Hello folks, interesting site here.

[pietruk]

I'm a new member just getting my feet wet on t5his.

Played around with the X-10 stuff years ago and am starting to get that itch again .

I have quite a bit of reading to do before i get that first bit of understanding of this new tech.

I buy and sell equipment for a living so I have some good trade goods (I'll wait till I'm on here a while before bothering folks but I come across good deals on cabling, sever equipment, enclosures and cameras and such).

Just thought I'd make a post as I've been reading on here a bit.

I'm actually looking at my first project at my shop. Looking to set up a basic entry alarm and notification system. I just bought an old lumber yard and have a radioshack Plug 'n Power Phone Message Dialer that will call you and play a recorded message if any of the contacts are broken. Its a start and I already have it. Pretty low tech but its here.

Ryan

 

[electron]

hi Ryan, welcome to CocoonTech! Get out while you can!

Just kidding of course, but be prepared! We strive to make turning a light bulb on as complicated as possible (queue the 'how many cocooners does it take to replace a light bulb' jokes ...)

Definitely do some searching, but DON'T hesitate to ask any questions. If you have many questions, try to spread them in several topics, making it easier for everyone to follow (and respond to) the question. Good luck!

 

[Neurorad]

One, and it will cost him $400 and 40 hours time in online research.

 

[tmbrown97]

Heh - thanks to home automation, I traded in my $20 plug-in timer to turn my christmas lights on/off for a new UPB controlled outlet, which required me to change the breaker (to regain GFCI), and required me to get Elve (automation software) online to handle the scheduling - and another computer interface module so the software could talk to the outlet.

All so I could have the lights turn on automatically in the evening and turn off at 11:00PM - exactly as I had my $20 timer set to do. You don't want to imagine what all that cost, just to use it for 6 weeks out of the year!

But the convenience is great; it's great peace of mind for my OCD, and it's my favorite hobby! Welcome and enjoy!