RE: The SWMBO is RIGHT! RE: Power triggering

["Kenneth Watt" <kennwatt@xxxxxxx>]

I do agree with much said by both Mark and Ian on this, the whole idea,
IMO, is to keep things as basic as basic can be at the actual user end
whilst what happens at the "business" end of things is never
really
seen. In effect, you ask the house to do X by a single button press and
it does it!

Fumbling about with different panels on the Pronto isn't even part of my
plan, I can't be arsed with it, I want to press one button and it
happens wherever possible. I walk into a room and the lights come on,
simple and no mucking about with those stupid ugly RF remotes wherever
possible.

Having said that, in the AV room I press a "power up" button for
what I
want to do it takes me to the panel for the amp, then I simply select
what source I want and sorts out the system accordingly. So simple
anyone with half a brain can pick up the remote and use the system,
otherwise you have over-designed and overly complicated things IMO.

K.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Harrison [mailto:Mark.Harrison@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 13 February 2002 15:34
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: The SWMBO is RIGHT! RE: [ukha_d] Power triggering
>
> Ian,
>
> Firstly, let me say that complaining about SWMBO-compliance is a great
> group tradition that I wouldn't want to see go ;-)
>
> Seriously, though, I agree with what you say about "delivering
obvious
> benefit".
>
> Where the Pronto totally comes into its own for us is with the
DDARs/Rio
> Receivers. For Mary, the "killer app" was giving Mary a
remote that
has
> a button marked "MP3". When she presses this, it turns on
the amps,
and
> switches them to the DDAR source. It then changes the Pronto so it
> presents a page called "playlists". One of the buttons on
this page is
> "G&S" (Gilbert & Sullivan). Pressing the G&S
button takes her to a
> Pronto screen that lists all the G&S Operettas, so, say, picking
> "Iolanthe" is a three button job she can do from in bed.
>
> On moving the intelligence to the backend, I also seem to be having
> similar experiences to you. Increasingly, I'm using the Pronto's
"main
> macros" to, in fact, only send a single IR code, and then letting
> HomeVision sort out all the triggering required.
>
> If I can use a web server metaphor - I started with the Pronto as an
> integrated items that did everything. As time's gone by, I've
separated
> out the web serving (displaying on a Pronto) from the application
> serving (running macros) functionality... just like at work ;-)
NOTE:
> this is a metaphor - I don't actually display web pages on a
Pronto!!!!
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Mark Harrison
> Head of Systems, eKingfisher
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ian Lowe [mailto:ian@xxxxxxx]
> Sent: 13 February 2002 15:18
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: The SWMBO is RIGHT! RE: [ukha_d] Power triggering
>
>
>
> Guys I have had growing un-ease here...
>
> Can I just stress that this is my own personal view.
>
> If you have a SWMBO who doesn't "get it" you have a perfect
> opportunity..
>
> It's a simple enough principle. if the SWMBO doesn't see *instantly*
> that
> the HA setup offers something worthwhile,
> then it probably *isn't* worthwhile.
>
> Time and again, occupancy detection seems to be "it" the
insurmountable
> problem. I think, though, that control is more of an issue than most
> people
> realise.
>
> We started out looking for a proto, but I am now thinking much more
> seriously about ditching the whole "intelligent remote" idea
as an
> incredibly bad idea for most things.
>
> having implemented an IR transceiver, and girder, I am now looking at
> using
> One for All "zapper-1" single device remotes as the main
home
> controller,
> using smarts at th *other* end to do the business..
>
> I am also thinking of ripping the guts out of an HR10, and fixing it
up
> behind some nice M-K switches, to make the X-10 control interface as
> close
> to normal operation as possible..
>
> I think our house is about as "simple" as can be, but
visitors still
> have
> problems. Tony's joke about handing visitors a leaflet showing how to
> work
> the doorbell is funny, but just think.. how many pages of instructions
> would
> you have to give to a housesitter if you went on a long break, of a
> month or
> so? How many support calls would you get for your house?
>
> I think we need to consider these issues.
>
> Ian.
>
>
>
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