You can use a third-party USB peripheral to control certain functions on your device, such as a USB keyboard or a Bluetooth® remote control with a USB dongle.
This feature is meant to complement the functionalities of the touch controller or the touch user interface. It is not meant to replace them.
Examples of applications:
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In classrooms and during lectures, a small remote control can be used to wake up a device from standby mode. it may also be convenient to use a remote control to select which input source to present.
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Controlling the camera view (pan, tilt, and zoom) in situations where you are not allowed to use the touch controller. For example, in operating rooms in a hospital.
Functional Overview
When a button is pressed on the USB input device, it triggers an action within Cisco device's API. Macros or external control devices from third parties can be set up to detect these actions and react accordingly. This functionality is similary to how In-Room Control buttons behave. Additionally, it's feasible to monitor these actions through webhooks or directly within an SSH session.
A pre-existing library of actions to choose from is not provided. You are required to define and establish the specific actions that should occur in response to the events. For example:
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Increase the volume of the Cisco device when the Volume Up key is pressed.
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Put the Cisco device in standby mode when the Sleep key is pressed.
Configurations, Events, and Status
The configurations and status that are referred in this article, are available both from the local web interface of the device and the APIs. Read the Device configurations article for information how to access the web interface and use the API.
When the web interface of the device is opened, click on Settings. Under Configurations, change to On. The support for third-party USB input devices is disabled by default.
Pressing and releasing a button generates a Pressed and a Released event:
*e UserInterface InputDevice Key Action Key: <name of the key> *e UserInterface InputDevice Key Action Code: <id of the key> *e UserInterface InputDevice Key Action Type: Pressed ** end *e UserInterface InputDevice Key Action Key: <name of the key> *e UserInterface InputDevice Key Action Code: <id of the key> *e UserInterface InputDevice Key Action Type: Released ** end
To listen for events, you must register feedback from the InputDevice events:
xFeedback Register /event/UserInterface/InputDevice ** end
When the Cisco device detects the third-party peripheral, it will be listed under Status and in . The third-party device may be reported as multiple devices.
Example
There is an example on how you can make the keys of a Bluetooth remote control operate some of the functions of a Cisco device in this article.
Take a look here for more examples of macros and exensions.
Further Information
Find more information about the use of a third-party input device in the Customization guide. Choose the latest version.
Cisco support (TAC) doesn’t support debugging of third-party code, including macros. Please check the Cisco RoomOS for Collaboration Devices if you need help with macros and third-party code. Check this page for more examples of macros and extensions.
