Disabling automatic KNX IP interface selection based on Serial Number
Dear KNX Association!
We are a company that mainly focuses on installing KNX hotel automation systems created by Zennio. Usually this works in the following way: Let's say a hotel has 90 rooms but it consists of 3 room types. In this case we create three ETS projects for the 3 room types, all of them includes a Zennio ALLinBOX, that is a combination of a KNX IP interface, power supply and relay actuator. And we simply upload the same program to the different rooms of the same room type.
Since ETS6 we have the following problem: When I download the project into one of the room, the serial number of the ALLinBOX gets read by ETS and the project is updated with this serial number. Now, if I'm trying to proceed with the download of the second room from the same room type, I select it's IP interface in the dropdown list. However ETS overwrites this, because it finds the firs ALLinBOX with the previously read Serial Number. So in order to program the hotel, I need to delete the serial number after every download. It's a bit annoying, but the bigger problem is that this is happening without any warning, so it happened countless times, that I downloaded the same room several times before realizing that I was only updating the first room several times.
So it would be a very useful feature for us (and for every Zennio client) to disable the interface auto-selector function and just use the interface that I select, even if there is another with a matching serial number.
I hope my message makes sense, but let me know if you need further explanation or examples.
best regards,
Zoltan
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The main problem here is that (presumably) your ALLinBOX devices all have the same KNX address. ETS will not permit two devices with the same KNX address or the same KNX serial number in an installation. ETS assumes because you are downloading to KNX device with KNX address xx.yy.zzz which has KNX serial number xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx that you still want to download to the same device.
I like the Zennio hotel solution but from a purely KNX perspective setting up the project like this is a workaround to avoid having to redo group address setup many times. From the perspective of the Zennio hotel server PC each room (ALLinBOX) is identified by its IP address, not its KNX address.
I think the “problem” is only a problem in the context of the workaround and in all other cases this feature of ETS helps protect against mistakes in downloading.
Possibly Zennio could create an ETS App which can resolve it - I think it’s only a problem in this use case.0 -
Yes, you see it perfectly right. The "workaround" saves a ton of time, and I believe it also helps protect against mistakes, because it ensures that the group addresses are right in every room and no error is made during the copy of the devices/features.
I also agree that this might be the only use case where this issue arises. However it would be an easy fix from KNX side to include the possibility to disable the feature. I don't see how an ETS app could help here though, since the download should still happen from the main ETS window.
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