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[dhouston]

My truck can send txt if I pay for the feature. It can call someone hands free (space recognition) but speach to text is extra for some reason. 

Will it automagically call the nearest Fire Department when your Samsung dumbphone self-ignites?

[toasterking]

I recently watched a movie where a couple was moving into a new home where everything would be automated.  The husband was enthused by being able to lock or unlock the front door from his cellphone.  And recently I saw an advertisement bragging about the ability to control the car HVAC from a cellphone.

I don't understand why people so often seem to think remote control = automation.  Remote control can be handy in some circumstances, but it's a supplement at best.  My front door should lock itself when all humans have left the house and the car leaves the driveway.  It should lock itself when all bodies are on beds.  The car should recognize who is sitting in it and adjust the HVAC to their preference.  At the point that you no longer need the controls, local or remote, that is automation!

[dhouston]

http://futurism.com/images/the-house-of-2016-the-smartest-gadgets-in-the-rooms-infographic/ 

[JeffVolp]

http://futurism.com/images/the-house-of-2016-the-smartest-gadgets-in-the-rooms-infographic/ 

I don't see how anyone can do without that $6400 automated toilet.   

Jeff

[bkenobi]

Or a $11,000 bed for that matter.

[nyc2]

They are! They just don't wish the rep of x10WTI.
They want this to be rock solid and currently the connection issue makes the quality not up to par.
The owner hopes everyone understands and apologizes for the continued delay.

I'm sure Authinx is sincere in their desire to get the wi-fi unit on the market, but it's starting to look like a dead issue now.

[Tuicemen]

I'm sure Authinx is sincere in their desire to get the wi-fi unit on the market, but it's starting to look like a dead issue now.

I understand many users feel this way and I again questioned the owner about this.

 Although he is out of the office this week (may be in China? ) he did have someone reply.
I'm told this appears on track now for a end of year release (maybe for the holidays ).
This sounds like the connection issue was routed out.
I'm told they are continuing to work with the app developer to improve end user experience.
For those that have stuck with X10 and not moved on they (at Authinx) expect the X10 Wi-Fi module will be an exciting new product for those users.

 Like many, my HA set up is in need of a major overhaul and has been since the module development was announced.
A holiday release won't come at a better time as it will give me time to play.
I hope like many that there isn't another hiccup which delays this further

 

[bkenobi]

Since the announcement, I have upgraded my setup to move away from AHP completely but am still interested to see how this module improves things.  If the price was right, it might be worth a play though entry into my setup may not happen at this point.

[HA Dave]

I held out until Apple entered into the HA market.

But even with some added "different flavored" HA products (My Q and ihome).... I still have bunches of X10 units both in service, held in reserve, or as spares. My X10 works fine... both by itself and without interference to or by the new homekit compatible products. So I am still interested in the New x10 Wi-Fi unit.

I see no reason why anyone would want to limit their HA setup to just one flavor/brand/type/protocol. Or... for that matter why any manufacture would limit their product line any more than is practical. It would be nice... if X10's new control unit could be flexible enough to be compatible with other HA flavors.

Maybe X10 could even be made compliant with Homekit.

[bkenobi]

With the right HA software, everything will work together though.  HomeGenie doesn't have compatibility with everything, but it does X10, Insteon, ZWave, and a couple others.  If users were interested in putting in the time, other systems could be added.  That said, there are many others that do work with a wider array out of the box depending on needs.

[HA Dave]

With the right HA software, everything will work together though.  HomeGenie doesn't have compatibility with everything, but it does X10, Insteon, ZWave, and a couple others. ......

And... I might continue to run some sort of HA PC... I have for about a decade now. But I really like that at lease some of my automation is controlled via a server somewhere. And I would welcome the idea of the HA PC... actually being my phone. As my phone is always running, close at hand, and unaffected by lighting and power outages.

[bkenobi]

My HA system is (mostly) also unaffected by power outages though it doesn't matter since X10 is PLC and does nothing without power.  I run a RPi behind a UPS designed for a PC.  As a result, the RPi can technically run for hours without power.  It is a server that is accessible from anywhere in the world and functions autonomously with any rule set I ask it to.  It's also low enough power, it's effectively free and is guaranteed to have no fees ever and I don't have to worry about it being shut down unexpectedly.   

[HA Dave]

...I run a RPi behind a UPS designed for a PC.  As a result, the RPi can technically run for hours without power.  It is a server that is accessible from anywhere in the world and functions autonomously with any rule set I ask it to.  It's also low enough power, it's effectively free and is guaranteed to have no fees ever and I don't have to worry about it being shut down unexpectedly.   

Your setup sounds really sweet.

I've looked at the Raspberry Pi stuff.... mostly in consideration of robotics. And have also looked at the mini, CE, and flash-drive sized windows OS devices... as well as tablets. I think my hold-back with some of the devices is it almost is like a whole-new additional hobby. I love voice control (I still use BVC along with Siri) and the wife and I are both hooked and dependent on the voice warnings and announcements.

I am NOT saying that coding our own devices/apps isn't a good solution. But it may be a little over my head and/or skill levels.

And now... automation has gone main stream. Home Automation isn't just a few hundred nerds with smart homes anymore. Amazon has sold 3 million Echo (Alexa) devices. And my iPhone is now sold completely setup to easily connect to a whole host of automation devices.

So... if I already knew how to code... and enjoyed it... I'd jump on that Raspberry Pi/mini PC/or Android table route in a hot minute. But at this point... I think I'd rather automate the easy way (that's a joke) just using phone apps. I haven't bought an Echo yet... but I think one (or something like it) is in my future.

 

[dhouston]

While they have spent 2 years developing a WiFi-to-PLC controller, they could have been adding this little critter to all of their switches and modules and then anybody with a smartphone/tablet or WiFi router could control them.
https://www.itead.cc/psf-b85.html

And, a 310MHz or 433MHz RF receiver need not be much bigger or add significant cost.

[HA Dave]

While they have spent 2 years developing a WiFi-to-PLC controller, they could have been adding this little critter to all of their switches and modules and then anybody with a smartphone/tablet or WiFi router could control them.
https://www.itead.cc/psf-b85.html

And that does seem to be the way of the future. And hubs... are now allowing mix and match of systems.

And, a 310MHz or 433MHz RF receiver need not be much bigger or add significant cost.

I like the idea of retaining X10's RF and PLC abilities. IMHO... the more choices the better.

But whatever happens... with X10, apple, or any other particular Home Automation product or protocol. Recent events has reminded me.... that the only constant has always been and always will be... change. And I still believe that our limits with automation... will also always be limited to what we can imagine automation to be.

It felt really good to finally be able to make a small upgrade to my automation setup.... again.