Re: A mentor / Advisor ?

["accidental plumber" <aplayerinla@xxxxxxxxx>]

Chris Hackett wrote:

> >
> >> Phone:

> >
> > But for DSL, you can't port your old number to the new service without
> > giving up your DSL service.  Go cable, 5 M is rather pleasant.
>
> This issue gets so complicated for us.  We've looked into giving up the DSL
> and moving to cable, mostly cause we don't want to fool with Bellsouth
> anymore.  I could never give up my Dual Tuner Tivo, and as far as I know
> that's only available on DirectTV.  I don't know how much un-bundled data
> service from our cable company costs, or if it's even available.  I'm
> guessing that the cost of unbundled data service from the cable company is
> more than the savings of giving up bellsouth and DSL.  Of course it's all
> moot if I have to give up the dual tuner tivo.  That's just not gonna happen

I would use cable only for internet.  That's $50 unbundled for 5M and
you can go a lot higher.  But I don't know if they would install cable
for you without cable TV.

I'll stay with satellite for TV.  And for bundled DVR, your choice is
limited to what you are offered.

>
> >
> > If you need an intercom, you need video intercom.  Otherwise a camera
> > is safer than voice intercom.  If you get a wi-fi cam around $100, you
> > can use it as a security cam when you leave home.  You can see it over
> > the internet without your PC.
>
> This is cool stuff.  I would like to do something like this if it's 1) Not
> unsightly and can integrate with the environment reasoably well .. and 2)
> It's low-to-no maintainence.

Major webcam and wi-fi manufacturers have some, like a small webcam
with antenna sticking out.  Wi-fi has good range and digital
transmission, so you really can install in discreetly position, needing
only wires for the power supply.  I can't think of anything you need to
do to maintain cams.  You should able to reconfig via internet.

I though you were talking about security intercom.  Most cordless phone
do intercom like calling handset #4, instead of call all handset all at
once.  This is the problem rather than price.  Like Dect, the price is
good.  The Europeans couldn't delay the Chinese factories mass
producing an open standard.  They are all from China anyway, the
difference is the label, major Western company or unknown Asian
subsidiaries.

But do you have an intercom already?  My wife is doing a good job at
it.  I can always hear her even if my house is several times bigger.
And I have to run to her at light speed, or run away even faster.

>
> >
> >> HVAC:
>
> That's an interesting concept.  I'm not sure if it's for me or not, but
> definitely makes sense.  I'm not sure if I'll remember or want to carry a
> thermostat with me from place to place.  I wonder if there's a solution
> where I can install temperature sensors in various places, and then program
> the thermostat to regulate the temperature based on different, stationary,
> sensors .. maybe based on time of day as well.
>

Sure see other replies.  My unit can be seen as a sensor and remote
control in one.  There is also the UI for status, displaying the
temperature, also for programming.  It is designed for multiple units -
one being the master or at least they can talk to each other.  You can
do some complicated stuff like weighted average but I don't think it's
useful.  You must be able to get more units so you don't need to carry
it around like me.  But it make sense to have a sensor near you and
remote control near you, so carrying it around is logical, cheap as
well.

It comes to how centralized you want your system to be.  x10 was a big
player in all-in-one IR remotes.  With it's x10 version, I can control
most of the media center, change channel on TV to my security cam's
receivers, and switch cams controlled by x10 dc adaptors, and of course
all the lightings.  Ideally I would like to have a display for the temp
too and one touch button to increase temp by 1 deg.  But that ain't
going to happen.  Even if there's a display, it not likely to be 1
touch operation.  So a separate wireless device seem to be simpler.

>
> I don't know what the practical reality is of what you described above.  If
> my wife is in the kitchen preparing dinner, I don't want it to be a 3 step
> move that requires punching keys on a wireless laptop if she wants to turn
> on the tv and watch something from the tivo in the kitchen.  I realize that
> if I only have 1 tivo, then it can only send one signal at a time .. so that
> anyone in the house that's watching the tivo will all be watching the same
> thing.  I think we can live with that.

I wouldn't know as cable is very good at protecting their digital
content from getting out of the box.  I think you have to pay for your
own box and service to get the most from Tivo.  I was thinking of
moving digital content from Tivo to Tivo not in real time.  If you are
doing complicated things, you can use the PC ethernet interface to
program multiple Tivo and shift contents around.

I think you are thinking of streaming Tivo content to a media adapter
connected to your other TV via ethernet or wi-fi in real time.  I think
Tivo should have this function or sooner or later.