NewsLetter: December, 2004  
 

As 2004 comes to a close, we'd like to take a moment to reflect on the year and thank all of you who've made 2004 our best year ever. 
Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

2005 promises to be an even better year!  Soon, we'll be releasing a completely brand new upgrade to HomeSeer (v2.0) and we'll be entering the professional home automation market with our new PRO-100 home automation controller.  We also hope to announce some great new partnerships with other home automation companies.  All in all, it's a very exiting time for HomeSeer.

In This issue:
Holiday Specials!
HomeSeer News
HomeSeer Tips

  
   HOLIDAY SPECIALS!    
   
  Zanware Home Automation Controller Special!  
Click for Larger Image
  This new in-wall controller from Zanware is a low cost IP-based PC controller featuring a large LCD display, easy-touch control knob, temperature sensor, light sensor, beeper/buzzer, and remote control.   The unit fits neatly in a standard 3-gang electrical box and is powered via ethernet cable.    Reg price: $429.95  
 
$429.95

 
 
   
  Sylvania Z-Wave Lamp Modules (3-pack)  
  The Sylvania lamp modules are the smallest, most compact Z-Wave lamp modules made.  Buy a 3-pack now and save $26.90 over the single unit price!  This is a clearance item and quantities are very limited, so place your order as soon as possible.    Reg price: $116.97  
 
$89.95

 
 
   
  Introducing MainLobby Touchscreen Interface Software!  
  Fantastic Flash-based touchscreen interface for HomeSeer.  Very flexible and customizable.  Allows complete control over backgrounds and includes great selection of buttons and controls. Use with touchscreen monitors and touchscreen PCs.  Requires MainLobby plug-in (below).  
 
MainLobby Software $59.95
 MainLobby Plug-in $39.95
 
   
  NeoSpeech Voices Special!  
  This text-to-speech engine offers the best sounding speech of any text-to-speech package available for the desktop.  The US English package includes two voices, Kate and Paul, in both 8 and 16 khz frequencies. The 8Khz version is perfect for use with HomeSeer Phone. The voices are shipped on 2 CD's. 
Reg price: $44.95		  
 
$44.95
 
   
  New Windows Media Center Plug-in!  
  For those with Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) PCs, we now offer a special MCE plug-in for HomeSeer.  This new plug-in will allow MCE users to access HomeSeer home automation functions from within Media Center using the standard MCE remote control!  
 
 $59.95
 
   
   HOMESEER NEWS    
   
  HomeSeer v2.0 release just around the corner!    
 

The much-anticipated 2.0 upgrade is in its final phase of development and testing and we hope to release it within the next month or two.  For those unfamiliar with 2.0, here are a few of the new features and enhancements:

  • 2.0 is based entirely on .NET framework
  • Runs as a service on Windows 2000 & XP
  • Supports distributed audio and voice recognition on multiple networked PCs
  • Multi-threaded event execution and script processing
  • Z-Wave commands are now multi-casted to for improved response
  • Built-in web server supports ASP.NET
  • Compiled vb.net script support
  • SSL Web server

MSRP: $199.95 ($189.95 download). 

  
   
  PRO-100 release *also* just around the corner!    
 

Our new PRO-100 home automation controller is perfect for those who want the utmost in home automation reliability.  The PRO-100 includes all the features and functions of HomeSeer 2.0 in a small, rugged and attractive package, with NO MOVING PARTS!  Power consumption is rated at just 15 watts... so operating costs are about as much as running two night lights!

The PRO-100 will be sold through a network of authorized dealers and distributors.  MSRP: Call us                    

 
   
  HomeSeer at CES 2005    
  Once again, HomeSeer will be at the huge Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV.  For details, visit the news & events area of our website and contact us for passes to the show.  Booth #26421
   
     
   HOMESEER TIPS    
     
  Tip #1

Media Center Plug-in - Camera Views

The HomeSeer Media Center Plug-In allows HomeSeer to be controlled through the Windows XP Media Center interface. Would you like to display your camera views in the Media Center interface? Follow these instructions to display any image captured by your cameras. You can view images from the HomeSeer WebCam plug-in, or images captured with other software.

1) Edit the media center style sheet file "style.css", located in "media center" folder in the HomeSeer "html" folder. Add the following line:

.cameraimage { height: 180px; }

2) Add this to the hspi_mediacenter.ini file in the config folder. This will add 4 camera images to the display. If you are only adding one camera, you can omit the Image2, Image3, and Image4 lines. The example below shows you how to add 4 cameras.

[CameraImages]
Image1=/images/camera1.gif
Image2=/images/camera2.gif
Image3=/images/camera3.gif
Image4=/images/camera4.gif

The images should be saved in the HomeSeer images folder in the HTML folder.

When you click on the "Cameras" button in the media center interface, your images will be displayed.

    
     
  Tip #2

TempLinc Plug-In

The TempLinc Plug-In is a popular free plug-in that manages the SmartHome X10 TempLinc device. This device reports temperature to HomeSeer over X10. It may be desirable to set events on temperature changes. For example, if the temperature in your home gets too low you can send an email, or have HomeSeer take some other action.

The temperatures are saved in the HomeSeer device's value. Devices hold 3 things that you may want access to:

1) Status
The status is typically the state of the device. Common status values are On, Off, Dim, or Unknown. HomeSeer can trigger on changes to the status using the "Status Change" trigger.

2) Device String
This is a text string that will be displayed in the user interface. It will replace the current status of the device. This allows you to display alternate status such as "Door Open". HomeSeer cannot trigger on changed to the device's text.

3) Device Value
Device's may also contain a value. The value is simply a number. In the case of the templinc, the temperature is stored in the device's value. To trigger on a change of temperature, use the "Value Change" trigger. You can set a trigger on the temperature changing from one value to another, or if it changes to a specific temperature.

The TempLinc also tracks the high and low temperatures that it sees. It might be desirable to reset these values. Simply create a new event and set the device action on the "Device Actions" tab to some high value for the min temp and to some low value for the max temp. If the "Set Value To" option is not available on the device action tab, edit the device's properties and set the device type to "Virtual".		    
     
  HAPPY NEW YEAR!    
     
© 2005 HomeSeer Technologies, LLC. All rights reserved. HomeSeer is a registered trademark.