Home Automation with the Vega

[Guest Touch Graphite]

As always, my threads I start never actually contain any hacks or workarounds, but I'm mainly up for a chat/ banter about this side of home automation interaction.

Seeing as the Vega is mainly used in the home and being wifi based, I think we're missing a trick here.

I'm dying to invest into home automation and the Vega is the perfect controller, with the size and android backing perfect for the task.

This device clearly mirrors what the celebrities seem to use when controlling their house.

Now X10 seem to be the market leaders and with some android apps coming with the hardware, but then there are some community developed ones.

For me, an app which works locally on the Vega at home and remotely for security notifications on your desire/away from home and want to shut down your central heating after forgetting to for a weekend away.

Discuss.

[Guest merch]

I was looking forward to getting one of these and using it with my vega

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/smartTV/revue

[Guest T4ylor]

I installed some X10 componats in my previous house which was controlled by a Philips Prontro Pro. It controlled the normal TV, Sky and Surround Sound etc but also all the internal and garage lighting. I also used X10 on a couple plug sockets for things like the kettle and stuff. I personally found it was a great show piece and really impressed everyone but in reality it did not get used a great deal in every day use because it's far easier to turn a light on when you enter it and off when you leave or you would have to remember to leave the kettle full and the button pressed which lasted about 2 days lol. I also had a control box which connected to the phone so it could be operated by phoning home, entering your pin and activating the required appliance although to be honest I never really got that working to it's full potential.

That said I spent an absolute fortune on the stuff buy by god it did look impressive which is the main thing from a blokes point of view and it was good fun.

[Guest s.morris]

Hi Touch Graphite

I am using Homeseer and Homeseer Touch at the moment on my vega and they also have a client for PC, Ipad, Below are pictures of MY setup and design, which is a main screen with popup windows for each item that need to be controlled , like amp media player etc. It use a designer program for skining so you can create you screen as you like

Images below

First picture main screen with buttons to popup screens

Second picture Amp popup

Third picture X10 popup

Images below

first picture is NMTServer movie discription,

second picture is NMTServer movie wall showing covers for each movie that is stored

third picture is NMTServer movie discription different details

I am also using a Jukebox program called NMTServer , This runes independently of Homeseer, It serves movies that are stored on my server via my Popcorn Hour media player and remote start play is done via my vega browser.

Hope you find this useful

Steve

Edited January 30, 2011 by s.morris

[Guest Bobbler]

Sorry, but I personally don't think touch screen on it's own is enough for a remote system. There are those times when hitting the pause button or lowering the volume I don't want to be jumping through a bunch of screens or waiting minutes while the Vega decides it wants to wake up from sleep, connect to wifi and allow the control to take place.

A stars home, ok maybe, when you have a dedicated home theatre and the device basically lives there and you have the hundreds to spend on all the interfaces for the complete control.

For a small scale home system, I will stick with a Harmony remote.

Homeseer:

Media collections bit looks ok maybe a little lacking in recent sheen that most of this stuff has - XBMC, Plex or several of the standalone players like AppleTV or Popcorn Hour but the GUI for the control of device functions...erm what is that an early 90's website theme or something? That looks severely poor, hope it has skinning support?

[Guest trevor432990]

One of the main reasons I bought the Vega was in the hope that one day soon someone would come up with an app which would act as a Universal Remote Controller for my home cinema kit to replace the 8 handsets I have. I sold my Harmony 1100 remote to go towards the Vega and I am now emailing the developers from two companies who show the most likelihood of coming up with an Android solution namely Thinkflood (Redeye products) and Gear4 (Unity remote) but as you will see if you visit their websites they seem obsessed with the iPhone still.

Gear4 to their credit did reply saying that an Android app was on the cards for 2011 but no dates as yet but nothing back from Thinkflood yet.

Anyone else have the same desire and/or know any other players in this space? ;)

EDIT:- 30/4/11 Seems that Thinkflood are developing an Android version of their products although not the entry RedEye mini unfortunately just the more expensive products dang! Still no word about Gear4 Android yet.

Edited April 30, 2011 by trevor432990

[Guest rpmccormick]

EventGhost will allow you to have remote control buttons for anything (when running EventGhost on your PC which is equipt with an IR blaster like the USB-UIRT and/or Insteon/X10/Other controller). It is fully skinnable. Sadly, setup is a pain and I have not gotten around to integrating it.

However, now that I see a full media browser interface within a HomeSeer app I'm going to check in to that. Yeah, it's framed in some 90's graphics, but inside it looks like XBMC. How does that all work? I would love to be able to have the TV playing one thing while the Vega is always a pimp browser interface (coverflow/XMBC) that controls what will play next on the TV. If someone has completed a setup of such a system, please list programs and post config files (starting point for others to edit). Main goal would be to have XMBC for Android, but browsing remote content

As for worrying about bootup/connection time... there is a post here about keeping WiFi with screen off, so keep it plugged in or on a dock and I don't see the problem. I'll keep my harmony as well just because I like hard-buttons and can't stand touch-screen-only remotes, but the Vega would function great as one.

[Guest Maxwell4321]

I was looking forward to getting one of these and using it with my vega

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/smartTV/revue

looks good, have downloaded the app from the market and it installed and ran on the Vega no problem, found my router straightaway and scanned looking for the Revue but of course as I dont have one it cant find it, good to know the app will run though

[Guest warriorscot]

Best solution would be a central controlling PC at the heart of any Home Cinema or Home Automation setup that you can then connect the Vega to directly in several ways not just with dedicated apps. It's pretty similar to what I do as all my media is controlled and distributed from my PC alone so I can access it through a browser, with one of several apps for remote control or with an RDP app like teamviewer or VNC viewer. The XBMC remote app is supposedly pretty good but as far as I know it hasn't gotten a tablet overhaul yet.

[Guest trevor432990]

To be honest for my home cinema requirement I just need a 360 degree IR blaster which connects wirelessly (preferably by wi-fi) to the Vega or any other device connected to my home network together with an app which will allow them to fire off IR codes to the TV/Amp/Projector etc. There are solutions already but they tend to be expensive at around £400+ whereas the Gear4 solution is less than £100 so unless anyone can suggest a ready alternative I guess I'll be waiting for the Gear 4 Android version. ;)

[Guest trevor432990]

Guys. If you are interested in home automation still you might want to consider reading this topic I recently posted. This is to do with RedEye Wifi product which has now got an Android app available in Beta and they are looking for testers and are prepared to offer a substantial discount on the hardware element. :P

[Guest SmileyMan73]

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Edited May 20, 2011 by SmileyMan73