2011 – Page 2 – / Automation

Smarthome reveals INSTEON Energy Display

March 30, 2011 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Not so long ago Smarthome had released iMeter Solo power meter – device that captures current energy consumption by one particular device (or a power strip, if you’d rather measure a few devices at once, like TV, DVD player and the like). But until now there wasn’t an easy way to visualize that data. INSTEON Energy Display changes that with a simple, low cost, RF device you can put on your kitchen counter. INSTEON Energy Display (Item# 2448A2) can display energy information from up to three iMeter Solo’s (current watts used as well as cost and energy consumption per month for […]

Arduino-based Home Automation Controller needs your support

March 16, 2011 Ruslan Ulanov 0

CustomCTRL is a new and very promising Open-source Hardware (OSHW) controller, based on Arduino platform. It supports all major home automation interfaces which will allow it to integrate your home’s lighting, HVAC, and AV control into accessible, expandable and hopefully simple to operate system. But here’s the catch – for this project to take off and to go into production it needs support from the fellow DIY crowd. Literally, it needs to raise at least $33,000 by May 3rd to get funded. The whole idea of OSHW is very interesting and gained quite a lot of momentum in the past few years. […]

X10 releases new SecuriLINK Security System

February 28, 2011 Ruslan Ulanov 0

To tell the truth, it’s been a long while since X10’s low-cost security system seen any updates. Having owned the original system as well as its more refined RadioShack-branded counterpart I can say that it works pretty reliable. Since it’s a wireless system I know that for most users battery-powered motion and door sensors are cause for concern — batteries require periodic replacement, signal strength degrades over time. But from using X10 security system over the years I can tell that batteries easily last for over a year before needing replacement (provided that you use fresh and good quality stuff […]

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