2010 – Page 2 – / Automation

MobiLinc update adds support for SmartLinc controller

May 21, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Mobile Integrated Solutions has just released version 2.14 of their MobiLinc Pro software for iPhone and iPod Touch. The major feature of this update is that it adds support for Smarthome’s low-cost SmartLinc INSTEON Central Controller (2412N). Previously, MobiLinc supported only Universal Devices’ ISY 26/99i and PowerLinc 2414 controllers. The new update also polishes some GUI issues and ISY communication when switching from EDGE/3G to WiFi connection.

People Power brings Skynet one step closer

May 14, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 0

People Power, a green-tech start-up based in the heart of the Silicon Valley, recently introduced a kit it calls SuRF, for Sensor Ultra-Radio Frequency. SuRF helps connect household appliances and gadgets to a wireless network in your house. “What that means is that you could monitor your microwave, Playstation and coffee machine in real time, check their levels of energy consumption, and make apps to control how they behave. Ultimately, that could lead to substantial savings of energy and money” writes Wired. Or it could lead to a self-aware network of gadgets that will try to take you (the owner) out […]

How to use iPhone as a wireless microphone for a PC

May 4, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Here’s a fresh new idea for home automation enthusiasts. Apparently, you can use your iPhone or the last generation iPod Touch (the one with a mic) as an external wireless microphone used to relay voice commands to your home automation controller (provided it’s a Windows-based PC). No, there’s no app for that (yet), so you will have to fumble with a few pieces of software on your PC, but the result could be well worth the time spent. This great idea comes courtesy of Greg Badros (ex-Google, and now Facebook’s Director of Engineering) who explains the process in details on […]

New product: USB2 Insteon USB Controller

May 3, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 1

Smarthome’s product portfolio is so extensive that it’s easy to overlook a nice new product when it comes around. Therefore I would like to share with you this simple but nevertheless interesting new product I’ve recently discovered. It’s called USB2 Insteon USB Controller by Minotaur Engineering (who are these guys anyway?) You wonder what this new device could do for you? Let’s see what the user’s manual has to say… The INSTEON USB Controller provides a way to automatically send Insteon “On” and “Off” signals to other enabled devices whenever a computer is turned on or hard re-booted. It contains […]

Deal alert: Christmas in July

April 8, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 0

JLTSoft is running an Off Season Sale on their LightShowMaster software, which you can buy directly from JLTSoft right now for only $59.99 (regular $99.98)! Don’t wait till July though, ’cause this deal won’t last long. LightShowMaster is a software product that allows you to use your PowerLinc Modem Serial interface to control your Insteon-compatible devices to create exciting animated lighting displays synchronized to music. Take control of your holiday lights, flood lights, rope lights, etc. and impress your neighbors with your very own animated light show! Featuring a visual sequence editor, LightShowMaster makes creating new lighting sequences fast and […]

TouchLinc controller reincarnated

March 23, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Remember that touchscreen from a decade ago, called TouchLinc? It was one of the few affordable X10 touchscreen controllers at the time. It had black and white screen and three hardwired connections: power, PC Serial port (for programming) and 4-conductor telephone cable to your powerline interface. Guess what? Smarthome is releasing an updated wireless version pretty soon (expected in stock 5/18/2010). Yes, of course it will support INSTEON, and to accomplish that you will have to have a SmartLinc (aka 2412N) controller in your set-up. So, what’s new?

Control4 My House iPhone app gets an update

March 15, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 1

Control4 has updated their free iPhone app to version 2.4. Control4 My House UI app controls lighting, HVAC, Audio and Video devices including Apple TV and iTunes, IP cameras, etc., through a familiar Control4 interface. Added new language support including: Afrikaans, Croation, Czech, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish. Various defect fixes including but not limited to: Control4 1.8 version changes. Duplication of thermostats in certain projects. Security keypad issues in certain projects. Portrait to Landscape switching view issues. Album artwork retrieval issues. Improvements in camera movie display. Display of diacritic characters in certain languages. Device Driver support updates […]

Deal alert: Home Control Pro price drop

February 20, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 0

NVS, the maker of Home Control Pro iPhone application (formerly known as Vantage Remote Pro), slashed price for its offering from $449.99 to just $189.99 to celebrate release of version 2.0. Home Control Pro is an iPhone and iPod Touch App designed to control your Vantage Infusion System. It automatically gathers data from Infusion Master to populate system-wide control of buttons, lights and thermostats. What’s New in Version 2.0 Please make note of all system ip address before installing this update. You will need to reload all Vantage Systems after installing this update. Automatically configures load types as a slider or […]

DIY Project: Custom made touch panel

February 19, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 0

It’s no secret that professionally installed home automation touch panels are very expensive. Could we make a panel that will be useful, easily customizable and relatively cheap? You bet we can! Check for example this New Zealander’s home project that, with a little more polished GUI, could rival the better professional models. With the total cost of roughly $1200 US dollars (though it could be easily downgraded to $500-600) this project will allow you to control your home automation set-up, listen to locally stored music and Internet radio, play photo slide-shows, surf the web, watch online video and even automate creation […]

How to Install a Panasonic Network Camera

January 15, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 0

I’ve been using Panasonic network cameras for quite some time now, and they are great! Though some configuration settings are rather murky and sometimes it takes a lot of “trial and error” to get it right. But thanks to a brilliant tutorial from HandymanHowTo.com now you can do it right the first time. The 4-part tutorial provides plenty of screenshots, so you might see what you are getting yourself into even before actually buying a camera – how cool it that! I wish I’d found that article earlier! The tutorial focuses on the BB-HCM511A Network Camera with Two-Way Audio installation, but most of the […]

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