We have to service a house that has a small TC system that has all current equipment. However, we are not TC dealers. I got the Accelerator software from URC control room, and it appears to be fully functional, but I'm not sure what we're going to be walking into when we go to fire this thing up.

The system consists of ~6 TKP-2000's, MRX-10, an SNP-1, a DMS-1200, an MFS-POE8, and an iPad app, which has been wiped (iPad was factory restored). No handheld remotes at all.

The system only does Audio, and I believe only used audio streams from the SNP-1. We powered the system back up and the keypads came on and the GUI was still there, but we're not sure what happens when we go to extract programming from the system, change Pandora credentials, or go to get the iPad app reinstalled, etc.

We're lucky in that the guy who bought the place is the person who disconnected all the equipment, so we know the only thing that has been done is the cable boxes were removed and network equipment disconnected. All the TC equipment SHOULD be plug and play, we hope.

Any advice would be appreciated!

So all you are looking to do is rehook everything up and fire it up? Are you making changes? You should be able to simply reconnect everything. You might have to set new static IP's depending on the router you are using and the IP set it is using. The original installer MIGHT have left everything set to DHCP, but I wouldn't recommend it. Make sure you put in a good router and provide great wireless coverage. The iPad app will NEED good signal to for the app to even open. You can just download the app from the app store. You do not load any programming onto the ipad, it just will need to be on the same network and go into the app and you it will load the program automatically. Original installer COULD have added the need to enter password to load the app, but I doubt it.

Put just the DMS1200 and the SNP1 behind the MFS8. Put the other gear behind a regular switch. If you have enough ports you can put the TKP2000s on it.

This all should be fairly straight forward. If all they have is an SNP1 as a source, no remotes... Remember that the SNP1 does not need any audio cables fed to the system, everything will stream with just a ethernet connection.

Jim, Im sure there are several that can help out if needed. PM me and I will shoot you my number. Shouldn't be difficult at all. I can walk you thru the software to change Pandora, etc settings.

Do the touchpanels go on the MFS as well? It's a POE model, I would assume that's why... you take a feed from your LAN into the MFS then it's all URC gear behind it.

Thanks guys, probably won't be me in the field, but I'll be relaying messages...

Put the mrx10 on the regular switch.

The purpose of the MFS is to filter the DMS streaming, basically keep it off the rest of the network. You don't HAVE to have the Touchpads behind the MFS but it doesn't hurt. ALL the DMS need to be behind it. Like golden said, NOT the mrx!!

Haha ok, got it.

Wouldn't it make more sense for them to make a "Total Control Switch" that you plug everything into??

As I understand it, that was their original intention (taking all URC thru their switch). One issue was the fact it's a 10/100 switch and it may have been bottlenecking the equipment that didn't need to run thru it (DMS/SNP).

Sooooooo... using a 10x faster Gigabit switch wouldn't have eliminated the bottleneck issue in the first place?

Probably not. When a DMS amp gets connected to a switch, the lights on the port go apesh1t

URC Tech Support likes to call it a "Pre-Managed Switch." This is a really nice way of saying its a managed switch that you have no ability access or control. Also, if you fing scan your network, you will find that this guy does pull a dhcp address. This, of course, will reek havoc with your network every 3rd download or so to the DMS-1200.

You'll know this happened because Accelerator will tell you the device took the download, the DMS lights will show was normal, and the UI will tell you the zone is receiving commands, but you have no sound. Fun stuff.

(At this point, I expect someone to chime in and tell me I am wrong. However, as this happens on EVERY TC job I have with a DMS, I assume it's a non-critical bug URC hasn't sniffed out, or I have 3 defective laptops).

However, this is easily fixed by pulling power and ethernet from the DMS, waiting ten seconds, plugging it back in. The DMS will make you go cross-eyed and believe in ghosts. Unplug the power cable and the lights on the ethernet jack still light up like its POE or something. Spooky. Pull both if you ever need a power cycle.

I like to set a static reservation in my router for the MFS and set static addresses for the rest of the devices in accelerator. Never put anything downstream from the MFS unless you HAVE TO. (eg: single cat5 line to a room, and you have multiple devices that need network).

If you put an AP downstream from the MFS you will have a service call, guaranteed. My first TC was figuring that out.

There are also a ton of issues with IGMP, but that depends on your router and which remotes you are using. In the FiOS homes in my market, we have to make additional changes in the router to give solid connectivity to the 1280 remotes and the DMS because of something to do with how URC is sending those packets. (That's the easy way to describe it without jumping in deep). You might not have any problems.

The MRX-10 is technically 10/100. (And truth be told, unless you have blazingly fast broadband, you probably are getting less than 100 Mbps bandwidth).

However, I used gigabit switches exclusively. (Assuming your devices aren't all together) From a theory standpoint, though, the MRX-10 sends a 100 Mbps signal to your switch which sends the 1Gbps signal to your other switch or router, which sends 1 Gbps to your next switch which sends 100 Mbps to your MRX-2 (or whatever). Your net gain is the unmeasurable amount in miliseconds you gained with the Gb switch/router.

I prefer to put the MRX-10 NOT downstream from the MFS, but from a pure theory standpoint, the bottle neck would only be created if the streams created by the DMS's are maxing out more than 100 Mbps. Even that is tough to say because the MFS is suppose to create its own subnet for the streaming sources, not allowing them to pass back through the uplink. (I have all these other networking arguments floating around my head about why it shouldn't matter), but in practice the MFS chokes the MRX-10. Pre managed switch? Poorly managed switch.

Sysintegration, thanks for the explanation on the DMS 1200 issue. We have had this issue on several projects and couldn't get good answer from URC on why this was happening. It's just one of those bugs that you learn to work with. Like you said, unplug power for about 10 seconds and you are good to go....

This came up on the YOUARESEE forums back in December. I believe the direct quote from Brady was

"I would say something else is at play causing these inefficiencies - not sure what would cause it... but I think I've factory reset my DMS-1200 maybe once in 2 years..."

For anyone who's been in the game for more than two installs, I am sure you have seen your TCT numbers stack up. And it's not a slam against the company, it's just the reality that the reliability isn't there. TC claims to be "native to the network" but the networking problems caused by their garbage NIC's have cause horrendous amounts of service calls. It took almost two years before they sniffed out a software bug with the DMS-AV, and even still there was hardware failure after the firm got pushed.

I expect to hear something eventually about the DMS-1200 having the same issues. I do find it curious that the warranty just went from one year to two, even on existing systems. I don't know for sure, but I speculate it was PR move to cover for the frequent failure of certain items.

Even now I am having repeated factory resets needed on MRX-1's. Funny, the MRX-2 stay on the network solid. I'm sure the only change wasn't JUST two RS232. I bet if we cracked on open, we'd find a different NIC. I've already shipped back to 1080s due to failure. Oh well. They will eventually work it out. I just wish it would have been before this whole release line of product came out during Cedia.

I haven't had any of these issues you mention. I run pretty much the full gambit of products in my own house amd none of the issues you mentioned have occurred. Not on any of our jobs either. I had one 1200 that shipped to us with am issue. It would not get on the network. Other than that one piece, it's all been fine.

Well. That's good to hear. However, it doesn't mean the issues aren't happening.

Hell, of our last 5 shipments of Sony XBRs, 3 were broken on arrival. What are the chances? It was hard to believe on the third one.

In all seriousness, and I am not just having a pissing contest, How much TC are you actually deploying. I've got a fair amount in the field and my entire showroom is automated with it. Current file size is 30mb. I've run the full gambit of all (previous to cedia 2014) TC line in every configuration you can imagine. I think the only product that hasn't had at least one failure has been the zr2 and the 4ir.