Hardware – / Automation

FlipFlic: Makes Window Blinds Smart

April 26, 2016 Ruslan Ulanov 0

FlipFlic™ is the smart blinds controller that automates ordinary window blinds in seconds and with no tools. It is compact, solar-powered, and easy-to-install. FlipFlic quickly converts any horizontal or vertical blinds into a self-adjusting, light, time, and temperature-responsive smart window. Installation of FlipFlic takes seconds. In one click, the small device about the size of a roll of quarters attaches to your window blinds magnetically. No tools needed! FlipFlic is absolutely autonomous. It has a built-in battery, recharged via micro USB with a solar panel. There is no need for power outlets or battery replacements. FlipFlic can be integrated into […]

New product alert: INSTEON Smoke Bridge

February 8, 2013 Ruslan Ulanov 1

Never again leave home without knowing that your possessions and loved ones are safe. The INSTEON Smoke Bridge monitors First Alert® ONELINK® smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This allows you to create email and text message alerts that can be sent to you no matter where you are. Monitor the state of your home and be alerted to smoke, fire and carbon monoxide. When paired with an INSTEON Hub, the Smoke Bridge can send alerts to your smartphone via text or email informing you that something is wrong, giving you the knowledge to act to save your home and family […]

The Worlds First Networked Light Bulb

June 19, 2012 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Smarthome has outran Google in bringing the first remotely-controllable light bulb to the market. The dual-band INSTEON LED light bulb does not require plug-in modules or special hardwired wall switches. All circuitry is located inside the light bulb, which could be controlled by itself or as part of an automation scene. It’s fully dimmable and produces as much light as 60 Watt incandescent bulb, consuming only 8 Watt and lasting up to 50,000 hours. The INSTEON LED light bulb is available for pre-order from Smarthome (Item# 2672-222) for $29.99

Smarthome Introduces World’s First Remote Controllable Dimmable Receptacle

June 28, 2011 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Please welcome a new member of Smarthome’s dual-band INSTEON product family – OutletLinc Dimmer! This is a first of its kind dimmable wall outlet, that can be controlled from a remote control, keypad or even a mobile phone. It features advanced options like an adjustable ramp rate that slowly brings the lamp on, a preset dim level that stores your preferred choice of 32 brightness levels when turning the lamp on initially, as well as load sense, so you can still use the lamp’s built-in switch to turn the light on and off. OutletLinc Dimmer will be a welcome addition for families with small […]

Archos 35 = Android for your kitchen counter

June 27, 2011 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Archos, the French company recognized globally as one of the primary players in the touch tablet market adds two new devices to its Android portfolio – ARCHOS 35 Home Connect and ARCHOS 35 Smart Home Phone. The Smart Home Phone is an Android DECT (land-line) phone. It brings Smartphone functionality into your home and gives you access to thousands of applications such as weather, news, games and traffic. The ARCHOS 35 Home Connect is the perfect music box and the best portable Android device for streaming radio and music anywhere at home such as the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom or kids room. But with the right set […]

Android@Home – what we know so far

May 12, 2011 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Google has dropped the bomb at this week’s Goggle IO conference, claiming to bring Android platform in the near future to any device in your home – from light fixtures to tumble driers, to stereo systems. The technical details, though, are scarce at the moment. Here’s what we know about Android@Home initiative so far… Android@Home will use a new low power, wireless (900Mhz), mesh protocol, similar to ZigBee. But unlike ZigBee it will be capable to carry audio and low-res video streams. “If an OEM were to do that it would most likely today be a proprietary solution,” claimed Android head Andy Rubin. “By […]

The future looks bright for CustomCTRL

April 17, 2011 Ruslan Ulanov 0

It’s Mostly Cloudy in Washington, DC today, but the forecast for Daniel Kleinman, the Washington, DC native, today got much brighter, as his project CustomCTRL hit the headlines of Washington Post‘s Business section. Danny Kleinman does not fit the stereotypical persona of a hacker. He appears to shower often. He does not live in his basement. He has a girlfriend. Governments are not, to his knowledge, looking for him. writes in his article Michael S. Rosenwald. He further goes to look into the “makers” movement in US and around the World which seems to be gaining momentum in the resent years with […]

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. […]

Crestron Adds Hard Buttons to iPad

September 16, 2010 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Wow, it has finally happened! Now, let’s start from the beginning… iPhones, iPod Touch and iPads are great multi-purpose devices. They are also great for remotely controlling almost anything in your home – televisions, lights, HVAC, and much much more (see our extensive apps list). But all these great (and rather expensive) devices are missing a very basic feature that any regular (even the cheapest) IR remote has – hard buttons that you can push without glancing at the screen. Crestron fixes that problem with it’s iPanel – which snaps over iPad’s screen and adds a total of 13(!) hardware buttons: […]

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 […]

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