How To Setup the Core Service 

Setting up the Core Service is a very simple process that should only take a few minutes to complete. For convenience, the setup process is broken down into several sections.

Downloading & Installation
1) First, download the Core Service from our download page. The downloaded file will be called "Install the CastleOS Core Service.exe", please open it
2) Proceed through the (very simple) setup wizard at your own pace, when complete, CastleOS will start and after a few seconds, the CastleOS welcome wizard will display.

First Login & User Account Creation
1) After being taken to the login page, you can login with the default administrator account. The username is "admin" and the password is "password1234". (This account is recommended to be used only for the initial setup listed here, after that, it is highly recommended individual user accounts are used instead, and be sure to change the admin password!)
2) After logging in, you'll be taken to the Portal. Click the Menu button in the top right, and then select Security.
3) On the Security screen, click Menu again, and select Add User from the Security Options.
4) Fill out the form to create the first user account. Upon pressing the "Add User" button, the new user is added, and the administrator account is signed out. Please login with the new account before proceeding.

Important Settings
1) After creating the first account (and if wanted additional accounts), there are just a few more settings to finalize before adding your first device. Please open the menu, and select Settings.
2) At the very top, you'll see options for Title and Zip Code. Title is the text you see at the top of all CastleOS screens, which reads "CastleOS" by default. You can change this to whatever you'd like. The zip code is necessary for getting your local weather and sunrise/sunset times. For international users, please enter a city and country here instead. Please ensure these are updated as needed.
3) Next, scroll down to the Energy Monitoring Settings section. This is where you can input your electrical rate in order for CastleOS to track your energy costs. The Electrical Rate is the total cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which you can find on your electric bill. For areas that have peak and off-peak (day and night) rates, you can input both costs here as well. If you have a single rate, input the same cost into both. The Rate Schedule section is where you can set the time the peak and off-peak prices come into effect, i.e peak starts at 7:00 am and off-peak starts at 6:30 pm. If you have a single rate, you leave this section at the default, or any other setting, so long as both day and night rates are the same in the section above.

Initial Automation Protocol Configuration
1) Proceed to the Settings screen to set up various automation systems, although some are auto-detected. To do so press Menu on the top right, and then Settings.

Adding a Device
1) For protocols that do not auto-detect devices, you can add a device by pressing Add Device on the Menu from either the Portal or Devices screen, or from the Quick Links section of the Settings screen.
2) There are just a few pieces of information you'll need to fill out to add a device. First, select the protocol, X10 or INSTEON.
3) Next, choose a name for the device. It's important to distinctly name the device in order to remain compatible with voice control features.
4) Enter the Address/ID of the device, for X10 it would look like "C4" and for INSTEON it would like like "1A.2B.3C".
5) Choose a group for the device. Groups can be anything you want them to be, rooms, appliance or sensor groupings, etc. There is one default group to start with, but you can add or edit them at will by going to Groups in the Menu.
6) Slave devices are those that don't actually turn on a load (i.e. a light or appliance), but rather relay a message to another device to do so. A common use for slave devices are remote switches and 3-way and 4-way lighting circuits. If you're not sure, leave this as "this is not a slave".
7) Next, choose the model of device you are using.
8) If the model device you have select supports dimming and you'd like to enable it, choose enabled for the Dimming option.
9) Finally, in order to calculate the energy usage, CastleOS needs to know what the estimated load on the device is. In the Wattage box, enter the total wattage used by the lighting or appliance when turned on. For instance, if your light switch controls four 60-watt bulbs, then you'd enter 240 here. If this was a thermostat, and your air conditioning used 300 watts when on, enter 300 here.
10) Save the device, and repeat as needed!
edited by ccicchitelli on 12/31/2014

Blake Galler wrote:

Are MACs supported with the Core Service download?

Hi Blake! At this time Macs are not supported, though we do hope to port it over in the future. You do have the option of running CastleOS in a Windows virtual machine from within Mac OS X, however (albeit with an additional cost of $100 for a Windows license).

Brad Addington wrote:

Is there a way to force the welcome wizard to run again? I had some difficulty figuring out the COM port setting and when I finally did, it kicked over to the login screen. I logged in with administrator and went into settings but didn't see a way to set the parameters for my 2413U. I tried uninstalling/reinstalling but it still brings me to login and skips welcome wizard.

The next version will allow that, this version does not, however there is an easy work around. In the folder C:\ProgramData\CastleOS\CastleOS Core Service there is a file configuration.xml. In that file, you'll see where the COM port is listed, you can just change the number manually there.

After saving the file, you'll need to either restart your computer, or restart CastleOS by going to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services, then selecting CastleOSCoreService from the list, and selecting restart.

Let us know if you need anything else!

miguel reyes wrote:

`I CANT GET MY DIVICES TO WORK ALSO I DONT REMEMBER IT ASKING FOR A PORT, ALSO I HAVE AN INSTEON HUB IT DOES NOT WORK FOR ME, IM DOING SOMETHING WRONG PLEASE HELP....

Hey Miguel, you can reset everything by uninstalling CastleOS, then deleting the CastleOS folder in C:\ProgramData, and then reinstalling. You can also make the change manually, but that's the easy 60-second solution.

Robert Spivack wrote:

Have you considered adding a test or demo mode that allows the program to be used without an actual controller being connected? I realize it would not be able to actually do anything, but this would make it easier to evaluate the user interface and functionality hands-on.

Any plans to support the ISy99x Insteon compatible controllers? These appear to be widely used in many Insteon installations. Personally, I'm still trying to choose whether to use the iSy99X controller, Insteon Hub, or Insteon PLM. Besides cost and functionality, part of the decision process is looking at the matrix of front-end and control software choices available for each type of control hardware. Some people swear by the iSy99x hardware, while others are recommending running sw on a Mac (Indigo) with a Insteon USB PLM. (Until I came across your site, the idea of a hockey-puck sized Mac mini running as a "control appliance" seemed more appealing than leaving a PC turned on 24x7 as a controller.)

Since I'm looking at the bigger picture of whole-house automation, which in my own definition includes lighting, home security, general automation, HVAC, and home theatre/AV control) it's really hard right now to find one solution that can grow into everything with a unified User Interface across computers (or any web device), iPad, and iPhone.

I've started with home theatre/AV and am happy so far with Roomie remote and Insteon hardware switches/dimmers, but haven't yet chosen the controller for Insteon and the additional software for it.

Hi Robert! We are planning to add a demo mode in the next few versions. We want to add a few more features first. In the meantime, are there additional screenshots or videos that could help?

We do not have plans to support the ISY devices as CastleOS is a full replacement for the ISY. The ISY is great at the behind the scenes management and control of INSTEON networks, but we strive to have a much more powerful and simple user interface. We also have customers running CastleOS on Mac-mini sized Windows-based computers, which can be readily purchased on Amazon and Newegg.

As far as supporting your larger home automation vision, here's our roadmap. The next versions will add support for Z-Wave, SmartThings, and WeMo. In addition, it will support whole-house audio systems for music and notifications, including Kinect integration. After that, we'll add support for IP cameras, then integration with alarm systems. We're also working on further integration with A/V systems, and features for that will roll out across several versions. Roomie does a fine job.

Don't hesitate to let us know if you have any other questions!

Mack McDowell wrote:

any idea on which whole house audio systems you plan to support in future releases?

Right now we're planning on supporting Sonos network speakers, Russound devices, and multiple Windows audio outputs (some cards can support up to six, plus multiple cards).