Re: Linux, anyone?

["Harrison, Mark (Alliance)" <Mark.Harrison@xxxxxxx>]

Wow!

Thanks for the reply, and the inspiration it provides... I'm committed
to a "self-designed" system, and it's good to know that what I'm
aiming
for is acheivable.

Regards,

Mark Harrison
European IT Manager, BP/Bovis Alliance
Tel: +44 181 869 1439
Fax: +44 181 423 7711
SMTP: Mark.Harrison@xxxxxxx



-----Original Message-----
From: patrick@xxxxxxx [mailto:patrick@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 15 March 1999 11:40
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] Re: Linux, anyone?



On 10-Mar-99 Harrison, Mark (Alliance) wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> Anyone out there using Linux to automate some (or all) of their
> homes?
>

Yup!

For end-user interface, I have a mixture of Infra-red remote control,
web and menu-driven text interfaces (via mini RS232 terminals).

The linux box interfaces with: X-10, home security system (including
PIR's), caller-id with SMS (pager-style) notification to my mobile
phone, IR control of TV and video, interactive voice control (I can
phone the server and follow voice prompts to e.g. record a tv program,
turn the lounge lights on) as well as providing usual Linux like
facilities such as e-mail, web cacheing (eg. daily download of TV
listings etc.), networking services and dial-on-demand connection to my
ISP.

On the in-progress front: I already have a video camera on my front
door, but am struggling to get a Hauppauge capture card working under
X-Windows. I also have a Creative Labs VGA to PAL converter (acquired
off someone on this list), which should allow me to connect the Linux
box to my TV set, and will open up the possibility of vastly improved
user interface once get it working under X-Windows, but again is proving
a bit problematic (I haven't tried _that_ hard; I'm travelling a lot and
don't have much spare time these days).
I'm tempted to try interfacing with my heating too - but the potentially
high price of failure (freezing to death) is putting me off...

Almost all the software is home-brew. Linux was definitely the best
choice. X-10 performs reasonably well, but can be a bit slow. I've found
that most of the really cool home-automation features seem to come from
being able to combine simple tasks. For example, sensing PIR state is
easy. Turning lights on is easy. Turning the bathroom light on when you
get up in the night is easy to do by combining these things, and dead
handy to boot. As is turning on the coffee machine when I get up in the
morning. Automatically turning the sound down on the TV when the phone
rings is another useful trick...

Patrick

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