Home Automation DIY

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 as those Metacafe videos down below (after the break), but you are free to improvise. May be your light show will win an Oscar. ;)

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NetLinc

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. Some applications use native iPhone SDK and some provide web-based approach. Here you will find the most comprehensive list of iPhone/iPod Touch software for home automation and related areas.

UPDATE: This list has moved to a new place, please go there for the most up-to-date information.

Note: This post is a work in progress, and it will be updated as new software titles are being released or discovered, so swing by often. To make it easier for you here’s the short link to this post http://ulanoff.com/iphonehas (as in iPhone Home Automation Software).
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