2010-09-08T12:31:48Z Barry Newton Copyright 2010, Barry Newton SPHPBLOG I just returned from training in Indianapolis where I completed the Registered Outreach Instructor program. As an ROI, I will be offering training to industry partners including architects, builders, and interior designers.

From the ROI information site: "CEDIA is an approved provider of continuing education for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), and the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC). Members of these industry partner associations receive continuing education credit for attending ROI-administered classes and gain an expert resource in the residential technologies industry."

CEDIA currently offers 11 courses which are generally about an hour in duration and can be delivered in a "lunch and learn" format. Course topics include a variety of home technology concepts, and courses are free of charge.

Please contact us if you would like more information.


]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090625-211938 2009-06-26T00:00:00Z 2009-06-26T00:00:00Z Interactive Automation, Inc.'s Facebook Page



]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090613-084718 2009-06-13T00:00:00Z 2009-06-13T00:00:00Z
The home had some older Crestron wireless remotes that did work well, but these remotes operate on a different frequency than current models. I had heard that RTI remotes operate on this different frequency, so I decided to try one out for this customer. In short, the results have been very good.

We installed a T2B and found that it can be programmed to work much like a Crestron ML-600. As a result, the learning curve was minimal. The T2B also offers some nice features such as a long lasting battery with a charging station, and motion sensitive backlighting.

Although we always recommend Crestron remotes and we truly deplore "hack" solutions, the T2B or a similar RTI remote may be a good low cost option for anyone looking to replace an older ST-1500 or 1550C in certain situations.

]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090525-093813 2009-05-25T00:00:00Z 2009-05-25T00:00:00Z
Landscape speakers generally survive nearby strikes, but the surge travels along the speaker cable to the amplifier and causes damage to at least the amp, but often to other equipment as well. Fortunately we have found a new surge suppressor from Total Protection Solutions designed specifically for this problem and would suggest anyone with landscape speakers add these. At about $200 plus installation per pair of speakers, they are not inexpensive, but should help prevent down time during the months when you want to use your outdoor speakers.

Other common victims are cable TV receivers, automatic gates, pool controllers, and landscape lighting systems. Generally we design in protection for these if they are part of a system, so we don't have a lot of problems. Occasionally we will replace surge suppressors that fail due to a surge, but these suppressors are designed to fail when protecting your other equipment from particularly bad surges.

The other main entry point for surges is the main house electrical service. Hence, it is a good idea to also protect your electrical breaker panels. A "whole house" surge suppressor attaches to the breaker panel and offers surges a better path to ground than your expensive electronics. They are particularly critical if you have an architectural lighting system.

We recommend this model from Total Protection Solutions. An electrician must install these and each breaker panel will need one. This model includes an EMI/RFI filter and a lifetime warranty. Installed, these suppressors will cost a little under $1000 per breaker panel.]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090502-085703 2009-05-02T00:00:00Z 2009-05-02T00:00:00Z
A year ago I switched to a Samsung SCH-i760. For a short time I liked this device as a substantial improvement over the Treo, but it has plenty of problems of its own. Over time I realized that the primary problem with this device is WM6. The device itself suffers from a lack of processing power and memory (or WM6 is just a hog?), and the placement of buttons is not well thought-out. I can't tell you how many times I have actually hung up a call accidentally.

WM6 actually works about as well as any Windows product, but it has major usability problems that kill productivity.

1) My primary complaint is that the browser is garbage. Internet Explorer Mobile is simply terrible. It fails to render all but the most simplistic sites in any usable format.

2) Running programs is convoluted. To start a program on a WM6 device, you press the "Start" button then scroll down to and select the "Programs" option. This brings up a list of programs from which you can select. So it's button, scroll, select, scroll, scroll, scroll, select. Every time. Of course, you can add a program to the Start menu as a shortcut, but there are only 8 slots in the menu available, 4 of which are already occupied by Microsoft apps you don't need on there but can't remove.

3) WM6 is a resource hog and lacks stability. I generally have to reboot my device at least every day or two, and whenever it locks up. Over time performance degrades until you reboot. This is in part due to programs that never quit unless you run the Task Manager (another program) and specify a program to quit.

4) The device drops characters when I am typing. I'm not the fastest thumb typist, but when I try to type an email I constantly lose characters. I don't have this problem on a Blackberry. To be fair, I'm not sure if this problem is WM6 or the device itself.

5) Mail checking inconsistent. No matter what interval you set to check for email, the actual interval is random. I set mine to an hour, but it sometimes fails to check for several.

6) The device does not stay asleep when you put it there. It wakes up whenever an alert dialog pops up or when Activesync runs. For example, when sending email it frequently complains about the site's certificate though it has sent mail from via that server many times before. And Activesync runs itself all the time for no apparent reason (even though I don't have an Exchange server configured). If the device is in your pocket, it wakes up and buttons get pressed. I will frequently pull it out and find it asking me if I would really like to delete some appointment.

7) Alerts are hugely annoying. Appointment alerts chime every 15 seconds until canceled. There is no way to have it sound once and go away. After you dismiss the alert, it begins incessantly bugging you again at the time the appointment starts. But my favorite alert is the battery low alert. It lights up the screen and chimes to let you know the battery is low thereby running out what little battery remains much more quickly.

8) It alerts you with a dialog whenever it connects to the internet. Every time you connect for any reason, a dialog pops up to make sure you know it is going to connect.

9) Activesync is flaky. Once in a while I can't get the device to sync to my PC without rebooting both.

I believe it is well past time for me to abandon WM6 and this lousy PDA for something better. The obvious candidates are the Blackberry and iPhone. The forthcoming Palm Pre would be an option if it were available on any network other than Sprint. The G1 would be an option if it were more mature and polished. Suggestions?]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090330-093218 2009-03-30T00:00:00Z 2009-03-30T00:00:00Z
This new app turns your iPhone or iTouch into a touchpanel capable of controlling your Crestron automation system.

As with all Crestron touchpanel products, this new app is just the container. You will need your touchpanel programmer to develop functionality customized to your system.

Crestron has the full article. ]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090323-152541 2009-03-23T00:00:00Z 2009-03-23T00:00:00Z
A video matrix router is a device that allows several different source devices (cable box, satellite receiver, DVD player) to be distributed to one or more displays. We have used matrix routers in the analog world for years to provide the benefits of distributed video, but a practical digital video matrix router has not been available until now.

Crestron has just begun shipping their DigitalMedia solution which is, in essence, a digital video and audio matrix router. They have gone to extreme lengths to abide by HDCP requirements while still providing a practical solution. There are also a number of other challenges involved in sending HDMI over long distances (say, more than 40 feet), but Crestron has solutions to these problems as well.

One method for addressing the distance issue is to use fiber optics. So if you are building a new home, this is a compelling reason to consider installing fiber cable (or conduit for future fiber cable). The Crestron solution will work via category 5 cable, but only up to 100 feet.

The compelling driver behind digital (HDMI) video distribution is access to true 1080p video. Due to Hollywood restrictions, content is not available beyond 1080i via analog means, and the days of 1080i may be numbered. Although they have not done so yet, the content owners have the option of restricting analog output to 480p at any time. The perceived quality improvement of digital 1080p over analog 1080i is probably incremental, but protection from likely future resolution games is something to consider.

The DigitalMedia system is capable of handling 16 displays to 1080p and 16 high-definition sources of any kind. The only major stumbling block in this solution (besides cost) is the usual lousy equipment provided by the cable TV companies. Nearly all the currently available cable boxes that support HDMI are restricted to a single display at a time. The technical explanation is complex, but the box manufacturers have been uninterested in remedying this problem. Fortunately most satellite TV receivers, Blu-ray players, and other devices have more reasonable restrictions (typically 16 displays at a time).

Because we tend to overkill the cabling in our projects, most of our installations to date should be upgradeable to the DigitalMedia solution.

For more information, see the Crestron web site.]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090309-101127 2009-03-09T00:00:00Z 2009-03-09T00:00:00Z
The MLX-2 is very similar to the ML-600 which has been around for a while, but it actually packs a lot more capability than the ML-600. Unlike the one-way (transmit only) ML-600, the MLX-2 is a two-way remote which is capable of receiving feedback from the automation system on its LCD screen.

This two-way capability opens up the possibility that the MLX-2 may be useful for more general automation functions which require feedback to be useful. Examples are heating and air control, security, even pool control. A one-way remote is not particularly useful for adjusting the heat and air if you can't see what the current temperature and setpoints are. With the MLX-2, you would be able to get this information on the screen.

That said, the screen on this remote is pretty small and therefore limited. Furthermore, the wireless range is short, so like the ML-600, the MLX-2 is best suited for single room control.

For now, I'm considering the MLX-2 a good candidate for a TV room controller where the user would also like to have some limited automation capabilities. I will know more after I have finished programming and living with this remote for a while.

]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090226-094920 2009-02-26T00:00:00Z 2009-02-26T00:00:00Z
1) I figured out solutions to some of the annoyances in Parallels. I complained about the VM capturing discs, but disabling the device in Parallels fixed that. And Parallels released an update which reduced battery consumption quite a lot. I still think the MBP uses battery too fast, but not nearly as bad as before. I also mapped some keys to improve usability in the PC environment, but still can't figure out how to deal with the missing INSERT key (which is an important shortcut in QuickBooks).

2) The MBP is much lighter and comes out of sleep mode nearly instantly. It does not use a lot of battery in sleep mode, so it rarely falls back to hibernate. This is very nice. The fact that it will fall back to hibernate if it runs out of batter while sleeping is also nice. Because it is ready to use so quickly, I find myself getting the MBP out more often to do a quick task than I ever did my PC laptop.

3) I'm learning to like the track pad. I have always used the nub, but the MBP track pad is not too bad. With gestures, it is downright useful. One complaint I have is that the scroll gesture is not consistent across apps. Some are too fast, some too slow.

4) Mail is way more efficient than Outlook. The IMAP implementation is very good and there are none of the horrible Outlook faults like freezes waiting for a server (which often lock up the entire PC). Address Book and iCal work fine too. Tasks in Mail/iCal are a little different, but seem to work fine.

5) Mac features like Expose and Spaces are very useful.

6) IPSecuritas (free VPN client for the Mac) works better than most commercial PC VPN clients.

7) I can easily take a snapshot of my VM so when something inevitably goes horribly wrong in the XP environment, I lose very little.

8) Having the "lifestyle" apps like iTunes and iPhoto handy is nice.

On balance, I'm liking the MBP better overall. There is still some nervousness that I will run into problems in the VM environment that I won't be able to solve, but so far that hasn't happened.

My productivity is probably up a bit due to the much quicker access to email, but suffers some due to the lack of screen resolution. I find that when using symbolic developer tools, small text becomes illegible before I can shrink the workspace enough to see all I want to see. Maybe I should have waited on the 17"...

]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090124-094336 2009-01-24T00:00:00Z 2009-01-24T00:00:00Z
I have used Macs at home ever since there were Macs, so I'm not coming cold to the Mac. So I knew what I was getting into with the mail, calendar, address book, etc. I prefer an integrated app for these functions like Outlook, but Outlook is such a pig I can hardly stand to use it. Outlook is unbelievably slow and its IMAP implementation is (intentionally?) buggy.

So it's not hard to prefer the Mac suite of bundled apps. The problem is going to be in how to take things mobile. I have a Windows Mobile 5 phone which syncs (usually) with Outlook, but it has problems of its own. It's sort of ridiculous to have to connect a phone/PDA to a PC for syncing these days anyhow. My biggest gripe is the Windows Mobile browser is absolute garbage. The second biggest gripe is I don't like Verizon.

The Missing Sync seems to be the only solution if I want to continue using the WM5 phone, but it's not cheap for something I'll probably throw away when I get rid of the WM5 device. So should I get an iPhone, or try a blackberry or Symbian device? If I leave Verizon, there is a big cancellation fee. Hmmm...


While I struggle with that, I'll note some of the reasons why the PC was better. On balance, I'm okay with the Mac so far, but it's not an overwhelming win. There are definite advantages, but it's not all good.

1) The Screen. The Mac screen is without a doubt the best screen to look at. It causes much less fatigue than others, is bright, sharp, etc. But the resolution at 1440x900 is sub-par. Coming from my PC with 1920x1200 resolution, programming on the MacBook is tedious. I'm learning work-around solutions (spaces, zoom), but please, Apple, get a higher resolution screen option.

2) Speed. The MacBook is definitely faster than the PC, but you would expect this given the PC is over 2 years old. The PC was a Core Duo 1.5GHz and the MacBook is a 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo. The bus speed and memory are also faster. The perceived improvement in speed is not huge with the PC apps probably due to the Parallels overhead.

3) PC App Stability. So far the stability of PC apps has been good once they are installed. However, getting certain apps installed has been challenging. I have eventually been able to get everything working. There is the occasional tendency for some process to go nuts and use up all the CPU and memory resources requiring a reboot.

4) Device Access. This is a big pain. I have to use a USB to serial adapter and while it works fine, there is a series of annoying steps I have to go through every time I plug the adapter in and need it to work in the Windows environment. Also, when Parallels is running, it captures any CD or DVD I put in the drive until I manually tell it to leave it in the Mac environment. Small, but annoying gripes.

5) Battery. The MacBook uses battery faster and charges more slowly.

Well, this seems a good start. I'll post more thoughts as I use this machine. Next time I'll try to list some of the good stuff.]]> http://www.interactiveautomation.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090104-160738 2009-01-04T00:00:00Z 2009-01-04T00:00:00Z