New Member (long...)

["m_surgenor" <zen8432@xxxxxxx>]

Having only lurked here (with the very occasional question or=20
contribution) for a number of months now I thought that, as I've=20
managed to persuade SWMBO to let me go to UKHA 2003 at Hatfield,
I'd better introduce myself properly before then... Apologies up front
for the length - and the lack of pictures, which I know you guys=20
love! :-)

I've played around with home automation for just over three years
now and at any one time usually have two or three projects on the go=20
waiting on some spare time.

First up I have a wired (CAT5) and wireless network covering most of=20
our four bed roomed detached house. I affectionately call the=20
cupboard under the stairs my Node Zero and there resides a networked=20
PC running HomeSeer (and nothing else). I have to say that with a=20
minimal clean install of Windows 98 and only HomeSeer this is one of=20
the most reliable PCs I know. It's gone for several weeks without
re-booting sometimes.

HomeSeer currently controls 11 X-l0 AM12U appliance modules. These=20
mostly open and shut curtains - Silent Gliss Autoglide Dawn and Dusk=20
units - but also turn on things like electric blankets in the winter=20
time, which gains Brownie points with SWMBO!  There are also 6 X-l0=20
LM12U lighting modules (mostly turning on and off table lamps - or=20
the tree lights at Christmas - for security purposes).

All of the above I've found to be very reliable but all the TVs
and PC monitors in the house have FM10 X-10 filters fitted=20
(expensive!) - and I still have a `black spot' in the kitchen that=20
I've never managed to identify the culprit. It's always been a gripe=20
of mine that there are plenty of tools and devices in the US for the=20
110v market to trace X-10 signals but nothing at a reasonable price=20
in this country.

Then there are 14 X-10 PIRs (a mix of US and UK MS13 and MS14 units)=20
in most rooms and at all four corners of the exterior of the house.=20
Jim Doolittle's DooMotion HomeSeer plug-in is used, mostly to
turn on lights at night or whilst we are away or to turn off lights=20
in rooms such as bathrooms or the kids bedrooms when unoccupied =97 as=20
our boys have never worked out that a switch turns lights off as well=20
as on!=20
The DooMotion is also useful to log when there's been
`activity' around the back of the house when there shouldn't have=20
been. I also use Jim's DooNetwork plug-in which is useful to track=20
the status of the many PCs in the house.

I also have a number of LW10 light switches but I have started to=20
remove these after several years of putting up with their haphazard=20
random working. I'm in a quandary as to what to replace them with
=96 Marmitek MicroModules, C-Bus??

The PIRs all send signals back via an X-10 TM-13 RF receiver (the UK=20
ones) and a W800RF32A from WGL Designs (the US ones) that works well=20
and has greater range than the UK receiver. I also have a few SS13=20
stick-a-switches dotted about the place.

Also attached to the HomeSeer PC is a Midon Designs TEMPO5 unit with=20
three DS18S20 sensors =97 one under the house, one in the attic and
one in the wine cellar. To be honest I haven't done much with these -
the plug-in sits there grabbing temperature readings every hour and=20
logging them in an MS Access database from which I can draw pretty=20
graphs! I also have an AAG one-wire weather station - which logs wind=20
speed, direction and temperature outside the house up on the
roof =97 another of these devices that SWMBO just says, "Why?"
and I=20
answer, "Because I can!". :-) All this is controlled and logged
by=20
the excellent HomeSeer plug-in from Michael Mc Sherry =97=20
mcsTemperature.

Sitting beside this PC at the moment is another PC with Windows 2000=20
Professional -- all my PCs are currently Windows 98SE - awaiting=20
swapping over when I've a spare hour. Also in Node Zero is my
four port Vigor ADSL router, a six port Netgear hub and a Belkin WAP.=20
Currently all my CAT5 cables come back to here but to RJ45 sockets=20
and not a patch panel(!).

Also in here is the control unit for an ADT installed and monitored=20
alarm (7 PIRs and a smoke detector). I tend not to touch this=20
although it does have an R5232 serial sort that I've been dying
to have a poke at when I've time.

In the kitchen I've an in-wall mounted Panasonic CF-01 with
wireless connection that mostly gets used for surfing - weather,=20
Tesco shop, HomeSeer web interface, that sort of thing.

In the study is the biggest PC in the house, a 2.6ghz, 240gb HD and=20
1gb RAM - and it's all mine and password protected! Amongst numerous=20
other things, it hosts my large mp3 collection and is connected to=20
the hi-fi in the living room next door with switch-able output to=20
speakers in the both the study and the living room. I'd love to
be able to pipe this around other rooms - kitchen, bathrooms, and=20
bedrooms sometime...

Next our two boys (8 and 12) both have networked PCs in their=20
bedrooms - all fully protected with CyberPatrol and ZoneAlarm (as are=20
all my PCs). The mostly use them for homework and surfing as
they're not powerful enough for games.

Finally I have a Fuji Point 510 with wireless connection - which is=20
usually beside our bed for late night surfing.

So what's that - 6 PCs (seven counting the one awaiting=20
installation)! My wife says it's more but I don't count the
two Psions.

Every room has a network point (the living room has two) and a phone=20
point - although I've just gone DECT all over.

In the living room I don't have any fancy large screen TV but a=20
fantastic (picture-wise) Sony Trinitron. We've been married 16
years and it was a wedding present that's never failed (I'm
touching wood right now!) and I said I wouldn't replace it until it=20
finally packed in. Attached to that are a Sony VCR and a Panasonic=20
Sky Digital box and these are all fed through a Sony DAV-S550.  The=20
RF outputs from these are then piped throughout the house with coax=20
and Maxview boosters to TV's in the kitchen, study, both boy's=20
bedrooms and our bedroom. One of the boys also has the old Nokia=20
Mediamaster ITV Digital box now with Freeview. The picture quality on=20
these `satellite' TVs is ok on all but the kitchen - the
longest coax run. I'm toying with the idea of using Keith's KATS=20
units.
I'd start with the kitchen to prove their value to SWMBO!  Just this=20
week I bought a Tivo box and hope to connect that up soon with=20
network card etc.

One last point - I won a Microsoft Xbox in a competition just before=20
Christmas and I gave it away! Am I kicking myself now? :-(  The=20
reason at the time was, both boys have Sony PS2's and a
significant game collection and I thought it would be too expensive=20
to keep both formats going...

So I'm coming to UKHA 2003 to;
=B7 find out more on KAT5 (IR control is not vital for me right now);
=B7 get some help on upgrading my Tivo (HD, NIC and web)
=B7 understand why I need something like the Barix Exstreamer
network MP3 player over my set up(!?)
=B7 talk to someone who's moved from a HomeSeer set up over to
HomeVison
=B7 drool over the Xbox stuff and kick myself some more!
=B7 and lastly I'd love to see more of C-Bus - will your demo
board be there Dean B?

Should manage all that in two days! See you 17/18 May!

Malcolm