Recent content by jhdale

If that local data broker goes down, how much comfort do I receive from knowing that no one else's house isn't working? Not much. Putting it in the cloud does, however, add a vulnerability to internet outages and additional privacy concerns, so I still agree that's worse.

If all communication goes through your central hub, that simplifies protocol and setup issues for sure, but it potentially can introduce latency (relevance depends on how fast the communications are) and it also creates a single point of failure that can take down the whole system. Without...

It's not the same as someone stealing your keys. Your phone almost certainly has a record of your address. Your keys probably do not. I don't really get the point of purely local control (e.g. bluetooth). All that saves me is taking my keys out of my pocket. Automation should be getting me...

The Smartenit devices are pretty much your only option. There are a variety available. http://smartenit.com/shop/insteon_x10/ They are a little tricky to work with. If you are using some kind of hub/controller device, check that it supports them.

This didn't make it, and then relaunched as Whisker IoT. A bit more focused on makers this time. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1630453569/whisker-iot-invention-system Although it's almost certainly not going to make the target (ends in 4 days), they are going to open up ordering anyway...

If you currently have two switches in a single gang like this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-15-Amp-Combination-Double-Switch-White-R62-05224-2WS/202027008 There is not a single Insteon module which will handle that. One solution would be replace the single gang box with a double gang box...

Rather than streaming a live Google Hangout of your home to the internet, all the time, at that point you might as well just use IP cameras with audio. Also, Google Hangouts will time out after a while.

The documentation lists Java Runtime Environment 1.6 and Flash Player 10 as system requirements. See page 3 of their documentation: http://www.ubnt.com/downloads/datasheets/mfi/mFi_DS.pdf

Any device that acts as a server is a security vulnerability waiting to be discovered (e.g. the thread next door http://cocoontech.com/forums/topic/26834-crypto-weaknesses-in-smart-bulbs/ ). These appear to require Java enabled in your browser to use their web interface, which is another...

Insteon Hub is there already. http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/77f93ec1-fa24-4f57-95fb-43c25e769f03 I don't know that it's compelling, but I think if you are also developing for Windows Phone (which they did), the work is basically already done and you may as well also release it for...

Also http://xkeys.com/PIComponents/EncoderBoards.php or http://xkeys.com/xkeys/xkswi.php Can simulate the press of a single key or any combination of keys, joystick buttons, mouse buttons, etc.

I don't think it's a win if it means your home automation can only be controlled using proprietary software on an Apple device. E.g. AirPlay has only become open because someone hacked it, not because Apple wanted to share. If Apple backs an open standard, I think that's great.

That's quite interesting. Without switches, these seem like novelty products. Of course, if you're replacing the switch anyway, why do you need a smart bulb in the first place?

I think it's nice that issues can be addressed by updating the firmware, but that benefit does not outweigh the downsides of 1) providing a new set of vulnerabilities (to remotely changing the firmware) or 2) letting the manufacturer off the hook for releasing their product in a beta state. If...

Already 60% funded, with 28 days left. I like that they are not cloud based, that you can interface directly into the system and are not required to use their software, and the amount of details they are sharing. E.g. see http://www.angelblocks.com/index.php/technical-articles