A 2007 presentation about D.I.Y. home automation, from the author of the book "Smart Home Hacks." You'll learn basic techniques, some very fun projects you can try, and some factors you absolutely must consider while automating your home.

1. Home Automation
for Humans
Gordon Meyer
SEWWUG
July 18, 2007
©2007

2. Welcome to
my automated home

3. OK
Wake me at 5:30AM.
If I’m not up by 5:45,
try again.

4. If my wife is home, wake
her at 6:30.

5. Unless it’s a weekend, then
let us both sleep until 8:00.

6. Start the coffee pot before I
go downstairs, and turn on
some lights if it’s still dark.

7. Bye
Turn everything off after
the last person leaves for
work.

8. Send me an email if
anything interesting
happens while I’m gone.

9. Turn on the yard lights a
few minutes after sunset.

10. And if nobody is home yet,
look occupied.

11. When I arrive, tell me how
many email messages I
have from friends.

12. And remind me that it’s
garbage night.

13. If the phone rings during
dinner, tell me who is
calling.

14. It’s time for bed. Tell me
tomorrow’s weather.

15. Tell me that I left the
garage door open. Close it
for me.

16. G’nite
Turn off the lights. Adjust
the thermostat. Be quiet
until morning.

17. The home of tomorrow, today.

18. Your house as the ultimate peripheral
Your computer needs to talk to
your house. To do this you need
to make your house smarter.
• But you don’t need a new house.
• You don’t need new lamps.
• What you need is…
•

19. Your house as the ultimate peripheral
Your computer needs to talk to
your house. To do this you need
to make your house smarter.
But you don’t need a new
house.
You don’t need new lamps.
What you need is…

20. Your house as the ultimate peripheral
Your computer needs to talk to
your house. To do this you need
to make your house smarter.
But you don’t need a new
house.
You don’t need new lamps.
What you need is…
X

21. X10 Technology
Powerline Carrier (PLC)
Sends data over household AC
Since 1978, now public domain
Dozens of brand names
Hundreds of devices

22. X10 Details
Serialized commands sent over the AC power line
• X10 modules are connected to power line and listen for commands
• All modules are always listening for commands
• Modules respond when they see a command with their X10 address
•
–
–
–
House codes: A-P
Unit codes: 1-16
Example X10 address: B5

23. A rose by any other name...
PLC (x10) label names
X-10 Powerhouse
The BSR System X-10
Magnavox
Leviton Manufacturing Co.
HomePro
Advanced Control Technologies
Stanley
GE Homeminder
PCS
Safety First
IBM
Heath Kit - Zenith
Wesclox
NuTone
RCA
HomeLink
SmartLinc
Universal Electronics
One-For-All
Sears
Radio Shack Plug 'n Power

24. Modules

25. Lamp & Appliance Modules
•
Modules let you control:
–
–
–
–
Lamps
Fans
Coffee Pots
Radios

26. Motion Detectors
•
•
•
•
•
Passive Infrared Detection
Battery-operated
Sends wireless signal to a nearby
transceiver
Transceiver relays signal to the
power line
Not exactly instantaneous

27. Sending X10 Commands
Mini-controllers let you manually
send X10 commands
• Turn lights on or off
• Dim lights
• Trigger a macro in your home
automation software
•

28. Can’t I just turn on a light like a
normal person?

30. control is not automation

31. Control

32. Automation

33. X10 to Computer Interface
Makes your house a peripheral
Serial device
• Plugs into wall socket
• Receives all X10 commands
• Sends X10 commands
• ActiveHome Pro CM15A
•
US$50
• SmartHome PowerLinc 1132U
US$40

34. The Zen of X10

35. q
It takes time
Transmission timing means it
takes 1.5 seconds to send
commands.
• Longer if you’re using wireless
devices, like motion detectors,
without a separate wireless
receiver.
•

36. F
Noise happens
•
Electrical noise blocks commands
–
–
–
–
power supplies
electric toothbrushes
fluorescent lights
your favorite gadget

37. !
Give it a hand
•
Normalize your electrical
environment
–
–
–
Use X10 filters
Use X10 signal boosters
Bridge your home’s phases

38. "
Keep perspective
•
Relax, take a deep breath
–
–
–
If a light doesn’t come on, you’re
no worse off than before, right?
Do you stop using WiFi because
the microwave knocks you
offline?
If you don’t like it, stop. Starting
small means you can.

39. X10 Alternatives

40. •
•
•
www.insteon.net
•
•
Backwards compatible with X10
Uses the powerline, but with a
modern protocol & repeaters
Wireless Bridging for reliability
SDK available
So far, software for Mac and
Windows only

41. •
•
•
•
www.zen-sys.com
•
•
Completely Wireless (900 mhz)
Each module is a repeater
Acknowledgment of commands
Several manufacturers
Costly buy-in for developers
Windows-only (so far)

42. The Brains
(software)

43. Four Building Blocks
1. Talks to your devices
–
–
–
turn on living room lamp
motion detected in garage
dim the bedroom lights

44. Four Building Blocks
2. Talks to groups of devices
–
–
–
turn on upstairs lights
motion detected outdoors
turn off the sprinklers

45. Four Building Blocks
3. Keeps track of states
–
–
–
The sun is up
Nobody is home
Today is a holiday

46. Four Building Blocks
4. Applies simple logic
–
–
–
If it is cold outside
When rain is forecast
The last person has left the house

47. Example
If today is a weekday and Gordon is home
turn on bedroom alarm clock
turn on all bedroom lamps
turn on all downstairs lights
wait 15 minutes
repeat if no motion in master bathroom
end

48. Misterhouse
www.misterhouse.com

49. Misterhouse
if (time_now ‘5:30am’) {
if (state_now $Gordon_home eq
ON){
set $bedroom_alarm ON;
set $bedroom_lights_all ON;
}
}

50. HomeSeer
www.homeseer.com

51. Three Fun Hacks
SMART
HOME
HACKS
TM
100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools
Gordon Meyer

52. Detect a Beer Thief

53. What it does
Keep an eye on the babysitter,
or your teenagers, while you’re
away from home.
Courtesy of Michael Ferguson

54. Motion detector
Mounted on inside of the door
• Opening door sends two signals:
•
–
–
motion
dusk-to-light
Silently write message to log
• Say “You’re busted!”
• Sound an alarm
•

55. In the liquor cabinet
Mounted on inside of the door
• Opening door sends two signals:
•
–
–
motion
dusk-to-light
Silently write message to log
• Say “You’re busted!”
• Sound an alarm
•

56. In the liquor cabinet
Mounted on inside of the door
• Opening door sends two signals:
•
–
–
motion
dusk-to-light
Silently write message to log
• Say “You’re busted!”
• Sound an alarm
•

57. Hacking the hack
•
Use this technique to monitor:
–
–
–
–
The fridge, for dieters.
The gun cabinet.
Your car, parked in the garage.
The furnace closet, to log when you last changed the air filter.

58. Simulate a Sunrise

59. What it does
Gently brightens the bedroom
lights so you wake up naturally.
Starting 15 minutes before the
time that you want to wake up,
raise the light level in the room.

60. SunRise clock
http://www.dreamessentials.com/a_clocks_sunrise.aspx
US$110.

61. XTension script
Scheduled to begin 15 minutes before your wake-up time
dim "Bedroom Lamp" to 10
dim "Bedroom Lamp" to 20 in 3 * minutes
dim "Bedroom Lamp" to 30 in 5 * minutes
dim "Bedroom Lamp" to 50 in 7 * minutes
dim "Bedroom Lamp" to 75 in 9 * minutes
dim "Bedroom Lamp" to 80 in 11 * minutes
dim "Bedroom Lamp" to 100 in 14 * minutes

62. Repeating event
Monday—Friday, 15 minutes Early

63. Hacking the hack
Make it smarter
•
If you’re not at home, because you’ve left earlier or are on vacation,
skip the whole process.
if (status of "Gordon Home”) is true then
dim "Bedroom Lamp" to 10
dim "Bedroom Lamp" to 20 in 3 * minutes
[...]
end if
•
Reverse the technique to dim the lights when you go to bed.

64. Hamster-Powered Night Light

65. What it does
Harness your hamster’s
nocturnal running to power a
night light.
Courtesy of Dan Fink

66. The specifications
A visit to the pet store showed that most rodents achieve between 40
and 60 RPM on their exercise wheels.
• Cheap exercise wheels are noisy, which means they’re wasting energy.
Use a ball-bearing mount instead. (Scavenged from a skateboard.)
•

67. The specifications
•
Build an alternator into the exercise wheel
–
–
–
mount the wheel on stand
add a circle of magnets around the outside perimeter
wind two coils of enamled magnet wire (connected in series)

68. The light
Two bright red LEDs.
• Wired backwards to each other, so
one is lit, depending on which
direction the wheel is spinning.
• Plenty bright for lighting the way
to the bathroom during the night.
•

69. Why stop there?
Calibrate the bicycle computer to
the circumference of the exercise
wheel.
• Skippy regularly achieved 2 to 3
MPH.
• The computer keeps track of peak
speeds, elapsed time, and how
many Hamster-Miles (hM) are run
each night.
•

70. Skippy the Hamster
In memoriam

71. Resources

72. Where to turn for help
XTension website and Discussion List
•
A treasure-trove of ideas, scripts, and an excellent mailing list
–
www.shed.com
HomeSeer
–
http://www.homeseer.com/
MisterHouse
–
–
http://misterhouse.sourceforge.net/
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2004/11/11/
smrthome_hks1.html

73. Best Deals
Hardware Package
Active Home Pro Starter Kit - US$99
Includes computer interface and modules
Interface supports both wireless and power-line commands
Works with MisterHouse and HomeSeer

74. Most importantly...

75. The Key to Home Automation Success
S. A. F.
Spousal Approval Factor

76. Gordon meyer
Technology, humanized.
www.gordonmeyer.com