RE: The SWMBO is RIGHT! RE: Power triggering

["Ian Lowe" <ian@xxxxxxx>]

>In short, it's big bang or damp squib :(

To a certain extent, yes, that being said, i think I have bumbled around
doing a lot of stuff (running cables, buying little bits of kit etc) with
absolutely *nothing* to show for it, as I have been unwilling to put
something half-assed in place.

then, in the space of a *very* short time, we leap forward a bit.

We added the capability of switching the fishtank lights on and off at a
set
time, using an AM12 and a minitimer.
An absolutely idiotic use, considering the functionality was no more than
we
had with the auto-timer switch, at least until we started watching
movies...
when being able to kill the tank lights or power them on again, outside of
the "set times" *added* something.

Next was the curtains, and lights where we had the whole "house looks
occupied" thing

The issue then being that "must be half eleven" is a standing
joke for
visitors to our home,
as the living room lights kick off then.


>Surely though Ian, you won't need a house sitter, because your fully
>automated house gives the appearance of being occupied all the time,
the
>cameras at the front & back door post images of approacing ppl to a
website
>you can monitor remotely, the alarm will ring you if anyone breaks
in......

well, the last housesitting was a favour to *them* not us, as it gave the
"still living with parents"
family members an (excuse the couarseness) "shag palace" for the
ten days of
our holiday.

those ten days show my point...

On day 3, the TM12 locked up, disabling all the HR10s. The appliance module
in the TM12 was running the fishtank lights, which stayed on for the next
week, causing an Algae bloom, and killing three fish. The housesitter had
no
idea how to switch the lights off, and the complexity of the house made
them
fearful of "breaking something"

Day 5 someone made a mistake and closed the curtains manually at night, so
the "toggle" schedule threw them out of sync, and the confusing
fact that
the curtains were off when the button was pressed again left the occupants
confused, and annoyed. The curtains were still out of sync when we got
back.

On day 7, the NT Server crashed, disabling the MP3 jukebox, email etc. The
housesitters had no *clue* what was wrong.

I remember someone interviewing airline pilots flying the new glass panel
A320, and the pilots frequently commented that they had no idea what
"it"
was doing. They actively distrusted and disliked the plane because they
felt
that they were not in control of it.

My experience of non-UKHA members in an X-10 house is pretty much that:
they
feel totally out of control, as "it" does things around them,
like it or
not.

Ian.