The infiltration of ‘smart’ and network-connected devices into our everyday lives — and our pockets, purses, and dashboards — is enabling a new generation and a new approach to home automation. Smart devices have become a platform on which many home automation devices can hop up for support of their control and programming functions, rather than needing to incorporate complex control features within the product itself.
Remote control and programmable lamps
TCP Connected Network and iOS/Android enabled smart LED lamp kit
Originally marketed at around $200, this kit now sells for $40 at Home Depot. Although the lamp output is warm and bright, the lamps do not dim well on external dimmers. Their network-controlled dimming is outstanding (although the low end of the dimming range is still perhaps more bright than some will be happy with), but after more than an hour of fiddling, getting lamps to register in the control app via the dedicated wifi network provided by the gateway device in this kit has been problematic at best. Also, the gateway was erratic and barely ‘visible’ to my iPhone 5 while connected through a secondary router. I only got consistent gateway availability after connecting the gateway directly to my Verizon DSL modem/router combination appliance (and note that some DSL modems include only one downlink port, so in those instances you’ll have no choice but to connect the TCP Connected gateway to a secondary router).
800 lumen dimmable LED lamps cost $35 each only 2 years ago. Today, we can buy a kit of (2) together with wireless LAN bridge and iOS/Android compatible lamp control programming and control environment, all for $50.
Phillips Hue 600 (3) LED lamp programmable dimming lamps and control kit
(not yet evaluated by author / see full page write-up here)
A pioneering entry into the programmable/controllable LED lamp market, Phillips Hue kits include (3) dimmable LED lamps and add the ability to change the color of the light from each lamp.
Network-enabled Programmable Thermostats
(Cautiously recommended based on hearsay and brief observation of product in use)
nest programmable thermostat allows programming and control via web, iOS interfaces. This premium and pioneering entry in the market for such devices also features fuzzy logic learning and a highly-intuitive manual control interface to view and set programs.
nest programmable thermostat allows programming and control via web, iOS interfaces. This premium and pioneering entry in the market for such devices also features fuzzy logic learning and a highly-intuitive manual control interface to view and set programs.
nest programmable thermostat allows programming and control via web, iOS interfaces. This premium and pioneering entry in the market for such devices also features fuzzy logic learning and a highly-intuitive manual control interface to view and set programs.
nest programmable thermostat allows programming and control via web, iOS interfaces. This premium and pioneering entry in the market for such devices also features fuzzy logic learning and a highly-intuitive manual control interface to view and set thermostat timer programs.
Licensed Electrician Robert Monk Home automation products Copyright Robert Monk, 2012
Source: http://www.phillylicensedelectrician.com/home-automation-products/
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