Hardware

Gateways are control units installed as hardware in your controlled space. These control units are required for devices that cannot be controlled over a Network and can only be controlled via IR (infrared) control, RS-232 serial control, Relay/IO contact closure and sensor controls.

Brain Gateways also house the programming for the controlled space. Each controlled space requires a Brain to be installed to control the devices within the controlled space.

This article explains how to create Gateways within the Builder and how to assign your imported devices to the newly created Gateways.

Control Types

• IR – one way control that executes a single command to a piece of equipment. IR control is basic and used for most common devices such as Cable Boxes, Displays, Blu-ray players and more. IR is a fallback option of control when RS-232 and/or IP control is not available.
• RS-232 – two way control that executes a command and receives a response from the equipment. RS-232 is a more advanced style of control that provides more information to the end user, such as Power State, Volume State, and Bulb hours. RS-232 typically requires a DB9 connector that comes in two types: male and female. Kramer hardware supports a bare wire connection, while the hardware being controlled typically requires the DB9 connector.
• IP – two way control method that executes commands and receives responses on device states. IP Network control executes a capability directly through the local network of the installed system and does not require extra hardware like IR and RS-232.
• Relay I/O Contact Closure – Relay controls provide the ability to control the state of a relay. Those state opens include open or closed.
• Sensors – Hard wired sensors can also be monitored using Kramer control hardware. Examples of sensors include – humidity, water and voltage sensors.

Creating a New Gateway

Note: If you are adding Brain hardware, see this article.

1. Launch into your controlled space from within the Manager.
2. Select the Hardware Tab in the left pane.
3. Click the three vertical dots in the tool bar.
4. Select the Add hardware option.
5. Select the Gateway type from the following:
   • Network – used when no extra hardware is necessary. For example, Lutron lighting uses a network Gateway.
   • FC-26 – includes 4 IR ports and 2 Serial ports.
   • SL-280 – includes 8 IR ports, 8 Serial Ports and 8 I/O ports.
   • FC-22 – includes 2 Serial ports, 1 of which can be RS-485.
   • FC-24 – includes 4 Serial ports, 1 of which can be RS-485.
6. Edit the name of your Gateway. The default name is New Gateway, we suggest renaming to something more unique to the setup.

Setting the Gateway IP Address

1. Download an application called Fing on your interface.
2. Open Fing and scan your local network
3. Look for Kramer Electronics within the Fing results.
4. Write down the IP address for future reference.
5. Type in the following information in the Properties section:
   • Gateway name
   • Gateway IP address

Assigning Devices to a Gateway

1. Click the name of your new Gateway.
2. Select the Devices tab in the right pane.
3. Select the device that corresponds to the Gateway you have selected.
4. Click and drag the device to the center pane.

The center pane is configured differently for different types of Gateways:

• Network Gateways – Center pane includes a single end point for the gateway. Username and password fields are displayed, if necessary.
• Kramer Gateways – Center pane includes IR, Serial and I/O end points.
  

Notes:

• When dragging devices to the center pane, make sure to drop the device to the correct IR channel or Serial channel if using hardware.
• When dragging network controlled devices, port/username/password information will automatically be filled.
• If you have configured a device to use different information than the default, make sure to change the defaults in the gateway section.