Apple - two words to consider: "Home Automation"

I guess there are a few parts of home automation - appliances, phone, security and media. The part I'd like to see Apple do is media (video and audio) which is what Intel seems interested in (from the article) and is funding at $200,000,000. I heard that the next PlayStation will double duty as a audio media server (import your CDs/MP3s and serve up music out throughout the house), and this type of thing is available right now in many 3rd party dedicated boxes costing up to $2000 each. These machines are nothing but a computer and hard drive with some dedicated software. My Mac with iTunes is sooooo close to being able to do the same thing.

Hey Applewhore - you can get X10 devices that replace plugs and switches - it isn't limited to the bulky little boxes sticking out of your outlets. http://www.smarthome.com/ I am using some X-10 devices and Indigo, but you really don't need Indigo or any computer control unless you are getting elaborate.

As for others who think this is all silly, I will be researching in and investing in companies that get this right. Laugh away!!!! :)
 
karavite said:
Hey Applewhore - you can get X10 devices that replace plugs and switches - it isn't limited to the bulky little boxes sticking out of your outlets. http://www.smarthome.com/ I am using some X-10 devices and Indigo, but you really don't need Indigo or any computer control unless you are getting elaborate.

As for others who think this is all silly, I will be researching in and investing in companies that get this right. Laugh away!!!! :)
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Thanks for the heads up karavite - I will investigate! It looks like there might be some possibilities here!

:D
 
That's right, me and applewhore on our way to riches! ;-) Seriously, this whole topic is the big news at the consumer electronic show. Again, the big thing is having a computer serve up photos and music throughout the house. Again, with iTunes and iPhoto all of our Macs are *almost* there in doing just this - what would it take to work on an interface to distribute the ease of use of these great apps? I'd much rather have Apple give it a go! Everyone else will and many tech companies (Gateway, Epson...) are building more and more home entertainment devices. This really isn't such a big surprise - I mean how long has it been said that the distinction between your home TV and home computer will soon be less defined? Since Apple is THE home computer, it seems only natural to me.

Applewhore - you can get started with X10 with a wireless tranceiver, a motion sensor and a few switches - even the bulky plug in boxes - for way under $100 to see if you really like it. For example, my first little X10 application was to simply turn on our porch light when someone walks in and then turn it off after 5 minutes of no motion (1 transceiver, 1 motion sensor, 1 switch). I did the same for a very steep stairway with the light switch at the top of the stairs (add 1 motion sensor, 1 switch). Then, all using the same transciever (there are 16 available devices on each X10 channel), I added switches for all 4 of our living room lights and a remote so we can turn them on/off as well as dim them for movies or whatever, plus a slim line wall switch to control all three when you walk in. Then, I added the same kind of thing to three lights in our bedroom so you can turn on/off/dim any of the three lamps in our bedroom from either the door or on each side of our bed (so my wife and/or I can always access the lights). None of this needed a computer, but I went ahead and bought Indigo and can use that to program all kinds of things including specific light "scenes", times events, scripts, lights on/off at sunset/sunrise, "on vacation" boolean variable and I can even email my Mac to have it turn on and off certain things or have it email me if motion sensors are triggered or even if the power went out and the Mac had to restart. The problem with Indigo is your Mac needs to be on for it to work, but other PC X10 interfaces let you program then store many of these things (within limits) without having to have your computer on all the time. Hope some of this helps - really it is all very easy to set up once you have your hands on a few gadgets!

Also, X10 may be old and relatively simple, but it works really well and should be around for quite some time. It really is amazing how it has continued to evolve. Sure better than wiring a house with Cat 5 cables - why not just use the electrical system that is already there!
 
karavite - thanks again for all the info - much appreciated!

I am very interested in seeing how i can take this forward - however, having looked at the smarthome website you listed, it seems that X10 is only available in 110V - is this correct? If so, this will prove a drawback for me as I'm wired for 240V in Dubai (as are many countries outside the States!)

Re-wiring the house with Cat 5 would be preferable to changing voltages! All my appliances are 240V...

hmmmmmmmm....
 
Ah, sorry for being so US-centric!!! :) If it isn't our crazy reluctance to not use metric, it is our electrical system or something else that makes us so hard to get along with!!! :)

I'm certainly not an expert, but maybe these pages will help you get started and/or find X10 products compatible with your voltage in Dubai?
http://www.mousehouse.net/ha-support-international.asp
http://home-automation.org/Retail_Sales/

If I could, I would certainly trade my X-10 devices for your climate - it is ridiculously cold here in the eastern US right now. I looked at the Dubai tourism site just now and you have a beautiful country! The sea and the desert - that is enough for me!

FYI, I literally blew up a digital camera in London when I thought my little UK-US adapter would let me recharge the camera. A loud pop from the poor camera, the smell of burnt electronics and all the lights going out in the hotel room at 2:00 in the morning were all pretty strong clues that I did something wrong! Turns out I needed a special voltage converter too. I guess I can laugh at it now!
 
karavite - what a classic!!!

you must have been the hotel's "guest of the month" after that little episode?!

i can just imagine it though (having had different but similar experiences in my life!) - fast asleep - CRASH, BANG, WALLOP! (to coin a not entirely suitable English expression!) - dozy expression on face as one pads around the hotel room in pyjamas - "what's going on?" - "why is my camera on fire?!" - "bloody english electricians!" etc. etc. etc.!!!

Thanks again for the leads (I don't know why I was being so dense earlier - it reminds me of an e-mail I got from someone this week where she obviously hadn't bothered to do ANY research and was asking stupid questions. I gave her a blunt and slightly sharp reply... She came back saying "I'm SO sorry - I could have worked that out - I think I'm turning into my boss".

Anyway, now I think I'M turning into her boss (why I couldn't think to google "X10 UK" or similar I don't know... Put it down to being, dare I say, distracted by work this week!) Sorry...

Anyway, thanks - I'm definitely going to do something with this... I started off on this quest because I'm lucky enough to have a great home cinema system and wanted an "all-in-one" controller for it - the hifi boys naturally suggested Crestron, but $ 3-4,000 seemed a bit high for a remote! I then started looking at various options for this, which led me to "whole house" control, but nothing really seemed to fit the bill properly. I honestly think we get spoiled by using Apple products - as I sit here typing this on my PB, I realise how much I simply LOVE using this computer (those who have only used Macs in their life will never understand how lucky we are to be able to use these products! I used PCs / Windows for nearly 15 years, and, GOD, am I grateful not to have to do so any more!)

Back to the point: I spend a lot of time moving between Dubai, Bangkok and the UK - to be able to remotely adjust settings (lights, security etc.) for the different places via computer would be great. Equally, to be able to sit and control my all things AV from my Apple tablet (perhaps one day?) once at home is my dream!

You're right about the climate here, too! It's absolutely perfect at the moment... In fact, from November to April it's fabulous (October and May, just OK - AVOID July and August like the plague!) and I really miss it when I have to travel during these times!

Having said that, January is the "dodgy" period, and we have to be prepared for the "one day of rain of the year" that MAY come! So forgive me - I'm off to search out my raincoat and wellies just in case!

ed
 
Gosh, I was thinking along the lines of this automation thing, but not quite automation, more like a digital assistant. I would like my computer to be my telephone answering machine and personal fax receiver without special software. What I would really like is to be in the shower getting the weather report from the national weather service from a "weather band station". My Saab 93 has a weather band button on the stereo that scans for NOAA weather radio stations and reports the forecast in a robot-like voice much worse than Apple's speech synthesis. The best part about it is that it's just the weather, NOTHING ELSE, no commercials, no other news, just the weather. I'd like to be able to hear this BEFORE I start and drive the car. Unfortunately, I haven't found any clock radios that have the weather band on them either. I used to have Mozilla just load a webpage from weatherchannel.com but that still requires me to turn-on my computer, login, establish an internet connection, launch Mozilla, and READ the webpage. I just want to go about my morning routine and LISTEN to the weather as I'm getting ready for work.

I think the next generation iPod should have a digital receiver for receiving digital music streaming from my home network, so I can be anywhere in the house and receive my streaming MP3, or better yet, digital music radio from iTunes. It would be like having digital satellite radio without the subscription rate and the special radio. Using a broadband internet service, I could actually lose the need for a land line dial-up telephone. I could use my computer for all communications. Just imagine, you could specifiy very easily whose "telephone calls" or VOIP (voice over IP) actually gets an audible ring for you to hear; other people would be shuttled into voice mail to leave a message. Other people could recieve a special "priority" ring for important calls, like "Bob and Sally just had a baby", or a special ring from emergency personel. With a broadband connection, I could have a video and/or audio chat room (not sure if iChatAV does this already). I could have multiple audio conversations simultaneously. I think all the software is basically there, it's just refining it more for those features.

I do think that Apple should bring back a Newton-like PDA device with all the features of the iPod. It's probably very nice to be able to view your calendar and contact info, but it would be nice to be able to schedule-in new appointments, jot down some notes using my handwriting and not learning some special alphabet like PALM, and transfer files via radio link or infrared (like my HP48 calculator). Apple should come out with a little box to hook up to your television to show iPhoto pictures, either from my computer or from an iPod. I remember many years ago, before video monitors, I used to use my black and white TV with my Timex/Sinclair 1000 computer (2K RAM). All I had to do was move the switch from "TV" to "computer" and channel 3 was my computer monitor.
 
Hi applewhore and chemistry geek. You know, when it comes down to it, I think we all want the same basic thing - more communication and control between all our stuff! Whether it is home phones and cell phones and computer address books being synced or finding some way to share media across all kinds of audio/video gear it seems to all come down to solving the lack of integration and communication. It is getting to a point where all our convenient devices are becoming less and less convenient due to a lack of integration. It is slowly changing and improving, but there are so many players (meaning companies) each with their own ideas and I doubt they will ever agree to a standard until one emerges from something that is commercially successful. Apple's handling of iTunes and the iPod shows they can can really think through all the issues (business, marketing, technical and ease of use). A huge part of achieving this same type of integration between other types of media/information/devices will be a well thought out software/hardware with top notch and easy to use UIs and nobody does that better than Apple.

applewhore - no need to be sorry for not doing a search! You were busy, I wasn't. Glad to help! It is too depressing for me to think about your wonderful weather! Any way, I think everything you want to control your house is available, but at a kings ransom! I spend a lot of time at our local high end audio/video store and they are constantly installing $80,000 to $100,000 automated systems in rich people's houses. They might even let me come along on a few installs so I can learn more about it. Still, when I look at a lot of the gear they are selling for top dollar, I always think - "Gee, my Mac is pretty close to being able to do all of this." I tend to think that if Apple got into this field it would be a lot like what made Final Cut Pro such a huge hit - a Mac based system for $1,000 that does what $50,000 - $100,000 systems used to do.

P.S. Though it doesn't have all the answers, I picked up "Smart Homes for Dummies, Second Edition" and it does a pretty good job of explaining all the types of smart home options (security, telephone, media, networking, appliances/X10...) and the currently available technology. Reading that helped me understand how expensive it would be to do everything I would like to do, but also got me thinking about how a company like Apple could make it so much easier and affordable.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_1/103-8633395-0823846?v=glance&s=books
 
karavite - you've hit the nail on the head...

I used to work for a construction company that promoted "smart homes", but it was all Windows based...

The lack of standards in our devices is definitely the problem behind everything today - Apple could certainly solve this (We certainly know that M$ aren't going to!)

I've just ordered Smart Homes for Dummies from Amazon - I therefore expect to be, if not an expert, less of a dummy within a month! Thanks for the tip...

PS - The weather's still perfect here! Time for a swim, I think! ;-)
 
Oh, you are cruel! ;-)

You enjoy your swim and think of me while I shovel my driveway clear of snow and continue to make chicken soup for my wife who has a bad winter cold! I can see you now, reading your smart home book on the beach...
 
Hmm... interfaces? There's WiFi. I don't quite get why nobody just "does it". Apple's almost predestined to it. Connecting an iPod to a home stereo is nothing magical, of course, but Apple could easily create a set top box that works with my stereo, my home cinema and my Mac(s). The Mac could stream iPhoto slide shows, movies and stuff to the video beamer, the set top box could send recorded video to the Mac for archiving (so the set top box wouldn't need 200 GB of disk space, the Mac would...) etc.
 
Amen fryke - and I think with Apple's marketing and ability to make new stuff (like the iPod) so seductive in a design sense is a really important. Of course none of us really *need* such a thing, but they can sure make us WANT one! I think I have another thread on this somewhere, or maybe I say it somewhere here, but I agree completely with your "predestined" comment since this kind of thing would seem a natural extension of the "digital hub" stratgey that Apple/Jobs is always talking about.

Perhaps it is all being developed and they just need a name for it that will take well to the "i" prefix? :)
 
And then iLife would all be integrated into your smart home system, so you could control events with iCal. You could program your bedroom digital hub to turn on at 7am and start iTunes or FM radio for five minutes, at which point if the mini iSight mounted in the corner hadn't detected your motion yet it would blast the audio until you got up and turned it off. You could also have it trigger an applescript to fire up netnewswire with all the major news channels plus anything else that is syndicated on your main computer downstairs. It could start the oven in which you put the bread dough you had raising over night, and automatically turn it off providing you with fresh baked bread by the time you were out of the shower and ready to go.
But as sweet as that would be I never see apple implementing a full home automation system -- even the iBox seems like a pretty far fetched idea to me. But I think that eventually anything electronic in your house will come 'networked,' so all you have to do is assign it some kind of key so it interacted properly with your network automation server (macintosh computer, linux server, whatever) via wifi or bluetooth, and that it could have it's own special code libraries much like different applications have their own applescript libraries that would be ubiquitously (I love option-escape) transfered from the device to the server as soon as the key was given.
I was thinking about this some though and it would be hard to configure devices to your server and only your server - because if your oven can be controlled by a server in the apartment next door, or even worse the wireless streaming color video camera in your bedroom that could have some akward consequences...
 
mr. k said:
because if your oven can be controlled by a server in the apartment next door, or even worse the wireless streaming color video camera in your bedroom that could have some akward consequences...
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All the more reason not leave this up to Windows based machines! ;) Could you imagine having to install security patches for your ice maker, water heater, coffee maker... every other week? I can see the headlines now:

"Nation paralyzed by latest toaster worm. 6 million burnt bagels in north east cause panic as supplies dwindle."

Seriously mr K - you raise all valid points. According to my new friends at the high end audio/video store who have been doing this kind of thing for years (one whose own father also specializes in smart home set ups for the rich and famous) the one thing that has always stopped home automation from really taking off (for the middle class anyway) is an agreed upon standard between all the different companies. Now it seems even more companies are getting involved including PC-ish and related companies. In addition, "home automation" can mean so many different things - appliances, phone, networks, audio/video, security systems... it is hard to draw the line as those lines become more blurred.

Any way, my own selfish desire is to see Apple blaze a new path by expanding their own digital hub hardware/software to the home, but maybe sitting back and seeing others mistakes is a good strategy too?

FYI, here is a link to the Consumer Electronics Show site: http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/markets/networking.asp

Also see this one with Apple included: http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/conferences/search/session_detail.asp?ID_session=ET6
 
chemistry_geek said:
With a broadband connection, I could have a video and/or audio chat room (not sure if iChatAV does this already). I could have multiple audio conversations simultaneously. I think all the software is basically there, it's just refining it more for those features.
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Am I the only one who thinks this would be awesome? Imagine having several iChat AV video windows tiled across your screen, including your own tucked into the corner, and being able to conference with lots of people all over the world at the same time, with everyone seeing the same thing... makes Star Trek look like the original telephone. :)
 
"Nation paralyzed by latest toaster worm. 6 million burnt bagels in north east cause panic as supplies dwindle."

LOL!

I don't think it's just me... I have HUGE faith in Apple and their products... I know they're not perfect but I would be completely happy for it to be an Apple system that controlled my house - anything based on Windows now fills me with dread!
 
Arden said:
... makes Star Trek look like the original telephone. :)
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Arden, I must confess to you that the main drive behind my wanting a fully automated home is the secret desire to be the Captian Kirk (or Picard, heck even Janeway!) of my own house. Video monitors, cameras, voice control, automated everything and speaking computers... could life be any better? :) Speaking of Star Trek - you just know this whole home theater thing is going to evolve into the Holodeck. We may not live to see it, but that may be a good thing - for marriages at least!

Any way, back to the video thing - some time ago (1998?) I had a little computer video camera by Kensignton and a PC and was using CUSeeMe for multiple person video conferencing. I think even Netmeeting will do this today so iChat should certainly do this too some time soon too. Any way, get this, I was on this CUSeeMe set of groups and I saw all kinds of groups for sci-fi type things including one titled something like X-Discussion. I, being a naive sci-fi geek, thought that surely this was related to X-Files, a show I really enjoyed. I used my own full name and logged in to the group only to be greated by about 4 naked guys all sitting there in their computer chairs and saying hello to me! I was out of there in a flash (no pun intended) and didn't turn on my computer for a few days!!! ("not that there is anything wrong with it" as Jerry Seinfeld would say).

applewhore - I'm with you 100% - a windows maching controlling my house is not my idea of convenience. Heck, I'd rather make my own candles for lighting that go that route!
 
karavite - I love your turn of phrase - you got me laughing out loud again, much to the bemusement of my girlfriend! Thank you...

I'm just imagining your entrance into the X-Files chat room- what an easy mistake to make... too funny!

Apple could do the house control thing (but I don't think they will, unfortunately!) - but how perfect would it be? Just thinking of the interface they give us with PowerBooks, Displays etc. could lead to something very exciting...

Using M$ stuff only leads to X-Files / Discussions type surprises!

:)
 
lnoelstorr said:
Here are a couple of devices you may be interested in for networked (including wi-fi) audio:
(sorry if they've been mentioned already)
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No need to be sorry even if they were Inoelstorr, but especially since they were not mentioned!!! You must be a great searcher because I never saw these after many google sessions for exactly this kind of thing! Any way, I think the HomePod is the closest best bet for me and more of this kind of thing is exciting. I'll read more about it very soon (have to get to work!)

applewhore - I'm glad that if I can't solve your X10 issues, at least I can entertain you! :) Still, going back to those dark CuCmee X-Files memories was painful! ;) I mean there I was WITH MY REAL NAME and multiple video windows of some very lonely and strange guys...
 
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