[usb-relay-hid.git] / README.md

usb-relay-hid
=============

![](http://vusb.wdfiles.com/local--files/project:driver-less-usb-relays-hid-interface/relay2.jpg)

The goal of this little project is to provide open-source API for low-cost USB HID relays 
(search on eBay for "5V USB Relay Programmable Computer Control For Smart Home").

The big advantage of HID-based interface is that no kernel drivers and no simulated COM-ports are needed. It is easy to detect and address the connected devices.

The main project web page is on the [V-USB wiki](http://vusb.wikidot.com/project:driver-less-usb-relays-hid-interface "driver-less-usb-relays-hid-interface"). This is because the firmware of the device is based on [V-USB](http://www.obdev.at/products/vusb/index.html). V-USB enables amazingly simple and low-cost USB hardware solutions.  
This repository contains only the host side software.

The vendors currently offer only an API library for Windows, and only in binary form.

We are not associated with the manufacturer(s) of these devices or author(s) of the original software offered by eBay sellers.
Our intent is to make these devices work on Linux, 64-bit Windows and other platforms where we need it.


Binary downloads, documentation, bugs, TO-DOs and more
----------------------

All this is in the [Github project](http://git.io/bGcxrQ) - see the wiki pages and Issues. 


Current state
-------------

A simple command-line utility for Linux (x86 or x64), Apple OS X and Windows (XP and newer, 32 and 64-bit).

Source of the Windows DLL (USB_RELAY_DEVICE.DLL) and GUI demo app is now available. This is quite compatible with the binaries from the device vendors.


- Windows version: builds with VC++ and WDK 7.1, or VC++ 2013 "community edition" with its matching SDK (Win8.1).
- Linux version builds with gcc and libusb v. 0.1. Tested on RH and Ubuntu.
- OS-X 10.9+ version builds with Xcode and plain IOKit libraries. 


License
-------

Currently we reuse some code from other V-USB projects, which is dual-licensed: GPL + commercial. Until we remove this code, we cannot set any other license. 

We could not locate any copyright information in the software package offered by the eBay sellers. No source code was reused from that package, besides of the C API header (the .h file).
Commit	Line	Data
3fef637d P	1	usb-relay-hid
	2	=============
	3
e0716ab3	4	![](http://vusb.wdfiles.com/local--files/project:driver-less-usb-relays-hid-interface/relay2.jpg)
e0716ab3	5
a73939ba	6	The goal of this little project is to provide open-source API for low-cost USB HID relays
	7	(search on eBay for "5V USB Relay Programmable Computer Control For Smart Home").
	8
e0716ab3	9	The big advantage of HID-based interface is that no kernel drivers and no simulated COM-ports are needed. It is easy to detect and address the connected devices.
e0716ab3	10
b7b53e13	11	The main project web page is on the [V-USB wiki](http://vusb.wikidot.com/project:driver-less-usb-relays-hid-interface "driver-less-usb-relays-hid-interface"). This is because the firmware of the device is based on [V-USB](http://www.obdev.at/products/vusb/index.html). V-USB enables amazingly simple and low-cost USB hardware solutions.
	12	This repository contains only the host side software.
	13
e399c19b	14	The vendors currently offer only an API library for Windows, and only in binary form.
e0716ab3	15
a73939ba	16	We are not associated with the manufacturer(s) of these devices or author(s) of the original software offered by eBay sellers.
b7b53e13	17	Our intent is to make these devices work on Linux, 64-bit Windows and other platforms where we need it.
e0716ab3	18
a73939ba	19
b7b53e13	20	Binary downloads, documentation, bugs, TO-DOs and more
b7b53e13	21	----------------------
a73939ba	22
b7b53e13	23	All this is in the [Github project](http://git.io/bGcxrQ) - see the wiki pages and Issues.
e0716ab3	24
e0716ab3	25
e0716ab3	26
	27	Current state
	28	-------------
	29
b7b53e13	30	A simple command-line utility for Linux (x86 or x64), Apple OS X and Windows (XP and newer, 32 and 64-bit).
	31
	32	Source of the Windows DLL (USB_RELAY_DEVICE.DLL) and GUI demo app is now available. This is quite compatible with the binaries from the device vendors.
e0716ab3	33
b7b53e13	34
b7b53e13	35	- Windows version: builds with VC++ and WDK 7.1, or VC++ 2013 "community edition" with its matching SDK (Win8.1).
b43921bb	36	- Linux version builds with gcc and libusb v. 0.1. Tested on RH and Ubuntu.
728ea86e	37	- OS-X 10.9+ version builds with Xcode and plain IOKit libraries.
e0716ab3	38
e0716ab3	39
b7b53e13	40	License
b7b53e13	41	-------
b43921bb	42
b7b53e13	43	Currently we reuse some code from other V-USB projects, which is dual-licensed: GPL + commercial. Until we remove this code, we cannot set any other license.
b43921bb	44
b7b53e13	45	We could not locate any copyright information in the software package offered by the eBay sellers. No source code was reused from that package, besides of the C API header (the .h file).