the  J o h n  H I G S O N  network

HA HISTORY
 

• cen.heat boiler control
• block wired house (for low voltage control, alarm, and telephone extensions)
• timed alarm with batt back-up
• flashing christmas tree lights
• timed lights and radio
• switched lighting ring for whole house timed lights
• timed conservatory extractor fan using X10
• X10 control for timed lights and radio

Now moving on to the use of X10 technology.

Here are some things I plan to incorporate using X-10 and intelligent controllers and sensors:

• (conservatory fan/door and ventilation?, kitchen light, stairs light,)
• "smart lights" that make the house look lived in while we're away
  (started 1998) 1 MT7222 (mini-timer) + 4 AM12U (switchable appliance modules)
• "smart night lights" that provide just enough light for that middle-of-the-night trip to the necessary room.
• Automatic lights for dark areas.

Motion Sensing
 

• A neat idea I read somewhere is to have the hall lights come on when someone enters and it's night-time. They come on softly to a low level for that late night trip to the bathroom. Motion sensors in the hall, intelligence in the house controller, and X-10 lights will combine to light the way, turn on the bathroom light, also dimly, and then turn them off again a few minutes later.

   

• On approach to the perimeter of the house, lights will come on inside the house and outside floods will illuminate the detected object.

   

• Lights will come on when someone ascends the stairs after dark.

How about an IR sensor set at shin height - if you look at the web site for the company that provides Comfort with their RF IR sensors, they also do a ranged of (wired!) teeny-weeny IR sensors that you can embed in the wall, so you wouldn't even have to know it was there.

A sensor on the stairs lets you do even more funky stuff - a place in Cambridge has LEDs embedded in the walls and skirting boards going up the stairs - as you go up or down you trigger a ripple of LED flashes...