DIY home automation lighting has been around since about 1980 and while the advantages homeowners hoped to gain such as convenience, energy savings and security were at times outweighed by the fact that these early systems were not always reliable. These early devices relied on a communication protocol known as X-10 where one light switch or receptacle would talk to the others over an existing household electrical system. As it turned out, X-10 relied on a weak signal that was subject to interference from everyday appliances that would create electrical line noise.
Turn the clock ahead 20 years. Many of those early X-10 systems are still... n use today but the technology has advanced tremendously. Enter UPB. UPB or Universal Powerline Bus has proven to be 100 to 1000 times more reliable than the best X-10 systems in existence due to its signal strength and speed, approaching that of hard wired systems.
Many times we've been asked "how can I automate the lighting in my home?". While the answer requires knowledge of some specifics involved, it is well within the ability of those who can safely replace a light switch or a receptacle outlet to accomplish. The next obvious question people have is "how do all the lights know when to turn on, off or dim?" A little basic background information on the technologies involved makes things a lot simpler.
We live in an age of networks and inter-networks. Home automated lighting in that regard, is no different. There are three broad types of automated lighting controls; those that are wireless such as Z-Wave, those that are hardwired and installed as the house is being built and those that communicate over a households existing electrical wiring such as X-10, UPB (Universal Powerline Bus) and a few others. All of these protocols (or communication standards) can operate as a single, stand alone system or can be integrated with more complex home automation and security controllers for a complete smart home solution.
Obviously, from a practical standpoint, you can't tear down your walls to install new or additional wires or switches so I won't go into those types. Wireless systems such as Z-Wave work very well but are subject to RFI (radio frequency interference) at times and rely on using a "mesh" network where all devices talk to all the others and repeat any missed instructions. For the best retrofit DIY lighting automation solution, the technology that appears to have clear advantages over the others is UPB. As mentioned before, it operates over the existing AC power lines in a house and is extremely reliable, unlike its older cousin the X-10 protocol. A simple plug-in adapter and free downloadable software enables full control of the lighting schema when combined with elegant UPB electrical switches and electrical outlets, all from the power of your PC.
Simply turning a light on, off or just dimming is not really a big deal from a PC but the real power comes when you decide that you would like to combine switches to form lighting scenes or zone lighting. You see, these switches are not your ordinary run-of-the-mill variety. Sure there are some that just handle the standard on, off and dim but others are designed to handle scene or zone lighting with the push of a button for any number of rooms or even the whole house, if you so desire.
Also, it is easy enough to scrap your old security panel at a later date and replace it with a unit that integrates other systems in a home such as heating and air conditioning, surveillance, home theater, swimming pool or jacuzzi, water sprinklers, you name it and just about anything else you can imagine. How about a security breech issuing an "all lights on" command? Or maybe you'd like to check on your home or make adjustments from anywhere in the world from your PDA or laptop? The possibilities are virtually endless.
If you can manage to program a remote control for your TV, VCR or whatever, you already have the basic skills...logic! No need to learn complex programming languages, just simple, plain, down-to-earth English.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/diy-home-automation-lighting-423960.html
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DIY Home Automation Lighting
Smart Home Software
There are a number of applications available for use with X10 and other home automation standards; however, it is fair to say that the software applications out there are not very well known. My post today critically evaluates the leading software packages you can use to automate your home.
ActiveHome
One of the most well-known home automation products on the market is the X10 ActiveHome kit. The application comes with the CM12U module. ActiveHome is a good starting point for somebody starting out with... home automation; however the program is rather old-fashioned looking and simply adds to the geeky reputation of home automation.
You would have thought given that the application was developed by the market lead; X10 who have been around since the 70's that ActiveHome would be slick and sophisticated by now. It's saving grace however, is the fact it is readily available in Europe.
HomeSeer
HomeSeer is a more refined software application than ActiveHome because it allows for greater flexibility, such as, controlling the home from web or email, something which ActiveHome does not initiate. The application supports the INSTEON, Z-wave and X10 protocols. HomeSeer has an interface that somewhat resembles Microsoft Outlook with a bar situated on the left hand side of the screen that provides the user with three options; devices, events and logs.
A limitation of HomeSeer is the fact the PC must be running at all times, there are no options for downloading pre-defined settings onto a PC controller like you can in ActiveHome.
Powerhome
Powerhome differs from and arguably betters ActiveHome and HomeSeer. The application has a fully programmable interface, meaning tech savvy home owners can input custom Visual Basic scripts to allow for greater control and flexibility. There are many advantages to Powerhome, for example, you can configure the application to send status updates via email to a mobile phone when away on holiday and the text-to-speech feature can be setup to greet visitors on arrival via intercom or it can act as an alarm by warning approaching visitors at night that the house is monitored by CCTV.
Powerhome's limitation is the fact that it is not very user friendly and the program is probably best avoided if the user does not have any programming skills.
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PC- based smart home controllers
Today I'm going to discuss a range of X10 compatible PC controllers that the budding smart home enthusiast could take advantage of. These devices allow for the control of appliances by set times or through the sending of immediate commands. Before choosing a controller it is necessary to weigh up the limitations of each, with special consideration given to the relaibility, as well as, how easy a custom application could communicate with...the device, should you wish to make one.
CM12U
The most widely used controller is the CM12U. It connects to the PC via serial link and when batteries are placed into the device it is capable of storing user defined settings, for example if the home owner wanted the lights to turn on at 6pm, this can easily be accomplished by the CM12U even when the computer is turned off. A major limitation surrounding the CM12U is the fact that it uses a serial port for communication, which most PC's do not support these days.
When I tried out a CM12U I purchased a serial to USB (Universal Serial Bus) adapter with the hope that it could work on my USB only laptop but to no avail. I assumed that this was due to the fact the CM12U has been around for a long time without much advancement, therefore compatibility even with a supposed adapter has not truly been considered.
CM15A
The CM15A is essentially an evolution of the CM12U and makes use of a USB connection, rather than serial. This eliminates the problem of only being able to use the device on certain computer systems. It also consists of a wireless transceiver, thus providing a more elaborate means of communication. On first glance it might seem obvious to choose this device over the CM12U; however the device is known to be unreliable, not just with the additional wireless capbilities but also with the sending and receving of signals over the household wiring, which the CM12U actually does rather well.
SmartHome PowerLinc Controller 1132CU
The PowerLinc controller developed by SmartHome connects to a PC via USB, just like the CM15A and is also capable of initiating pre-defined settings when the computer is switched off just like the previously mentioned devices. The built in backup battery has a 10 year lifespan, a good advantage over the other two components. If you wanted to create your own custom application the PowerLinc is not a good one to choose because it is a lot harder to program than the other two devices, down to the fact there isn't much in the way of support for the development of your own application using this device.
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Home Automation and The Latch Key Child
The following article written by a Frank Cheshire is a pretty interesting spin on home automation. Enjoy:
It is a sad but true realization that in today's world that we live in...it takes both parents working to provide an income to support the family.
Where does that leave our children?
Unfortunately-just like the movie says... Home Alone.
Only 25 years ago, it was the norm for... a family could live on a single income.
But what about today's world?
Between the rise of inflation, the cost of housing and Americas desperate attempt to live above and beyond its means to "keep up with the Jones", its no wonder that the number of latch key children is growing. Then add the ever-growing number of broken families and single parent families into the mix and its no wonder that many of our youngsters are at home by themselves between the hours of 3PM until Mom or Dad gets home.
In the past concerned parents would call their children at home to see where they were and what they were doing. Today, parents use modern technology like affordable cell phones and pagers to track their kids. Unfortunately though, a cell phone, while it will allow you to stay in contact with your children...doesn't necessarily tell you WHERE the kids are. This often leads youngsters into trouble knowing they can always talk to Mom & "fib" about there whereabouts.
What if there was a way to tell when the kids got home from school...and when they decided to leave the house without your permission.
Today's home automation technology allows you to keep an eye on the kids while you are still at the office.
Imagine receiving an email alert when your children get home via your home automation system. Then lets go one step further... imagine being able to monitor your children when ever an unauthorized door or window opens in the home.
Lets take an example. Young Johnny gets home a t 3:15 every day. But today he gets home at 4 PM because of staying late with the wrong crowd at school. Mom knows the minute he gets home via an Internet email. In the past The young man could have lied to his folks...after all, how would they ever know what time he got home. But no longer is that an option with a home automation system that is tied into your security system. Mom can now ask with confidence, "Where have you been & why are you 45 minutes late!"
The same goes for punished children who are on restrictions that are not allowed to go outside to play after school. An Internet email will notify the dad the moment a door or window is opened with a youngster trying to sneak out.
Why not learn more about home automation and how it can help you with your latchkey children?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Cheshire
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Beerbot- Awesome Home Automation Gadget
This is definitely one for the gentlemen amongst us; a beerbot developed by Japanese company Asahi, that will pour you a glass of your desired beer after you come home from work. The machine is able to store and refrigerate up to 6 cans, as well as, hold two mugs. By simply pressing a button the robot will open up a can and pour the beer perfectly into the mug. The machine consists of several protective features, including a child lock for obvious reasons, a plastic floor protector and a cleaning mode. Unfortunately...the device has only been tested with Japanese and American size cans, hence it may not work correctly with every known can height but hopefully the device will do well enough in Japan and America to warrant a worldwide launch.
If you would like to get your hands on one of these gadgets please click here
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