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[HA Dave]

I've never felt like I could trust the security of opening my garage door with X10. I like your idea, however.
I do use X10 to close my door but have it wired so it only will close the door and not open it.

Puck and Bill (of BXVC) opened my eyes about "security" in using X10 to open a garage (in another thread) . So... I will be beefing-up my X10 garage door opener with an additional appliance module, that the universal module will plug into.

I am also going to put that module on an AHP timer (30 sec). Which will give me ample time to (voice command) open or close the door. Then (just to beat security into the ground) I will create a macro on a couple unused ON codes to trigger the module OFF. That will make it difficult to take an X10 remote and go through the codes to open the door.

[HA Dave]

How do I get a single ON from a motion sensor?

Now that my BXVC system is working well... and with the new voice... speaking well, I want her to say more. I setup an ActiveEye (MS16A) motion sensor at my front door. Then I set a BXVC listener, to "listen" for the house-unit code ON signal that the motion sensor would send, when it sensed motion. The BXVC listener was set to respond to the (fornamed) ON signal with the custom reply "You have a visitor, at your front door".

After I set this up, I stepped out my front door (then back in) to listen to the announcement. It seems as though the motion sensor sends more than one ON signal... as my new voice told me a  few times that I had a visitor at my front door. I don't a warning.... I just want a simple announcement.

Is there some macro, or something, or someway I can get a single ON .....or should I say a single: "You have a visitor, at your front door".

[KDR]

Dave, you could try having the motion sensor trigger a macro, have the macro trigger something to do the voice and then put in a short time delay. The first on should trigger the macro and the rest are skipped over since the macro is running. You will have to play with the delay. Maybe the macro turns on a dummy module and then after the time delay resets it.

^{----------------KDR}

[Puck]

If your motion sensor's house code is on a Transceived house code, try a non-transceived one. The double trigger could be from the original RF and then from the transceived PLC(?)

Just looked at BXVC and you can select it to respond to RF, PLC or both. So if you have it set to both, try setting that to just one.

[Don N]

Dave, I experimented with that a couple of months ago and had the same problem.  I set up a dummy macro to set a flag when the motion sensor is triggered on.  The voice would "play" if the flag was clear.  With the flag set, the voice would not play.  When the motion sensor is triggered off, I would clear the flag. 

[HA Dave]

Hey thanks guys!

Before I read Don N's post about flags. I set up a two (ghost) module, conditional macro (the flag sounds simpler). The sensor is the trigger, the trigger turns on module one, delays a sec, then turns on module two, delays 15secs, then turns OFF module two. The condition was that the second ghost module had to be OFF for the macro to trigger. I set BXVC to only listen to line signals, that does avoid the hearing the signal twice.

I had made a stick-in-the-ground stand that holds the ActiveEye module. I stuck the stand with the sensor beside my front door and returned to my office. As I walked in my office I heard "you have a vistor at the front door". Thankfully.... my wife was out shopping with her daughter.... and I had the driveway cam on. I could clearly see the traffic was triggering the motion sensor.

I moved the stand with the motion sensor to the lamp post and faced it towards the house, and away from traffic now kate/seven/Jerri says "there is activity in the driveway" But she only says it when there IS, and then only every 15 seconds.

 

[HA Dave]

I just set-up my 2nd BXVC computer!

I decided (during a storm) that a computer dedicated to Home Automation would be the way to go. I had originally set-up AHP and BXVC on my "good" desktop that I also use to convert home movies to DVD.

I picked-up a broken (old, slow and infested with spyware) P3 with 256 DRAM and a 20 gig HD. I reloaded the Operating System, called X10 (I dug up my original invoice 1st) and they emailed me a link to RE-download the AHP software. I installed BXVC and used a flash drive to copy and then paste the files from AHP (ahx files) and BXVC (xml files).

I spent the most part of two evenings fine tuning the microphone (baby monitor) inputs and "training" the speech recognition. BXVC worked ok... but not as reliably as the (previous) better computer.

Today I decided to add another memory strip, bumping the memory (DRAM) up to 512 mb (I bought the old memory strip at a flea market). That seemed to smooth out the computers (and BXVC's) performance. I think I could also see improvement with a better sound card. But I am not sure it's needed as of yet.

15April update
After much tinkering, adjusting, updated (soundcard) driver downloading, speech training, and frustration... I decided the soundcard doesn't need replaced (ok I also tried a new soundcard too). I had forgotten how time consuming (about 12 hours) setting up, fine tuning, and training the speech recognition can be. But it was well worth the time spent. BXVC is working like a charm.

Now all I need is to find a good sale on a UPS (battery back-up power supply). Then maybe order a line filter to protect my X10 signal.

[Tcat]

Ok I have read all 23 pages...

I *think* my MS SDK of Speech is FUBARED.

I don't see a mike in the system tray....

I am using the Instant on X10 CMOS cameras as very sensitive mikes... which can double as web cams for my chats....
I'm using the Eagle Eye's and macros to turn off all other cameras and only the local room On, to make it easy to have one mike....

All that is working, including feedback @ the BXVC box if the speakers are turned up too loud...

So, I need to un-install MS speech and re-install to get a little mike in the system tray? BXVC "sees" the sound card, and the wizard shows it as zero input on speaking....

TIA...
Very anxious to get this going ;-)
FYI, just got my first 2-way lamp modules.... what a difference.....

[Tuicemen]

Tcat
You may not see a Mic in the tool bar if your Language tool bar is disabled!
Make sure in your sound settings that you Mic is not disabled.
Right click on a blank spot on your tool bar and a pop up will appear with toolbars being the top option click on it then go down to language bar and check it!
 One test I always use to debug sound problems is to open the windows sound recorder and try creating a sound file with it! if it won't work the problem is in your soundcard configuration not the MS Sound SDK.
You can find the sound recorder if you click on Start, go to Programs, then Accessories, then Entertainment!

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

Tcat

If BXVC doesn't "gripe" that it "Can not initialize the speech..." when you start it up, and clicking the "Test Voice" button makes it talk, then most likely the MS Speech SDK is properly installed.

The fact that the Microphone Setup Wizard doesn't show any input when you talk, says that Windows isn't "hearing" the microphone.  Since you can hear the microphone through the speakers, it is most likely that the microphone is disabled (muted) under the Record or Speech tabs of the sound card's volume controls.

P.S.
To eliminate the feed-back, you need to mute the input the microphone is on in the Playback tab of the sound card's volume controls. 

Hope this gets you pointed in the right direction!
Let me (us) know.

[Tcat]

Hey Bill &Tuicemen!  What stars! 

First Tuiceman... Language Bar was the trick! Nice...

Bill... I see the X10 Video Receiver *really* is a line in voltage. I cannot get the volume low enough on the controls to use the mike in... Besides an attunator, how do I get the speech engine to look at line input, not mike? That will put me over the top. Yes, the voice from Mary works fine...

Thanks to both of you!

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

Go to Windows Control Panel and check for Speech settings.  It should allow you to pick which device (i.e. sound card) and which line (i.e. microphone, mixer, etc.) the Voice Recognition listens to.

[Tcat]

YUP! Got it up before I FUBARED it    Learning... LOL

THANK YOU

[Tcat]

I'm wondering if there is an overview in one of the many messages that can improve my understanding of BXVC?  For example, I don't get "new listener". I assume that is My Voice, but it could be an alternative to the AHP module? I'm slowly getting there... Pretty cool stuff for the total $. I'm close to figuring out BXVC, flags, etc....

Bill I need to put some $ in Paypal and send some to you.
After all this will be the companion Phone control !

[HA Dave]

I'm wondering if there is an overview in one of the many messages that can improve my understanding of BXVC?  For example, I don't get "new listener".

The "listener" is a GREAT feature! It "listens" for X10 signals and responds as you determine. I use it two ways.

1.  BXVC "listens"  for motion sensor signals and announces visitors

2.  I created pretend modules and set them with timers in AHP. The "listener" listens for the modules and replies with custom announcements. creating a talking clock.

I need to put some $ in Paypal and send some to you.

I was surprised, I didn't have to join paypal or anything like that! Just clicked the link on Bill's Web Site and entered a credit card number. Just like making a purchase... from paypal.