Items Tagged With installation

Here's an interesting guide on building a Car PC. This is of interest to Smart Home entusiasts too as many of the requirements that make an idea car pc (multimedia, touchscreen, network, small form factor & silent opperation) make these systems idea for many home automation and media player roles too...

"Car PC users need to get to their applications fast and with a minimum of interaction. So keyboards and mice, while handy for occasional work in the car, are of limited use in a car. Instead, car PCs should rely on touch screens and software interfaces with "skins" that let users access their apps quickly and safely. In car lingo, a touch screen works like a "head unit," providing access to music selection or a GPS. A major goal of a car PC is to replace the vehicle's head unit with a touch screen that will act as GPS, CD player, radio and the like.

Skins used with voice-recognition software can also provide safe and a mostly hands-free method of working with applications. Applications like RoadRunner and SKINbedder work with NaviVoice voice recognition to provide quick access to applications with a minimum of driver involvement. In the screenshot below, you can see how NaviVoice helps to integrate voice activated GPS with media playing and other applications, making GPS functions available quickly and safely with a one-word command..

As the UK finally gets HDTV lots of us are considering the best way to mount our shiny new flat screens on the wall. Here's a useful guide...

"Before you tackle wall mounting a LCD or plasma, you need to ask yourself one question. Is this something best left to a professional installer? If you're not sure then the answer is yes. I'm not implying that self installation is for everyone.

If you doubt your abilities then by all means it's worth hiring a professional. However if your reasonably competent with minor home improvement tasks and follow my instructions carefully, this shouldn't offer you much trouble at all.

So here is my step-by-step guide that illustrates how I install flat-panel displays. With the right preparation, just about any competent do-it your-selfer can accomplish similar installs, in as little as an hour or so...

A few months ago we quietly released the first beta of our Automated Home Installer Database.

We've had a fantastic reaction and already we hold information on 70 of the UK's top Smart Home installation companies, all searchable by area and service.

So, if you live in say The Midlands and you want a company that can install Structured Cabling and perhaps Intelligent Lighting, then with a few clicks on our search form you will have a list of the companies that match your query in seconds.

Click Here to search for your perfect installer .

Submission by Mark Goodwin - Scenario, I am leaving my house, pat down pockets, glance at exposed surfaces and scream to SWMBO "Has anybody seen my keys?"...

Submission by James Clabon - Out of the box the ZWave ZIR010 PIR Motion Sensor seem to be well manufactured. They have a quality feel about them. Compared to X10's MS13's they are slightly larger in all dimensions.

I guess looks are down to personal taste but I think these look cool. They look modern and seem to blend into their surroundings thanks to their rounded edges. Also no logo on the front and no aerial sticking out makes them more attractive than the X10 counterpart...