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Squintz
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Joined: October 26 2004
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| Posted: October 26 2004 at 10:56 | IP Logged
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Can you add Z-wave support to this application. If so i may just make the switch from HomeSeer to here.
Visit Cocoontech.com and discuss your PowerHome program with us. Thanks!
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CocoonTech.com - Home Automation, Theater, and Security Forums
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dhoward
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| Posted: October 27 2004 at 10:55 | IP Logged
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Squintz,
Welcome to PowerHome. I have just sent an email inquiring to whats necessary to acquire a developers kit for Z-wave. I'll keep everyone posted. If I can get the kit, I'll add the support  .
Also visited cocoontech.com and it looks like the natives are restless (concerning HS). I'd be happy to discuss PowerHome there, but don't want to bore people with sales pitches.
What time is the chat on Friday and I'll try to be there?
Dave.
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Squintz
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| Posted: October 28 2004 at 06:44 | IP Logged
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Thanks for the warm welcome.
I know that the full developers kit for Z-wave was about $5000. Which i assume is out of your price range since you are not charging a fortune for you software like some other companies. Im not sure what the cost of a development kit is for just software. I would hope that it would be free since they want people to support their hardware but i doubt that it is.
Can you tell me more about your software. How does it compare to HomeSeer? Can i write my own scripts? Can i write Plug-ins?
Personally id rather leave the plug-ins up to you so that i know the will be stable. I like being able to write my own scripts?
Here are a few things that i need to be able to do with my home automation software.
Z-wave
IR Receive and Transmit with Learning abilities
WebCams or just plain PC Cam recording
I understand that your software is mainly for Home Automation but i am also looking for software that allows me to control my home theater. I would be willing to pay twice as much as your charging if there were a front end with nice graphics that would allow me to use my tv as both a Media Center and Home Automation control center. I'm looking for the all in one solution because i dont like having to worry about differnt application all at once. Plus if it an all in one solution then it would be easier to add features that support both HA and Media without having to worry about the other applications support for the feature.
Basically what im trying to say is that im excited that your offering such a great program at such an affordable price and i only hope that you can continue to developing it into something even better.
Friday nights are chat night but you can stop buy just about any night and you will always find someone there. Its a pretty active chat room and you may have to wait a few minutes to get a responce(people are doing other stuff) but usually someone will start chatting with you within a few minute.
Normally we all meet between 8:30 and 9pm every friday. If you are certain that you are going to be there then i will announce you as a guest speaker and the topic will be about your software most of the night. Send me an e-mail at davepow16_at_gmail.com if you wanna talk about it more
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dhoward
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| Posted: October 28 2004 at 18:47 | IP Logged
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Squintz,
Well if it's $5K thats probably a little out of my price range. Ive emailed the guy I met at EHX 2004 concerning Z-wave so I'll see what he says. Everything Ive seen concerning the SDK looks like it's geared towards hardware development but Im hoping they'll have something for just communicating with a ZCU000. Worst case scenario, I might be able to just order one and sniff the USB port to try and determine the protocol.
Concerning PowerHome...I cant make a fair comparison to Homeseer as Ive never loaded the software. I have read the manual a couple of times and I believe were fairly close in features. Ive been told by other users who have used both PowerHome and Homeseer that PowerHome is the more flexible/powerful but more difficult to come up to speed with. Ive also been told that PowerHome is more stable and doesnt require as many reboots as a HS system. Im hoping to eventually overcome the learning curve with a better manual and the addition of "wizards" for some of the more common tasks.
You can definately write your own scripts. PowerHome includes the ability to create your own "macros". Macro commands combined with formula functions allow you to control nearly every aspect of PowerHome. In addition the built in Macro programming, you also have the ability to write scripts in any language supported by Windows Script Host (VBSript, JScript, etc.). The WSH language has been augmented with the same formula functions that are available within Macros.
The plug-in interface is in the works but is not yet available. PowerHome does have ways of being controlled by other applications however as well as being able to control them through either it's Windows messaging interface (useful for apps on the same machine) or it's Socket Server interface (other machines on the network).
PowerHome definately has you covered concerning IR sending and Receiving including IR learning (based upon the controller) and two IR control (Ocelot, RedRat3, and USB-Uirt only). PowerHome does not currently include any built in support for camera's but does work nicely with some of the available software and integrate it's camera images within it's webpages. PowerHome also supports PSP (PowerHome Server Pages) for user defined dynamic web content via it's built in server. One day I would like to include basic camera support within PowerHome but at this time it's taken a back seat to requests for additional controller support and Control Center enhancements.
Ive had a couple of other requests recently for a front end interface similar to Main Lobby or MyHTPC. As I am just getting into this aspect myself (just built my HTPC), I would like to explore this possibility. I have never used any of these frontends so I don't know yet what they do but hopefully in the near future I'll have a better idea of what I might be able to integrate within PowerHome.
Hope this helps,
Dave.
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PowerHome Messageboard : PowerHome Feature Requests
Topic: Z-Wave support
