Add-ons in the grid view are views that display the current licensing status and installed firmware variants for controllers. There are various types of add-ons that can be purchased for controllers. Changing the installed firmware variant for BACnet or somfy add-ons on a control system will enable the add-on to be used by the control system.

The firmware variant is changed using the Installed firmware dropdown in the various add-on views. It will only show applicable firmware variants based on the current view that you are on and the licenses which are currently purchased. The installed firmware should turn green after changing it.

When you change the installed firmware you will need to trigger a bootload either from right-clicking in the control system view or turning on upgrade preferences for the entire site. Upgrade preferences can be turned on temporarily for 6 hours by clicking the yellow banner that appears at the top of the add-on view. This banner only appears whilst the installed firmware is in a green syncing state.

If you do not own an add-on for a controller you can request to purchase them by submitting a support ticket. For more information on purchasing add-ons for control systems visit How do I purchase control system upgrades.

Add-on types

Third party interface (TPI)

TPI is an add-on that allows other devices to override the current lighting settings. All controller products can be upgraded with this add-on. For more information visit What is the Third Party Interface (TPI).

BACnet

The zencontrol BACnet implementation has been designed to expose a number of features over BACnet making integration simpler and easier. All controller products can be upgraded with this add-on. For more information visit How do I use BACnet.

LCM device limit

Lighting control modules (LCMs) have a device limit enforced for the controller. This limit can be viewed in the add-ons perspective in the grid view. To increase this limit you can purchase the upgrade for your LCM.

Somfy

RS-485 application controllers can be upgraded with a somfy add-on to enable integration with the Somfy Digital Network for use with blinds, curtains etc.

Virtual switch

A virtual switch allows for a third-party device to send switch press commands to a zencontrol switch that can be interpreted and hence used like a regular physical input device. This add-on is supported on all controller products. For more information visit What is a virtual switch/sensor.

MQTT

MQTT add-on allows interfacing with an externally managed MQTT server. For more information visit What is MQTT?

DMX

DMX add-on allows interfacing with a DMX 512 universe. For more information visit How to set up DMX in the cloud

ECD

The ECD add-on allows ECDs to be added to emergency only control systems. ECDs are implicitly supported on non-emergency only control systems. For more information visit How to enable ECDs on an emergency control system

Icon meanings

There are multiple columns that display different icons. All add-on views will have a status indicator icon as the first column. It has two possible states:

Inactive (red square)

This indicates the currently viewed add-on is not currently working on the control system. Hovering over this icon will display a more in-depth message explaining how to rectify the problem. Usually it requires either purchasing the relevant license or enabling the add-on.

Active (green circle)

The add-on is functioning as expected on the control system.

The other columns that will display icons are the license columns. Some add-on views have more than one column to indicate license status for multiple types of licenses. These columns have 4 possible states:

Not supported (red circle with a line through it)

The control system does not support this feature and is unable to be purchased.

Implicitly supported (blue square)

The control system supports this feature out of the box and does not require a license to be purchased or anything to be enabled to use it.

Supported but requires purchase (orange credit card)

The control system supports the feature but the it must be purchased before you are able to enable and use the feature. For more information on requesting a control system upgrade visit How do I purchase control system upgrades?

Supported and purchased (green tick)

The feature license has been purchased. You can then enable the feature and change the installed firmware if applicable to ensure the feature is working correctly.