Home Automation DIY

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 [...]

Deal alert: Christmas in July

Ruslan Ulanov — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:37:31 +0000

JLTSoft is running an Off Season Sale on their LightShowMaster software, which you can buy directly from JLTSoft right now for only $59.99 (regular $99.98)! Don’t wait till July though, ’cause this deal won’t last long. LightShowMaster is a software product that allows you to use your PowerLinc Modem Serial interface to control your Insteon-compatible [...]

TouchLinc controller reincarnated

Ruslan Ulanov — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:07:00 +0000

Remember that touchscreen from a decade ago, called TouchLinc? It was one of the few affordable X10 touchscreen controllers at the time. It had black and white screen and three hardwired connections: power, PC Serial port (for programming) and 4-conductor telephone cable to your powerline interface. Guess what? Smarthome is releasing an updated wireless version pretty [...]

Control4 My House iPhone app gets an update

Ruslan Ulanov — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:59:04 +0000

Control4 has updated their free iPhone app to version 2.4. Control4 My House UI app controls lighting, HVAC, Audio and Video devices including Apple TV and iTunes, IP cameras, etc., through a familiar Control4 interface. Added new language support including: Afrikaans, Croation, Czech, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish. Various defect fixes including but [...]

Deal alert: Home Control Pro price drop

Ruslan Ulanov — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:50:34 +0000

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 [...]