Smart Home Blog

Zensys, developer of the award-winning Z-Wave wireless home control standard, yesterday announced the Z/IP program to drive convergence of Z-Wave and TCP/IP while simultaneously beginning to license Z-Wave to other chip manufacturers:

By converging Z-Wave with TCP/IP, Zensys will enable standard based end-to-end home control networks and applications from anywhere on the Internet all the way into sensor networks. It will allow for the use of TCP/IP technology and knowledge in new applications directly on low cost, low power devices. As with all previous Z-Wave protocol advances, Z/IP will remain backwards compatible with existing Z-Wave products while adding compliant TCP/IP services to Z-Wave nodes and will allow the use of proven Z-Wave device and command classes in TCP/IP networks.

For end users, a primary benefit of TCP/IP convergence with Z-Wave will be the transparent use of home control applications from any location using any device, gateway or network. Given the findings from the Z-Wave Alliance/Kelton Research study conducted earlier this year that 72 percent of Americans want to monitor their home while away, there is obviously a real demand for simplifying wireless home control and automation applications.

Many home control system supports Z-Wave devices. You can use them with Plutohome.

[via eHomeUpgrade]

The English company Lifetime Software offers its HomeLife – a software package which allows to control x10 devices via web interface or via phone. The system uses X10 CM12U (or equivalent) interface to connect x10 devices with PC. The software uses a true client/server architecture, the server runs as a windows service and communicates to clients using TCP/IP, giving you full remote access to your home automation system. The client uses the latest .NET framework to provide a modern and easy to use user interface.

There is a free version of HomeLife which allows to connect up to 4 devices. The activation of full-functional version is £34.99.
As you can see, this solution is only for Windows users. So, Linux geeks should find something else.MisterHouse, for example, or Plutohome.

[via eHomeUpgrade]

Snapalarm offers the easiest way to be notified about any wafts of smoke in the event of a fire. To install the elegant smoke detector is extremely easy. You can get it just for £27.99. The Snapalarm is available in back and white colors which should be suitable for most of cases.

Unfortunatelly, I didn’t find any useful information about internal structure and possibility to integrate the detector with home automation system.
[via Ubergizmo]