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Amazon Echo connected home control reaches Insteon lights
The Amazon Echo just got a bit more useful with today's announcement that it would be integrated with Insteon's connected lights, dimmers and relays. In addition to the expected on and off capabilities, devices and lights can be part of five-item groups and dimmed with voice command. For example: "Alexa, set living room lamp to 50 percent." The Echo currently doesn't support Insteon's Scenes feature with its ability to combine an unlimited about of devices quiet yet. But, the company says that adding that capability is a high priority. Also, Echo integration will work with the company's latest regular Hub but not with the Hub Pro which was built specifically for HomeKit. The Echo already supports Philips' Hue, Belkin's WeMo, and Samsung's SmartThings. By adding Insteon, the voice-activated tube from Amazon is becoming more and more sleeper device in the connected home.
Dear Veronica: Is this the end of portable gaming devices?
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-820880{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-820880, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-820880{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-820880").style.display="none";}catch(e){} First things first, I wanted to let you guys know that you can now subscribe to Dear Veronica on iTunes! We'll have an RSS feed up soon for you non-iTunes people, so don't think we forgot about you. These things just take time. Episode-wise, I'm excited to welcome onto the show my friend and my former Tekzilla co-host Patrick Norton of TekThing! He's going to set you straight on the best home automation setup. Plus, we talk about following (or not) awkward acquaintances on Instagram. Keep sending in those questions to me via email, or on Twitter using the hashtag #DearVeronica. See you next time!
The first products that support Apple's HomeKit have arrived
A year after Apple first announced it, you can finally buy products based on HomeKit. Lutron and Insteon have products available now, while others like Elgato, Ecobee and iHome are bringing accessories soon. That means you'll be be able to build a HomeKit system with programmable lights, plugs, energy and climate sensors, thermostats and more. Apple introduced HomeKit standard to allow such devices to play nicely together, and of course, let you control everything via your iPhone, iPad or Watch. The idea was to also bring voice control to home automation via Siri.
Microsoft brings home automation app and devices to the Windows Store
Unlike Google with its new $3.2 billion Nest, Microsoft doesn't have a lot of home automation products yet despite some interesting research. Redmond has now made a move to stock its shelves, albeit indirectly, via a partnership with home automation specialist Insteon. The pair just announced that an enhanced Insteon app will soon be available on Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 devices. It'll feature multiple, full-screen video feeds, device control, a visitor mode to give limited control to others and Live Tile integration for status updates. In addition, Insteon will sell standalone devices in the Windows Store including a leak sensor, LED bulb and WiFi camera for $30 - $80, with kits starting at $200. Unlike Nest Products or the Philips Hue, Insteon's system uses RF frequency and your home's existing wiring (PowerLine) to communicate with devices. The app will arrive on June 1st, with the devices hitting Windows Stores in July, complete with educational demos and displays.
Insert Coin: Luminode dimmer switch runs on a mesh network, learns to light up our lives (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Just a simple light switch, you say? Look closer. Think Automatic's Luminode dimmer switch hides both a processor and a mesh network connection that lets every switch in the home coordinate with each other. A multi-tap system makes it possible to link multiple lights together without extra wiring or complex programming, but that's just the start: it's possible to create "scenes" of predefined lighting levels and, with a USB adapter, hook up to home automation systems (including Think Automatic's own) that can learn usage habits, track energy consumption or simply let us control the array with our smartphones. The platform uses raw XML to communicate and already talks to GE, Insteon and Stargate hardware -- all without requiring a huge grid of buttons or displays. Development of the Luminode is very nearly done after six-plus years of work in Seattle. The hardware is fundamentally ready and just needs the Kickstarter project to finish its FCC and UL testing along with the obligatory mass production. The hope is to start delivering switches in January as well as integrate more closely with non-lighting elements in the future. Pledge levels are dictated almost exclusively by volume: $130 is what it takes to get a basic two-switch kit, $260 will add the USB adapter along with an extra switch, and successive levels scale all the way up to a 50-switch, $3,000 kit for large homes. Think Automatic has a relatively low $35,000 threshold to meet its Kickstarter funding, but it only has 13 days left to go. If you like the idea of advanced lighting that doesn't require an advanced appreciation of the user manual to understand, now's a good time to click the source link and make it happen.
INSTEON says apps are better than switches with networked LED bulbs
We'll spare you the puns and meme references here. (Besides, how many Xzibit jokes can you take?) INSTEON has decided that simply saving you money on your electric bill isn't enough anymore. If you're going to cough up nearly $30 for an LED lightbulb, there better be some value added features. So, the company stuck a proprietary dual-band wireless receiver inside each of its eco-friendly lights allowing them to connect to a home automation system. There is a dedicated remote you could buy, but why bother when there's an app available for both Android and iOS that lets you turn on, off and dim the lights from the comfort of your touch screen. You can even create custom "scenes" for preset lighting levels. Unlike most remote lighting solutions, though, all the necessary hardware is built into the bulbs themselves. In fact, each one acts as a signal repeater, passing along instructions both wirelessly and though the powerlines to make sure ever corner of your home is covered. For more check out the PR and video after the break.
Mi Casa Verde Vera review: Home automation, simplified
Home automation and jetpacks are surprisingly similar in that both of these space-age technologies have, for decades, been over promised and under delivered. Who here wouldn't love to tap a single button when exiting the house to activate the alarm, shut off the lights in the kids' rooms, lower the thermostat, and lock all the doors? That's the convenience, the promise left unfilled as we say goodbye to 2010. We live on a planet that still requires humans to manually close the blinds at the end of the day and flip on a light switch some 90 years since the commercial introduction of the incandescent light bulb. How primitive. And it's downright criminal in ecological and financial terms that we still can't easily monitor and control the power usage in our homes let alone the trickle of wattage vampired off the individual electrical sockets feeding our greedy horde of household electronics. How is this possible given all the advances we've seen? Wireless and sensor technology has advanced far beyond what's required to automate a home. Just look at smartphones, for example, that now ship standard with 3G (and even 4G) data, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS radios in addition to sensors for motion, temperature, moisture, proximity, and even direction. We don't have the answer to home automation's dilemma -- to dig into that topic we'd require a few thousand more words, at least. All we know for sure is that the biggie consumer electronics companies are reluctant to sort it out. As such, dozens of small companies are left to deal with a mess created by an industry incapable of coalescing around a set of interoperable home automation standards. One such company is Mi Casa Verde. A tiny startup that launched its linux-based Vera home automation server back in 2008 with a renewed promise to make home automation setup and control as easy for novices as it is robust for techies and enthusiasts. We've been using a recently launched second generation Vera 2 for a few weeks now. Sure, we haven't quite reached one-button nirvana, but as home automation newbies we're proud to say that we've automated a few helpful in-home lighting situations while skirting the clutches of the Dark Angel sequestered within our fuse box. Better yet, we can control it all from an iPhone -- including the Christmas tree. Click through to see how we did it. %Gallery-111569%
Twitter supposedly used to control house lights
We'll preface this by saying this whole thing could be one giant hoax, but it's most certainly within the realm of possibility. We're told it's a mixture of Insteon, SMS and Twitter, all of which are utilized in order to give one particular homeowner the ability to activate / turn off lights remotely by sending a specific message to the latter. If your interest is unquestionably piqued, click on through to check out the video -- 'tis a shame there's no how-to guide to be found.[Via Digital Tech News]
RemoteLinc wirelessly controls everything in your crib
While it must be nice to own a home that's completely controlled by your voice, a clap, or a simple remote, getting this stuff up and running isn't always easy, and the INSTEON-compatible RemoteLinc doesn't seen to make things any less complicated. Sure, controlling your garage door, fireplace, kitchen appliances, home theater components, and six or so lighting schemes throughout the house may sound novel, but considering the extras required to make it happen with the RemoteLinc, you may want to look elsewhere for your home automation needs. The control only dictates items that are first connected to an RF-capable AccessPoint, which acts as a bridge between the item and the RemoteLinc, but hooking up a multitude of devices can get quite pricey when buying a SwitchLinc, LampLinc, or ApplianceLinc for every single unit. Still, it does boast of "Plug and Tap" ease when setting things up, and the remote itself will only set you back $49.99, but we'd be well aware of the necessary add-ons you'll need to make the magic happen before diving on in.[Via CNET]
Indigo Home Automation
We just told you about the Lithium server monitoring app but what if, like most Mac users, you're more likely to monitor and control your house (or at least your lamps) than your servers? Adam Goldstein has a nice introduction to the Indigo Home Automation and Control Server over at MacDevCenter. Indigo is a Mac application for home automation using INSTEON/X10 switches, dimmers, sprinkler controllers, etc. It does this via a USB interface device which communicates with the special switches, etc. through your existing power lines. Thus, your Mac can both monitor sensors of various sorts (e.g. motion sensors) and send commands to various appliances plugged into control modules (either external ones that go between the appliance and the wall socket, or internal ones that actually replace the wall sockets). There are a variety of sensor and control modules available. Indigo can be controlled in many ways: pre-made schedules, Applescript, Salling Clicker (Bluetooth), a Dashboard widget, the phone, or even over the internet via the built-in web server. As of now, your Mac server must remain on at all times (though a future version will be able to upload commands to the USB module and then shut off). Indigo is not cheap at $179.95 (introductory price, $199.95 regularly, demo available) and obviously requires a considerable investment in INSTEON modules ($10 to $200 each), but if you're the geeky type like me this is just begging for a mac mini home server. The main thing missing for me is some sort of thermostat interface and perhaps more sensors.[Via MacDevCenter]
Threshold's One-Net protocol syncs up home automation, hectors ZigBee
If you're looking to automate your home, you've got enough options to drive you up your own walls, but apparently Threshold doesn't think anyone's nailed it down quite yet. Supposedly competing against the more familiar Insteon and ZigBee configurations, the company's One-Net reportedly "provides greater range, better security and a more open environment than competing schemes." Threshold states that it can produce One-Net nodes for just "two to three bucks" by using off-the-shelf transceivers, and that ranges of up to 100 meters can be realized indoors. The accompanying (free) software also works with transceivers from six other vendors (Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, Semtech, RF Monolithics, Micrel and Integration Associates), and defines "everything from modulation schemes to messaging protocols." Threshold is planning to build a collection of home automation peripherals to mesh with the One-Net mainframe, including "door, window, motion, and moisture sensors," and a camera to boot -- but all these fancy frequencies still can't match the style points gained by having a magical mirror controlling the security side of things.
