Home Automation DIY

MobiLinc Pro gets retina display support

Ruslan Ulanov — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:04:20 +0000

Arguably the best iPhone app for INSTEON-based home automation systems MobiLinc Pro just released a new version (2.16) in the AppStore. It gets new sleek images and icons specifically designed for higher resolution display of iPhone 4 (known as Retina Display). Among other changes are support for upside down orientation of the iPhone’s screen, Plug-in Store [...]

KitchenTouch project: status update

Ruslan Ulanov — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:12:00 +0000

Recently I’ve posted about my pet project called KitchenTouch. Here’s the the latest status of it… The last update as of Aug 18, adds support for skinnable GUI. Now styles (i.e. colors/fonts/etc) of buttons, tabs and other UI controls could be changed. For now the style lives in App.xaml, but the intent is to move [...]

DIY Project: How to cut your kid’s TV-time without saying a word, the geek-way.

Ruslan Ulanov — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:23:45 +0000

Below is my entry into HomeToys Home Tech Tips and Tricks contest. A never-ending fight for TV-time. How to cut your kid’s TV-time without saying a word, the geek-way. My kid is three and a half years old now and I got to tell you, he is smart! He keeps my home automation system on [...]

My new home automation project – KitchenTouch

Ruslan Ulanov — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:46:59 +0000

It has been a little quiet in my blog lately. But it’s not because I was lazy (well, maybe just a little). I’ve been busy celebrating many many birthdays in July (including my own) and also I spent a lot of my time learning new technologies (namely HTML5, CSS3 and C# languages) and coding my [...]

Deal alert: INSTEON Sale

Ruslan Ulanov — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:18:50 +0000

The Home Automation Superstore, Smarthome.com is running an Exclusive 4th of July Sale. Many INSTEON products are discounted 10% and more. Here’s just a few examples… You can get a SmartLinc, an iPhone-ready INSTEON Central Controller for only $116. Or save $5 on a fully redesigned Dual-Band Lamp Dimmer, on sale for $44.99. And a pair of [...]

How to automate your… balcony

Ruslan Ulanov — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:53:49 +0000

Now, this is an original concept! Actually, this is no longer a concept, this product is already in production (in The Netherlands only, for now). I’m talking here about a ‘balcony-on-demand’ from Dutch company called Bloomframe. This product transforms your window frame into a full-sized balcony, capable of holding a whole bunch of grown-up dudes [...]

MobiLinc update adds support for SmartLinc controller

Ruslan Ulanov — Sat, 22 May 2010 00:58:36 +0000

Mobile Integrated Solutions has just released version 2.14 of their MobiLinc Pro software for iPhone and iPod Touch. The major feature of this update is that it adds support for Smarthome’s low-cost SmartLinc INSTEON Central Controller (2412N). Previously, MobiLinc supported only Universal Devices’ ISY 26/99i and PowerLinc 2414 controllers. The new update also polishes some [...]

People Power brings Skynet one step closer

Ruslan Ulanov — Fri, 14 May 2010 22:33:00 +0000

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 [...]

How to use iPhone as a wireless microphone for a PC

Ruslan Ulanov — Tue, 04 May 2010 18:32:08 +0000

Here’s a fresh new idea for home automation enthusiasts. Apparently, you can use your iPhone or the last generation iPod Touch (the one with a mic) as an external wireless microphone used to relay voice commands to your home automation controller (provided it’s a Windows-based PC). No, there’s no app for that (yet), so you [...]

New product: USB2 Insteon USB Controller

Ruslan Ulanov — Mon, 03 May 2010 22:29:55 +0000

Smarthome’s product portfolio is so extensive that it’s easy to overlook a nice new product when it comes around. Therefore I would like to share with you this simple but nevertheless interesting new product I’ve recently discovered. It’s called USB2 Insteon USB Controller by Minotaur Engineering (who are these guys anyway?) You wonder what this [...]