Rick's Home Automation
My house is automated with an open-source project called MisterHouse.
Currently, I have the following things tied into the application:
- USGS Notification (developed myself)
- Monitoring the USGS web site, and sending mail when the water's up in the rivers I kayak
- Notifying friends when it's warm enough for them to go too.
- Daily Strips
- Pulling the comics I read on a daily basis
- Archiving them on my PC for a couple of weeks when I'm out of town
- Telephony
- Logging and alerts for all incoming calls
- Monitoring the Vonage site for outgoing calls
- Announcing the Caller ID information (using a NetCallerID device), customized for specific individuals.
- Vonage web-based access to voicemail
- Email notification of voicemail messages (via Vonage)
- Exterior Lighting
- Exterior motion sensors that turn on and off the exterior lighting
- Announcements over the house PA system for when people come up to the house (sensitivity varies inversely by wind speed)
- Modes for specific events that turn on the exterior lighting in advance
- Porch light that turns on and off based on darkness (based on Internet twilight settings)
- Interior lighting
- Interior lights that turn on and off based on occupancy and daylight.
- Wireless remotes for control of interior lighting
- Exterior cameras
- Exterior cameras recording motion outside, and emailing video out (Zoneminder)
- Accessible over the internet
- Alarm System
- Autodialer for when the alarm system is tripped (dials home, Marnie and I at
work, and Marnie's cell)
- Email alerts
- Sensors in garage for additional alarm notification
- TV
- Web-based display of TV Listings (developed myself).
- PA system announcements for shows that I watch
- a Linux-based PVR (MythTV)
- Multiple Media MVP mvpmc boxes as Myth Front Ends to watch separate PVR shows on multiple TVs.
- All DVD and VHS centralled stored and viewable.
- Centralized music
- All CDs ripped and accessible over a web interface through the house PA system
- Weather monitoring
- Monitoring for earthquakes :-)
- Monitoring national and local weather information
- Web-based display of current exterior weather conditions
- Web-based Calender
- PA announcements of upcoming events
- 1-wire
- House PA system tied to 4 channel switch. Ability to turn PA system on/off
- Monitoring temp and humidity across multiple 1-wire (MS-TH) devices in the
house and crawl space.
- Logging of temp/humidity across hours/days/weeks/months
- Monitoring of water (using MS-THW (developed myself)) at the sump pump, and
checking to see if it's stopped working
- Photos
- When doing nothing else, displays photo journal (like a changeable picture
frame)
- Voice-activated commands using Microsoft Voice
- Running using my BlueTooth headset. Needs better range.
Planned additions:
- Notification when about to exceed Vonage minutes
- Improved camera monitoring and notification
- Improved interior motion detection