FAQ
Does the DscKeypad work while I'm away from home?
No. Use the Eyezon or Connect2Go service when you are away, or use the DscServer if you want to manage your own secure remote access server.
Why not?
It's not safe to port forward to the envisalink card. The envisalink does not protect the port used for it's local interface (TPI). Anyone monitoring your network connection will see your password and DSC panel PIN in clear text. A hacker anywhere in the world can (and trust me, they will!) use an automated application to eventually discover your password and break into your system.
Does the DscKeypad work with Vista or other non DSC panels?
Not at this time.
How do I connect to my Envisalink Card with the DscKeypad
Assign your Envisalink card a static IP address or a reserved address in your router DHCP configuration. It will be something like 192.168.0.100, where the 0.100 part may change in your network.
The envisalink's assigned IP address can be found in your router LAN status page by looking for the envisalink's MAC address.
If you change the envisalink's IP address you need to reboot the envisalink card (from its network page) or your router.
Open the DscKeypad app. Close the Getting Started window, and ignore (choose "stop") if any connection errors occur).
Hit menu>Envisalink.
Choose "Envisalink Password" and set your password if you've changed it from the default "user" (see below).
Go back, and choose "Device Address". Enter your device address from above.
Go back, and back. The DscKeypad should now connect. If not, use the error message to diagnose, or contact me.
How do I verify I have the correct address for my Envisalink card? How do I change that address? How do I change the default password?
Use a web browser to open http://192.168.0.100 (substituting the IP address you determined above). If you get no response, try to the original address the card used, or recycle power on the card.
Go to the "network" page. Assign an static IP (here or in your router/switch), and a new user password. Use the reboot button on that page if you've change the card IP address, or if it shows that the TPI status shows it's online.
Your card should now be accessible from the DscKeypad at that same IP address.
What password do I use?
The envisalink has a mini web server with a password page. Set the "user" password on that page using a web browser (the default it "user"). Note that the envisalink TPI only allows a password of 6 characters maximum. Also note this is a different password than the DSC security PIN and the password used with the eyezon service.
Why do I get "Exception: java.net.UnknownHostException: envisalink" or "Exception: java.net.SocketException: Host is unresolved: envisalink" when I try to connect to my envisalink card or run the DscTest?
You need to change the "Device Address" in the "Envisalink" setting to match the actual envisalink device IP address that's been assigned to it by your router. The default "envisalink" is not supported by many routers. Usually you will want to assign a static IP address or a permanent DHCP address for the card. See below for the FAQ on how to configure the DscKeypad once you have the correct IP address.
Why do I get "Exception: java.net.SocketException: recvfrom failed: ECONNRESET (Connection reset by peer)" when I try to connect to my envisalink card or run the DscTest?
The device at that address has rejected the connection attempt from the DscKeypad to the TPI (the envisalink's local interface). This can happen if either:
The device at that address is not the envisalink
You have a firewall or some other application blocking port 4025
The envisalink is on a different subnet but is using the default password (password change is required by the envisalink)
There is already another device connected to the envisalink card, such as another DscKeypad, the DscServer, or another home automation application (see below).
The envisalink card needs to be reset (see "How do I check the envisalink's network settings"). Often you can simply wait a few minutes and try again after the envisalink recycles it's connection.
The envisalink card only supports one connection at a time. To support multiple phone/tablet connections simultaneously you need the DscServer android app to work as a proxy for the envisalink card. See DscServer for more details.
How do I check the envisalink's network settings?
Using a web browser, connect to the envisalink's web page. You'll find it by setting the URL for the browser to http://envisalink, or http://192.168.xxx.yyy, where xxx.yyy you determined from the steps below.
Log in using the envisalink's TPI user and password (the default is user/user).
Click on the "network" link at the top right.
Under network parameters, verify the IP address is set as expected, including the "static" settings. It should of course already be bound or you would not be able to connect.
Under "Envisalink TPI Status" you can see whether the device is already connected to a client, if so, the address of that client. If the address is not what you expect, you stop the other device and reboot the envisalink (click on that link below the TPI section).
If the device shows "OFFLINE" and you still cannot connect, reboot the Envisalink using the link below the TPI section.
If you still cannot connect to the device, check your network. A firewall or other application may be blocking port 4025 that is needed to reach the TPI.
What do I do if I have more than 8 zones or more than one partition?
Open the DscKeypad app, use menu>System, touch "Zone Names". Set the number of zones by entering commas - use one less comma than you have zones. E.g. for 8 zones, enter ",,,,,,," (without the quotes) for the default names. You can customize the names as well, such as "Front Door, Back Door", which will create only two zones in this case.
The partition names work the same way as the zone names.
If you use the DscServer the zone and partition names will come from the server, though you need to set the number of zones that you want displayed, e.g. for 4 zones use ",,," (without the quotes).
There is a widget that can be used to show the status of 16 or more zones.
What ports does the DscKeypad use?
The DscKeypad attaches to the Envisalink card on port 4025 (don't expose this port outside of your firewall! The Envisalink does not protect that port properly).
If you use the DscServer app it uses port 4026 by default for secure access; see the DscServer FAQ for more details.
Why do I often get Security Event: TPI Login email messages from they Eyez-on service?
These messages are sent by the Eyez-on service whenever you start the DscKeypad, or the DscServer is restarted. They indicate that the android app has logged into the Envislink card.
You can disable these messages by using your router to block the card from talking to the Eyez-on service, or by using the "Disable TPI Session Alerts" option on the "Network" page of your EnvisaLink card's internal web page.