Project #15 - Add a Hacking Lab to the Network

As part of my studies in OSCP and CEH I have decided to add a hacking lab to my network.  This should be protected from the outside and include many vulnerable VMs that I can practice on.

Cataloging Patch Panel Connections

So I was busy over the last two days trying to get the patch panel connections documented.  If you have never tried to do this at your house, it is quite an eye opener.  What you originally thought that you had connected, turns out to be incorrect.  I have prided myself on documenting how the home network is wired together.  However, in the heat of battle, sometimes you fail to record the subtle differences, especially if you make a sudden change to the wiring because of a problem you find.  I finally settled on giving each patch panel a number (i.e., PP#1).  I also designate a connection that the port is connected to (i.e., PP#1-5 for patch panel 1 port number 5).  I had designations on the patch panels to record what device I was connected to.  However, this became a problem since I started rearranging the patches to suit different things that I was doing at the moment.

I now have labels on each patch panel port that tell me what patch panel (and associated port) contains the port connection.  I also have labels on the patch panels that tell me what number the patch panel is. What this means is that the label on the patch panel end points back to the opposite patch panel port.  Even though the numbering on the patch panel doesn’t tell me the signal it does tell me the infrastructure (that which doesn’t change) pieces so that I can trace a signal as necessary.  I also record patch cord connections to equipment in my iPhone; generally something like this:

PP#1: (toolroom)

15, 16 empty

1- To Kitchen/Dining Rm Ethernet plug (patch to .115-3)

2- To TIVo Mini downstairs (patch to PP#1-4)

3- To Computer Rm-Hutch wall (n/c)

4- to PP#2-1 (patch to PP#1-2)

5- to cable20 / cable21 .114-1 (patch to PP#1-11)

6- to PP#2-4 (patch to PP#1-9)

7- to black cable2 PP#6-2 (patch to Unmgd sw)

8- to light blue cable6 PP#6-1 (patch to .115-7)

9- to dark blue, PP#5-Y (patch to PP#1-6)

10 - to PP#2-8 (n/c)

11- to PP#3-19 (patch to PP#1-5)

12- to PP#4-X (patch to .115-5)

13- to PP#2-2 (patch to .115-2)

14- to PP#3-20 (patch to .115-4)

Notice that this setup allows me to see at a glance what signal is flowing through that patch panel port.  It also tells me if I have some empty ports (for expansion later).  Notice that I have in parends a patch cord designation that tells me the device or patch panel port connection.  The .xxx-x indicates a device IP number and the device port.

I tried hard to rearrange the port wiring so that patch panel ports for the most part connect to other patch panel ports.  After all, that is what patch panels are for.  Now I can rearrange the patch cords as necessary for different devices that are added or vlan connections that need to be made.

HA #1 - Making Changes to the Network for Home Automation

On a lark, I started changing out my Experimental vlan to add some Home Automation components.  I took my Plex server and changed it out to run Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, now called the HA-IOT server, added Docker, and spun up around 12 containers to support what I wanted to do.  I also added an Aeotec Z-Wave USB stick to interface to a number of Z-Wave components.  So far I have added three multi-sensors (temp, movement, humidity, etc.), three Z-Wave dimmable wall switches, two Z-Wave toggle wall switches, one plug in Z-Wave dimmer, one plug in Z-Wave switch, one Z-Wave door lock, and one Z-Wave door open switch.  In addition I have added one wifi multicolor LED bulb and have started adding dimmable LED bulbs in various lamps.

I have also started a project using a Raspberry Pi Zero W which interfaces to a LinkMaster 850LM so that I can press the buttons on my Subaru to activate some automations via a MQTT message.  The containers include home-assistant which interfaces to the Z-Wave USB stick, node-red which sets up automations, and pertainer which is used to manage containers in Docker.  I originally set-up the containers using a docker-compose script that I found on the home-assistant blog.  I will be changing those docker-compose scripts as I go.

Right now I am attempting to understand how to control lights via triggers so that I will be able to set-up automations that will work pretty much the first time.  I am also exploring a couple of different dashboard layouts.  All of this is actually controllable via web interfaces, so I am able to push the ports through a router (Netgear FVS318N) to my media vlan so that I am able to get to the web interfaces easily.

HomeLink HA Interface #4 - Slowdown to use a breadboard

So life happened again.  I wish I could just get down with development and not have to stop for something, but that is never the case in my life.  Maybe when I am retired it will get better; hopefully more time available for my hobbies.  Right now I am in the middle of a kitchen update and work activities that are ramping up again.

I decided to go ahead and get a couple of Raspberry Pi Zero breadboards to see if I can solder the required resistors and the level shifter, along with a couple of breadboard electrical connectors.  I have it in mind to run power to the RPi breadboard and then connect the 850LM to the breadboard as well. That way, the power goes to one location and is distributed from there.  It would be nice if I could find a simple board that provides 5v power without being huge.

That being said, I fritzed a layout using the Adafruit quarter proto-board.  I used pretty much the same connections, except that I purposefully put most of the power traffic cop on the proto-board.  So there are now five entities that will need to go into a 3D print, counting the LiftMaster 850LM.  The fritzing layout (not showing the 850LM) follows:

This was pretty much as simple as I could get it.  I am using a slightly different Buck-Converter than the Adafruit one shown in the Fritzing diagram, but the principle is the same (9v -> 5v power for the RPi Zero W).  I am assuming at this point that when the relay switches and drops the voltage to zero that the 9v power will not drop below the point where the RPi will "brown out."  The resistors are 220 ohm which will give a draw of 40 ma from the 9v power supply during the relay switch. Note that the 850LM channel 1 is tied to GPIO4, channel 2 is tied to GPIO5, and channel 3 is tied to GPIO6 on the RPi Zero W.  The fritzing RPi is a Zero but that is okay for illustration purposes since the GPIO pinouts are the same.  The use of a RPiZW is for wifi access in my IOT vlan.

HomeLink HA Interface #3 - Started the breadboarding process using an RPiZW, Buck converter, and 850LM

So I was able to start breadboarding the whole HomeLink HA Interface last night with mixed success.  I first of all did the tests in HA #2, followed by connecting everything up to my breadboard test setup.  The overall setup that I am going for looks like this:

The converter board will actually be a breadboard connected to the RPiZW gpio pins.  I am planning to initially mount the Down Converter (Buck) to the same breadboard.  However, I need to get everything set up first before moving the parts to the RPiZW breadboard.  So, the initial physical setup looks like this:

The RPiZW is rather small compared to the LiftMaster 850LM, so piggy backing everything on one breadboard for the prototype is probably ok.  I also need to figure out a model to print from my 3D printer to contain everything.

HomeLink HA Interface #2 - Experiments with the LiftMaster 850LM

So I decided to go ahead and test out the LiftMaster 850LM to see what I was up against. This device will become central to how I am going to interface my home automation system to my car.  I have always been a little upset that there were no interface devices to link my car to other than a simple switch or a garage door.  That is shallow thinking on the part of the automotive industry and the people who make garage door devices.  Anyway I digress.

The 850LM is going to be used to detect button clicks from my car and convert those clicks to MQTT messages that will be sent to my home-assistant controller via an MQTT broker. I expect to interface this on a Raspberry Pi Zero W (RPi0W) using its gpio pins.  However, there are a couple of issues that need to be resolved. The gpio pins on the RPi take 3.3v and the lowest voltage DC that the 850LM can handle is 9v.  Fortunately, I noticed previously that the Adafruit bi-directional level shifter can take a high side voltage up to 10vDC.  That means that I can use the level shifter between the 850LM and the RPi0W. The main reason that I want to use the RPi0W for this interface is that I can run the software under a Docker container, and allow for another container to House a Bluetooth proximity sensor / MQTT setup. Note that the RPi0W needs a 5v DC power source, but generates its own 3.3v power for the gpio.

The 850LM has a power port as well as a screw connection marked plus and minus. It has a total of three relay connections; the first two having NO / GND screw terminals and the third having NO / GND / NC screw terminals.  So my first question was how do the power port and power screw terminals relate.  The second question was when the relays switch is it momentary (governed by how long you press the button on the car), is it momentary (fixed close then open time), or is it more of an on / off switch (changes as you click the car button). Fortunately, I should be able to use a remote control to do the testing.

Test 1: I powered up the 850LM using a 5v to 9v usb cable that I had lying around by plugging it into the power port.  I had to use an adapter because the center pin on the power port was thick (white size). Once powered up, I had no problem setting up the remote control by following the 850LM instructions (click yellow button on 850LM, led next to button flashes, click button on remote, led goes out).  Once I did this, a click on the remote caused the relay to close and then open on its own.  So I answered the second question.  It makes sense because most garage door controllers have wall switches that momentarily close a connection which starts the garage door motor running.

Test 2: I then checked the power terminal pins and discovered that there was on voltage in the millivolt range.  This means that I cannot power the 850LM and draw power from these terminals when the 9v supply is plugged into the power connection.

Test 3: while clicking on the remote, I checked the voltage levels appearing between the NO / GND terminals.  This did not measure any change from zero volts.  This means that I will need to use a pull-up resistor for transitioning on the level shifter.  It also means that I will need to deal with negative logic; high showing up on the gpio means False / 0 / not clicked, and low means True / 1 / clicked.  I might end up using interrupts instead of running everything through a loop in order to not interfere with other container programs.

Test 4: I connected my 9v power source to the power screw terminals. I checked the on / off with my remote and everything worked out just fine.  So I will be connecting the 9v source (via a barrel to screw terminal adapter) to these terminals, along with the input side of a Buck converter (to give 5v from the 9v source) and some connection wires to power up the high side of the level shifter.  What I may do instead is put everything on a breadboard connected to the RPi0W gpio and minimize the connections needed (use the breadboard as the connection points for all of it).

I wonder if I can mount the Buck converter on the breadboard as well, that would save some space for me.  I am also concerned that the Buck converter might interfere with the functioning of the RPi, but I will have to test that out as everything is built.

HomeLink HA Interface #1 - Development of a RPi Based Integration with a Liftmaster 850LM and Home Assistant

Not long ago I became interested in Home Automation.  This occurred as a result of making plans to add some more living space to my house.  I figured if I was going to spend some money on my house I should add some new capabilities as well.  I found out about Home-Assistant and was intrigued by the idea of being able to integrate disparate manufacturer's devices into the same mix along with being able to control them from the same source.  The problem with going to any one vendor is that they want you in their ecosystem; hence when you have many devices you end up with say many apps on your phone.  I wanted to do everything with one, or do it by voice, but be able to pick and choose what device I want where.  The war between Insteon and Z-Wave be damned.

So here is the brain-fart.  I have a Subaru Forester that has a set of HomeLink buttons on the auto-dimming rear-view mirror.  I don't have a garage, but I do have a porch with lights.  So, my first interaction was to add a Chamberlain light switch to the porch lights which I can command to go on and off from one of the HomeLink buttons.  Now I can turn on the porch lights when I get home late, and turn them off when I get in the house.  That was very little effort and I did that before I decided to go into Home Automation.  I removed a dimmer switch to put in the Chamberlain light switch.  I miss the ability to dim the lights on the front porch.  Why can't I have both a dimming capability and a HomeLink turn on and off ability.  In fact, why can't I use the HomeLink buttons to key off a "scene" like turn on the porch lights (if it's dark outside), turn off the living room lights, lock the door, set the alarm, wait for x minutes so you can get out of the driveway before turning off the porch lights?  Then, when I come home I just use a different HomeLink button to do the reverse?  Hence my desire to integrate something into the Home Automation sequence using HomeLink.

I was able to locate / buy a Liftmaster 850LM switch which has the ability to integrate with the HomeLink switches and garage door opener remote controls.  Normally it is used to control a garage door, but interestingly enough, I can sense the latches with an ESP8266 / Arduino / Raspberry Pi (take your pick) and push out the state of those latches using MQTT to the Home Assistant automation platform.  If I want, I discovered that the 850LM can run on as little as 9 volt DC input.  The Adafruit 757 bi-directional logic level converter has a max input on the high side of 10 volts which means that I could go through the 757 from the 850LM to whatever device I want to sense the state change.  I can then use the chosen device to use MQTT to send state information changes to the Home-Assistant center.  If I am real smart I can use a length of time timer that a HomeLink button is held down to increase the number of different states that I can report and if I use an RPi with Docker I can do other things at the same time.  Oh, and two clicks within 1 second would give me a third level, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  Anyway, it's worth investigating.

So now to get from Brain-Fart to working system.