Smart Home Blog

ControlThink introduced its new Z-Wave USB adapter with upgradable firmware. Now you shouldn’t buy a new adapter to get advantages of updated protocol. You need just the latest version of firmware and Windows XP or Vista based PC.

The “industry’s first upgradeable Z-Wave USB Adapter” runs at 4x (40kbps) speeds but it’s also compatible with 1x (9kbs) devices. The new ControlThink Z-Wave adapter is available on the producer’s web site and tagged at $39.95.

P. S. It’d be great to have support of that adapter by LinuxMCE. But as I know the biggest disadvantage of Z-Wave technology is its stand-off (ZigBee is much better in this regard because it uses open protocol). So, it’s not so easy to support the changed Z-Wave protocol.

[via Engadget]

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Nuvo has released its Wireless USB Syncing Device (NV-USBW), which enables homeowners and installers to sync music from PCs throughout the home to NuVo’s NV-M3 server without the need for a hard-wired connection. It provides a USB device connection over Wireless-G that is specially “tuned” for the NV-M3. As result PCs syncing to the NV-M3 music server no longer need to be close to the NV-M3.

The Wireless USB Syncing Device will be available in December for $399.

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Clipsal have released the first C-Bus to PC interface that doesn’t require RS-233 or a serial to USB converter - 5500PCU. It offers following:

• Provides a native USB connection front a PC to a C-Bus network
• Housed in a 4M DIN Rail enclosure
• The USB port is easily accessible from the front of the unit
• Utilizes a sturdy USB B-Type connector
• The unit is supplied complete with a 3m USB cable
• The unit uses the same US cable type as the 5500PACA
• Contains a C-Bus network burden and is capable of generating a C-Bus system clock signal

The 5500PCU is available at price $328.71 as well as RS232 version.

P. S. LinuxMCE doesn’t support C-Bus at all. There is a topic in the forum with request of support that technology. The easiest way is to create a GSD software interface but to do that you have to know the protocol description.

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Plutohome offers a few different methods to control A/V equipment. One of them is using of infrared commands. Only a small part of TVs, receivers and players has RS232 or Ethernet port. So, the easiest way is to attach IR transmitter to the core of media director, learn IR codes in case of missing of your device in the Plutohome database and send appropriate commands to your TV or receiver. Plutohome supports following IR transmitters:

• GC-100
• IRTrans USB
• Tira Remote Control Receiver/Transmitter
• USB-UIRT

GC-100 is the best solution if you don’t have media director near A/V equipment. In that case you can use it to send IR commands over LAN and then transmit them via IR sensors. Moreover, GC-100 includes one or more RS-232 and relay ports.
The rest devices can just transmit IR signals. They are good if you need to control your TV from the media director.

In my installation I’m going to control receiver Marantz 5600 placed in separate audio zone via GC-100 using its RS-232 port. Use instructions from wiki to know how to add Marantz to the Plutohome and how to configure GC-100.

P. S. Those devices can be used the same manner in LinuxMCE as well.

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English-based company U-Touch Limited offers the simplest way to turn your large display or plasma to the interactive screen with its new product - U-Touch screen overlay. Just attach it over the front of your plasma or LCD flat panel monitor and you can use it to control your home or HTPC without remote control or keyboard.

The U-Touch screen overlay is connected to the PC via USB and uses Windows or Mac based software to implement touchscreen. It can be placed even to window and will allow to interact with a monitor behind it. It possible to attache the U-Touch to the LCD or plasma with diagonal from 30 to 100 inch. So, it’s cover all range of existing “big screens”. The speed response is also acceptable. For example, 13 msec through 4 mm glass.

It sounds very attractive except fact that Linux doesn’t support. Also the price is unavailable. But I suspect that the big plasma with touchscreen (if it exists) will cost much more than the simple one with the U-Touch screen overlay.

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