built in relays.

The idea is that the driver will monitor a specific website periodically and if it fails to retrieve the content from that website multiple times it will execute the reboot sequence. Note that this driver requires wiring of Control4's relays upto the power supplies of the networking equipment.

This driver has been tested for 4 months prior to launch and has been silently rebooting modems that lock up within a few minutes of lock up making most modem lockups transparent to the user.

Note Chowmain takes no responsibility for damaged hardware as a result of poor wiring.

• Monitor the internet connection to see if its online or offline.
• Easy way to reboot internet connections without additional hardware. Note you will either need to splice the 5vdc / 12vdc wiring into Control4 for it to work or connect the relays upto a contactor to control a higher load if required.
• Reboot the internet manually from navigation, automatically via the driver or through programming commands.

Features

• Monitor any website for internet uptime (default is google)
• Power cycle up to 4 devices with different orders, delays and timing.
• Online and offline events means that you have the ability to power cycle via other means should you choose to.
• Experience button will allow a user to monitor their internet connection (online / offline) as well as initiate a manual reboot if required (They will need to confirm reboot with a secondary press)

Important Information

This driver will only monitor a website for uptime. It does not automatically initiate a reboot sequence upon other failures (like DHCP server failures and other router services). You can however manually initiate a reboot sequence via navigator should this happen.

FAQ

What is the point of this driver?

As integrators there are times where we cannot replace ISP provided hardware (eg Cable modem or NBN modem). As such we are reliant on the uptime of these devices and when they go down they take down many of the devices in the home. This driver is designed

Is there anything we need to be made aware of?

• The experience button on navigator requires a double press to reboot. This is to provide a confirmation to ensure that you don't accidentally initiate a reboot sequence.
• This driver only monitors connectivity to an internet website and performs the reboot sequence based on connectivity to the website. It does not cater for other network related issues such as DHCP server failures. You can however manually initate the reboot sequence through double pressing the experience button on navigator.

How do i wire up the relay?

• The driver allows upto 4 devices to be connected and power cycled (eg a modem, a router, a switch
  and an access point)
• If you are using a Control4 relay (eg on a controller, Z2IO or IO Extender) then split one of the wires
  (eg positive) and connect one side to COM and the other side to NC for each device

Does this driver have a safety net?

This driver will only initiate the reboot sequence after the 'Number of failed tries before automatic reboot'. Basically it will poll once every 'Website Poll Interval'. If it fails it will retry x number of times every 10 seconds and if it fails it will then perform the reboot sequence.

The 'Automatic Reboot Interval (minutes)' limits the amount of reboots to ensure that you don't get into a
reboot loop due to something like an internet outage at the exchange or ISP.

Do you offer showroom discounts?
We offer dealers a free showroom licence for demonstration and educational purposes.  See link below for T&C's and signup procedure.

Chowmain Dealer Showroom FAQ

I want to try this driver out before buying it?
All Chowmain drivers for Control4 come with a 90 day trial.  Just add the driverCentral licencing driver and this driver and you're good to go.  No registration required.

Do you offer other drivers?

We have hundreds of drivers.  Many of which are manufacturer sponsored and free.  Please visit our website to view all available drivers including FREE drivers.

http://www.chowmainsoft.com