Feature removed from ElkRP after v2.0.20…

[Mike Morris]

Why was the ability to disable the auto-disconnect timer removed in ElkRP versions after 2.0.20?

In 2.0.20, in the Options / Connections dialog, the “Disconnect from system if ElkRP is idle for xx minutes” could be set to zero to disable the timeout. In subsequent versions, a value between 1 & 240 is required, forcing it to timeout.

Some installations (including mine) use ElkRP status to monitor and quickly react to any issues.  With later versions, that ability is gone as you must re-log in constantly. It sounds like a minor inconvenience, but for some, it was part of a work flow. Why not leave it up to the user to decide if an automatic disconnect is warranted to maintain the level of security desired in their own installation?

Also, incidentally, any audible alerts (such as the count down beeps starting at 20 seconds) generated by a program should be optional.

Please consider restoring the ability to enter a zero in the minutes field for the “Disconnect from system if ElkRP is idle for xx minutes” to allow the timeout to be disabled once again.

Thanks.

[Brad Weeks]

This was added to reduce the security vulnerability by allowing the ElKRP2 programming software to be connected indefinitely, regardless of whether it is attended or unattended.

There are other solutions, much better for a person wanting “real time” monitor state changes in the panel.  M1ToGo, any of the Integration Partner apps and even some integration partners that will allow monitoring/displaying of conditions without exposing sensitive programming settings.  The M1’s RS232 ASCII protocol, published on the website is another option for someone with software skills to develop their own data capture and display type of program.

[Mike Morris]

Thanks for the reply!

The timeout could have been enabled by default, and it could have been made more difficult to disable (registry entry), but seems like the choice of whether or not it was useful or appropriate should have been left to the user.  An additional suggestion is too add a method to disable the audio ‘countdown’ beeps which are a bit invasive.

Thanks!

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