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I've been pursuing
Home Automation for a few years now. I must admit I have my
own ideas and opinions as to what HA is and/or should be.
I believe there are levels of hierarchy in HA with simple
devices and applications being lower level and computer
based uses generally being higher.
Of course I am a big fan
of Voice Controlled Automation such as that I get with Bill's
Voice Commander with the speech recognition control.
I think Speech/Voice Recognition is at the highest levels of
Home Automation. I have maintained a BVC
Fan Site since early 2007, trying to spread
the word.
I am now attempting to
create a degree of Occupancy
Sensing within the macros of the HA computer. If done
right... it should seem a bit like "the Smart Home SARAH
as portrayed on the TV
series Eureka". Although
I am not expecting any beverage making from my Home
Automation. I have taken to calling my setup S.A.R.A.
(Smart Articulate Responsive Automation).
More
about S.A.R.A. here.
For now I am concentrated
on actual hardware devices that can detect if I am home [or
not] and AHP macros that can use that data. Here I will
share some of my devices and their uses.
Above is a
Key holder stand. I
read about this online. The concepts
creator is Dan (electron). Dan
used a DS10A (X10 Security Door/Window Sensor). He removed
the reed (magnetic) switch and soldered the ends of the
wires to cup hooks. The key ring would short (or closes) the
circuit and removing the keys opened the circuit. The DS10A
reports these actions to the security module in AHP.
However after MANY
trials and tests.. I decided against using
the DS10A sensors and switched to a key holder using a
PowerFlash module instead of the DS10A. I also used a
modified a micro-switch (instead of cup hooks).
I mounted my
switch on a picture frame in an attempt to make my setup
look natural. My keys hang over the decorative key just
behind the tray that holds my change.
"There
are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The
few who learn by observation. The rest of them... that have
to pee on the electric fence for themselves."
Sacedog
(Cocoontech)
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Another
NEW
product I've been Beta Testing is called BlueWatch.
BlueWatch is a
BlueTooth enabled software. You need a BT dongle
to make it work. I tested two different dongles.. each
one cost around ten dollars.
This software
(and the dongle) can detect your BlueTooth enabled cell
phone. Then use this information/data to determine if you
are home or away. Selected X10 signals can be sent on both
detection and disconnect as well as wav files played.
BlueWatch
is a tiny, simple, and easy to setup software that could
handle the OS needs of many Home Automation users. Although
be warned the dongles I've test to interfere with my X10
cameras.
Knightrider
(owner
and chief team member) of ThisAutomatedHouse.com
and creator and
owner of [IMHO] one of if the most automated homes in
America. Kindly sent me a care package with the means to
detect a car in my garage.
It is an IR
reflective light beam projector. It projects a beam of
invisible light onto a reflector. The reflector bounces the
beam of light back to its receptor. The unit has a variety
of setting to alert the user if the lights beams path has
been broken.
Instead of
detecting movement across the doorway the light is projected
across the garage in a way that a parked car will block the
path of the light. This will be a method of tracking my
wife's occupancy status that will be effortless for her.
I
mounted the reflector (using double-sided foam tape) on a
strip of wood that I cut at a 15 degree angle
to better line it up with the light.
The IR light
projector closes dry contacts when the invisible light beam
is broken. I have
wired these dry contacts to a Powerflash Module. If a car is
parked in the path of the light... that then causes the
Powerflash Module to turn ON a (fake) Monitored
Module in my AHP software.
The wiring part
is slightly tricky. The old timey IR projector uses 29 watts
to function. That's a little much for me so I wanted to
reduce its run-time.
I have a garage
door open (reminder) setup and macro. If the garage door is
up my BVC
voice announcement alerts me. And it reminds me every few
minutes (as
seen in my YouTube Video). As part of the
setup a magnetic reed switch triggers a Powerflash module
that turns ON a (Dummy) Monitored Module.
I use an
Appliance Module set to the H/U code of the Dummy Monitored
Module of the [reminder] macro. The Appliance Module powers
both the IR light projector and the Powerflash Module that
reports the cars status. This way when the garage door is up
both the projector and the [cars status] Powerflash Module
function to provide the car status.
When the
garage door closes The Garage Door (reminder) Macro turns
OFF the Appliance Module, and ends the reporting cycle.
Since it would be difficult to sneak a car in or out without
opening the garage door this should work fine.
Since
all reporting and control is being done [more or less] using
the AHP macros. Everything is trigger, timer, and/or
condition controlled. I assembled a
couple modules and night lights to help me
watch/track/test the [fake] module statuses. I've been
doing a LOT of testing with my devices and macros.
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