Control4 are bringing their Andriod MyHome app to many more users as they roll out versions in 19 languages in the next few weeks.  The free app currently supports Android mobile devices with version 2.1 through 4.0 of the operating system.

"Control4, a leading innovator in residential and light commercial automation systems, announces the global release of Control4 MyHome application for Android mobile devices in 19 languages. The Control4 MyHome family of products enables customers to control their Control4 system from their favorite smartphones, tablets, and PCs.

Non-English speaking Control4 customers can now use Android-based devices in addition to iPad and iPhone devices to control lighting, temperature, security, music, movies, and so much more from anywhere and at any time.

Control4 MyHome application for Android devices will be available in 19 languages at the end of February. The supported languages will include: Chinese (simplified and traditional), Czech, English, French, German, German Swiss, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Thai, Turkish and Ukrainian. 

Control4 MyHome includes a demo mode enabling customers to preview the capabilities supported. Download the app from the Android Market and from the Welcome Screen, simply launch the app into Demo mode. Control4 MyHome application for Android devices supports the Android operating systems 2.1 through 4.0.

Control4 MyHome is available as a free download and requires activation from a certified Control4 Dealer to enable full control functionality. Control4 offers a single device license and a multiple-device (site) license for multiple users and many devices. The Apple iPhone and iPad device versions of the Control4 MyHome application are also available with a broad range of language support.

www.control4.com

 

Want More? - You should follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.

See Original...

RJ45 connectors have become ubiquitous in the modern world.  The ‘RJ’ part stands for registered jack.  A registered jack is a standardised interface used to connect the cabling in networks.  There is a range of registered jacks, each with a slightly different design depending on the kind of cabling that is being connected, and the differences in these standards are delineated by the numbers after ‘RJ’; for example ‘RJ11’, or ‘RJ45’.  To get a clearer picture of this range, try looking at the RJ45 connectors supplied by rs-online.com.

 

The original RJ45 connectors were used to connect to telephone networks.  As computer technology developed, a standard way of connecting modems to telephone networks was required, and the original RJ45 connector was developed for this task.  The arrangement of the pins in the jack made it possible to use standard telephone wiring to transmit data, both to and from the modem.  In technical terms, the original telephone RJ45 connectors had an 8P2C array of pins, meaning that just two of the middle positions in the array were conductors.

As computer networking developed, an extremely similar standard physical interface was used for connection, the 8P8C.  As you might guess, the 8P8C features conductors in all 8 middle positions.  This difference is quite subtle to the naked eye, and thanks to the similarity between the original 8P2C RJ45, and the newer 8P8C RJ45, the name RJ45 became the standard way to describe the 8P2C connectors used in computing networks (like the Ethernet cable you use to connect your computer to your modem).  For more information the history of rj45 connectors, try looking at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rj45. 

See Original...

Here's a useful new box of tricks from Keene Electronics.  The IPMSW1 has 2 power outlets that can be programmed and controlled via a web interface. If you need to control mains powered equipment, reboot servers etc then this maybe just what you are looking for.

"The IPMSW1 is an IP controllable mains power switch. It has two independent mains outlets that can be controlled in a number of ways. Simple browser button based on / off control.

Full browser based set-up and timer configuration  Adjustable power fail re-start options allow each switch to delay up to 255 seconds before switching on. Ideal for remote re-start of systems that require 2 stage start ups. 

3 timer events per switch with daily weekly or monthly repeats.  During each timer event the switch can be set to either on or off.  Own IP address, so can be controlled via internet using port forwarding.  Support for DDNS.  Manual override button for each switch.  Optionally use internet time servers to set internal clock.  Internal “Real Time Clock” IC with 5 year battery backup."

Rear of IPMSW1

 

Browser Interface to Switches

 

Keene IPMSW1  

 

Want More? - You should follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.

See Original...

 

Aside from our forums you can also find Automated Home readers on IRC (Internet Relay Chat).  Like minded users discuss a range of topics in the chat room including such things as which is the best GU10 LED bulb, or where to find good deals on hardware.  We also talk about things related to general technology, food, cars , the weather etc - it's all exciting stuff! :)  So why not drop by for discussions and help on home automation and related topics as well as general banter and chat.... 

Join In Now - If you already have an IRC client here's all you need - irc.z.je - #ukha  -  If you are an IRC virgin here are a couple of recommendations to get you going in under 60 seconds...

Web Client -  Just go to chat.mibbit.com then click 'Server' (in yellow text) and enter -  irc.z.je - Enter your nickname in the NICK box and enter - #ukha - in the CHANNEL box then click the CONNECT button.

Other Clients -  Here are a few popular chat clients for your OS too

Windows - mirc.com
Mac - Download Colloquy free from colloquy.info (there's also a nice universal iPhone / iPad iOS Colloquy client available).
Linux : Alternatively, apt-get irssi or brew install irssi for linux (or OSX) users.

We hope to see you there soon!

 

Want More? - You should follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day. 

See Original...

 

Powerline adapters have been around for a while.  They provide a great way to add an Ethernet socket to locations where running a network cable would be impractical.  Now UK tech start-up company, Power Ethernet, has launched the ‘PE Socket, the first product to integrate Powerline networking technology directly into an electrical outlet.  Check out the video after the jump.

"Based on the HomePlug AV standard for Powerline networking, Power Ethernet’s all-in-one PE Socket combines four Ethernet network ports, a fully-managed network switch and a filtered power socket. It fits into a British Standard 35mm deep double gang metal back box and takes advantage of a building’s existing electrical wiring to create a high-speed and secure data network for connecting computers, Voice over IP phones, multimedia set-top boxes, Internet-connected TVs and other IP enabled devices.  The PE Sockets have been designed to enable electricians to start specifying and installing data networks in both commercial and residential buildings without the need for additional specialist cabling or networking knowledge.

Power Ethernet Managing Director, Daniel Rogoff: “The Power Ethernet socket is a true game changer for the electrical industry.  For the first time, electricians and electrical contractors can start specifying and installing data networks for customers without specialist cabling knowledge.  From Connected TVs and games consoles to CCTV and IP phones, there are a rapidly growing number of IP enabled devices in homes and workplaces that need high-speed, physical network connections.  I’m very excited to be launching a product that enables the electrical industry to play a big role in satisfying that demand.”

Power Ethernet’s PE Socket is unique in integrating Powerline into the electrical fabric of a building and its sockets.  It’s a professionally engineered, reliable Powerline solution which has been aesthetic designed to ensure that the sockets can be installed in the most prominent of positions. This enables the creation of a high speed network without the need for unsightly adaptors or the disruption of running specialised cabling.

A Power Ethernet network delivers the advanced networking features that are required for both streaming video around the home and for enterprise-grade business networks.  However the simplicity of the product installation ensures that networks can be set-up without the need for specialist networking knowledge.

Installing two or more PE Sockets instantly creates a high speed, secure Ethernet network running across the existing electrical mains cabling.  Connecting any PE Socket to a broadband service enables the sharing of Internet connectivity and digital content among all the devices plugged into them.  More devices and additional rooms can be easily added to the network simply by installing additional PE Sockets so creating a truly flexible, affordable networking solution."

 

 

www.powerethernet.com   :  Powerline Adaptors

 

Want More? - You should follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.  

See Original...

 

Cytech have release a new C-Bus To KNX / EIB bridge module to translate from one protocol to the other...

"Cytech’s Comfort Intelligent Home System is the only integrated Alarm and home automation system that can be connected to Schneider’s C-Bus and KNX at the same time using dedicated Cbus and KNX interfaces.   The new C-Bus to KNX Translator (CBUSKNX01) is a stand-alone gateway between the networks that allows these two widely used and competing automation busses to be installed in the same system when a Comfort system is not required.

The Translator comes with terminal blocks for connection to KNX and C-Bus as well  a USB interface for configuration.  It is powered from a wallmount adaptor.   This unique development allows C-Bus switches to control KNX actuators and dimmers and vice versa.   The free Bus Translator Configurator software permits up to 3000 mappings between C-Bus and KNX group addresses.

Applications for the Translator include the possibility of KNX and Cbus switches  and dimmers to co-exist in a large commercial or residential installation where specialised components from each system are required.  Schneider’s Wiser Home Control gateway can now be used to control a KNX system. 

Links to the free Bus Translator software and product manual are available from the link below."

 

www.cytech.biz   :  EIB / KNX Modules

 

Want More? - You should follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day. 

See Original...

If you're serious about home automation then you'll probably want a powerful controller at the heart of your system. 

Polish smart home specialist, Fibaro have launched just such a device, and the new "Home Center 2" is a handsome aluminum clad Z-Wave system which the makers say "redefines Z-Wave based home automation and introduces the real Home Intelligence".

After several years of R&D, Fibaro launched a range of innovative Z-Wave micro-modules last year and now they've followed up with this controller.  A quick and easy setup is promised and there's a clever backup routine built into the box that keeps a copy of your schedule on a USB stick.

Fibaro are promising an efficient system but also point out that the 1.6GHz Atom powering the Home Center 2 means it is "much, much faster" than any other Z-Wave gateway currently available. 

The box is programmed and controlled through a web browser and the UI looks very impressive.  The previous generations home automation controllers sparse text interfaces have been superseded by something much more 21st century. This is what people expect to see in the age of the iPad and if the user experience lives up to the promise of the screens shots it should be a joy to use.

The controller adds a new "Linked Devices" function, allowing you to have several modules appear as one virtual device.  Perhaps all your radiators on the ground floor, or a combination of lights and sensors etc.

Home Center 2 also offers a geo-location function that can track and locate family members (fathers of teenage daughters rejoice).  Complex macros can be built easily using the systems graphical "Scene Interface" without a iine of code in sight.

 

• Extremely efficient hardware architecture = fastest device of the type in the World,
• Ultra low energy consumption,
• Remote access via web page or mobile phone,
• Simple, user friendly interface,
• Fast and simple configuration,
• Geo localization – tracking Your family members,
• SMS notification,
• Manageable users’ rights,
• Various devices’ associations,
• Conditioning scenes depending on weather or other, user-defined variables,
• Advanced recovery system,
• System backup is always saved on attached pen drive, hidden in the casing,
• History of events.
  

We'll be reviewing the Home Center 2 once we get our hands on one of the first units into the country.  Available within the next few weeks, you can pre-order the Home Center 2 now priced at around £500.

 

www.fibaro.com   :  Available from Vesternet.com

 

Want More? - You should follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.

See Original...

We love a good hardware hack and here's a great one from Automated Home reader Martin Howell. 

A Velleman IR kit plus a makeup mirror and some Arduino jiggery-pokery allows Martin's home to let him know when there's something in his mail box on the gatepost.

My mailbox is on the gatepost, and the erratic timing of mail deliveries round these parts means sometimes several trips per day out in the pouring rain to check if there is mail. I built a detector from a Velleman kit to let me know when there was mail in the box, and this is how I did it.

The Velleman kit is an MK120 IR light barrier kit. It creates an infra red barrier, and sets off a squawker when the beam is broken. The kit needs to be soldered together, and for my purposes I needed to modify the kit slightly, as follows:-

Make the infra red LEDs separate from the circuit boards

Remove the squawker and replace it with a bright LED

Also make the device send a signal to my Arduino based monitoring system.

First, the easy part - mounting the circuit boards in a weather-proof box. I had a spare aluminium box left over from another project and simply marked out the position of the holes and drilled and tapped them, then mounted the circuit boards on small plastic spacers to ensure that they couldn't touch the box.
The wires all come through the bottom of the box, and I put rubber grommets in the holes to seal them from the weather and stop the cables from chafing against the edges of the holes. Once all the holes were drilled, I sprayed the box and lid with satin black from an aerosol can.
In the picture, the green and yellow cables are the feeds to the IR LEDs, the other loose wires feed the LEDs that are fitted into the lid of the box.
To mount the LEDs remotely from the circuit boards I used a short length of coaxial cable (from and old audio lead) for each one. I tried CAT5 twisted pair cables and they were very prone to false alarms, I think because they picked up noise from each other and from the power cable - the coax solved that problem.
The LED end of these cables is exposed to the weather, so I encapsulated the end of the cables and the soldered connections in epoxy resin.
The 'Mail Waiting' alert is a bright orange LED that is fixed into the lid of the box (drill a 5mm diameter hole and secure the LED in it with a dab of super glue) with a short length of flexible cable to connect it to the squawker connection on the PCB. Note that a 220 ohm resistor is used to limit the current to the LED, and the LED was selected to give a bright light from around 5 volts - the box sits in direct sunlight most of the day, and a standard brightness LED can't be seen easily. Keep the unused squawker in your spares box for another day :-)
To seal the box from the weather I ran a small bead of silicone sealer around the edge of the lid and screwed it down tight. The sealer gets squeezed out of the joint, so the excess needs to be cleaned off before it dries (scrape most of it off with a screwdriver, then scrub it down with a wet cloth)
I feed the device with power from a central 12 volt power supply fitted in my central Arduino box, and a second (green) LED fitted into the lid of the box shows that power is present. This power supply also feeds the water leak detectors in the house. The Velleman kit is designed to run on a 9 volt PP3 battery, but will happily work on 12 volts. When I built the house, I had a duct laid under the driveway to the gatepost and laid both CAT5 cabling and a mains power cable in it, so power is fed to the mailbox via the CAT5. This is not ideal, as the long cable run means that the voltage drops considerably and the 12v at the power supply ends up being around 8v at the mailbox. I plan to modify the power supply to fix that, although the mail detector works fine at this low voltage.
The same CAT5 cable also lets me feed the 'alert' signal back to the Arduino so that I can see on a screen in the house if there is mail in the box. I originally tried just using the raw output from the squawker connections, but could not get the Arduino to reliably read it, then realised that this was because the power supply is separate from the Arduino - instead, I use the squawker output to fire a small 5 volt relay which switches a connection between the Arduino's own 5v power rail and the data pin which monitors the mailbox status. Works a treat, although the low voltage sometimes makes the relay chatter instead of latching solidly.
My mailbox is a simple tin affair with an opening door at the front. I mounted the LEDs into some short plastic tubes glued to an aluminium plate across the back of the box, and angled in towards each other at around 45 degrees.  A cheap make-up mirror is fixed to the inside of the door with double sided tape and reflects the beam when the door is closed. Drop a letter into the box and the beam is interrupted and the warning light comes on. Hooray!  It works fine, I just need to jack up the power a little so that the relay latches reliably. No more abortive trips in the rain out to the gatepost for me! UPDATE - A quick follow up on this following an investigation today into the power issues and some mods to cure some erratic operation over the past week.
First, the power supply was only dishing up around 9 volts which fell to less than 8 by the time it reached the gatepost. Luckily, its a PSU salvaged from an industrial-strength network switch, and the output is adjustable with a small potentiometer, so a quick twiddle and voila! around 12 volts at the gate.
Still erratic in operation though :-( A bit more research later and I think I've found the cause. The Vellemann kit is designed to run off a couple of 9 volt PP3 batteries, one each for the transmitter and the receiver, and their web site/forum says that its OK to run the whole shebang at 12 volts. However, I discovered that if I drop the power to 9 volts on the receiver and leave it at 12 on the transmitter the instability goes away - no idea why, and finding out is well beyond my electronics knowledge. I've added a simple 9 volt regulator in the box and all seems well.
Just as well, as Mrs Grizzly was getting increasingly ticked off by trekking out to the gate to find the box was empty - a bit ironic, as when I announced I was going to make this gadget I got the standard roll of eyes and 'what on earth for??....' :-)

 

Arduino  :  Velleman MK120 IR Kit

[Republished with Kind Permission of grizzly-grizzlysblog.blogspot.com]

 

Want More? - You should follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day. 

See Original...

The new Marmitek Digital TV Anywhere set comprises a transmitter and a receiver pair. Connect the transmitter to the SCART output on your Freeview / Sky / Other set-top box, then connect the receiver to a TV somewhere else in the house. Then the picture, sound and IR commands from your remote control are sent wirelessly between the two. The £149 system is available now, check out the video after the jump.

Watch digital TV anywhere in the house - Do you watch digital TV? Would you like to watch it on a second TV in your house but do not have the COAX connection for your decoder? You can solve this problem with the new Marmitek Digital TV Anywhere. This allows you to watch TV wherever you like, regardless of where the decoder is located!

The introduction of the Digital TV Anywhere finally provides an affordable solution for connecting your TV remotely and wirelessly to your decoder or satellite receiver while retaining picture and sound quality. Unique, digital technology means that the wireless connection is 100% free from interruptions. And, unless you live in a castle or under a radio/TV mast, Marmitek guarantees signal transmission throughout the house without any loss of quality!

The Digital TV Anywhere works perfectly with all SD digital TV decoders from cable suppliers and satellite and IPTV. For example BT Vision, Freesat, Freeview, Sky TV and Virgin.  The ideal solution if...

• You want to place your TV wherever you want, without having to consider the location of the aerial or satellite connection;
• The Homeplug A/V solution that is provided by the digital TV provider does not work (effectively);
• You are transferring to a new TV provider with all of the corresponding technological changes (e.g. from COAX to IP, without having to install a network cable [UTP, CAT5/CAT6]).Digital wireless sender for all your Digital TV Channels

Youtube

The advantages

• No COAX connection required to the TV;
• No need to lay cables or drill holes;
• Guaranteed range throughout the house;
• No loss of quality due to digital transfer.
  

Marmitek.com   :   Buy from Amazon

 

Want More? - You should follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.

See Original...

We've been sitting on this review for months - in the hope that LG would release a firmware update that would finally make things work right.  Alas, still with no sign of it and with last weeks announcement of 2 new TV upgrader modules it looks like the ST600 is a gonner.  So here's our review - for what it's worth.

It's no secret that we're big Plex fans here at Automated Home.  But while we love our Mac mini powered setup on the main AV system, even a second hand Mac mini of suitable spec is around £350 these days.  That's why we were excited to hear of a £100 box that would bring us the Plex experience.  It's been a while since the announcement but finally we've got our hands on one of the new LG ST600 TV Upgrader boxes.  Read on to find out how it performs.

Physically the unit is similar to an Apple TV, although it's a little larger (11cms x 11cms x 3cms), even with its external 'brick' PSU compared to the ATV2's internal one.  Also on the rear panel is an HDMI, an optical audio out and an Ethernet socket.  It has built in 802.11n Wi-Fi (5 GHz and 2.4 GHz) too, but you're going to want wired Ethernet for hassle free HD playback.

LG's specs show a 17w consumption for the little fella and it takes around 35 seconds to boot.  On arrival the unit needed a firmware update which added the Plex app (known as 'Media Link' on the box).  Firmware updates are a simple matter of choosing the option from one of the menus in settings and letting it do its thing for a few minutes.  Unfortunately a bug in the current firmware (version ST.8.79.173.F at time of review - Now on ST.8.79.198.F - still with issues) means that only a couple of file formats are working right now.

LG ST600 (bottom) compared to the Apple TV 2

Filters are something you're used to already if you're a Plex user.  You can choose to view 'Recently Aired' or 'Recently Added' movies and TV for example.  Or jump to 'Recently Viewed Shows' to continue watching a series or 'Recently Viewed Episodes' will allow you to continue watching where you left off on any other Plex client around the house.  You can literally start watching a movie on the iMac in the kitchen, continue on the iPad in the...cough, rest room.  Then pick up from where you left off on the ST600 in the bedroom.

As well as filters you can search although the on screen keyboard is a bit of a pain to use.  It would be nice to see the unit ship with a remote that has a decent QWERTY keyboard integrated, like the Boxee one.  As expected the UI isn't quite Apple-like and it's sluggish too, something that will definitely frustrate users used to the 'Full' Plex experience on a Mac or PC.  However this is a box that will play your 1080P MKVs, unlike the ATVs finicky choice of apple friendly formatted 720p content.

 Side Mounted USB Socket & Reset Button

The diminutive remote control is actually quite nice in the hand and easy to use.  The little area in the middle of the 4-way controller seems to be touch sensative and actually allows you to control the pointer on the screen while you are in the web browser.

The Supplied Remote Control is a Decent Little Unit
 

 

Movie Browsing Will Look Familiar to Plex Users 

 

Browsing TV Shows

Browsing through your Movies and TV shows will be familiar to Plex users.  While it's definitely a 'cut-down' experience compared to the one you may be used to on the Mac, it still has just enough of the Plex magic to make it usable.  It is certainly a huge step above the normal folder / file navigation of many other similar set top boxes. Indeed such an app exists on the ST600 (which we used to test the 1080P MKV playback) and it's pretty awful having to go back to this sort of thing once you've used the Plex library.

 

 'Powered by Plex"

 

 Watch All Your Favourite Web Videos with Plex Plugins

 

There are other nice touches too.  When you are playing music the system blanks the TV screen all except a small info and control panel that moves about the display so as not to burn in on your best plasma.

The ST600 has a range of other built in apps, plus the ubiquitous 'Store' to obtain both free and paid additions.  However if you're used to any of todays modern smartphone, tablet or PC OS's these will probably want to make you eat your own face. 

Conclusion -  We're really only interested in the LG600 as an inexpensive Plex box for secondary zones like bedrooms.  However, as of today the firmware still won't play many of the file types we need in the Media Link (Plex) app (even though they do in the basic movie player app).  While we wait to see what the new TV Upgrader boxes bring later in the year, you can get yourself a much better Plex experience by using the widget for Samsung Blue-ray players and TVs - check out this link for all the info.

 

Buy an LG ST600 TV Upgrader   :  www.lg.com   :  Samsung Blu-rays for Plex   :   Plexapp.com

 

Want More? - You should follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.

See Original...