----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2001
4:21
PM
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] X10,
PCs/Homeseer
and Reliability
The UCM provides a serial interface to
Comfort. This is a very nice interface. Almost everything can
be
done by sending commands over the serial link to the UCM. The UCM
also
reports events out the serial port (armed, disarmed, zone status change,
etc.) automatically so that no polling is required. Your own software
could easily log these events and display them however you
like.
Comfort with a UCM will give you the very
configurable system you desire.
Dan
I was planning to use both a PC and
Comfort.
How controllable is comfort via computer
interface? How much data is "reported" to the computer? Have I
got my wires crossed here? Can you log comfort actions on the
computer, and display, say, temperature graphically?
I was hoping to use the central computer to
provide whole house audio on demand from MP3`s, combined with control of
other audi-visual appliances, although I don`t know quite how yet!
Also, expanding into voice activation through the computer and software
when my budget and reliability allow.
Basically I want a very configurable system I
can build on. I have high hopes, and a small budget!
Regards,
Charlie
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2001
12:26 AM
Subject: Re: [ukha_d] X10,
PCs/Homeseer and Reliability
>Sorry, this is another one of my patented incoherent e-mails so
I'll summarise (or try to ;-)):
>what prompts people to use something like HV/Comfort
rather than a PC? Is it purely price?
A dedicated hardware solution like Comfort or HV is definately more
robust than a PC solution. In the case of HV vs HomeSeer (for
example) you'd also have to add on quite a bit of hardware to bring your
PC up to the same capabilities as HV. You'd need video in and out,
IR Tx and Rx, X10 Interface, digital and analogue I/Os as
well.
Once you had all these add-ons it would be unlikely they would
interact as flawlessly as in the HV design.
However for many people HomeSeer and a PC will be more than enough
for their needs.
Depends what you want to do?
M.