New website www.avjungle.co.uk has just launched bringing home automators favourites like lighting control, HDMI over CAT5 and the Squeezebox and Sonos ranges. To celebrate the opening they are offering a 5% discount for all Automated Home readers during March and April - just enter 'Automated Home' at the checkout...
AV Jungle's director Dean Barrett has many years experience in the Audio Visual Custom Install business and has used this knowledge to create a site selling some of the best bits of kit for home customers. Audio brands available include KEF, Sonos, Squeezebox, Audio Engine and newcomers to the Home Audio market Vibe who will be already be recognised by many as one of the top brands in Car Audio. AV Jungle also carry a comprehensive range of Rako wireless lighting control plus the Intelix HDMI over CAT5 solutions. Dean Barrett commented - "At AV Jungle we have a simple philosophy, provide excellent technical support thanks to our years of Custom Install knowledge, and only provide brands that we trust and would use ourselves." www.avjungle.co.uk
Been wondering how you're going to be able to play all your AVI and MKV movies on your shiny new iPad next month? Here's the answer, a little £1.79 app from the iTunes store. We've confirmed with the developers of Air Video that the native iPad version is in the works, and we've tested it on the iPhone and are really impressed. Here's how it works..
Most of us have video ripped to our hard drives. While in recent times h.264 (the only codec supported on the Apple devices) has become more popluar, a lot of people have AVIs and now MKVs in other codecs. Usually you are faced with hours of re-encoding followed by syncing to the devices limited storage in order to play these files on you iPhone / iPod Touch or now iPad. But help is at hand with the Air Video app. It uses ffmpeg to "Play with Live Conversion", in a similar way that 'PS3 Media Server' does an on the fly conversion to allow you to play MKVs on it. The app runs in conjunction with a free server application. Versions are available for Mac OSX and Windows XP, Vista and 7.
The result is that your entire video collection (minus any DRM'd content of course) is now playable over your wifi network - and even over 3G with an experimental feature. Knowing the iPad can be used to stream your video files completes another piece of the jigsawfor the device.
"Is your iPhone/iPod touch full and yet it contains only a fraction of your video library? Are your videos in format unsupported by iPhone/iPod touch? Think of all those AVI, DivX, MKV and other files in your collection that would take weeks to convert just to be playable on iPhone. Air Video is the ultimate solution for these problems. Instead of having to synchronize your videos to device you can now watch them over air. Suddenly the capacity of your iPhone/iPod touch is infinite and the nuisance of iTunes is gone.
iPhone and iPod touch are very picky about the video formats they can play. Normally this means you need to convert the entire video before you can watch it. This can easily take an hour!
With Air Video this is no longer an issue. Air Video supports almost all video formats and performs the conversion *on fly*. That means you don't have to wait until the file gets converted any more. You can start watching it almost immediately.
Air Video comes packed with features. It can share folders on your harddrive as well as iTunes playlists. It supports live conversion as well as offline conversion where the entire file is converted upfront. It lets you customize the conversion settings, adjust resolution, zoom and crop the video.
The free server software (available for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and Microsoft Windows) is needed to stream and convert the videos and can be downloaded at http://www.inmethod.com/air-video."
www.inmethod.com : iTunes link to App
Russian developers, iRidium Mobile, have just released the new version of their home automation control application. Available on a range of platforms, - most notably now the iPad too - the system can be used to control AMX, EIB/KNX, ABB, Berker, GIRA, Jung and Modbus with DALI , X10 and Domintell protocols in the works too. iRidium can also control XBMC, with support coming in the near future for Boxee, Windows Media Center and Apple TV...
The app currently appears to be free for testing and $160 to purchase (full version free to home and industrial automation systems installers). While this is an extraordinarily high price for an app, a regular AMX touchscreen can cost many thousands of dollars.
"We introduce you a new version of iRidium program for AMX and iPad / iPhone / iPod. The new version is available on AppStore! iRidium transforms the iPad / iPhone / iPod into the "native" AMX system control panel. iRidium allows you to operate such subsystems as: lighting, heating, climate control, video-surveillance, security, audio-video, multimedia-server.
Also iRidium allows you to use an existing design created for AMX panels. This design will be loaded on iPad / iPhone / iPod and you can immediately operate your home automation system after that.
At the same time all AMX panels functions and capabilities (such as dynamic elements, animation, translucency, sound, video output) are available. In addition, all Multi-touch screen iPad pluses are added.
Thus, if you already have an AMX panel for your home automation system controlling, it would take no more than 10 minutes to turn iPad into a similar panel. At the same time functional and interface of the new panel will be the same as an AMX panel has.
AMX system is controlled via Wi-Fi, 3G, GPRS.
Capabilities of a new version iRidium for AMX and iPad / iPhone / iPod:
Documentation and instructions for iRidium’s setting are already available. Now you can install iRidium much easier. At the present time, a free iRidium version for testing and work demonstration are available for installers."
iridiummobile.net : iTunes Link
Submission By: Charles Friedberg - Plex + Indigo + Harmony Remote = Home Automation Bliss - Why do it? About a year ago, I decided to take the home automation plunge and sought out ways to automate my home's lighting, entertainment and HVAC systems. After doing a good deal of research, I concluded that the most cost-effective and flexible solution would be to utilitze Perceptive Automationís Indigo software and Smarthome's Insteon modules for the lighting and HVAC.
Once I installed all the Insteon devices (which also included a garage door opener), I installed the Indigo software on an iMac in my study, connected the iMac to the Insteon adapter which plugs into the wall and my home automation dreams were off and running!
Indigo also comes with a free iPhone application called Indigo Touch, which is superb as well. Total cost for home automation of lighting, HVAC and remote control of garage doors for a 4,000 sq ft home, ~USD$3500, and that included all Insteon modules, installation and the software license (I already owned the iMac so I would argue that isnít part of the cost). Compare that to a proposal from one of the 'professional' home automation brands!
With its built-in webserver, and touch application, the Indigo home automation solution is an excellent one, but it requires either a) you have to have your iPhone/iPod Touch with you constantly or b) be at a computer with a browser open and keyboard/mouse on hand. This was always the case until I executed step 2 of my master plan - a home media center.
A few months back I took the plunge, purchasing a new Mac mini 2.53Ghz with 4GB of RAM ($USD800) and installed the excellent OSX media center software Plex, which is free. In addition, I purchased a Synology DS209 and two 1.5TB internal hard drives which I configured for RAID1 (USD$550). I already owned a Harmony 890 remote (USD$150 on Amazon), my Kuro PDP-6020 and a Denon Receiver (AVR-2807), so total incremental setup cost was USD$1350 (plus tax). With the media center all set up and streaming across my home network, my wife and I began to notice some common behavior. Often times, we would sit down to watch something off the media center and forget to turn out the lights (for the movie theater effect after all), and we would have our iPhones handy. Wouldnít it be nice, within Plex, to be able to control Indigo via the Harmony remote? Absolutely! Problem is I canít code so off to the respective forums I went.
The Equipment Rack
On both the Indigo and Plex forums I proposed this very idea - wouldnít it be great to be able to control Indigo from within Plex? Fortunately, two other folks thought the very same thing, and began working on an Indigo plug in for Plex, and now, Plex and Indigo users have a solution.
A loyal Indigo and Plex user created the free 'Indigo for Plex' plug-in. The beauty of the plug-in is that not only is zero setup required if Plex and Indigo are running on the same machine, but if Indigo is running on a remote machine, one need only point the plug-in to that remote machineís internal IP address, input the Indigo Server id and password and setup is done! The plug-in, as can be seen from the screenshots below enables the user, from within Plex, to 1) control all devices (viewing, quick-toggling if not-dimmable, toggling and dimming by user-defined increments if dimmable ), 2) control Action Groups (viewing and executing) and 3) control Variables (viewing and editing).
One of the control screens
While HVAC control, and use of Indigoís excellent control pages isnít part of the current release, the author has assured users that itís one of his goals as well if possible. I should note that I have replaced the plug-in authorís ìstockî images with my own, and that the plug-in was in no way developed by the makers of Indigo, nor is the author in anyway affiliated with the makers of Indigo. However, Plex and Indigo users now have a very elegant way of controlling Indigo right from their couch using their remote from within Plex.
The makers of Indigo have been very helpful to the author when developing the plug-in and have suggested that they will be enhancing their API to enable the Indigo for Plex plug-in to do even more in the future.
The Plex / Indigo Home Automation Interface on our TV
Up next some Apple scripting that will execute action groups when a media content is played (although I have been pestering the plug-in author to build that into the plug-in). For example, if Plex starts to play a movie, Indigo would automatically turn off lights in the appropriate room - all with the touch of single button on my remote, from the comfort of my couch! Functionality that only a year ago would cost tremendously more, and require professional installation. Dreamers can dream!
Perceptive Automationís Indigo : Plex Media Center : Mac mini : Harmony Remote
Submission By: Paul Gordon - Clipsal have recently unleashed the new CBUS Wiser unit which appears to offer a great deal of potential to home automaters with CBUS to expand their CBUS network with logic features and an out-of-the-box touchscreen centric control system.
In essence, the Wiser unit combines the functions of a couple of existing CBUS units that you may already own, and additionally adds functionality not previously available in a hardware based unit. The Wiser performs the following functions on a CBUS network:
For all this functionality, its retail price is actually less than just a current generation CNI unit alone, so no-one could take issue with the value of the overall package.
Hardware - The Wiser unit hardware is comprised of 3 separate components. The Wiser Router itself. This is the main guts of the system, and is, for all intents & purposes a standard broadband router just like the one you probably already have at home, and indeed could actually replace your existing broadband router (in fact it is intended to be installed this way). This unit has been modified by Clipsal though to add on the extra capabilities of the logic engine, and the touchscreen application. I believe that the modified router software is provided under a public license, and source code is available on request.
The second main component is the CNI. This differs considerably from the previous generation CNI; it is styled to match the main Wiser unit (so it isn’t a DIN module like the older one). It has also been re-engineered internally and no longer contains the Lantronix hardware to provide the Ethernet interface, and thus does not require the Lantronix redirector software to access it. This new CNI can be used standalone as “just” a normal CNI if required, so you can use it with the Toolkit software for managing your CBUS network. However, it is designed to be used in conjunction with the Wiser router, which is where the 3rd component comes in.
The third and final part of the package is what Clipsal call the ‘Busbar’ – this is a passive unit which provides a “bridge” between various connectors on the Wiser router and the CNI, in order to link the two together for both power & Ethernet connections. It also adds considerable mechanical stability to the entire assembly.
Assembly - The CNI clips – rather loosely I have to say, - to the bottom of the main Wiser router unit. The busbar then clips to side of that assembly, and its connectors mate with the power receptacles on both units, 1 RJ45 LAN connector on each unit, and with the WAN connector on the router. Only 1 PSU is provided with the package, so the busbar is essential if you want to provide power to both units; the busbar contains a single power receptacle into which the PSU is connected, which it splits to provide power to both active components. The busbar also contains a single RJ45 socket which is passed through to the WAN port on the router. (This will become important to remember later!). 3 Wi-Fi antennae are also in the box, which the documentation states must be fitted to avoid “damage” – even if you intend to turn the Wi-Fi functionality off.
Once assembled, the unit can be wall-mounted using the keyholes on the back surface, or it can be stood on a flat surface using the clip-on ‘foot’ included in the package.
Connections - The CBUS connection is via the CNI; there is a removable plastic shroud beneath which is a standard screw terminal for CBUS+ & CBUS- which accepts bared wires only. There is a very weak clip-on cable clamp, and a small cable exit recess in the shroud. This part feels quite flimsy to my mind, but hopefully once connected won’t be tinkered with, so I don’t think this will be too much of an issue, but I would have found it easier if the CBUS connection was also via RJ45. (Although I can understand why Clipsal may have deliberately chosen to keep them different to avoid possible mis-connection). The CNI has a single power & LAN socket in one end, both of which are filled by the busbar (but which can be used standalone if needed).
The Ethernet connection(s) are made either via the busbar or via the LAN ports on the router. This part can get quite confusing, and the Clipsal documentation could do with a bit of work in this area. Because the Wiser router could be deployed as your main broadband router, or alternatively could just be added as another local device on your internal LAN, there are a number of different ways that the connections need to be made. I, (like most users in my opinion), already have my broadband set up, and already have a router in place that I’m more than happy with. Therefore I had no desire to re-architect my existing network to accommodate this device, and thus just wanted to connect it to my existing LAN, and not use its Ethernet routing capabilities. This is referred to as the “Option B” connection model in the documentation, and requires that you connect it to the existing LAN via any one of the available ports on the router itself – NOT via the one on the busbar – which you will recall I mentioned earlier is passed through to the router WAN port… - the problem is that this point is far from obvious when you are in the exited rush to get everything working! – there is no embossed wording on the busbar that makes it plain that the RJ45 port there is for the WAN only, and the documentation could be clearer (but who here reads the documentation before plugging everything in?). However, once you’ve come to understand that point, the connections are fairly straightforward to make, and you can proceed to the next phase: commissioning the unit, which is where the fun really begins.
Oh, and also in the box is a 1GB USB stick with the software & documentation on it – rather than a CDROM – could come in handy I suppose…
Commissioning - This is where, for me, - and from what I’ve seen on the CBUS forums – for quite a few other Wiser owners – everything started to unravel. It is important to grasp a few basic but fundamentally important concepts about how the whole unit operates.
That sounds like it ought to be a simple & straightforward task to any of us who have even a rudimentary working knowledge of IP networking, but recent experience has shown that this operation has been the cause of an immense amount of frustration even to seasoned & experienced network-savvy users who work in the IT & networking fields day-in day-out. It comes down to this:
So in order to successfully get everything working on a different network, it is necessary to update all 3 of those configuration points… Trouble is, each of them requires an entirely separate configuration tool, and a different method of updating it:
Users have found that it’s fairly straightforward to complete the first two activities, but then invariably find that it’s absolutely impossible to get PICED to upload a project in order to update the final part of the jigsaw. It seems to be the case that there are a couple of security settings in the wiser software that prohibit PICED from updating any settings, and that the only way to relax those restrictions is via the Wiser touchscreen UI, - which is only accessible when all 3 IP addresses are correct (thus allowing the Wiser software to talk to the CNI) – so you end up in a catch-22.
In my case, and for many other users that I’ve seen posting on the forums, the *only* way out of this situation has been to revert all the units back to their factory default IP address, at which point the Wiser touchscreen UI becomes accessible again via your browser, and permits you to modify those security settings, which then permits PICED to upload your project file.
This of course requires that you connect a PC to the Wiser router directly, and set that PC to be on a 192.168.2.x IP address… - you can use the inbuilt DHCP server in the Wiser router – IF you haven’t already turned it off previously as part of the customisations to reconfigure it for your network.. ☺
You might well think that’s too much hassle, and decide to just connect via the WiFi… and a jolly sensible thought that would be… - I thought of it too… - problem is, out of the box, the WiFi has WPA-PSK security enabled, and as far as I can tell, there is NO mention anywhere in any of the documentation what the network key is, so it’s actually impossible to connect to the WiFi until you’ve first connected via the wired ports to change the WiFi passkey to something you know!
The moral of this tale is - Don’t be tempted to rush ahead and make the changes that you need to make in order to fit the wiser onto your network. You must perform the requisite configuration steps in a very prescriptive fashion if you are to avoid a lot of angst. The order you must follow is:
If you stick to this order of doing things, then you *should* have a relatively smooth time of it.
In Use - Once you’ve commissioned the device on your network, what can you actually do with it? In a nutshell you use the PICED software to create a “project” which you upload into the unit. PAC users will be familiar with this process, although some things have changed a little to accommodate the differences between a Wiser & a PAC. There is still an option to use a simulated screen in the PICED development environment to model the connected CBUS network & devices, so you can write & test logic code much as before. One of the first differences you’ll notice is the new “Widget Manager” which automatically launches the first time you run PICED to configure a new Wiser project. This is where you tell the wiser what CBUS items will be displayed on the touchscreen interface. The process is fairly intuitive; on the first tab you add locations which represent the rooms in your house, then proceed to the 2nd tab where you can add “function groups” – these are categories of device such as “lighting” and so on. Finally on the last tab you add the actual CBUS groups & scenes etc that you wish to have appear on your screens, by picking them from your existing CBUS toolkit project. That’s pretty much all there is to getting a basic functional CBUS touchscreen up & running which will operate the devices you added as described above.
Widget Manager with some locations added
Adding a few functional groups
Click for Full Size Version
As a result of the above, the Wiser automatically builds a web page containing all the items you added. The locations appear as a strip along the top, and the functional groups appear as a column down the left. The icons are the ones I chose from the default set available in PICED when I added those functional groups, although you can of course get it to use pretty much any graphics you want.
Note that it builds you an interface which can be viewed as either a device-centric or a location-centric layout, and you can easily switch between these views, or even combine them.
Note that although it’s touted as a touchscreen interface, it doesn’t *have* to be used on a touchscreen, and a wide range of clients are supported. One which was particularly of interest to me was the iPhone/iPod touch app, - having recently become a newly converted Apple fan after receiving an iPod touch 64GB from SWMBO for Christmas. The Wiser iPhone app is totally free and available now in the app store. The only configuration required on the app side is the IP address of the wiser router to which it connects. Once configured, the iPod displays the same device or room centric view of the CBUS groups you added via the PICED project, with a button in the top-right corner switching between these two views:
Click for Full Size Version As you can see, when in location view, all the available locations are shown as a strip across the bottom, and when in “functional group” view, all the available functional groups occupy this space.Lists of items that are too long to appear on one screen will scroll up & down using the usual touch gestures. You can use the sliders to set specific dim levels, or you can just tap on the bulb icon to toggle on/off. Obviously devices that you added as a relay type rather than a dimmer just appear in the interface with an on/off button.
Note that absolutely no configuration, placement, design, or effort of any kind was required on my part to get this functioning UI onto my iPod, - other than simply adding the items into PICED as I described earlier.
That’s just a quick sample of what this unit can do, - I haven’t even explored the logic programming aspects of it yet, - let’s not forget that it also contains a fully functional logic engine just like a PAC so if you already have a PAC, or were thinking of getting one, a Wiser would seem to make a lot more sense – Provided you don’t require the 2 programmable RS232 ports that the original PAC features, because this unit doesn’t offer those, which is, as far as I can tell, pretty much the only aspect where the original PAC unit betters this one.
Free Wiser iPone App : Wiser at the C-Bus Shop : www.schneider-electric.co.uk
Maplin have just introduced a new UK 13A mains wall socket with built-in USB. The £14.99 device should help to clear up the scourge of the dreaded wall wart that scars the walls of many a room. The recent move to micro USB chargers by mobile phone manufacturers will mean you can use it for your cell phone as well as power or charge iPods, MP3 players, game consoles, digital cameras and a host of other consumer electronics.
The initial design is available in a single socket format only (one each mains and USB sockets) and is un-switched. Read on for the full specs...
Available now from www.maplin.co.uk [Thanks Stuart]
The Gadget Show's Jason Bradbury recently attended the Microsoft hosted preview of Project Natal - the next gen gaming interface for the XBox. Watching Jason's first impressions, especially the section on walking into your lounge, being recognised and using voice control, definitely have us thinking of the Home Automation possibilities around the technology.
So after xbmc will the next reason to hack your XBox be to control your entire home? Will Natal live up to the hype, or will it just be another cute gaming interface building on what the Wii started. Let us know what you think in the comments below...
Crestron have announced their 'Crestron Mobile' and 'Crestron Mobile Pro' apps are now ready for the iPad. The new versions will be available to run on the iPhone and iPod touch as before, with the addition of the ability to run at the iPads native resolution...
"Crestron Mobile™ harnesses the power of 3G and Edge networks to stay connected to the home or office when you’re on the go. View alarm status, adjust lights and room temperature while lying on the beach or sitting in traffic.
Crestron Mobile Pro™ provides even greater power and flexibility to control your whole house, including pre-set audio and lighting scenes, home entertainment and more. Both apps are compatible with the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod touch and iPad."
Crestron.com/Apple : apple.com/ipad : [Via: hedmag.com] Thanks Richard
Crestron have introduced the new CEN-IDOCV-DSW which combines the CEN-IDOCV Interface for Apple iPod functionality plus its tabletop dock into a single, 6" x 4" in-wall unit. This dual purpose interface and dock provide a flexible option for whole house audio and video distribution from Apple iPod, iPhone and iPod touch.
"Crestron Introduces New In-Wall iPod® Docking Station - The new Crestron CEN-IDOCV-DSW combines the CEN-IDOCV Interface for Apple® iPod® functionality and its tabletop dock into a single, stylish 6" x 4" in-wall unit. This dual purpose interface and dock provide a flexible option for whole house audio and video distribution from Apple iPod, iPhone® and iPod touch®.
Just like the recently released CEN-IDOCV, the DSW provides audio, video, USB, and high-speed Ethernet connectivity to seamlessly integrate iTunes® audio and video with a Crestron whole house AV system. It features Crestron exclusive USB-over-Ethernet technology to remotely synchronise the iPod with any networked computer running Apple iTunes, and uses 2-way communication to reproduce the iPod experience on Crestron touchpanels. PoE compatible, the DSW draws power through the LAN wiring and eliminates the need for a nearby outlet.
Using a choice of two optional mounting kits, the CEN-IDOCV-DSW is designed for easy recess-mount installation in walls - perfect for new construction, renovations and retrofits - adding stylish, practical home entertainment to any interior design. The LOCAL button on the front of the DSW enables navigation directly on the iPod device without undocking, and convenient volume control is achieved by using the VOL rocker button, eliminating the need to have a touchpanel or keypad nearby. Syncing the iPod to iTunes works the same as if it were directly connected to a computer with the Apple USB cable, affording full capabilities for organising and transferring music and video files, podcasts, audio books, and playlists.
"Now users have the option to choose a tabletop docking station for the home office and an in-wall in the kitchen, for example," said Robin van Meeuwen, Managing Director of Crestron UK. "You can enjoy your entire personal media collection anywhere in the house and on any Crestron touchpanel, just by placing your iPod in the most convenient docking station."
The personal iPod docking and undocking provided by the IDOCV and DSW are ideal for family members on the go. It is also a perfect complement to the Crestron iServer ™, which uses an iPod as a dedicated audio server always available for whole house entertainment. The CEN-IDOCV and CEN-IDOCV-DSW are the latest interfaces for iPod from Crestron, replacing the original CEN-IDOC.
For further information please call Crestron direct on +44 (0)845 873 8787 or visit the company website: www.crestron.co.uk ."
The UBL-MMR from Mk1 Studio is a 19 inch rackMount Shelf for your Mac mini server. Automated Home reader Ben McCormack reviews the hardware and shows us more photos of his home automation rack project.
Submission by Ben McCormack - In the design for our house I have always planned to keep as much of the home automation stuff in node zero and all of our home cinema gear as well. Being a Apple man I also purchased a Mac mini a couple of years ago to store all files for the house and act as the media server.
However I ran into a problem, the Mac mini is a great piece of hardware but not readily rack mounted. I searched high a low on the Internet found the $85 UBL-MMR from mk1studio. I spent a while emailing Matthew from mk1studio with some questions and decided to take the plunge and place an order.
I liked the fact that it looked well designed and catered for all of the cables coming out of the back of the mac mini. I also like the fact that I could install my Apple TV in the same shelf as it is designed to hold 2 mac minis and the Apple TV footrprint is similar.
So I placed my order via ebay and waited, as usual shipping international always takes a while and 5 days stuck in customs did not help. When the shelf arrived I noticed that it had been dropped during shipping and the corner had been bent. I contacted Matthew from mk1stuido and explained what had happened. He immediately offered to ship a replacement or give a discount and suggested that I could bend the corner back into place. I accepted the discount and have since bent the corner back. This is what I call great customer service. The issue was handled perfectly without fuss or argument by Matthew. 10/10 for customer service!
Putting it all together is quite easy, the Mac mini is placed in the UBL-MMR, the included metal clamp in put on top and the the included screws are inserted and tightened. There is nothing to stop you clamping the mac too hard so you need to be careful not to be over enthusiastic at this point.
One of the great features is at the rear of the shelf is a cutout that will allow the Mac mini Power Supply to be cable tied down in the rack - the cable ties are also supplied, so there is no searching around to complete the install - another nice touch. You can then 'dress' the power supply cables in. Once completed it is all very neat and tidy.
All that is left to do is to put the shelf in the rack.
Overall I am very impressed with both mk1studio and the UBL-MMR, it fulfils my requirements perfectly. All that's left for me to do is use the second slot for my Apple TV but I need to find some shorter clamping screws.
UBL-MMR from Mk1Studio : Mac mini