HomeSeer NewsLetter Nov 2005

NewsLetter: November 2005

Happy Fall!
I just don't know what to make of the weather in New Hampshire this fall. We started out with 9 straight days of rain and flooding.. followed by a brief cold snap with our first frost.. and yesterday we hit close to 70 degrees! Odd, eh? The winters tend to be long, cold and snowy but at least we're not (generally) prone to having hurricanes, tornados and earthquakes. All in all, I guess we should just count our blessings.

Many apologies for taking so long to get this edition out. Things have been pretty busy here, with the release of HomeSeer v2.0 (HS2) and the upcoming release of our new PRO-100 controller. The next few months promise to be equally busy as we prepare to launch four brand new HomeSeer plug-ins!

Finally, has anyone noticed that Christmas/holiday decorations are already out? I noticed this about a week ago in one of our department stores. Well.. if anyone's interested, I'd really be happy to see one of those new iPOD Nano players under my tree this year.. just a suggestion!. ;-) -Mark

In This issue:
HomeSeer News
HomeSeer in Action
Developer's Spotlight
Featured Product
Scripting 101
Tips & Tricks

HOMESEER NEWS

Update on HomeSeer v2.0 (HS2)

It’s been nearly 3 months since HS2 started shipping and we’ve been ‘trimming the sails’ steadily since. At this point, we're happy to report the program is a VERY solid and steady performer. Many thanks go out to all those who hopped on the wagon early and provided invaluable feedback. For those who’ve been holding out waiting for the new release ‘tremors’ to settle down, c’mon jump in… the water’s fine!

The latest updater is v2.0.1997 [download]

New HomeSeer Plug-ins

With the release of HS2 now squarely behind us, we're setting our sights on creating some great new plug-ins. Universal Powerline Bus (UPB) fans will be happy to know our UPB plug-in is now available. The new plug-in will work with all UPB devices from PulseWorx, Simply Automated and HAI. Click here for a closer look and download the plug-in from the HS2 updater for a 30-day trial.

Other plug-ins we're currently developing include support for Smarthome's new INSTEON technology, Lutron's HomeWorks, Centralite (Elegance and LiteJet series) and Vantage. Our Windows Media Center (MCE) plug-in will also be updated to support more devices very soon.

Stay tuned for more updates on these releases!

PRO-100 Nearing Release!

Our new automation controller, the PRO-100, is just about ready to ship! The new controller features embedded HomeSeer v2.0 - PRO running atop embedded Windows XP. The operating system resides on a protected flash module within the unit and is fully shielded from viruses, spyware and other nasties. The unit has no moving parts for greater reliability and consumes only 15 watts in normal operation. Attention dealers and distributors: we are now taking pre-orders. Contact a sales representative at HomeSeer for details.

HOMESEER IN ACTION

Voice Recognition?

Voice recognition (VR) has been in HomeSeer for many years. However, a surprisingly small number of users are actually taking advantage of it. Why? Well, one possible answer is this: Most folks simply aren't used to talking to their belongings! Voice and language are for people, not machines.. right? Think about your world for a moment and you'll see it's true. But what if you could talk to your TV, DVD Player, living room lights, security system, etc? Wouldn't that be a little easier than trying to remember all those buttons to push and switches to throw?

VR in Action
In the morning, I pick up the phone on my night table, push # and HomeSeer speaks to me "Yes Master?" I utter one word "Weather". At this point, HomeSeer hit's the internet, gathers forecast information from a preset weather page and compiles it. As this happens, I hear "Getting the weather.. hold on". About 2 seconds later, the forecast for today, tomorrow and the next day are read back to me. Neat, huh?

Downstairs I notice my daughter is reading in light that's much too dim. (How can teenagers even do that?) Another voice command: "living room lights 100%" and even my 40+ eyes can see the type.

I can give you hundreds of examples but the bottom line is this: If you can do it with HomeSeer, you can trigger it with voice commands.

Note: This weather script may be downloaded from the HS2 updater and is one of many free scripts available for HomeSeer. The script will work with just about any microphone (PC, open-air or telephone). For telephone use, just add one of these modems with HomeSeer Phone software.

DEVELOPER'S SPOTLIGHT

Name	Massimo Saccani
Forum name	TheMax74
Bio	I'm Italian and live in northern Italy, in a little city near Piacenza. I've been married since September 4, 2005 and have no kids yet.
Professional	I've been a computer developer since 1984 (do you remember the Commodore Vic 20, the Spectrum ect...) and have a collection of old computers (www.computernostalgia.it). If you're interested in "in-car computing", I also own www.carputer.it.
Interests	My hobbies are computer programming, computer programming, computer programming and ... computer programming. Home Automation is my latest passion and I've written some plug-in for this fantastic Homeseer software. I also love the mountains (in winter and summer) and sea (but only when the sun is not too hot!!), and in Italy i have it!
Plug-in(s)	"ActiveBackup", "Share your HomeSeer", "KillProcess", "CryptNotes" and "SMS"
Featured HomeSeer Plug-in	My new "SMS" plug-in allows HomeSeer to send short text messages to your cell phone. With it, you can create HomeSeer events to alert you of any condition in or around your home or simply send HomeSeer reminders to you. Example: create an event that 'texts' you anytime there's a weather advisory or security alert in your home. Click here for more information about the SMS plug-in.
Contact	Massimo's HomeSeer Support Forum

FEATURED PRODUCT

For those who haven't yet embraced voice control and messaging functions in HomeSeer, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? Honestly, this is one of the really great and useful features of HomeSeer and with our inexpensive HomeSeer PCI modem and HomeSeer Phone software combo, it's very easy to install and configure. Here are just a few of the things you can do with this combo:

Maintain a phone address book and dial any number by voice!
Speak commands to HomeSeer to trigger events or control devices from any telephone in your home!
Speak commands to control HomeSeer remotely from any telephone in the world!
Have HomeSeer use your caller ID function to announce incoming calls!
Create events that call your work phone or cell phone with text-to-speech messages or pre-recorded audio files. Use this feature to alert you of changes or alarm conditions in your home. Create events in HomeSeer that call you with reminders when you're away from home!
Listen to your voice messages via the internet using any web browser from anywhere!
Have HomeSeer email voice messages to you as MP3 attachments!
Create and mange individual voice mailboxes for all your family members!
Trigger any HomeSeer event with telephone DTMF (touch tones) inside the home or remotely.

As you can see, there are many possibilities!

HomeSeer PCI Modem
with HomeSeer Phone Software

Reg: $149.90

SCRIPTING 101

One of the great 'secret' powers of HomeSeer is its ability to use scripts. Mention that to any programmer and watch his eyes light up! Of course, most HomeSeer users are *not* programmers and scripting languages are like Greek to us. But with a little daring and some help from our HomeSeer online help files, you might find it's not as hard as you thought. Here below are two examples of simple scripts that allow HomeSeer speak the time:

EXAMPLE SCRIPT #1

The first example is a very simple one-line script that uses built-in HomeSeer functions.

	Instructions for installing script #2 into HomeSeer:
	1	Open your HomeSeer 'Events' window and click 'Add Event'. The 'Name' tab will appear.
	2	Under the 'Name' tab, name the event "Exact Time". If the event is to be activated by voice, add a 'voice command' (such as "Time") and set the 'Voice Command Enable' option to 'mic' and/or 'phone'. Now, uncheck the 'Disable Event' checkbox
	3	Under the 'Action' tab, click on the 'Add Action' drop-down menu and select 'Run Script'. Now find the 'Existing or new script name" field and enter 'Exact Time'. Then click the green 'Update' button on the left. This will create and save the new script file. Now, click on the 'Edit' button at left. This will open the previous screen again but now you'll have access to the script window at the bottom. Copy and paste the script from the newsletter at left to the HomeSeer script window and click the 'Save Script' button. Now click the green 'Update' button and then the green 'Save' button.
	4	Congratulations! You have installed the script! You may now run the script from the 'Events' window and/or by voice (if enabled).

system.speak "the time is $time"

Results: HomeSeer speaks "The time is 2:56 PM"

EXAMPLE SCRIPT #2

The second script includes some additional commands to parse the results for a more precise time.

Sub Main()

sAMPM = UCase(FormatDateTime(now, 3))
If InStr(sAMPM,"AM") > 0 Then
sAMPM = "A.M."
Else
sAMPM = "P M"
End If

iHour = Hour(Now)
If iHour = 0 Then iHour = 12
If iHour > 12 Then iHour = iHour - 12

iMin = Minute(Now)
If iMin = 0 Then
sMin = "oh clock"
ElseIf iMin < 10 Then
sMin = "oh " & CStr(iMin)
Else
sMin = CStr(iMin)
End If

iSec = Second(Now)
If iSec = 1 Then
sSec = "1 second"
Else
sSec = CStr(isec) & " seconds"
End If

system.speak "The exact time is " & CStr(iHour) & " " & sMin & " and " & sSec & " " & sAMPM

End Sub

Results: HomeSeer speaks "The exact time is 2 56 and 50 seconds P M"

TIPS & TRICKS

Since the holidays are nearly upon us, we'd like to share a couple quick and easy ideas. If you have your own holiday suggestions, please email them to us. We'll publish them in the next newsletter.

Install outdoor modules to control your exterior Christmas/holiday lights. You can even create HomeSeer events for alternating or flashing themes with multiple modules! Our Internatic Z-Wave outdoor modules (HA04C) are a very good choice for this since the response time for Z-Wave is very fast.
Install indoor modules to control interior Christmas/holiday lighting inside your home. As with the outdoor lighting, you can also create flashing or alternating lighting patterns. Be creative! Once again, Z-Wave hardware works very nicely for this.
For those nightowls amoung us who sometimes burn the midnight oil way beyond midnight, consider adding an early morning 'All Lights Off or 'All Units Off' event to your HomeSeer events collection. That will save you a bit on utility costs if you accidentally leave a light on in the middle of the night.

Over and out....

Z-Wave Outdoor Module

Z-Wave Lamp Modules

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