Recent content by Quixote_1

  This could be super useful information to me, so thank you. I'll keep my eyes open for people tossing them out on garbage day and pull one apart at some point.     I agree that this is not a very conventional way of doing things, but I'm sure that most of the stuff we were doing back before...

Very cool! Not cheap, but knowing that these exist may make it easier to come up with a concept. These won't cause any interference on the line? Thanks very much for the tip.

Hmmm.  This is sounding less and less feasible. I really need to avoid extra monthly fees. Back to the drawing board, I guess. Thanks for your help.

Makes sense. Now I'm wondering if there are any clever workarounds, like using a modem for each cable, then connecting them to some sort of switch before the router. If that's even possible, I could then look at testing their connections through software rather than hardware. More complicated...

  Precisely why I want to have two lines connected and monitor them. ;) The main problem I understand is that these lines are not like a home electrical circuit where you could simply slap in a nice heavy-duty relay and wire the NC connections to a zone on the system. The other problem is that...

Hi, I have a couple of questions that I can't seem to answer on my own by searching online, so I thought I'd pose them here to see if anyone can offer me answers, or a nudge in the right direction.   1: I have coax cable entering my dwelling from 2 points for internet, one at the front and one...

  On contemplating this I realized that it would be entirely possible to build your own switch incorporating a touchscreen using a Raspberry Pi or similar device. Maybe I'm on to something here...

Once Mi Casa Verde finally gets their sh!t together and implements the Aeon Wallmote Quad with full functionality, that looks like our best bet for the most complete control option. Until then, I have to agree with Picta that automation is the best use for these bulbs. I really enjoy the ability...

I've found the LAN reliability to be extremely flakey. Another drawback is that they are often unresponsive when the network has heavy traffic. I only have a 15Mbps connection, so when downloading torrents or streaming video I find the response times unacceptable, if they respond at all. Even...

  You may be surprised. I have a bunch of LIFX bulbs (Wifi control) and aside from the lack of a proper control method, which I'll explain in a moment,  the hardware is very cool. I used to be very happy with X-10, then Insteon, and finally Zwave. Control-wise, I found Zwave to be perfect for my...

I have a Yale YRD246 ZWave-enabled touchscreen deadbolt coupled with a Vera Plus. I've been using them in conjunction with an Elk M1G that has an iButton reader mounted at the exterior of my front door. It's set up so that when I scan my iButton, a specific zone on the Elk is closed, which in...

Has anyone heard of anything new?  I see that there is a promotion for $20 off orders over $500, but I think I just missed the boat on a better sale a couple of months ago. It seems that every time I have a little extra money to put into my automation gear, my timing is off!

  Well, fortunately (unfortunately??), I'm staying in a small apartment rather than a mansion at the moment ;). Zwave is quite practical in this setting.

  I dunno...  I have found that Zwave has been extremely reliable, aside from the problems I've been having with my Vera communicating with Mi Casa Verde's server(s). Could be because I have so few devices? I've heard mixed reviews of pretty much all of the more affordable technologies.

Smarthome once somehow managed to send my order to Brazil instead of Canada. How you mess something like that up is beyond me. It was a fairly large order and I had someone waiting on me to do an install, so I got pretty angry about it. When I told them that I want a refund so I can look for...