The Challenge with Big Lighting Systems Having recently completed a major project for a client (installing a lighting automation system with a large number of dimmers and switches), I was confronted with figuring out an optimal configuration for voice control options. Sure it’s exciting to work on a large multi-room installation but when you get into a system of this size, there are a lot of things that you can’t ignore or sweep under the rug. There’s several key “lessons learned” and tips from different aspects of this particular installation, but I want to focus on voice control - it’s one of my favorite features and very popular with the explosion in smart speakers from Amazon, Google, and Apple. The challenge is as follows: With so many rooms and individual lights / light fixtures, how do you architect a voice control solution that preserves simplicity and ease-of-use? Voice control is very convenient, but lacks the physical, tactile and visual feedback we expect to guide our interactions. If you have worked with voice control, even in a single room, you probably know that naming all the lights and keeping things straight can be a real problem. Current voice control technology is fairly primitive and requires strict or structured voice commands and a lot of memorization to identify the correct room and desired light. Divide And Conquer The first thing I did was to set the right objectives. Since this project has other means of lighting control, the …
Caavo Control Center Universal Remote Control – This One’s A Game Changer
New Product Quick LookA break with tradition, this week I’m going to highlight a new product that I have been testing. This will be a quick look, not a full evaluation or analysis. I usually don’t like to write product reviews. The Internet, and YouTube especially, is full of reviews, demos, and product overviews that you don’t need in successful attempts to mine clicks for cash. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the patience to watch someone unpack a product, and then twirl it around showing me all the physical connections and accessories while they mutter on about how it is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I know how to read! Data sheets or spec sheets give me all the same information a lot quicker. But as I was chatting online with some of my peers, I realized that not everyone is plugged in to knowing the ’latest and greatest’ products that have appeared, especially when they are more specialized and not mass-market devices like smartphones or tablets. And even my techie integrator friends were not aware of some of the unusual features in this particular new product. For Your ConsiderationNo, I’m not producing an indie movie and asking for your Oscar nomination. I want to introduce you to a new AV remote control that has some very innovative capabilities. Please understand this is a preliminary “first look”. YMMV, as they say, so do your own homework to determine whether this will work for you. What Is This Thing?The product that …
Are 4K HDMI Cables All The Same?
I was wrong about 4K HDMI Cables? Or Was I? I just ran into a situation hooking up 4K HDMI cables that caused me to re-think a strongly held position. I’m usually an easy-going type of person, but once in a while, a few things really bother me. As a consumer, and later as a product manager / marketing manager at several high tech companies, I have always had the customer’s interest at heart. As a smart home systems integrator, I am upset when I see shady business practices or questionable sales tactics focused on profit (and greed). Charging What The Market Will Bear Selling grossly over-priced accessories, especially 4K HDMI cables, has often put me “on a mission” to educate the “regular guy or gal” and set the record straight. I have been vocal in telling friends, clients, and customers that there is no difference in HDMI cables. Under most circumstances, the least expensive no-name cables provide the same result as the expensive fancy brands. That used to be true, but now I must admit, I learned the hard way that the answer is “it depends”. Gold-Plated AV Cables If you’ve been around the consumer electronics and stereo industry, then you’ve probably come across the salesperson trying to sell you gold-plated (literally!) AV cables. Whether it’s speaker wire with 100% pure, oxygen-free solid copper wire, or simply connection wires for your DVD player or other device with RCA jacks, there are always several grades to choose from. When …
Beware The Home Wiring Apocalypse
Is Your Home Wiring A Disaster Waiting To Happen? A few weeks ago I discovered a serious problem that may affects hundreds, thousands, or possibly hundreds of thousands of homes. You may or may not be affected. If you have an old home, live in an apartment, or don’t have Ethernet wiring already installed in your home, this probably doesn’t affect you - but keep reading if you want to be amused or surprised. The dictionary defines apocalypse as “The complete final destruction of the world”, so, okay, I know I’m exaggerating a little bit, but this is really one of the biggest problems facing many homeowners they may not be aware of. In The Beginning… It all started with Internet connection problems in my own home. (Yup, yours truly was a victim just like many of you of mysterious slowdowns, random failures, and generally lousy Internet service.) Sometimes knowing too much (which in this case means installing networking, Wi-Fi, and smart home systems for clients and customers), can be dangerous. Instead of immediately going right to the real problem (spoiler: it was my ISP’s cable modem provisioning settings), I chose to blame my somewhat aging network infrastructure and took it upon myself to do a complete makeover - replacing my router, firewall, Wi-Fi access points, and network switches - the whole shebang! In my own defense, I have continued to evolve network design and equipment choices and it was time to get my own configuration “in sync” with newer …
“We Had To Destroy It To Save It”
Back The Truck Up Before specializing in smart homes and home automation systems, I started my business providing technology consulting to individuals and medium sized companies. You can see the details at rsdevelopmentgroup.com, my corporate parent. My early years working in the technology industry were focused on the IBM PC and compatible systems, while in the last five years I have spent a lot of time working with Apple computers and systems, but what I am writing about this week is applicable to all systems and platforms. It’s Broke, Fix It! Having been called into many clients homes or offices to not just help them, but actually fix their computer problems, I’d like to share my favorite secret computing tip. With smart home systems, a lot of my time is spent working with devices (or “gadgets”), but ultimately everything connects back to the ubiquitous personal computer, so I hope you don’t mind this slight diversion. Nature vs Nurture In Psychology, there is the age-old debate of whether one’s particular behavior is intrinsic (natural or inherited) or a learned behavior (nurtured by our environment of upbringing). With desktop computing, I saw that Windows users and Mac users approached using their computers in different ways. Often this was due to the reliability (or lack thereof) in performing some tasks or the ease of use of performing others. There are both similarities and differences between macOS and Windows or iOS and Android, but I’m …
A Tale Of Two Pipes
Like Fixing A Hole In The Roof Recently, I had the fun chore of finding and fixing two broken irrigation pipes for our sprinkler system. It seems every year, without fail, there is always a broken sprinkler head to adjust or replace, but this time, two different zones were not getting any water at all. As I ran back and forth, multiple times, between the ancient controller box on the garage wall and the different irrigation zones in the backyard, my thoughts turned to the same question - Is it time to install a smart(er) sprinkler controller? Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It Remember the children’s joke about the farmer with a hole in his roof? During a rainstorm, his wife asks him to fix the leak. The farmer explains that he can’t fix it while it is raining. So after the storm, wife reminds him to fix the leak and he replies “Why should I bother, it’s not raining?” I’m reminded of this every time I think about the expense (and honestly mostly the time and effort) to replace my classic sprinkler controller with a modern smarter one. I say “smarter” because the controller i have has a small LCD display, some buttons, a dial, and a basic microprocessor inside that remembers zone settings and watering times along with a running schedule. Realistically, there isn’t much more that is needed. Even the newest, smartest units are ultimately designed to do the same thing. This is really a case of “ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. So why am I tempted? Set It And Forget …
A FOMO Guide To Video DoorBells
“In Any Moment Of Decision, The Worst Thing You Can Do Is Nothing” Theodore Roosevelt was on the right track. Today we call it analysis paralysis. It may not be the most critical part of my smart home, but choosing the right video doorbell has been one of the more difficult decisions for me. There are several good products and many many other ones to choose from. The challenge for me has been finding the product that meets all of my criteria 100 per cent. In a previous newsletter about smart home upgrades called Out With The Old; In With The New, I listed the criteria I use to help me choose between the “hero” and “zero”. If you would like to read or re-read the issue, I’ve posted it to my website blog here. The problem for me is that I have not been able to find a product that meets all my criteria. If a product is great in one area, it falls down in another that is equally important. What to do? My first reaction was “Expletive deleted, don’t get anything”. That’s the easy way out. The truth is, why should I deprive my household the enjoyment of using a video doorbell just because no single product is perfect? Smart Home FOMO I’m sure many of you face the same dilemma. There is something that you want, but it is not perfect. Should you proceed now, or hold off hoping that something better will come along in the future. In the online social world they call this FOMO - fear of missing out. Let me assure you this is …
Putting The “Why” Into DIY Home Automation
What Is Professional Home Automation? This simple question generates and lot of different and unexpected answers. When I ask many people what they think distinguishes a Pro from a consumer DIY project, I get may different answers but the only thing everyone agrees on is the cost. Almost universally, the first reaction to the word “professional” is to think that something is grossly overpriced. Buying a fancy digital camera? If it is called a “Pro Edition” you’re going to pay a lot more. Hiring someone to do simple home repairs? A handyman is very affordable, a “Pro” is going to charge a lot more. Marketing and advertising firms know how to push our buttons. As soon as they put the word “Pro” onto a product, they know it will appeal to the ego and they can charge more - even if the product is no different than the regular version. As home DIY’ers, we enjoy the tinkering & adjusting and surprising the rest of the household with the amazing (from our point of view) things we can accomplish. The same level of “almost works” and forever needing tweaks is unforgivable for a professionally installed system. Much of the real work in professional integration is in the planning and design - avoid the latest fad of almost working product for proven, tried and true products that will continue to work for many years to come. Don’t Fall Into the ‘Old School’ Trap It’s easy to fall into the same trap when looking at smart home systems and installers. Many of …
Back To Basics: DIY 3-Way Lights
Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? With apologies to Rod Stewart, this week I am not writing about cool new gadgets or control systems. I’m going back to basics to describe one of the most common smart home projects. This solves a real problem and is easy to implement. A great starter DIY first project or a nice add-on to your existing home automation. What is a 3-Way Light? By definition, a 3-way light, is where you have more than one switch controlling a light. The typical example is a hallway or staircase where you want to be able to control the light from either end of the hallway or from either floor of the staircase. Electricians have solved this problem for years using a wiring scheme involving a third wire, often called a traveller, which runs between two light switches connected to the same light fixture. If you have two switches that control one light, then you have a 3-way light installation. Note that this is completely different from older 3-way bulbs. Usually installed in a table or desk lamp, a 3-way bulb has two filaments inside and special wiring in the bulb base and the light bulb socket giving you three different light levels. Most 3-way bulbs have been phased out with the wider use of dimmers and modern LED lighting, but many are still installed. Trivia tip: Because of the unique wiring in 3-way lights, you cannot rely on “On” being “Up” and “Off” being “Down” on the switch paddle. Depending upon how each switch was last …
Out With The Old; In With The New
Spring has Sprung! Now that we have swung full speed into Spring, it’s time to plan for re-planting the smart home garden of controllers, devices, and appliances. Every Spring I take an inventory of where things stand, what needs to be fixed or changed, and what I would like to do. It’s not necessary to change your home automation equipment frequently, but once a year it is worth a look. Technology improves, prices change (usually downward), and new capabilities that were not even a glimmer in your eye become feasible. You don’t have to wait for an actual sale to upgrade or grow your smart home. With careful selection of products and planned upgrades and migrations in a timely fashion you will save lots of money in the long run. I know it may be cheesy, but the adage “time is money” also applies. If you speed up your home network and automate more functions in your home, you can give yourself the luxury of more time for other things and we all know time is the most precious commodity. Is Your Crystal Ball Rusty? A video doorbell? Nobody was even thinking about that before they were created. An industrial grade mesh Wi-Fi network for great coverage everywhere in your home that doesn’t cost thousands of dollars? Nobody knew that was coming. A control system built into your smart phone and free with an operating system upgrade? Nobody saw Apple HomeKit or Google Home Assistant coming before it did! Not All Fun And Games It’s not all exciting new tech (or toys) to …