HomeSeer announces PRO-100 Series-II home automation controller

You've got a lot of options when it comes to dictating the electronics in your home, but HomeSeer is hoping to snag your increasingly coveted dollars with its newly unveiled PRO-100 Series-II. The home automation controller ups the ante on last year's Series-I by housing a 1.5GHz Intel Celeron processor, 1GB of DDR RAM, four RS-232 serial ports, a pair of USB 2.0 inputs, Ethernet, audio in / out, and Windows XP already embedded. The company claims the new unit sports "practically double the performance and capacity of the original PRO-100, while maintaining the same level of high reliability and low power consumption (20 watts nominally)." In an presumed attempt to eliminate any and all manual labor within your domicile, HomeSeer's new box supports dozens of popular electronic setups, takes commands via voice (telephone or microphone) and the web, and plays nice with a myriad of "lighting arrangements, appliances, security, HVAC, and home theater systems." The PRO-100 Series-II will begin shipping "this December" for a currently undisclosed (yet presumably pricey) amount.

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

[Ian @ Oct 28th 2006 2:47AM]

Wonderfuly original UI they have there. Did they think it up all on their own?

[Deluxe @ Oct 28th 2006 3:18AM]

Chances are if you're running an automated electronics system you're also likely to have a Windows Media Center PC running (or something like it, which all have the same design anyway), it makes sense to have a fairly uniform UI style.

[John Sinshack @ Oct 28th 2006 8:12AM]

I can see it all now... "King of your castle, without getting off your asshole"

[Leon Lamle @ Oct 28th 2006 9:45AM]

This is really cool, and i could see a possible use in my home... but what if it gets a virus or other malicious software and my house winds up like a blast furnace... I really wish they had used a more unique OS or chosen Mac... oh well ill give it a try and hope for the best.

[Matt @ Oct 28th 2006 1:14PM]

Two things: First, I am wondering if this somehow works directly with WinMCE over the network.

Second, the odds of getting a virus on a specialized and uncommon embedded device are pretty slim.

[Uno Technology @ Oct 28th 2006 5:13PM]

Wow... i'll have some new stuff to use

-
Uno Technology
http://unoph.com
http://unoph.com/uno

[Aaron @ Oct 29th 2006 1:19AM]

That is the same type of hardware Keywest Technology uses in one of the digital signage players.

http://www.keywesttechnology.com/products/media-pod/

I've used the Keywest version and the thing is dead silent. Pretty slick little setup if you don't need much "horse power". I wouldn't mind having a beefed up version for a media center system.

[Ben @ Nov 1st 2006 7:03PM]

The MSRP is $2,799, plus another few grand for each in-wall touchscreen. But it is really cool. I don't have this exact system, but I can say that I love the looks that I get from people when I double-click "Ben's room ceiling" on my computer and the recessed lights in the ceiling fade on. Convenient, too - I don't have to walk 20 feet to turn on the light switch.

Oh, you might as well add $50-100 per item you want to control with the thing (depending on what it is). An average light or bank of recessed lights can cost $50 or $60, because you need special switches that receive the commands. Also, add in the cost of custom wiring for the stuff. I did most of mine myself, but electricians can charge hefty premiums for this kind of work.

But again, it *is* really cool - especially when combined with nifty things like RFID readers, motion sensors, and the like. If you set it up properly, you can control all sorts of goodies, like door locks, lights, HVAC, TV channels, home audio distribution, and more! You can even have it set up so that when you swipe your RFID card outside, the door unlocks for 10 seconds, and a few lights inside go on to light your way. Have lights turn on when you walk into a room, and turn off when nobody's around. The possibilities are endless.