I would really love to see an embedded machine running some form of unix (please, NOT windows) in the next iteration of the M1. I know to get UL listing, there are some pretty strict requirements as to how the system can operate. But if it was a daughtercard type of thing where all of the automation rules/tasks/logic was farmed off to it, then you wouldn't have to worry so much about the UL listing stuff because all of the alarm/security logic could still be handled in the purpose-built hardware.
This would enable a few different things:
You can buy an Intel D945GCLF2 Mini-ITX board with a dual core Atom processor on it for about $60 retail. That is more than enough power to do text-to-speech and voice recognition. Flash memory is dirt cheap. It could even be an addon to the existing M1, but you wouldn't have nearly as tight integration. Hardware pricing-wise, it's actually cheaper than the ethernet expander and provides more functionality.
Essentially, this is everything that HomeSeer or CQC give you. But it would be much more tightly integrated with the ELK, so you'd have a single voice announcement system, a single place for automation rules, VoIP integration directly with the ELK, etc. Plus, one of those Atom boards would fit right in a security panel cabinet instead of having to find a spot for a desktop or server. Get the basics in place, and unleash the customers on it to do the really cool things with it.
This would enable a few different things:
- The ability to load high quality, custom voice clips. There are places on the net that will do custom voice work for a fairly nominal charge.
- Real-time text to speech, no more predefined library of words
- Automation logic that could be written by the user in Python, Ruby, or Perl
- SIP Client for joining the ELK to a VoIP system or directly to a provider like Vonage (no more archaic analog lines)
- The ability to pull information from the internet and announce or act on it (announce weather, choose not to turn the sprinklers on if rain is forecasted, close security shutters during a hurricane warning, directly monitor real-time gas and electricity rates and heat the house with the cheaper option in areas where this fluctuates)
- The ability to pull information from other devices on the local network (Brultech/TED5000, VoIP systems)
- The ability to send messages to or control other devices on the network that require commands more complex than an ASCII string
- The ability to provide an XML feed for easy data aggregation for status screens
- The ability to provide a SOAP or RESTful interface for 3rd parties to integrate with the system extremely easily
- The existing serial port ASCII control/messaging could still be there, but TCP/UDP listeners could be written that would provide more flexibility (non-ascii data, parsing capability)
- IPSec VPN client for remote installations that I did not want to expose directly to the internet, which should never be done anyway
- Certificate based authentication
- Integration with a radius server for centralized administration of user credentials, or integration with a two-factor authentication system (like RSA SecurID, Entrust, SafeWord, TripleSEC, WikiD, etc)
- The ability to directly connect and utilize USB based devices (direct integration with RFXCOM!!! With the capability to parse and act on data received!)
- Possible voice recognition utilizing the two-way listen-in interface. "Computer. lights, living room, 50%". "Computer. Tea. Earl Grey, hot."
- IP encapsulation/decapsulation for RS485 to increase the range of the bus or extend it to another location across a network or the internet.
- Elimination of the ethernet expander.
- Enough processing power and storage to run a sexy AJAXy interface not only for monitoring and control, but also for programming (elimination of ElkRP)
- Configurable custom dashboards, with the ability to embed streams from IP cameras directly
- Scheduled backups to a remote server, or encrypted and sent via email
- ELK App Store??
You can buy an Intel D945GCLF2 Mini-ITX board with a dual core Atom processor on it for about $60 retail. That is more than enough power to do text-to-speech and voice recognition. Flash memory is dirt cheap. It could even be an addon to the existing M1, but you wouldn't have nearly as tight integration. Hardware pricing-wise, it's actually cheaper than the ethernet expander and provides more functionality.
Essentially, this is everything that HomeSeer or CQC give you. But it would be much more tightly integrated with the ELK, so you'd have a single voice announcement system, a single place for automation rules, VoIP integration directly with the ELK, etc. Plus, one of those Atom boards would fit right in a security panel cabinet instead of having to find a spot for a desktop or server. Get the basics in place, and unleash the customers on it to do the really cool things with it.