Home Automation DIY

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 a toggle button.

Button states now display as the LED color, supporting multi button states and colors.

Support for button Press, Hold Time, and Release.

Organizes buttons in order, under the Keypad they are associated with.

New Custom Pages, supports direct control and feedback of a Tasks VID.

Task VID’s controlled in Custom Pages can be set for a button press, press-release or press-hold-release.

Support for Vantage Systems with Multiple Masters/Controllers.

Removed 30 second auto refresh feature, added a manual refresh button. App still refreshes when an area is accessed and after a button press.

Added edit section to change ip address of a system.

Improved editing page of unwanted areas, loads, thermostats, and buttons.

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 of a grocery shopping list.

How would you lower the cost of the project? Instead of assembling a full-blown Core i5 multimedia machine check out one of the Intel Atom 330-based systems from Shuttle or Acer. They will put you down only $200-$300, they are small, they run cool and quiet and are capable enough to handle 1080p video.

One of the ready-to-roll systems is Acer AspireRevo AR3610 that ships with Windows 7, so you’ll save on OS as well. Check RevoHTPC blog on how to put together a multimedia system based on the Revo net-top.

Now, go have fun building a touch panel and share your stories and projects with us.

Panasonic BB-HCM511A

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 Panasonic netcams share the same DNA, so after studying the tutorial you should be good to go with any other Panasonic model. (continue reading this article and leave comments here…)

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. (continue reading this article and leave comments here…)

Onzo display and sensor

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 and attractive design make them unique. They will have a lasting place in the home and for the first time will really put people in charge of their energy use”.

The Onzo display breaks new ground by being designed from the outset with the needs of the user in mind. Every interaction is designed to be easy, engaging and useful. Its innovative features include:
• Versatile positioning, with a reversible back that will enable it to be free-standing, attached to a refrigerator or hung from a wall;
• A clear, simple display showing the most useful, actionable information;
• Intelligent EnergyTools with eye-catching symbols;
• A soft rubber surround to make the device tactile and increase its sturdiness;
• Easily rechargeable batteries. (continue reading this article and leave comments here…)