HouseBot

voice modem, w/answering machine and mailboxs

text to speech

voice recognitions

voice commands

thanks

BJ,



What hardware are you using for your voice modem?



Currently for text to speech, you can use the clipboard plugin (optional download) and the readplease application (3rd party app that converts text in the clipboard to speech). I would like to see a native housebot plugin for text to speech at some point.



Thanks for the suggestions,

Scott

I am currently using a Homeseer's PCI modem and it is the same pci modem that is shipped in the HAL deluxe package too. They are both the same modem. Conxant chip set... HawkKing modem too....Lowe's is currently doing a close out on HAL stuff . you can get the Hal basic for $8.50 (no hardware)and the Hal-deluxe for $16.50 the Hal-deluxe comes with a modem ,a CM11a and a lamp module. the cm11a is worth the trip alone .

My opion is, the Hal software is crap. but where you gonna get a cm11a, voice modem,and lamp module for 16.50 so throw the software away and keep the rest

Well I guess I'll run by Lowes this weekend. No guarantees on a plugin any time soon, but I'll check it out.



Scott

BJ,



My Lowes was sold out of HAL. In looking around, it looks like the Hawking PCI voice modem is no longer offered by Hawking either. Is the voice modem interface a standard? If so, what is the standard?



If I write a plugin, I would want to make sure the hardware is available so others could use it as well. I was looking at the CreativeLabs ModemBlaster as an option. Its cheap ($23) and available. Do you know if it would be compatible with the other voice modems (same interface standard question as above)?



The more I think about it, I would really like to have a phone interface to HouseBot for myself. The reality is that if I want it for my own system, it automatically moves to the top of the priority list I like the general idea of these voice modems, but I need to dig up more details on interfacing to them.



Scott

Well I think I've found the answer to the specification question. It looks like Tapi (telephony api) will do a lot of what is needed.



Scott

Could you guys explain the term "voice modem" and what it might do for HB? I figured that whatever modem is used would need TAPI in order to interprete the Caller ID string.

I had also thought about some type of interface that would allow the touchtone keypad to be used as a cheap/dirty remote (for speaker switching, volume, mute, etc.) But you'd need something sitting on the line that could decode the TT tones, mapping them to some serial (presumbly) string to a PC serial port. Would need some type of preamble wake-up string (such as ##*) so that ordinary dialing would not cause things to run amuck. Sounds like a job for a TT decoder chip and a PIC such as the Basic Stamp. One of these days...

BJ may have a better response, since he is more familiar with voice modems. I haven't looked into it too deeply, but my initial thoughts would be to have a Hardware Interface that will:

• - Be able to detect tones from incoming calls.
  - Be able to play wav files or perhaps use text-2-speech.

My intension is to have a way to have control and get status of the system over the phone. For the first version, I think just a simple control through DTFM detection and status through wav files could be adequate. Maybe include something that would allow the user to define a menu system of some type. Later it could be expanded into a full multiple mailbox voice mail system. I've not looked into tapi to know if it can do all of these things or not.



I guess you would need a 'password' code that would change the mode from a passive listening state into an active processing state.



The current Modem/Phone status Interface does caller ID (without tapi). I could, perhaps, expand it to incorporate the additional functionality, or create a new plugin.



Scott

I 'm new to voice modems and Voice recognition. I been playing with the Homeseer stuff their pci modem it's based on the conexant chip and uses tapi. I did play with HAL and their modem thats how I found out they were the same they both use the DTMF to control and send commands over the phone and it does voice commands over the phone too I like being able to control x10 over the phone and my Slinke over the phone too. IR too..

they use the # key to get to the right mode . if you want I can send or post the conexant chip commands and the script that HS uses to control the modem if it will help get your new project going ,I believe that some of the HS users are using that Creative modem too.

I am by no means a Programmer more of a hack till I get something going. and a little reverse engineering to figure stuff out.

it would been nice to eleminate all these remotes to control Homeautomation and I am getting real close to using the cordless phone to control lights, sounds, tv.heating/AC

"dang this fun"

BJ,



Can you send me the conexant commands? Send them to [email protected] if you want to send via email.



I would hope that tapi can abstract the individual chip manufacturer differences so a single solution would work for all modems.... but I'm probably wrong. I've got the Rockwell command set, so I'll compare them and see.



Thanks,

Scott

Is there any way to have a software remote work via a web page? (ie not installing any software on the client) I have Audreys that I would love to use the CDJ functionality with as I have found Track to file etc too unstable.



Otherwise this looks like a great piece of software, thanks!

Parkers_Dad wrote:Is there any way to have a software remote work via a web page? (ie not installing any software on the client) I have Audreys that I would love to use the CDJ functionality with as I have found Track to file etc too unstable.

Otherwise this looks like a great piece of software, thanks!

Not currently. I am planning, at some point, on adding some form of web support for HTML and WML, but I don't see it happening any time too soon.



Sorry,

Scott

ScottBot wrote:Not currently. I am planning, at some point, on adding some form of web support for HTML and WML, but I don't see it happening any time too soon.

When you do get around to doing it you may want to look at or use http://www.myhtpc.net/ . Pretty neat.