I spoke with Rich Helmke, one of their main product developers and asked him what was new with Homeseer. He showed me their new "Pro100" controller box (shown with a touch pad display) which runs an embedded version of Windows XP and has no fans or hard drives.
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
This product line as well as a "professional" version of Homeseer 2.0 is geared towards the professional installer market.
There will also be an "in-wall" version which will be an improved "Zanware" type of controller as well.
He also stated that the new version of Homeseer (Homeseer 2.0) should be out for public beta in a couple of weeks (more on this below).
They are also partnering with "Stack 9" for providing a new media center PC which runs Homeseer (using the Media Center Plugin).
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
Some interesting facts Mr. Helmke also mentioned was:
- The number one selling plugin is the Media Center Plugin
- The number two selling plugin is the Main Lobby Plugin (MLHSPlugin)
- There are over 8,000 Homeseer Users
I then spoke with Rick Tinker, another one of Homeseer's main developers and he showed me the workings of their new Homeseer 2.0 software.
Some basic changes include a very nice user interface via a web page. Basically all functionality of the software is now controlled via this new web interface. The refresh of this interface is much improved as it just updates the events that have changed state and not the entire web page (you don't get that "whole page flash" as it updates like the older version).
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
All the devices are now saved in a database so it is easy to import and export. You can also easily view any "references" for a device as well as enter any special notes for each device.
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
One really cool feature is the new "event action" and "event trigger" setup interfaces. You can have multiple tasks as well as setup the order of these tasks in an event through an easy interface.
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
For instance you can have multiple speak commands easily inserted and sort where you would like to place them in your event order without any scripting involved. Other features include wait, play wave file, and send speech to client statements as well (look at the drop down dialog box in the above picture).
One nice feature of Homeseer 2.0 is the ability to have multiple threaded tasks. So your wait statement will not affect other events or scripts. You can also cancel an event with an action item.
Homeseer added an SSL certificate to their web page. You can also run your own VB.net or ASP.net applications. They should also run pretty efficiently as they will only have to "compile" during their first run execution.
You can also sent a spoken text to a client PC. You can also receive voice commands from a client PC as well. The clients only have to run a special client application for this feature.
You can also view all threads that are presently executing in Homeseer via the web interface.
Another great feature is the ability to add custom graphics for your device values via a very nice web interface as shown below.
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
On the hardware sensor front Mr. Tinker showed me a new Z-Wave motion sensor that operated on batteries (very cool, no wires at all required). This unit will also act as a temperature and light sensor and should be available next month. High wattage lighting switches will also be out soon as well.
(Click on Picture for Full Sized Image)
I would like to thank Mr. Helmke and Mr. Tinker for graciously spending so much time with me during this very busy event! All the informaton on their great product lines is very much appreciated by the Cocoontech Staff!