Touchatag integration with Housebot?

[wetwired]

Has anyone had any experience with touchatag? http://www.touchatag.com/home
Any ideas on integrating this product with Housebot?

[Osler]

I don't particular understand the point of the touchatag, but if you want to integrate RFID into HouseBot you should look at the following device:

http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?ca ... ct_id=1023

It has a complete API for a variety of languages and the starter kit comes with a bunch of cool looking RFID tags.

Osler

[wetwired]

I agree that the point of touchatag as a product is a bit sketchy.
But, the reader and tags are nicely designed. And the the price is nice as well, 30EURO for a starter kit, a reader and ten tags. The Phidget starter kit is 90USD, no casing for the reader and I don´t really need a lot of different tags, just labels to stick on other things.

[Osler]

Phidgets site is in Canadian dollars. Just the reader is $52 US and the kit is $72 US. Compared to $40 US for the Touchatag. Plus the phidget can read the Touchatag tags.

Osler

[wetwired]

Where did you find the info that phidget can read the touchatag tags? That is good news.
Is there a Housebot plugin for phidget rfid?

[Osler]

My fault. Phidgets uses EM 4102 while Touchatag uses ISO/IEC 14443....so they won't coexist together.

No plug-in....but the device is easily scriptable and has 2 digital outputs that can be used for other things.

Osler

[wetwired]

Ok, so I have done some rfid research and the touchatag reader and tags still seems to have a lot of advantages. And if you read the developer info at http://www.touchatag.com/developer/devguide it seems you can make Touchatag work without the online connection.
You would need the SDK at 149 dollars and you would have to be a programmer to make a plugin for Housebot.

Is this something anyone else would be interested in? ScottBot, is this something that perhaps could be developed for Housebot?

[wetwired]

A video of me controlling my Squeezebox through Touchatag and Housebot:

http://hemautomatisering.ning.com/video ... ag-publish

[Steve Horn]

Well, that's clever. Not sure how practical it is, but clever! I DO like your HB user interface/theme though! It gets me to thinking that mine is in need of a redesign. Thanks!

[wetwired]

Thanks for the compliment, I can´t take all the credit though. My theme is based on one I found in the older parts of this forum, I have altered it to suit my needs.
The cube control is perhaps not practical but I am very interested in trying more tactile interfaces to my system.

[Richard Naninck]

That video put a smile on my face as well. It qualifies as 'beyond hobby';) A bit nerdish and not very pratical but overly fun to create
This could be used for security like unlocking doors etc.

[bryan]

Hi Wetwired,

I'm planning to write an interface to TouchATag as well, although I'm not exactly sure why yet - just seems like a cool thing to get working. Did you buy the SDK Part # ACR122U from ACS to develop the interface? Any gotchas you'd be willing to point out before I get started?

Thanks,
Bryan

[wetwired]

Actually I didn´t write an interface. I´m using a very elaborate workaround using IIS and the COM object for Housebot. Touchatag opens a webpage that sends the appropriate values to Housebot. It works, but it is cludgy.
There is an app for touchatag that can execute a commandline but it doesn´t work with spaces so it´s pretty useless. Touchatag has said they will release an advanced commandline app, but it has yet to appear. If it does you can uses the external control for Housebot.