Automated Home

LED Door Lock Status Indicator Hack

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:03:25 +0100

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to just glance at your doors and tell if they were locked or unlocked. This Automated Home reader has done just that and can tell the status of each door from the colour of the LED. Read on for the photos and the circuit details...

Apple TV v3.0 Update

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:23:18 +0100

The guys at TotalApps.net are quick off the mark with their review of last nights release of the Apple TV v3.0 Software. The free software upgrade features a redesigned main menu that makes navigating your favorite content simpler and faster, and makes enjoying the largest selection of on-demand HD movie rentals and purchases, HD TV shows, music and podcasts from the iTunes Store even better on your TV. gWIe7zT9iyg

Z-Wave Update

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:29:03 +0100

Our feelings for Z-Wave are pretty clear here at Automated Home. While we love the technology and feel its a worthy 21st Century replacement for X10, we hate the fact that despite the years and the promises, the UK still has a pitiful offering of hardware.Videos like this beautiful new one from Coco just remind us how poorly the UK market is served. Come on Z-Wave manufacturers - the UK is waiting. NgfRHMeJlBoCOCO- Controlled ComfortUpdate 1 - Is the COCO system Z-Wave power or another wireless technology? Leave a comment if you know. Update 2 - Looks like COCO is using system same / similar to the HomeEasy range

New Broadband Comparison Site

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:00:00 +0100

BroadbandSuppliers.co.uk is a one stop shop for all things broadband. Be it the latest news concerning the broadband sector, even-handed expert reviews or customer reviews, they have it all. But broadband comparison is their forte, almost all of the UK's ISPs are clearly compared by type (broadband packages, home, mobile, unlimited, business and broadband bundles) and by speed...

AlertMe Energy launches with Google and British Gas

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:53:48 +0100

Wow, what a coup for AlertMe. They've just announced a partnership with a little Internet company you may have heard of - Google! Their brand new Energy product is a combination of a clip-on meter reader, wireless hub and the online goodness of Google's PowerMeter. This will enabling users to monitor their energy consumption via their iGoogle homepage. Watch the video and read the full release after the jump...

DIY Windows Home Server Build - JukeBox MkII

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:00:00 +0100

It's hard to believe, but its four and a half years since we built our first proper rackmount media server for the Automated Home. Our tutorial for the MkI is still one of our most popular articles and it's easy to see why. It's something that people are doing every day as they realise they need to move all their digital media to a central server that can be accessed by the many IP devices we have now come to rely on. But nothing lasts forever and this week we've pulled the old girl out of the rack ready for a heart transplant...

Keene CAT5Blaster WallPate

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Here's another reason to love all that CAT5 you sunk into your walls. The £90 set of CAT5Blaster Wallplates from Keene Electronics allow you to send two independent video channels (either 1 x S-Video or 2 x Composite) plus audio over CAT5 cable for up to 100 metres...

Sonos S5 ZonePlayer Hands-on Mini Review

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:23:00 +0100

We've just had a play with the new S5 Zoneplayer, thanks to Sonos' UK distributor. Watch the video after the jump and read on for the new social networking features coming in the new software version next week.....

ITU Approve New Standard for Smart Home Network

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:25:25 +0100

Could this be the X Smart Home Utopia we've been waiting for? The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has approved a new technical standard called 'G.hn' which could finally lead the way to a workable standard by providing a set of protocols and profiles to enable a diverse range of devices to communicate with each other around the home...

Pinnacle Audio launches RAID Equipped Folio Music Server

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:41:44 +0100

Aimed squarely at the audiophile, the new Folio music server from UK based Pinnacle Audio uses FLAC Lossless compression. Their built-in CD ripping engine also features RAID technology to make sure your music is automatically copied to two hard drives - sparing you the pain of ever having to re-rip your collection. The Sonos like control comes via the Nokia touchsreen tablet and some custom software. Watch the video after the jump...

Sonos Announce ZonePlayer S5

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:26:22 +0100

Sonos have just announced a new all-in-one zone player. The single box contains digital amps and 5 speakers and brings the the entry price of Sonos down to £349 / $399 if you already have an iPhone or iPod touch to control it. Watch the video after the jump...

Readers Touchscreen Controlled Home Automation Setup with Photos

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Automated Home reader Kevin Warner has been building a comprehensive home automation system based on a HomeSeer backend controlled from touch screens using Cinemars MainLobby system. Check out the photos of his beautiful installation along with his opinions on what works best and his thoughts on future additions...

Marmitek EasyTouch Panel10 - Inexpensive X-10 Touchscreen Control

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:05:40 +0100

Marmitek has recently launched the EasyTouch Panel10. The 10 inch touch screen can easily be wall mounted and as it runs on 2 X AA batteries there's no requirement to track walls or run cables. It wirelessly controls X10 modules around the home from its built in transmitter. Users can add their own background by creating a graphic, printing it out and slipping it under the glass front for a look that's personalised to their own home...

EyeTV App Brings Live and Recorded TV to Your iPhone

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:05:24 +0100

Elgato have just released their iPhone app (£2.99) for the EyeTV Mac tuner range. If like us you watch and record TV with something like the superb EyeTV 250 Plus then you can now stream live TV or recordings to your iPhone, schedule recordings when you are away from home and browse the EPG...

ASRock 330 Brings Affordable HDMI 1080P XBMC Solution

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100

A few days ago we were contacted by the guys at LinITX.com Apparently they had a little box we'd be interested in. Turns out the ASRock 330 is another nettop PC, but one with a nice GPU. What makes this especially interesting to us is that the XBMC team have recently added GPU support to the Linux version of their world beating media player software. So can this little £250 machine replace our weapon of choice, the Mac mini which costs double the price? Read on to find out...

Bargain Alert: �60 Voucher Discount Code off Logitech Harmony 1100

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:09:12 +0100

We've just got the skinny on another great discount voucher code deal. This time it's the top of the range, colour touchscreen universal remote, the Logitech Harmony 1100.CLICK THIS LINK (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001PKUU6I?tag=markmccall) then use voucher code HARMONY9 at checkout. Valid until 27th September 2009.

Sky TV Readying New HD Server with IP Distribution?

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:38:53 +0100

Back in 2007 we heard a rumour that Sky were working on developing a new server that would record all the families shows and distribute them around the home to a client box in each room. Today the rumour is back, changed slightly, and this time with more details...

Automating Your Digital Files

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:10:11 +0100

Digital files affect almost every facet of our life these days. We download MP3 files, subscribe to podcasts, shoot thousands upon thousands of digital photos, watch streaming TV and movies over the Internet and email documents back and forth. All of this adds up to a lot of digital files, but for the most part they aren’t being utilized to their fullest potential, nor being stored in a secure location. Furthermore, one person in the home can often only access them at any given time. With a little help, you can easily automate the back up, storage and centralization of all your digital files and enjoy them in ways never before thought of...

Automated Home Readers 20 Terabyte Home Server [Photos]

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:31:59 +0100

So, you have a nice HiFi and you've ripped your entire music collection in uncompressed WAV format. You also have full ISO images of all your DVD movies and of course you'll need lots of space for ripping HiDef Blu-ray flicks too. So what sort of space is it going to take - allowing a little room for expansion of course - and how do you run a server like that at home...

Waci Pad Dynamic Screen IP Wall Switches

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:09:23 +0100

Remember that keyboard where every key was a little screen? Well here's a couple of beautiful new home automation friendly keypads that use similar technology. Taking the Clipsal DLT idea a stage further, the Waci Pads are available with tiny LCD or beautiful OLED screens, which can dynamically change...