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| Author |
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| 25 new of 290 responses total. |
kingjon
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response 19 of 290:
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Jan 19 21:51 UTC 2006 |
Re #18, last paragraph: The "dream" as so often articulated by
what-the-future-will-be-like "prophets" is that, say, your refrigerator will
notice when you're out of milk and tell you (or, in some versions, order it
automatically). Similarly, I heard (second-hand) a news story about a
university where the washing machines in the dorms are on the network so it's
easy to remotely see how close to being done one's load is or what machines are
currently free.
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tod
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response 20 of 290:
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Jan 19 21:55 UTC 2006 |
I have x10 in my house but its all RF. No need for wiring nor WiFi other than
the x10 RF transceiver for the serial port on my PC.
x10 interacts with all sorts of appliances and home security devices and you
can script most of it with perl into a web interface simply enough.
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marcvh
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response 21 of 290:
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Jan 19 22:22 UTC 2006 |
X10 primarily operates via signals sent over power lines; RF is
secondary and only some X10 devices support it. I used to have a bunch
of X10 stuff but it was so flakey that it proved more annoying than
useful. The controller box was super smart, and I could program it to
turn my porch light on at dusk and off at dawn; it would automatically
adjust to different times of the year. But once a week (or so) it would
lock up and leave the light on or off all day, requiring that I reboot
it and resynch it with my PC. My wife told me the result was annoying
and useless, and I had to admit she had a point.
The most obvious application for a wired refrigerator today is the
fridge with a TV built into the door, which obviously requires you to
have a cable outlet in the area. You can already buy one of these right
now, if you really want to.
Some people have suggested that their fridge could automatically keep
track of its contents, and use the Ethernet to warn you when the milk
starts to go bad or you're out of cheese. I'm kinda skeptical of this
application. Remember 25 years ago when everybody was talking about how
you needed to buy a PC (or Apple ][+ or whatever) and get a database
program so you could enter all your recipes into it and use it to look
them up later? Did anybody ever actually do that?
A network connection might be a good way to monitor the fridge's
operational parameters. You could pull up a page that would tell you
things like how many hours the compressor has been running lately and
how that compares with the long-term average, how long since the water
filter has been changed, and whether some idiot left the door open.
That would be reasonably easy to use, and would have some value; most
importantly it doesn't impose an extra burden on you to inform the
refrigerator of your daily goings-on. If things advanced to the point
that it was only an extra $5 for a fridge that did this, hey, why not?
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kingjon
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response 22 of 290:
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Jan 19 22:25 UTC 2006 |
(I didn't say this wasn't "pie-in-the-sky.") But the assumption is that by that
point you'll be doing your shopping over the Internet anyway, and everything
will have tracking chips in it so that you won't have to tell it what's in
there because it'll detect it when it goes in.
(I don't think this'll happen anytime soon -- but, then again, I'm more and
more wishing for the simpler time when the Internet was a network of
universities and "going online" meant Grexing.)
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tod
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response 23 of 290:
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Jan 19 22:36 UTC 2006 |
They had coke machines on the Internet when I was at RIT. You could see how
many were left in the machine. This was 15 years ago.
I primarily use the x10 controls for motion sensors..
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mcnally
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response 24 of 290:
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Jan 19 22:38 UTC 2006 |
re #18: How about your thermostat? In multiple rooms? I think
more sophisticated climate sensors may start to become more popular.
After you take your shower would you like the fan to come on in
your bathroom and then shut off again automatically after the
humidity had dropped below a certain level? I probably would,
living as I do in a very humid climate.. Or maybe you'd like your
blinds to come down when you're out of the house during the day to
save on your heating and cooling bills. Maybe your heating oil
tank could use a sensor, if you have one. We're still waiting
for someone to do the Smart House concept right (cheap, reliable,
and useful..) but eventually someone will make it attractive.
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mcnally
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response 25 of 290:
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Jan 19 22:41 UTC 2006 |
re #21: Marc's response brings up another category of things that
might benefit from network connectivity -- major appliances that have
defined maintenance cycles. If it's cheap enough to put a web-based
control interface into a wireless router that sells for $20.00 it
ought to be cheap enough to put such an interface into, say, a hot
water heater or a furnace.
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jep
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response 26 of 290:
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Jan 19 23:34 UTC 2006 |
I guess the computerized refrigerator doesn't realy grab me. But, I
can imagine some useful things which could be done via a network,
allowing parts of the house to be controlled by computer. For example:
1) If I could control power outlets from my computer, it would sure
make it easier to turn my Christmas lights on and off according to the
time of the day. It's a little bit difficult to coordinate mechanical
timers, even if they are the same type. I had 5 of them this year, and
they turned my lights on/off over a half hour period.
2) It'd be nice to have the computer control my furnace. I'm getting a
timer which can turn the heat down during the day. The trouble is, I
work 8-5 some days, 11-8 other days, 9:30 - 6:30 yet other days, and
I'm home on weekends. If I worked 8-5 every day, a thermostat timer
would be great. It'd also be nice to be able to log on from work and
tell it I'm working late so don't bother to heat up the house for
another hour or two. Or that I'm coming home from vacation a day early.
3) As I recall, the X10 company got really nutty and started
advertising things like spy cameras to put in the bathroom, for use by
pornographers. Didn't they get sued out of existence for that stuff?
But remote cameras ought to be useful, to show who's at the front door,
monitor the driveway, be able to see the baby in the next room, etc.
Webcams are pretty popular to provide video conferencing. (I'd get one
for my mother, who would doubtless love it, but then she'd be able to
see what a mess the house is.)
4) Why not hook up an alarm clock so it can tell the coffee pot when
you're getting up?
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tod
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response 27 of 290:
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Jan 19 23:35 UTC 2006 |
Remember that movie The Demon Seed? Yea, that was cool....awesome!!
<said in enthusiastic Chris Farley clamor>
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twenex
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response 28 of 290:
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Jan 19 23:38 UTC 2006 |
Was that satire?
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marcvh
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response 29 of 290:
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Jan 19 23:56 UTC 2006 |
X10.com pissed a lot of people off with a combination of pop-under ads
(they were among the first to use this new annoying mechanism to get
their word out) and ads for cameras which included clip art that could be
inteprepted as meaning you should use them to spy on women in the bathroom
or changing clothes or something. I don't think the quality of video they
produced would be good enough for any self-respecting pornographer. They
still exist, and their ads still feature pictures of attractive women but
they're not in changing rooms or other vulnerable settings.
I'm not sure that automated window control systems will become practical
anytime soon. There are motorized automation devices you can buy (the
DrapeBoss and its successors) but they run, when coupled with
controlling infrastructure, something like $100 per window. They'd have
to put a pretty big dent in your heating bill just to break even during
the few years the device will likely last before it flakes out.
I tend to be a believer in a "less is more" theory of home automation
now. For example, I have a motion-sensitive light switch in my
bathroom; when I enter, the light comes on, and stays on for a few
minutes after I leave. It's self-contained, very basic, and works
reliably. Next to it is a timer-switch controlling the fan, so if I
find that the bathroom is in need of fresh air, I just hit the "10
minute" button and the fan will run for that long and then stop. It's
not fancy, doesn't sense humidity or anything, but it works well enough
without becoming annoying.
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tod
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response 30 of 290:
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Jan 20 00:04 UTC 2006 |
x10 is available off the shelf
For video surveillance, I wouldn't waste my money on x10. You can get a whole
setup for less than a grand to cover most small business or homes.
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rcurl
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response 31 of 290:
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Jan 20 00:28 UTC 2006 |
First, re #10: yes, WiFi works through walls and floors. I use it between
the older (wired) computer LAN on the second floor and the cable entry
point on the first floor. I have, when I've chosen to check, found other
WiFi servers somewhere nearby (because they haven't blocked their SSID
signal). The range might be up to a couple of hundred feet.
I also have X-10 over the powerlines, but for one-way control only. I use
a stand-alone transmitter that I program with my computer. I don't like
the idea of two-way systems that require that the computer always be on.
My X-10 system has been very reliable. It controls some 30 lights. Once in
a while a light doesn't go on or off - some noise burst, probably, has
interferred with the system. What you can do is program duplicate on or
off signals a minute apart to reduce such rare malfunctions even further.
The X-10 system offers several benefits. I found that as soon as I had it
installed that our electric consumption took a significant dive. The
reason is that lights don't get left on accidentally. I also run the
outside lights slightly "dimmed", which increases their lifetime
considerably. In addition, the X-10 system makes the house appear occupied
when we are away. It includes a random timing feature so the same lights
go on and off at different times within a window of an hour or a half
hour. I am considering getting a drape drive, but primarily as another
security feature. For that, I can justify $100.
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nharmon
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response 32 of 290:
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Jan 20 00:49 UTC 2006 |
This response has been erased.
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nharmon
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response 33 of 290:
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Jan 20 00:49 UTC 2006 |
I've been meaning to put in an X10 system on my front porch so when I or
the wife walks up to the front door, the sensor will detect motion and
turn on the porch light to make it easier to find the correct key. X10
seems to be well suited for tasks such as this.
Of course, thats on my list to do right after I input all of my recipes
into a mysql database...and then write a program where I tell the
database what ingrediants I have available, and it suggests recipes I
could use with them.
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keesan
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response 34 of 290:
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Jan 20 01:00 UTC 2006 |
You can buy lights at the hardware store that come only when they sense
motion, only if it is dark out. The settings are adjustable, and they can
be set to stay on for different durations. You can also run your bathroom
fan on a dehumidistat and/or timer, so it comes on only when it is humid and
stops when it is dry, or you turn a mechanical knob to start a mechanical
timer that will run up to 15 minutes, or an hour. None of this is
whole-house. It is good for your health to pull shades up and down.
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tod
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response 35 of 290:
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Jan 20 01:55 UTC 2006 |
It is good for your health to pull shades up and down.
Not if you are a former President in the 24 series
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ric
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response 36 of 290:
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Jan 21 04:34 UTC 2006 |
My telephone service is provided through my cable modem thanks to a wireless
router. Perhaps someday, my phones will support 802.11g or some similar
wireless protocol, and then I won't have to have the phones wired into the
wall outlets (though they still need power)
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marcvh
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response 37 of 290:
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Jan 22 17:01 UTC 2006 |
Apropos of this, last night my WiFi network stopped working. First it
got really slow and unresponsible, and then it stopped functioning at
all. Even when my laptop and my WAP were only two feet apart, they
couldn't see each other and nothing would work.
That happens every once in a while; when it does, nothing seems to fix
it, but a few hours later or the next day it's working fine. I also
wasn't able to detect any of the other WiFi networks in my neighborhood
(there are 5 of them within range) which suggests some kind of systemic
interference rather than a local equipment problem.
I'm told by others this is far from uncommon; not sure if it might be
caused by sunspots, atmospheric conditions, a neighbor using a
poorly-shielded microwave, or what. But it happens from time to time.
A hard-wired LAN will probably have availability of four or five nines,
while WiFi seems to be somewhere between one and two nines.
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nharmon
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response 38 of 290:
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Jan 22 17:08 UTC 2006 |
My wifi connection is quite reliable. In fact, I have never had it go
out. A lot of times it comes down to the quality of your equipment. A
coworker reports a similiar problem with his d-link wireless router. He
has to cycle the power in order for it to start working again.
I do agree that wired networks are many times more reliable.
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twenex
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response 39 of 290:
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Jan 22 17:16 UTC 2006 |
I also find that power-cycling the router helps. You might want to try that,
Marc.
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rcurl
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response 40 of 290:
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Jan 22 17:22 UTC 2006 |
When I first installed my WiFi system there would be some blackouts
(byteouts?) and I called Comcast. On a couple of occasions they were
announcing that their system was down. For many months now the system has
been absolutely stable. While I do have a wired LAN using the WiFi
connection to cable, I don't use the LAN very often - mostly for backups
and rarely to exchange files. So, at least for my use, the convenience of
the WiFi is more important than the reliability of the LAN.
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marcvh
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response 41 of 290:
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Jan 22 17:35 UTC 2006 |
Yeah, my impression is that the D-Link stuff is crap. I wouldn't buy that.
Sorry if I'm not being clear -- yes, I did power-cycle the WAP. I also
tried rebooting the laptop, connecting to a different router, using a
different network card, and about a dozen other things, none of which
worked at all. This was definitely not a failure of any single piece of
equipment. I suppose if I were being thorough I could have tried other
devices that use the same frequency range, such as my cordless phone, to
see what they did. Or maybe I could have asked my neighbors if any of
them is in a terrorist sleeper cell using Ham radio to communicate with
Peshawar.
It just happens every once in a while; fortunately it's just a slight
inconvenience since I can fall back to using wires, and it always goes
away the next day if you do nothing.
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springne
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response 42 of 290:
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Jan 22 18:15 UTC 2006 |
D Link is crap, Linksys is lesser crap.
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mcnally
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response 43 of 290:
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Jan 22 20:32 UTC 2006 |
re #39: I'm pretty sure Marc would've tried that in his trouble-shooting.
re #38: Many (at this point, probably most..) cordless phones use the same
2.4Ghz frequency band as 802.11b and 802.11g and depending on the phone
model cause varying degrees of interference. If you have a really close
neighbor with such a phone it may be that you have such outages whenever
they're using the phone but don't tend to notice the 2-minute outages and
only notice when they're on the phone for an extended period.
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