Smart Home Blog

New Potato Technologies introduced an Infrared iPhone / iPod touch dongle FLPR. It turns iPone into smart remote control and allows to manage all IR-based devices in the home. It offers IR codes for more than 14000 different devices and App with generates remote control UI.

The big advantage of Potato FLPR IR dongle is that it doesn’t need additional device like, for example, RedEye which needs IR transmitter near your TV or air-condition. The FLPR is self-sufficient. That fact gives consumers more flexibility.

The Potato FLPR IR dongle is already available in the producer’s online shop at $79.99. The rest shops will get it at the end of March.

[via Engadget]

ThinkFlood recently launches RedEye universal remote control system for iPhone and iPod Touch. The system is split by two parts – hardware and software. Hardware component includes a IR transmitter which is also a dock-station for iPhone or iPod Touch and WiFi access point. Software part is an application which can be downloaded from iTunes. Device communicates with IR transmitter via WiFi. It’s possible to use several transmitters in the different rooms to control IR equipment in whole house.

The RedEye allows to create your own layout for remote control. It also utilizes accelerometer to switch channels or control volume (see demo video below). The RedEye offers also a huge database of IR codes. You just select your device and the application will download its codes. For unknown devices the RedEye provides learning mode as all universal remotes.

The RedEye system for iPhone and iPod Touch is available at $188.00. It isn’t so cheap but considering offered functionality it looks reasonable.

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WACI-PAD is a keypad with very interesting functions. Each button of it is a small OLED display which can show different icons and initiates different action according to pressed button. The keypad is fit in a single gang electrical box and provides a comfortable user interface. It’s based on 250 MIPs processor, has IR transmitter, RS-232 and Ethernet port to communicates with controlled devices and built-in web server to configure the keypad. Also the WACI-PAD has ability to upgrade its functionality using new new firmware.

As you may see the WACI-PAD can be use as an interface and control system with simple and limited functions of course. But it seems that integration with whole house control system will be difficult a bit.

There is no any word about price and availability of WACI-PAD.

[via AutomatedHome]

Keene Electronics released its new product – IR Anywhere. It allows to send IR signals over TCP/IP network. Even through Internet! IR Anywhere contains two physically identical modules. Each of them can act as either a receiver, as a target or as a stand alone.
A receiver will receive an IR command, convert it to packet data and send that data to a pre-determined IP address (usually another module). A target module will decode the received data and retransmit the IR as originally received. A stand alone module will operate as a target receiver without attempting to locate a compatible PC or other module on the local network.

The IR Anywhere can be very useful for multi-room A/V distribution systems. It seems ideal to transmit IR commands from one room to another. But if you’d like to control A/V equipment from some IP-based home automation system the better solution is GC100.

[via AutomatedHome]

CommandIR 2 – a second generation of hardware extension for Linux media PC’s, was reviewed on the MythPVR.com. It allows to control Linux box itself and any A/V equipment via IR. The CommandIR 2 is equiped by four independently controlled IR blasters, on-board IR receiver, wired IR receiver (optional), six software controllable LEDs (they can be used to indicate something like starting recording, high level of system load etc) and USB port to connect the PC.

The CommandIR 2 is design specially for Linux. MythTV supports it from the box. But for other Linux distributions the CommandIR 2 can be configured manually.

The CommandIR 2 seems very interesting devices to extend control of home entertainment system. It’d be nice to add it into LinuxMCE since it already supports GC100, IRTrans USB, Tira-2.1 and USB-UIRT.

[via MythPVR.com]