Patent ID: 9736616
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04W,H05B

Claim:
1. A method for configuring a component of a home automation system that initially is inaccessible on a Wi-Fi network to be able to interact with one or more other components of the home automation system over the Wi-Fi network, comprising: executing a configuration application (app) on a mobile device having a touch-sensitive display screen, a user interface of the configuration app being displayed to a user on the touch-sensitive display screen; coupling the mobile device to the component of the home automation system that initially is inaccessible on the Wi-Fi network via a connection device, the connection device connecting a wired serial communication interface of the mobile device to a wired serial communication interface of the component and capable of operating as a transparent middle node in response to a pass-through command; in response to input entered in the user interface being displayed on the touch-sensitive display screen, sending control signals from the mobile device to the wired serial communication interface of the component via the connection device to configure Wi-Fi settings of the component to cause the component to join the Wi-Fi network, the control signals to include the pass-through command to cause the connection device to forward the control signals to the component; and in response to additional input entered in the user interface being displayed on the touch sensitive screen, sending additional control signals from the mobile device to the wired serial communication interface of the component via the connection device to at least one of assign the component a role within the home automation system and bind the component to a controller of the home automation system, the additional control signals to include the pass-through command to cause the connection device to forward the control signals to the component, wherein the sending control signals and the sending additional control signals via the connection device renders the component able to interact over the Wi-Fi network with the one or more other components of the home automation system during ongoing operation of the home automation system.