Active Home - Home Automation Software & Controls

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And What Exactly Can You Do with ActiveHome You Ask? Now This is the Good Stuff! Ignite the Passion Create the perfect mood for a romantic evening with the simple push of a button. Just one touch can dim the lights, turn on soft music, start the indoor water fountain or aroma lamp. With your imagination and ActiveHome Pro, the possibilities are endless. ORDER

My impressed neighbor shouted, "The lights dimmed, like in a big theater!" Bring the fun of a big-theater experience to your movie night! Watch how impressed your family and friends will be when all your lights dim as the movie begins. You'll even bring a new level of excitement to intermission as you light the path to your kitchen with the touch of a button.  ORDER

While our guests laughed in the hot tub, we strolled into the garden When its time for outdoor parties and bar-b-ques, ActiveHome Pro is there ensuring the garden lights, hot tub, pond and fountain are all operating, and making sure the fun goes on well into the night. ORDER

Vacations are a time to relax, knowing your home looks occupied Why leave a home dark and deserted when you're on vacation? ActiveHome Pro can ensure a fun and worry free vacation by turning lights on and off at different times, making your house look occupied. ORDER

Never enter a dark house again We've all come home late at night to a dark house. Is someone hiding in the shadows? Before you step out of your car, use ActiveHome Pro to illuminate your yard, porch and inside lights, ensuring a safe place.  ActiveHome Pro can even turn  lights off for you a few minutes after you've gone inside. ORDER

• Dim selected lights to create a soft romantic mood. Brighten other lights when you want to read a good book. Control all the lights in a room to create different moods.

• Impress your friends and neighbors with cinema-like lighting. One button can change the lighting for intermission. Hey, the movie is great, but it would be better if you had some hot buttery popcorn. Pause the movie and press "intermission" on a remote control and selected lights will brighten for you in a dramatic fashion. When you return from your snack bar, press another button and the lights will dim for you to continue the movie. This is cool stuff!

• End fumbling for your keys in the dark. Press the button on a keychain remote and watch a path of light illuminate from your car, over the sidewalk to the porch, and inside your home. Then be amazed as they turn off minutes after you pass.  Easily possible with when you create a "coming home" macro for your home. Your spouse will love it!

• Kids scared of the dark? Set them up with a wireless wall switch near their bed. When they press a button, selected lights can come on in their room - and automatically turn off after 15 minutes when they are back to sleep.  Use another button on the remote control to turn on hallway and bathroom lights prior to them heading to the bathroom in the middle of the night - and turn them off again after they get back into bed.  Save energy and a parents sanity!

• Keep the neighbor's dog off your lawn. Use motion sensors to automatically turn on the sprinkler system and yard lights whenever the neighbors dog comes visiting in the night. A macro will then turn off the sprinklers and lights a few minutes later. A few blasts of water and Bowser will soon learn to stay away.

• Your moods change, so can the lighting. Synchronize table lamps, floor lamps, ceiling lights and wall sconces to create different moods in a room.  When you're reading, you may want an intimate environment with the light next to your favorite chair fully on, while other lights in the room to be much dimmer. But other times, you have guests over and would rather have a bright party atmosphere. And when hosting a night of entertainment goes late into the night, you can change the mood into an after hours nightclub at home. You can even control the warm glow from a fireplace!  

• Hundred of other macros can be used throughout your home, limited only by your imagination.

All of the home automation gadgets I use to date are sold by X10. You might know X10 from all those annoying pop up ads they used to run for their mini cameras.

My first experience with home automation was with the X10 starter package called ActiveHome - Home Automation Software and Controls . It comes with the Active Home Software (a free download at X10), an appliance module, a lamp module, a transceiver, and remote control. I loaded the software, connected a lamp, a stereo and used the remote to control them. Pretty cool! I really like the remote control because not only does it control X10 devices but your TV and VCR too! With the software I set up a few timers such as, lights on at 6:00pm. Not a very complicated set up but it was a start.

My current set up is pretty simple. I use 1 socket rocket to control a lamp in my basement.

I have 3 wall switches. They are easy to install. The wall switches are pushbuttons not the traditional "up and down" switches so they take a little getting used to. Just read the directions for installing. You should not need an electrician but I did find the wire colors in my house did not coincide with the diagrams provided by X10 which can make things a bit more complicated. Just be sure to shut off the power at your circuit breaker or fuse box before installing. 1 of the switches is also used in conjunction with a slave switch for a 3 way light. (It's actually a 4 way switch? But I use a non automated switch as the main light control. Again since I am not an electrician I found this easier than installing the X10 switch). Another note, I bought the switches in white but of course my new house has a beige color scheme so I painted them all beige with some spray paint I picked up at a craft store.

I also have 2 Decorator dimmer switch. It comes with white and beige switches and dimming can be controlled by a remote or wall switch.

I use Active Home software for controlling some automated functions and have the computer interface connected so the once you program your settings you can shut off the PC and any commands will still run. The PC interface came with my original Active Home purchase. Same for the transceiver. The transceiver send the X10 signals throughout the house.

I really loved the last remote I bought, the 6 in 1 ultimate remote. But recently it fell down the stairs and broke. I had a few 8 in 1 remotes left over from a purchase and using it to control my TV, VCR and X10 devices. The 6 in 1 remote is easier for guests and my wife and son to operate. I hope to get a new one soon.

I also have a video sender that we used for our sons nursery. Connected it to my TV and a camcorder. It was a good baby monitor. I am trying to find another use for it or waiting for the next child, :).

I plan on expanding my system in the near future. Maybe a web based system. I also have a few motion detectors for some future security system. I have to try to keep it simple so my wife can use it without a hassle.

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