Ruslan Ulanov

About Ruslan Ulanov

Ruslan Ulanov is a software engineer by day and Smart Home hacker by night. He got fascinated by potential of home automation over a decade ago, when it was available to select few. Over the years experimented with smart products using different technologies from X10 to Insteon to ZigBee. Actively supports new smart home developments on Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

DIY Project: Crown moulding with timed lighting

January 7, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 4

This is the first in a series of posts describing some of the automated tasks that run in my house. The Problem/Idea: I have a 2-year-old that goes to bed every day around the same time. He likes the night light to be on at night. Need to make the lights to turn ON and OFF on a schedule (preferably with an ability to override/cancel the entire schedule or a single event remotely). The Solution: I thought that having a regular night light is too boring for an automated home and came up with a following idea… Why not install a crown moulding with some lights […]

In search of a ‘killer app’

January 7, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 0

It’s been over 30 years since X10 came around, and still home automation has a very hard time catching up with the rest of the technologies that invaded our homes in these past decades. According to Google Trends the popularity of “home automation” search is even dropping. Why? What’s stopping wide adoption of home automation by Joe “The Plumber” and the likes? Some experts believe that home automation needs a “killer app” and some government encouragement. So what could be that “killer app”?

Smart Home for the Holidays

December 19, 2008 Ruslan Ulanov 0

This Christmas is gonna be fun! I just received my Smarthome.com order with a bunch of switches, keypads, and other “smart” goodies. It’ll keep me busy for a while. Do you have any innovative ideas on using home automation products for the holidays? Please let me know in the comments. By the way, today is the last day to save up to $60 and get a free shipping (a rare treat) from Smarthome.com! Don’t miss this huge SALE!!!

Turn Your Nokia N800 or N810 Into an INSTEON Controller

December 9, 2008 Ruslan Ulanov 1

If you already have (or planning to buy) ISY-99i Home Automation Controller with PLM ($339), then interfaceGO Software ($119.95) will convert your Nokia N800 or N810 touch panel remote control into a “thumb-friendly, wireless, customizable, versatile”, in other words, very sexy INSTEON Home Automation Controller. “The interfaceGO interface allows you to create your own hierarchy of folders and controls. You create the layout and choose which buttons you want and where. Create a custom layout to match the touch panel’s location, or your own personal preference. The graphical user interface (GUI) is designed for easy control without a pen. On-screen buttons are […]

The world of changes

December 4, 2008 Ruslan Ulanov 0

What’s going on with this world? Many companies these days are moving away from their decade-honed niche markets, or acquire other companies that have nothing to do with their direct line of business or (unfortunately) close their stores and/or businesses altogether. I can understand Apple (a computer manufacturer) making its way into mobile phones business. These days cell phones are no longer just phones, they are micro computers with features that many computers of yesterday would envy. But Nokia (a #1 cell phone/equipment manufacturer in the world) going into Home Automation business? Well, according to recently opened website Nokia is inviting 3-rd party developers to join its Home […]

Light Show Master 2.0 Holiday Lighting Control Software

November 25, 2008 Ruslan Ulanov 1

Just in time for the holidays Smarthome presents Light Show Master 2.0 Holiday Lighting Control Software ($99.99), which allows you to create animated lighting displays synced to music. Using an INSTEON PowerLinc Modem, sold separately, you can program custom lighting sequences that allow you to turn your lights on and off and also fade them up and down according to the music of your choice. You can specify an unlimited number of show “events” that can span minutes, hours, days, or even years. Here’s a link to a video (WMV) of Light Show Master in action. It’s not as impressive […]

The Ultimate List of Home Automation Software for iPhone, Part 1

November 5, 2008 Ruslan Ulanov 29

Would you please raise your hand if you think that iPhone/iPod Touch is an ideal platform for remote control of any kind. Yes, I thought so too. It’s portable, fits well in your hand, has crisp and bright display, has multitude of communication methods and last but not least — it’s always by your side. And it seems that industry gets it too. Apple’s AppStore and CE trade shows are getting flooded with all kinds of software that might be used to simplify and unify control of all your home systems including lighting, media, temperature control, security, video surveillance, etc. […]

First impressions: SmartLinc

August 29, 2008 Ruslan Ulanov 15

I have finally received my SmartLinc package yesterday. Yeay! Here’s my first thoughts. The installation process is pretty straight forward. Connect one end of Ethernet cable to SmartLinc, another to your router. Plug SmartLinc to available power outlet and you are ready to go. Or almost ready… Depends on your router’s configuration. In my case I have MAC filtering option enabled, so only devices whose MAC addresses are entered into router’s configuration are allowed to connect to my network. So, naturally, SmartLinc couldn’t get an IP from the router. It’s very easy to add a new MAC address to the router. […]

NetLinc becomes smarter?

August 14, 2008 Ruslan Ulanov 1

The Smarthome team has sent its customers the following email. Dear Loyal INSTEON® Customer, You are receiving this message because you have: Placed a NetLinc Pre-Order Added NetLinc to your Wish List or, Added NetLinc to email notification using “Notify Me” To avoid any confusion when you receive your shipment or notification, we would like to inform you that NetLinc has been renamed from: NetLinc – INSTEON Central Controller To SmartLinc – INSTEON Central Controller Please be aware that this is only a name change and that part number (2412N) and product functionality remain the same. Sincerely, The Smarthome Team What […]

7 iPhone Applications for Home Automation and Control

July 25, 2008 Ruslan Ulanov 1

SpeakerCraft, Crestron, Savant among companies with iPhone support. Remember the iPod invasion? Now that it’s faster and runs applications, welcome to the iPhone invasion. Apple’s iPhone, originally launched in 2007 with a second-gen model released in July, will increasingly be integrated into your clients’ home control and automation systems, thanks to its feature-set and wireless capabilities. Many companies offered iPhone interfaces for applications (basically Web sites that the phone could log on to and interact with), but with the launch of the Application Store, the iPhone has turned into a wireless platform host to a number of control options. While […]

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/ Automation

Home automation for the masses, DIY-style

Articles by Ruslan Ulanov