ControlITHD - Tutorial

Introduction

Control-IT-HD is the quickest way to start saving money on your digital signage network. This app provides a simple user-interface to set the on/off schedule of your displays, reset input settings, and much more. On a 10 sign average, you can save approximately $800 per year!

A brief background on RS232

Invented in 1962 for teletypewriters, soon expanded to computers, printers, lab equipment, etc.
Lowest-common-denominator protocol that lets just about anything talk to anything.
Stuck around because it’s simple and works; however, it is not standardized between manufacturers.
Each screen model and media player type have different inputs/outputs in regards to RS232 connectivity. Please reach out to your account manager at 877-344-8450 to discuss cabling requirements for your specific screen and media player.

Explanation of Features

ControlITHD allows users to set On/Off Actions to Devices so that they do not have to be manually powered on or off. This is especially helpful if there are many Devices connected to the CommandCenterHD account. Depending upon the screen model volume and input control can also be utilized as well.

Testing R232 Commands

To begin testing RS232 you will need to locate the specific serial commands for your screen. Once obtained you will build a URL that includes the serial command, your media player’s IP address, and the username and password to sign into the media player. In our example below our player’s IP address is 192.168.18.12. The username is admin and the password is default to sign into the player. The serial command is 3daa11fe010111. Each action such as turn on, turn off, increase volume, or decrease volume will have a specific serial command.Example URL: https://admin:default@192.168.18.12:7777/command.php?command=sendToSerial&param=3daa11fe010111
Once you’ve built your URL you’ll want to input the URL in a web browser on a computer on the same network as your media player. Once you navigate to the URL your command will be pushed to the screen. Your browser will give you a response. Below are examples of various responses you can expect:If COM Error is a response you get in your web browser the serial settings are not yet configured or issue with COM Port Physical on your device. Please verify that the serial settings have been configured on the web console of your media player.If “” is a response you get in your web browser this means that the command was sent; however, there was not a response from the screen.If there is data between “” the player received the command, and sent a response.
If a response has been received, Open a Case with the Spectrio Support Team to get the code set in CommandCenterHD. Once your code has been added into CommandCenterHD you’ll be able to start pushing commands to your device.

Accessing ControlITHD

Select Apps on the top orange bar of CommandCenterHD.
In the apps page search for ControlITHD
Select the ControlITHD appNote: If you do not see ControlITHD please reach out to your Account Manager for pricing and availability of the app.

Using ControlITHD

Select Add ControlITHD ChannelName your channelSelect Save
Your channel will now show on the ControlITHD Dashboard
Select Add Action (notepad icon) to set up your command
Select your TV type, Action, and DescriptionSimple actions will push a constant command to a deviceAdvanced allows you to send your action out at a scheduled time, date, and interval such as Everyday at 8 am turn TV on.