/ Automation

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 […]

Innovative light switches from Basalte

December 22, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Being a home automation enthusiast I’ve seen a lot of different light switches, keypads and even LCD touch screens. And to tell you the truth majority of them are either pretty boring or too complex. And then there are light switches from Belguim-based Basalte, that has a very sleek website, but also some pretty innovative switches, that were rightfully awarded with numerous prestigious design awards such as Red Dot and iF product design.

Onzo unveils appearance of unique energy management tool

December 21, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 2

Onzo, the global designer of domestic energy management systems, today reveals the images of the hardware components of its smart energy kit; the display and sensor. These will provide consumers with an unprecedentedly wide range of compelling information to help them understand and manage their energy use. The sensor measures and stores data on household energy use, and securely transmits this wirelessly to the in-home display. Commenting on the release of the images, Joel Hagan, Chief Executive of Onzo said: “We are delighted we can now share the appearance of our first products. Their combination of usefulness, ease of installation […]

Deal alert: Black Friday at SmartHome.com

November 26, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 1

Here’s the link to Super Secret Black Friday Deals at SmartHome.com. These deals will last for only 4 days starting 11/27 through Cyber Monday on 11/30. Featuring: a Sale on INSTEON products Free Shipping Offers by Brand Dollars off when checking out via eBillMe or Google Gifts with purchase Get the coolest Christmass gifts for your favorite geek in the family, parents or friends from the brand name store — SmartHome.com. There’s something for every one!

Smarthome Introduces New ApplianceLinc INSTEON Outdoor Plug-In On/Off Appliance Module

November 23, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Smarthome™ Introduces New ApplianceLinc™ INSTEON® Outdoor Plug-In On/Off Appliance Module Irvine, CA – November 23, 2009 – Smarthome announces the release of the new ApplianceLinc INSTEON Outdoor Plug-In On/Off Appliance Module. The new INSTEON product not only allows for remote On/Off control of lights and appliances, it has also been tested and rated for outdoor use, offering protection against precipitation and extreme temperatures. “This product is expected to arrive just in time for the holidays,” commented Laurie Maroni, Vice President of Marketing at Smarthome. “INSTEON users can now remotely control outdoor holiday lights, landscape lighting, fountain pumps and other high-wattage […]

CFL, is it worth it?

November 23, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 2

I stumbled upon this, a rather lengthy, post that brings up some valid points on the CFL technology as a whole and the trade offs you’ll have to consider when upgrading your incandescent fixtures, especially in regards to home/lighting automation. In wanting to lower my carbon footprint, I tried switching to CFLs myself a while back, but found too many drawbacks in present generation of this technology and opted for replacing all (or most) switches in the house with dimmers and setting their default level to about 80%. The effect on my electricity bill was immediate, the solution was less pricey considering that no fixtures had to […]

Smarthome Introduces LampLinc INSTEON Plug-In Dual-Band Lamp Module

November 16, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Smarthome™ Introduces New LampLinc™ INSTEON® Plug-In Dual-Band Lamp Module Irvine, CA – November 16, 2009 -Smarthome announces the release of the new LampLinc INSTEON Plug-In Dual-Band Lamp Dimmer Module. The new product is a full-featured plug-in dimmer than can be remotely controlled by powerline and radio frequency (RF) INSTEON controllers and also doubles as an Access Point, relaying RF and powerline signals to other INSTEON-compatible devices. “Our new Dual-Band LampLinc Dimmer continues our efforts to provide our INSTEON customers with the most complete and reliable home automation network on the market,” commented Laurie Maroni, Vice President of Marketing at Smarthome. […]

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