I just noticed this morning that they added two links on the "NevoStudio Pro 3.0" specific web page that point to two videos that show off the new features in the software. I don't want to sound like a fanboy, but damn, they did put a lot of new features in the new release.

"Find in Job" is a cool one that I didn't notice right away but I think it's pretty helpful because I HATE trying to search throughout a config for certain things like device commands, etc. Nice. :-)

 

I agree, there are so many features they added and didnt really mention before hand that I feel like I am uncovering more every day. They have really made it into a pretty sophisticated control system in one quick sweep which is rare.

Great job UEI Nevo Team.

 all they need now is a processor that can keep up with all this 2 way feedback, cuz the Q50 ain't cutting it.  

And how about some more info on this comment???

Dave
RemoteQuest
Expert Remote Programming

the Q50/NC50 doesnt seem to have the processing speed required for all the 2 way feedback widgets.  (I have an S70 project coming up, maybe that will work better.)  When using the volume status widget posted by Nevo, the Q50 is bogged down unless you delete the 2 second timer refresh inside the widget.  Even with my own volume widget, where I only ask for the status at the release of the volume button, you end up having to wait a second or two for the  volume status to show up on the screen of the remote, before you can perform another function.  This can be a little annoying when trying to tweak the volume of the system.

There is just too much of a delay between the status request, and the status feedback.  If they had a system processor that stored all of the IR codes, macroes, widgets, etc..  And could keep them buffered so requests for status, and outputs to control equipment wouldnt collide, then the remote wouldnt have to work so hard.  Right now, I feel that Nevo's software capabilities far exceed the hardware capabilities.  

I was very excited about creating my own widgets, but now I find myself having to scale back what I do with the widgets so I don't slow down the operation of the remote.  

Don't get me wrong, I still love the 3.0 update.  But if/when the hardware catches up, Nevo will truly be a force to reckon with in this market.

I have found similar issues.

Although I don't think they are remote hardware issues, here is why.

Remote. S70.
Vantage interface, asking status of 6 buttons.
In RS232 this is painfully slow.
Changing the commands to a IP command, the performance is much better, 2-3 times faster.

I think the issues is 2 fold.
1. That RS232 is just slow what asking lots of questions.
2. There is an inbuilt delay with RS232 devices, don't quote me on this but it is something like 400-600ms. I am not saying I understand quite how it works but it is there to allow sufficient time for responding devices to send all their data. Maybe this will improve in future builds.

Also.
It is worth noting.
The RS323 buffer is a first in last out buffer, not a fist in first out buffer like you may expect.

What does this mean?
If you send 3 commands, say 1,2,and 3.
NSP will buffer the commands and release them in the following order. 3,2 and 1.

D

Here's a question - does the performance of your widgets improve if the remote is docked in its charging cradle?
I just finished putting all of the functional elements into my thermostat widget. It was running great until the last round of additions (limits to prevent temp from being set too high or low, button down images, etc). It runs a little too slow, but when I dock it in the cradle, it runs perfect. I don't know if providing power improves zwave performance, or widget performance, but it stands to reason that could be corrected through a fw update.
I'd be interested to hear your results with it docked.

Update on my above post...

Here is the official word.

RS232: initial delay is 3500ms and interchar is 750ms.
IP: initial delay is 5000ms and interchar is 250ms.

The initial delay is a wait time. When a Nevo Widget sends a command to a 3rd party device this device needs some time to come up with its response. Nevo will wait a certain amount of time and if the 3rd party device fails to answer within this timeframe the device block will stop and become available for the next round of communication. If there’s something in the device blocks buffer, it’ll immediately send this command. If the buffer is empty the block will wait for the next incoming command.

The initial delay on IP devices is a bit longer because IP networks can be a bit slower e.g. due to network congestion.

When the 3rd party does respond, it’ll do so serially, i.e. one character at a time. There is a small delay between those characters. Nevo will wait a certain amount of time for the next character to become available. If there’s no character within this timeframe Nevo considers the transmission to be done. This means that at that point in time the Device Block will spit out the response string of the 3rd party device.

Some RS232 devices are very slow or they interupt the response stream because they need time to calculate something or to come up with a list (e.g. artist list). That’s why the intercharacter delay is quite long. But it is needed to be able to support all RS232 devices out there.


In summary:

The Nevo will wait (3500ms for RS232) for a response from a device. If it sees a response then it waits 750ms as each bit comes in. After 750ms with no data it assumes the device is finished sending and then processes the info.

If the RS232 device replies in 500ms the remaining 3000ms is ignored. Same goes for the intercharacter timeout. Except for the last one. So when the RS232 device finished sending its response, Nevo will still wait 750ms for the next character which will never be there. After that the widget continues.



Hope this helps.

D

Also, you really have only one macro engine (vs. several on a typical processor). Multitasking is impossible, commands running at the same time - forget about it. A processor not only speeds things up but it creates a multitasking type of system capable of doing better than one thing a t time.